Final Day- Beer Judge

Final day of beer judging here in Lodi.

I started the day out tasting porter type beers. A porter is traditionally an English style but there are also American, Russian, and Polish types. This is a great style to drink. It is bold but very drinkable.

After the porters, I was judging a category called Sour Ales. These are something I have had before, but I don't drink very often. I can appreciate these for the difficulty and the balance needed to not be overwhelming and puckering.

Most of these sour beers come from Belgium, however one style called Berliner Weisse of course comes from Germany. These can be refreshing, some are deeply complex like a good wine, and others are more artistic and funky even downright nasty.

The category that is strangest is the Belgian Lambics. It is a tart and sour beer style. What makes it interesting , to some, is that it can be described as smelling like a barnyard, gym socks, or as I said when I was judging, "an old leather shoe. Sounds yummy right? In this style, these are compliments to the beer quality.

If you want to see what styles of beer are out there, check the BJCP styles.

So, that's my weekend and if you want to know more about beer judging go to the Beer Judge Certification site.