Something to help with those reviews...from Mark Dredge's new book, Craft Beer World: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-01/infographic-day-beersci-edition-beer-flavor-wheel
A great resource, but missing at least one flavor element. When tasting Chelada...the only descriptor I could come up with was vomit. Don't see that one here.
From the attached text: OK then..... OTOH....that pee flavor wheel might have helped me describe a few of the crappier beers I have tried!
There have been many variations of a "beer flavor wheel" (just do a Google for the term). First one I recall seeing was in the 1977 edition of the Master Brewers Association of the America's The Practical Brewer. That one, developed by the MBAA, ASBC (the Brewing Chemists' org.) and the EBC (European brewers' group) , also used a system of numbering the terms to create "...an international flavor vocabulary for beer".
This gives the credit to the original. http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue5.6/flavorwheel.html Stan Hieronymus has an aroma wheel linked in this page, along with the one by the author Dredge. http://appellationbeer.com/another-beer-flavorflavour-wheel/
I like the idea of this a lot but I don't totally like the way he did it. He's combining categories like "mouthfeel" and "drinking experience" with the flavor descriptors. It's helpful in a way, but not really a pure flavor wheel. I wonder if such a thing could exist.
So, my eyes aren't so great in a dark bar, where I drink most of my beer. Am I supposed to print this favor wheel out world map size to see it? Maybe I'm a dumb dumb, but these wheels or other complicated data charts never make sense to me. They make so little sense that I designed and published my own tasting journal. Uber beer geeks will make fun of it, but it's an attempt to simplify and educate about beer tasting. Plus, you can see it in a dark bar! I'm not going hammer you with an ad here, but if you're interested check out my profile. It's my homepage link.
It's interesting they list 'Sherry' as an undesirable flavor Lots of people mention Sherry/Tawny Port characteristics as a positive thing.
Sherry flavors can be indicative of oxidation and is certainly a fault in most beer styles. But for a big barleywine, or old ale, they may actually be quite pleasant. Remember that the flavor wheel has to satisfy the overwhelming majority of beers styles. Kinda like sour beers: lactic/acetic character would not be considered a brewing fault in a lambic or Flemmish Red ale, but they certainly would be if they were in a Dortmunder Export or IIPA.
