Subject: Digest for the period 11/20/2003 - 11/21/2003 Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 01:03:10 -0500 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Lighting for judges (Robert Bucinskas) 2. re: Scent Refresher (Mark Tumarkin) 3. nose reset (Jeremy Bergsman) 4. RE: Coffee beans (Denis Barsalo) 5. Re: coffee beans (Free State Brewing Co., Inc.) 6. Scent relieve (Steve Casselman) 7. Table Cloths and Openers at competition (Mike Dixon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Robert Bucinskas Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 11:37:09 +1100 Subject: Lighting for judges Just 2c from an amatuer: Maglights and other light sources with incandecent globes should always have fresh batteries. As the voltage drops, the hue of light from incandescent globes tends towards yellow. Ideally, LED flashlights whose colour does not deteriorate with reduced voltage should be used where natural light is unavailable. ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mark Tumarkin Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 06:43:27 -0500 Subject: re: Scent Refresher After conveying Morton Mielgaard's observation that coffee can negatively affect our ability to detect flavors, Spencer says - "I always thought that was what the bread is for." I think we've got two (related) issues here. We use the bread to clear taste flavors or refresh our palate. From Travis' post, it sounds like the coffee beans are used to clear aromas from the nose. I recall from my BJCP study group, Ed Wolfe told me to sniff my shirt to clear aromas. I think he said it was a completely different, more neutral aroma & could refresh an overloaded nose. I guess that assumes the laundry soap aromas don't linger, and that you're not way sweaty. On the coffee issue, I recall Morton's talk too. I really enjoyed it. Though he's a majorly low-key speaker, he had a tremendous amount of information to convey. I had forgotten about the coffee issue until Spencer mentioned it. I now remember thinking that I don't smoke, but there's no way I'm giving up coffee. But perhaps, we shouldn't drink it right before judging. Now that's tough since most competitions start pretty early and it's that early morning coffee that I most don't want to give up. That first cup is one of life's true pleasures. I don't imagine that smelling coffee beans would have the same negative affect on tasting. I'll have to try it and see how it works for me. Mark Tumarkin Hogtown Brewers Gainesville, FL ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeremy Bergsman Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 07:49:34 -0500 Subject: nose reset The best way to recover my sense of smell that I have found is to do all of my inhaling through my mouth and my exhaling through my nose. I imagine this way the only thing your nose is exposed to is what's on the inside, which it is usually just about totally habituated to anyway. In dry weather I also believe that extra humidity helps the sense of smell. The more important advice when judging is to try to limit the amount of smelling you do by being prepared for each whiff, i.e. have in mind what you are looking for and don't be talking to the next judge. BTW, amen to the universal condemnation of cedar pencils! I wish all comp organizers felt this way. -- Jeremy Bergsman jeremy`at`bergsman.org http://www.bergsman.org/jeremy ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Denis Barsalo Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 10:26:10 -0500 Subject: RE: Coffee beans I've always found that sniffing my freshly washed shirt sleeve does the trick! The aromas are just subtle enough and different enough to reset without overwhelming the senses. Denis Barsalo CABA Regional Rep Member of the MontreAlers From: Pete Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 06:55:32 -0500 Subject: Coffee beans Travis asks - Finally, I was curious about something. At Yankee Candle's main store they have little jars of coffee beans that you can sniff in between the candles to revive your sense of smell. Has anyone every used something similar when judging? And yeah, I've experienced that in several 'aromatic' places, perfume and scented oil shops, specifically. The theory is that not only is the coffee a 'different' aroma but a sharp enough one to 'reset' the senseors in out noses. Personal experience suggests that one rapidly heads toward 'overload' however, and loses much ability to smaell anything fairly quickly - like maybe 1/2 hour. Now, in a competition where the 'basic' aromas are not nearly so heavy as in a candle or perfume shop, it might last longer, and be an effective revival. The problem remains, what to sniff? Agreed, we can't use coffee, and it seems to me that most strong aromas show up on beer to one degree or another. Gasoline might work, but out noses might not after that! Alcohol, cheese, cinnamon, orange, any floral - all these are scents we may already need to be watching for... Patchuli, maybe? Great idea, but I've personally had no success persuing it. I'd love to hear from others. Pete Bussa ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Free State Brewing Co., Inc. Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 11:29:25 -0600 Subject: Re: coffee beans When I took the Siebel Sensory Evaluation Course several years ago, the instructor made mention of the value of fresh ground coffee for providing an aromatic 'palate cleanser'. It was suggested for the aroma only, not for drinking. Cheers, Steve *************************************************************** Steve Bradt fsb`at`freestatebrewing.com Free State Brewing Co. http://www.freestatebrewing.com 636 Massachusetts St. Phone (785) 843-4555 Lawrence, KS 66044 FAX (785) 843-2543 ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Steve Casselman Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 09:49:12 -0800 Subject: Scent relieve > Personal experience suggests that one rapidly heads toward > 'overload' however, and loses much ability to smaell > anything fairly quickly - like maybe 1/2 hour. What about a nasal spray? I'm thinking washing might work. Maybe something like a 5% alcohol nasal spray kind of thing. Then blow your nose and get back to Judging. Also somebody might want to try to make up a Judging mouth wash of 2% alcohol and 2% hydrogen peroxide. The idea would be to strip any hop oils or any kind of residue. Steve ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Dixon Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 18:05:23 -0500 Subject: Table Cloths and Openers at competition Like I said a few digest back, I think the white table cloths are not needed. It was suggested for the white paper ones, I say simply turn over a scoresheet. So long as really inexpensive paper is not used for the photocopying, just flip it over and there you have it. (FWIW - my favorite paper at the moment is OfficeMax MaxBrite laser paper 24 lb 94 brightness, it would work well for that particular task and is slightly thicker making it easy to handle.) As far as openers (and flashlights) at competition, I feel they should be provided. I generally have to travel to a competition, and it is nice for them to be there for the judges. I don't carry an opener, I do have one in the vehicle if needed, same for a light, but I generally serve draft at home and order draft while out and about, so an opener besides the ones mounted around the house is rarely needed - YMMV. Cheers, Mike Dixon Wake Forest, NC ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** Subject: Digest for the period 11/20/2003 - 11/21/2003 Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 01:03:10 -0500 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Lighting for judges (Robert Bucinskas) 2. re: Scent Refresher (Mark Tumarkin) 3. nose reset (Jeremy Bergsman) 4. RE: Coffee beans (Denis Barsalo) 5. Re: coffee beans (Free State Brewing Co., Inc.) 6. Scent relieve (Steve Casselman) 7. Table Cloths and Openers at competition (Mike Dixon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Robert Bucinskas Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 11:37:09 +1100 Subject: Lighting for judges Just 2c from an amatuer: Maglights and other light sources with incandecent globes should always have fresh batteries. As the voltage drops, the hue of light from incandescent globes tends towards yellow. Ideally, LED flashlights whose colour does not deteriorate with reduced voltage should be used where natural light is unavailable. ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mark Tumarkin Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 06:43:27 -0500 Subject: re: Scent Refresher After conveying Morton Mielgaard's observation that coffee can negatively affect our ability to detect flavors, Spencer says - "I always thought that was what the bread is for." I think we've got two (related) issues here. We use the bread to clear taste flavors or refresh our palate. From Travis' post, it sounds like the coffee beans are used to clear aromas from the nose. I recall from my BJCP study group, Ed Wolfe told me to sniff my shirt to clear aromas. I think he said it was a completely different, more neutral aroma & could refresh an overloaded nose. I guess that assumes the laundry soap aromas don't linger, and that you're not way sweaty. On the coffee issue, I recall Morton's talk too. I really enjoyed it. Though he's a majorly low-key speaker, he had a tremendous amount of information to convey. I had forgotten about the coffee issue until Spencer mentioned it. I now remember thinking that I don't smoke, but there's no way I'm giving up coffee. But perhaps, we shouldn't drink it right before judging. Now that's tough since most competitions start pretty early and it's that early morning coffee that I most don't want to give up. That first cup is one of life's true pleasures. I don't imagine that smelling coffee beans would have the same negative affect on tasting. I'll have to try it and see how it works for me. Mark Tumarkin Hogtown Brewers Gainesville, FL ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeremy Bergsman Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 07:49:34 -0500 Subject: nose reset The best way to recover my sense of smell that I have found is to do all of my inhaling through my mouth and my exhaling through my nose. I imagine this way the only thing your nose is exposed to is what's on the inside, which it is usually just about totally habituated to anyway. In dry weather I also believe that extra humidity helps the sense of smell. The more important advice when judging is to try to limit the amount of smelling you do by being prepared for each whiff, i.e. have in mind what you are looking for and don't be talking to the next judge. BTW, amen to the universal condemnation of cedar pencils! I wish all comp organizers felt this way. -- Jeremy Bergsman jeremy`at`bergsman.org http://www.bergsman.org/jeremy ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Denis Barsalo Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 10:26:10 -0500 Subject: RE: Coffee beans I've always found that sniffing my freshly washed shirt sleeve does the trick! The aromas are just subtle enough and different enough to reset without overwhelming the senses. Denis Barsalo CABA Regional Rep Member of the MontreAlers From: Pete Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 06:55:32 -0500 Subject: Coffee beans Travis asks - Finally, I was curious about something. At Yankee Candle's main store they have little jars of coffee beans that you can sniff in between the candles to revive your sense of smell. Has anyone every used something similar when judging? And yeah, I've experienced that in several 'aromatic' places, perfume and scented oil shops, specifically. The theory is that not only is the coffee a 'different' aroma but a sharp enough one to 'reset' the senseors in out noses. Personal experience suggests that one rapidly heads toward 'overload' however, and loses much ability to smaell anything fairly quickly - like maybe 1/2 hour. Now, in a competition where the 'basic' aromas are not nearly so heavy as in a candle or perfume shop, it might last longer, and be an effective revival. The problem remains, what to sniff? Agreed, we can't use coffee, and it seems to me that most strong aromas show up on beer to one degree or another. Gasoline might work, but out noses might not after that! Alcohol, cheese, cinnamon, orange, any floral - all these are scents we may already need to be watching for... Patchuli, maybe? Great idea, but I've personally had no success persuing it. I'd love to hear from others. Pete Bussa ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Free State Brewing Co., Inc. Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 11:29:25 -0600 Subject: Re: coffee beans When I took the Siebel Sensory Evaluation Course several years ago, the instructor made mention of the value of fresh ground coffee for providing an aromatic 'palate cleanser'. It was suggested for the aroma only, not for drinking. Cheers, Steve *************************************************************** Steve Bradt fsb`at`freestatebrewing.com Free State Brewing Co. http://www.freestatebrewing.com 636 Massachusetts St. Phone (785) 843-4555 Lawrence, KS 66044 FAX (785) 843-2543 ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Steve Casselman Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 09:49:12 -0800 Subject: Scent relieve > Personal experience suggests that one rapidly heads toward > 'overload' however, and loses much ability to smaell > anything fairly quickly - like maybe 1/2 hour. What about a nasal spray? I'm thinking washing might work. Maybe something like a 5% alcohol nasal spray kind of thing. Then blow your nose and get back to Judging. Also somebody might want to try to make up a Judging mouth wash of 2% alcohol and 2% hydrogen peroxide. The idea would be to strip any hop oils or any kind of residue. Steve ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Dixon Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 18:05:23 -0500 Subject: Table Cloths and Openers at competition Like I said a few digest back, I think the white table cloths are not needed. It was suggested for the white paper ones, I say simply turn over a scoresheet. So long as really inexpensive paper is not used for the photocopying, just flip it over and there you have it. (FWIW - my favorite paper at the moment is OfficeMax MaxBrite laser paper 24 lb 94 brightness, it would work well for that particular task and is slightly thicker making it easy to handle.) As far as openers (and flashlights) at competition, I feel they should be provided. I generally have to travel to a competition, and it is nice for them to be there for the judges. I don't carry an opener, I do have one in the vehicle if needed, same for a light, but I generally serve draft at home and order draft while out and about, so an opener besides the ones mounted around the house is rarely needed - YMMV. Cheers, Mike Dixon Wake Forest, NC ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * **********************************************************************