There was a discount at Quebec grocery chain Maxi where the beer averaged less than $2 a can with the store paying for taxes and recycling deposit fees. So, I decided to pick up every single variety of mainstream Quebec brewed beer I could find and loaded cases upon cases of beer into the back of my estate car. It reminded me of my days ferrying crates of wine from France to Switzerland on the air suspension of my BMW 5-Series touring.
I enlisted the help of my friend Babak. We are both journalists and both enjoy a nice chat about work over a cold glass of beer. More importantly, we have different cooking styles and different tastes, so it helps to have a second opinion to see if I’m way off mark. We agreed on three rating categories and averaged the scores between the two of us.
Appearance is the first impression of a beer. We favoured beers that had a healthy layer of foam that stayed on, bubbles that looked right, and had the correct color and clarity for its style.
Taste is how close the beer tasted compared to the official description on the brewery’s website. The closer the aroma was to its claimed flavour, the higher it scored.
Texture is how it feels in the mouth and on the tongue, we looked out for variables like dryness, heaviness, and creaminess to judge how well it felt to drink.
After a short discussion, we agreed on a short description of what the beer is like to drink and in which occasion we might want to drink it. Then, we pour the rest of the can down the drain, sip water to clear our palette, and move on to the next brew.
