Brilliant Jen. I hope you'll consider this as an outline for a larger project, book or exploration. I devoured this post and shared it in my networks. It leaves me wanting to hear more. I wish this piece was longer. GREAT WORK.
Hey Jen, thanks so much for sharing this! We never stop learning new things about ourselves. At the age of 50 I finally was able to put a more nuanced name onto my own sexual identity, Demisexual. Once I learned that word and what it represented so many aspects of my life simply clicked right into place. At first I felt foolish that it took me so long to understand a crucial aspect of myself. However I was made to see that continuing to search for self discovery is something we strive for throughout our lives, and it is never finished, we never know ourselves completely. And I learned that not all people are willing to keep searching so that alone is a personal victory. I am also starting my tasting notes spreadsheet today!
Thank you for your kind words, Michele, and for sharing! Learning about my neurodiversity has made so many confusing and frustrating things throughout my life make so much more sense. And keep up with your spreadsheet! Learn from my mistakes 😂
As a beer judge, I appreciated your deep dive into the descriptor "earthy". For me it's most often geosmin/petrichor, but it can also manifest as potato or beet or other root vegetables. Mushroom suggests an earthiness, too, though I mostly attribute mushroominess to old and oxidized beer. I find it interesting that "sherry" aroma is a descriptor for old and oxidized beer and, for me, it's the mushroominess of sherry that connects the olfactory dots. I found this little bit of info while looking into sherry flor: "Although more than 95% of the flor film will consist of Saccharomyses Cerivisiae strains, other yeasts, *fungi* or bacteria may occur." (asterisks are mine)
Hi Jen -Just wanted to say that I think you're a gifted writer and I enjoy reading your work. I would also like to share an anecdote related to this comment: "I think it boils down to knowing your audience. If your audience is a brewer who has entered a beer in a competition, then maybe sticking to earthy is the way to go." While judging at World Beer Cup last year, I noted that one of my fellow judges made a point of always coming up with as many aroma descriptors as they possibly could. On one particular beer (I don't remember the style) he listed at least seven different aromas --which is certainly not out of the realm of possibility-- but at least three of them were aromas I had never experienced or heard of. I couldn't help thinking that this particular judge was not only trying too hard to impress, but also that maybe his descriptors were of little feedback value to the brewer. His descriptors were not necessarily considered good or bad aromas, they just seemed distracting and unhelpful.
Brilliant Jen. I hope you'll consider this as an outline for a larger project, book or exploration. I devoured this post and shared it in my networks. It leaves me wanting to hear more. I wish this piece was longer. GREAT WORK.
Thank you so much, Caitlin!! I appreciate you sharing the post. It's always great to hear that my writing resonates with people.
Hey Jen, thanks so much for sharing this! We never stop learning new things about ourselves. At the age of 50 I finally was able to put a more nuanced name onto my own sexual identity, Demisexual. Once I learned that word and what it represented so many aspects of my life simply clicked right into place. At first I felt foolish that it took me so long to understand a crucial aspect of myself. However I was made to see that continuing to search for self discovery is something we strive for throughout our lives, and it is never finished, we never know ourselves completely. And I learned that not all people are willing to keep searching so that alone is a personal victory. I am also starting my tasting notes spreadsheet today!
Thank you for your kind words, Michele, and for sharing! Learning about my neurodiversity has made so many confusing and frustrating things throughout my life make so much more sense. And keep up with your spreadsheet! Learn from my mistakes 😂
As a beer judge, I appreciated your deep dive into the descriptor "earthy". For me it's most often geosmin/petrichor, but it can also manifest as potato or beet or other root vegetables. Mushroom suggests an earthiness, too, though I mostly attribute mushroominess to old and oxidized beer. I find it interesting that "sherry" aroma is a descriptor for old and oxidized beer and, for me, it's the mushroominess of sherry that connects the olfactory dots. I found this little bit of info while looking into sherry flor: "Although more than 95% of the flor film will consist of Saccharomyses Cerivisiae strains, other yeasts, *fungi* or bacteria may occur." (asterisks are mine)
Thanks for sharing your experiences and the info about sherry flor!
Hi Jen -Just wanted to say that I think you're a gifted writer and I enjoy reading your work. I would also like to share an anecdote related to this comment: "I think it boils down to knowing your audience. If your audience is a brewer who has entered a beer in a competition, then maybe sticking to earthy is the way to go." While judging at World Beer Cup last year, I noted that one of my fellow judges made a point of always coming up with as many aroma descriptors as they possibly could. On one particular beer (I don't remember the style) he listed at least seven different aromas --which is certainly not out of the realm of possibility-- but at least three of them were aromas I had never experienced or heard of. I couldn't help thinking that this particular judge was not only trying too hard to impress, but also that maybe his descriptors were of little feedback value to the brewer. His descriptors were not necessarily considered good or bad aromas, they just seemed distracting and unhelpful.