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Two days in a row I have a link to the guardian for ye!

[url:2skjunnm]http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/aug/05/how-beer-might-meet-its-match[/url:2skjunnm]

Has anyone done one of the beer academy courses? Are they any good? or BJCP anyone? or are there any other options on the beer tasting? I'm especially looking at our resident bloggers who do plenty of beer reviewing, was there any formal training or just a lot of practicing?

And as for the last line of the article, I had two bottles of O'Hara's in Chapter One the last time I was there. And wouldn't have drank anything less, though I was disappointed that the beer list started with heiniken or some other crap beer I am unable to spell!

&amp;quot;padraic&amp;quot;:3gxrmg1a wrote: just a lot of practicing?[/quote:3gxrmg1a]This. <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D --> The most important thing in learning to describe tastes isn't the tasting, IMO, it's reading people who are good at it. I think this guy[/url:3gxrmg1a] is one of the best in the business, and these ones[/url:3gxrmg1a], and of course him[/url:3gxrmg1a].

&amp;quot;TheBeerNut&amp;quot;:3jd7j2i6 wrote: it's reading people who are good at it. [/quote:3jd7j2i6]

Research is the way forward then! I was thinking that myself, for when I get off my arse to start writing!

For what it is worth- Stouts/Porters go very well with dark chocolate.

&amp;quot;Andrew&amp;quot;:2fnul3jq wrote: For what it is worth- Stouts/Porters go very well with dark chocolate.[/quote:2fnul3jq]

If you add softened dark chocolate to chocolate malted grains the three different textures of liquid/choc/grain go very, very well together. We used to serve Young's Double Chocolate stout at AUS$22 per bottle in Brisbane so did that trick to try to justify the price tag! <!-- s:mrgreen: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt="" title="Mr. Green" /><!-- s:mrgreen: -->