[Iliff Ave]

The same beer can taste significantly different to me from day to day; homebrew or commercial. I was discussing this with my buddy and he mentioned a lot of that can be related to changes body chemistry. Does anyone have any information on that? I realize that there are probably a lot of factors that can affect taste especially recently consumed food or drink.

I have just started to look into and I am finding more about how your palate can change as you age. This is just an exercise of curiosity. 

[blatz]

sometimes when I feel my beer tastes different (i.e. not as good , I take a few days/week off from having any and am amazed at how great it tastes when I go back to it.

[reverseapachemaster]

Beer never tastes right when I'm hung over.

[HoosierBrew]

sometimes when I feel my beer tastes different (i.e. not as good , I take a few days/week off from having any and am amazed at how great it tastes when I go back to it.

Same here. A lot of things come into play for me - mood, fatigue, allergy issues, food eaten, whatever beer I had before it, etc.

[mainebrewer]

Beer never tastes right when I'm hung over.

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Funny how that works!

[mabrungard]

I've found that my beer's taste (or my perception of it!) changes over time. I've perceived increases and decreases in the matter of a day. I can only assume that it has something to do with my condition and setting, since I don't think the beer itself changes that drastically.

[pete b]

I'm guessing our ability to perceive aroma is one factor that shifts almost constantly. There are also psychological things like mood and associations. There is a famous restaurant that does things like putting little cow statues that "moo" when picked up. The resulting laughter and good mood ends up actually making people perceive the food as tasting better.

[beersk]

I get this way too. A beer will taste amazing one day, then "meh" the next day. I think a lot of it has to do with mood, but also what you've eaten. I like to eat spicy food...a lot, so it really f*cks with the palate, even hours later, I believe. But, yeah, palates are bipolar like that. Sometimes, I'll perceive a beer differently even halfway through a pint. The first sip or two is always the best.

[klickitat jim]

It seems to me that home brew tends to be perceived as "changing" more frequently the younger it is. Once any beer has been tapped for a week or so it doesn't seem to be perceived as changing that frequently

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[majorvices]

The best time to taste beer (especially for off flavors) is in the morning before you have assaulted your taste buds and sinuses with 100s of other flavors and aromas. When critiquing beer I almost always do so in the morning as my senses are sharpest then. Make sure you brush your teeth. Eat saltine crackers if there is a flavor "stuck" in your mouth. Smell your arm (seriously) to help neutralize your palate.

Make sure your beer lines and taps are cleaned. Clean lines/taps can make all the difference in the world. Especially important if you are experienceing inconsistent flavors every time you pull the tap.

Beer tastes great to me when I'm hung over. Just sayin'.

[hopfenundmalz]

My IPA tasted different after drinking lagers for weeks in Germany. It was like a rasp going over my tongue. After a couple of days, it was back to normal. 

[theoman]

This is one big reason why I don't enter competitions (except that one time when I was tricked into it and, um, took first place). I have a small crew of trusted tasters and if they say it's good and I say it's good, then it's good.

[klickitat jim]

This is one big reason why I don't enter competitions (except that one time when I was tricked into it and, um, took first place). I have a small crew of trusted tasters and if they say it's good and I say it's good, then it's good.

The best reason to enter competitions is to help raise funds for the host club in a fun way.

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[homoeccentricus]

My palate never changes. I don't like 95% of the homebrews I taste (including the ones as an apprentice judge)
Over time this only gets worse (so my palate does change!) Most of my homebrews are in the 5%, so at least that's good news

[yso191]

My palate never changes. I don't like 95% of the homebrews I taste (including the ones as an apprentice judge)
Over time this only gets worse (so my palate does change!) Most of my homebrews are in the 5%, so at least that's good news

Like all of life and all people, homebrewers assume brewing beer is easy and don't put the thought, research and *work* into brewing.  The easy path seldom results in quality outcomes.