About Andy

I’m one of those list types of people who likes to keep records of things in an orderly fashion, and beer is no exception to the rule. I started my journey into beer with the standard Miller Lite when I turned 21 (for real, I didn’t drink until then as I thought beer tasted gross -HA!). Soon after, I discovered great beer in the close-to-home Sprecher Brewing Co. but didn’t become a full geekdom remained yet to be seen; it just tasted good at this point.

Fast forward though the college “party stage” to a year or two after school. Before I was even aware of the existence of rating sites like BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer I decided one day to try a handful of different single bottles of beer I had never heard of before. I took the bottles home and, one at a time, I scribbled notes about them – color, aroma, flavor – on a pad of paper. I was determined to find new things and, in a sea of choices, I knew it would be hard to remember everything I had tried, especially after a few.

I don’t recall exactly how it happened but somehow I stumbled upon BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer, browsing the sites, soaking up all the knowledge I could. I subscribed All About Beer Magazine and created printed documents of everything available on the BJCP website to educate myself. I spent much of my time poring over beer literature until Stolen Sun Media creator and good friend Brandon inspired me to start a beer podcast, and so became BeerFM.

I enjoyed the hour-and-a-half of hilarity from TalkRadar but the length didn’t translate well to the early incarnations of BeerFM and, looking back, the first two episodes were a disaster. Thankfully I quickly realized this with the help of some patient friends and BeerFM rapidly evolved into what it is now; much more than a “beer blog”. A full site that keeps growing, allowing me to continue learning about this fascinating craft.

I’m a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and intend on perusing a certification in the Beer Judge Certification Program as well as a fully certified Cicerone.

I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t imagine my life without beer. It would just be a horrible, horrible existence.

Andy’s Review Process:

I’m a fun-loving guy, but I’ve become pretty serious when it comes to reviewing beer; stealing away to my own corner of the house, void of distractions, to imbibe this precious liquid.
-I try to only buy things that are within their age limitations, preferably labeled on the bottle, noting any information given such as ABV, IBUs, etc, as well as the serving type and size and Beer Clean glass its poured into.
-Every review must be poured into proper Beer Clean glassware of some sort as all beer should be consumed this way.

Then I follow a process that’s an amalgam between the Beer Judge Certification Program and BeerAdvocate rating system that goes a little something like this:

Aroma (labeled as Smell), Apperance, Taste, Mouthfeel, and Overall perception of the beer.

For more information on the BeerFM rating system, head here.