The one addition I would consider is an intensity scale (whatever the friendly opposite of intensity is – not bland). The reason being that you see a lot of experts, Garrett Oliver surely was one of the first in a beer context, talk about the value of considering the intensity levels when pairing beer and food.

I’m not so crazy about the “beginner to experienced” scale idea. It’s too subjective, and I think it could end up damaging the reputations of a lot of great beers.

Who wants to be spotted drinking a “beginner beer?”

When are you going to stop sucking on the Marzen teat and step up to a real man’s beer, like this Thunderballs Imperial Baltic Uber Porter… it’s brewed with horseradish and 20 kinds of hops!

On a similar note, I hate the marketing phrase “entry-level.” I’ve been looking for a new car and I am considering a very small, very fuel efficient model for daily commuting. But all of the small cars are labeled “entry-level,” as if only first-time car buyers should be interested.

Well, I’m a fourth-time car buyer, and I’m interested in one of those little clown cars, but I’m so vain that the “entry-level” moniker has me looking two or three models up… (maybe that’s the plan…)

Now even the “mid-size sedan” sounds kind of wimpy…