Lyle C. Brown, Virginia's first certified beer judge, with some of his home-brewed creations. Blueberry mead is in front, with custom-pressed cider from Shenandoah apples at right. In the rear is 'Cinco de Birro,' a brown ale with chipotle tea added. rez Visit the Photo Place

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For local man, beer is dear to his heart

As Virginia's first beer judge, Lyle C. Brown bubbles about the art of the brew.

By LISA CHINN

Date published: 2/22/2004

By LISA CHINN

LYLE BROWN'S basement is a beer lover's dream come true.

He brews his own pilsners, porters and stouts down there, at the bottom of the steps in his Spotsylvania County home. A fridge in another room brims with frosty brown bottles filled with the homemade stuff.

"As soon as I turned 21, my beverage of choice was beer," said Brown, a combat systems engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, and a commander in the Navy Reserves.

As Virginia's first beer judge, Brown, now 44, travels the state, sampling the homemade concoctions others brew. But sipping suds isn't always as delicious as it might sound.

"I've gotten some really bad beer in home-brew competitions," said Brown, who also heads a Fredericksburg beer-tasting club and writes a monthly column about cold ones.

Sure, he shines a pen light through each brew to scrutinize its color and clarity. Yes, he notes the amount of yeast that settles at the bottoms of bottles. True, he takes note of the foamy head that forms on top when he pours.

But there's more to judging beer than meets the eye.

Brown also studies the hiss that comes when he pops a top. He swirls his glass to release each beer's aroma.

"You have to get your nose down in there and get a good, long sniff," said Brown, who has a special flair for uncovering diacetyl, a butterscotch quality that is considered a flaw in most styles of beer.

"And then, of course, you have to taste it."

Unlike wine judges, who sip, swish and spit, beer experts must swallow their drink, in order to rate its "tail" or aftertaste.

Just to be sure his assessments are correct, Brown said, he must polish off each 2-ounce sample that comes his way. That can mean downing as many as 12 portions in one three-hour session.

But he doesn't overindulge when he judges. Getting tipsy could compromise his ability to identify the specific qualities of each beer.

Brown, who also makes his own mead and cider, started bubbling about brewing beer when he spotted a beginner's kit in 1983. But at $50 a pop, the kits cost more than the newlywed flight student was willing to pay.

His wife, Robyn, surprised him with one for Christmas.

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Date published: 2/22/2004