While members of the Mid-Michigan Chapter have a natural inclination to consume beer, they do carry it to extremes on occasion.  At each of the four annual chapter events, the infamous Mid-Michigan taste tests are conducted.  Brave and courageous members, both male and female, step forward and volunteer to taste and rate cereal malt beverages that perhaps have aged far beyond a normal expiration date.

The test panel receives donated containers of beer that preferably have the magic phrase I.R.T.P. somewhere on the label.  Those initials stand for Internal Revenue Tax Paid and was required on all beer containers from mid-1935 until March 1950.  Cans and bottles containing that phrase are considered prime candidates for testing.

Panel members belly up the table/bar, which is located not too far from a suitable sink or other disposal site.  Each person is given a small plastic cup into which a small (one or two ounce) sized beer sample from the ancient container is poured.  Each tester also gets a piece of cheesecloth to strain unwanted particles from the beverage.  The beer has been cooled (sometimes for 50 years) and the container is very gently opened.  Often pieces of rotted cork fall into the bottle/can but that is part of the overall charm of the test.

Each beer is rated on carbonation, aroma, clarity, taste, foam retention and presentation.  The latter category includes whether or not there are chunks of what are referred to as “floaties” in the liquid.  These are pieces of un-dissolved protein chunks that have magically reappeared in the beer after years of storage.  They deduct from the overall rating.  The age of the beer is also considered important - two equally tasty beers, one from 1937 and one from 1949, the 1937 version will get more credit.  Any can that sheds its internal lining and comes out in slimy sheets also loses points.

The rating system is based on four stars with the absolute best beer getting the coveted four star rating and the absolute worst beer that smells horrible, tastes worse and encourages automatic stomach content ejections receiving no stars.  To date, if it is beer and did come in a beer container, the lowest rating we have ever given anything is one-half star.  My personal favorite was a RAINIER CLUB cone top that had a manufacturing date of August 1937 on the bottom that tasted as fresh and looked as good as the day it come off the canning line.

A typical taste test session will involve about a half-dozen beers.  The cans and bottles are donated.  The empty containers and their caps will be returned to the original owners if desired and in a cleaned condition. 

The Mid-Michigan Chapter is always looking for full older cans and bottles for our taste tests.  Bring your candidates to any show.