Hilarious Misinformation

[GilaMinumBeer]

Then why bother with any questions about beer? That is the whole gist of this thread. They should either get it right, or leave it out of the test.

But it is not a flat out lie and they couldn't market their silly test to beer bars without the word "beer" in there somewhere.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

So just to be clear here, your argument has evolved from "it's not misinformation" to "it may be misinformation, but they don't really care"?

No. I have always said that the information is vague.

And I further stated that the employers looking to a wine and spirits org don't care if the beer information is vague or not.

The REAL question here is, should the OP's employer know better? or do they just not care?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

So just to be clear here, your argument has evolved from "it's not misinformation" to "it may be misinformation, but they don't really care"?

No. I have always said that the information is vague.

That you are the only one arguing anything.

And then I further stated that the employers looking to a wine and spirits org don't care if the beer information is vague or not.

The REAL question here is, should the OP's employer know better? or do they just not care?

 

[Qhrumphf]

No. I have always said that the information is vague.

That you are the only one arguing anything.

And then I further stated that the employers looking to a wine and spirits org don't care if the beer information is vague or not.

The REAL question here is, should the OP's employer know better? or do they just not care?

The use of the term "always" is not a vague statement. That's a very specific statement, and a flat out incorrect statement. Adding a different qualifier like "usually" or "normally" would be a vague statement with at least a shred of truth.

The decoction and lambic ones are the only ones I'd call vague. And the lambic one is pushing it. And I'd give them a pass for outdated info on the Trappist breweries.

Ultimately, they either need to fact check their information (in none of these cases would it have been that difficult), or leave it off the test. It would take someone 5 minutes with Google to rectify all those questions, if that.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

"Dark beer will always be stronger than light beer."

The reason for me that is wrong, and not just an oversimplification, is simply the fact that they said "always." Its just not true that dark beer is *always* stronger by any reasonable measurement of strength.

If they had said "dark beer is typically stronger," then maybe its just an oversimplification. But saying always makes it just straight up false.

Just like Iffy eluded to, it depends on the client.

In Oklahoma for instance, in AT LEAST 85% of the Beer Bars, restaurants, and pubs the dark beer WILL ALWAYS be stronger than the light beers.

In the bottle shops. not so much. But, I'd dare not ask teh clerk at OKC Wine about the subleties of of a Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Just like Iffy eluded to, it depends on the client.

In Oklahoma for instance, in AT LEAST 85% of the Beer Bars, restaurants, and pubs the dark beer WILL ALWAYS be stronger than the light beers.

In the bottle shops. not so much. But, I'd dare not ask teh clerk at OKC Wine about the subleties of of a Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

They didn't say "always at your bar." They said always.

 

[IffyG]

Ultimately, they either need to fact check their information (in none of these cases would it have been that difficult), or leave it off the test. It would take someone 5 minutes with Google to rectify all those questions, if that.

As someone else already pointed out, it doesn't matter what the 'real' answer is when the 'correct' answer is determined by the entity administering the exam. If they want you to know 2+2=5, the correct answer is 5...

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The use of the term "always" is not a vague statement. That's a very specific statement, and a flat out incorrect statement. Adding a different qualifier like "usually" or "normally" would be a vague statement with at least a shred of truth.

The decoction and lambic ones are the only ones I'd call vague. And the lambic one is pushing it. And I'd give them a pass for outdated info on the Trappist breweries.

Ultimately, they either need to fact check their information (in none of these cases would it have been that difficult), or leave it off the test. It would take someone 5 minutes with Google to rectify all those questions, if that.

I think,

"...WSET qualifications are an invaluable source of information for students to enhance their knowledge of wines and spirits."

sums it up.

 

[Qhrumphf]

As someone else already pointed out, it doesn't matter what the 'real' answer is when the 'correct' answer is determined by the entity administering the exam. If they want you to know 2+2=5, the correct answer is 5...

Then whichever entity administering the exam should lose its credibility. If a college was teaching their students flat out incorrect information, they'd eventually lose their accreditation. Teaching to the test doesn't justify having incorrect information.

 

[BrewKnurd]

I think,

"...WSET qualifications are an invaluable source of information for students to enhance their knowledge of wines and spirits."

sums it up.

Sure, that sums up why they might not care about the beer info, but is irrelevant to whether the information it's in fact correct or not, which was the point of the thread.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I think,

"...WSET qualifications are an invaluable source of information for students to enhance their knowledge of wines and spirits."

sums it up.

Which is all well and good, but it still doesn't address the issue. If they want to market the certification to beer bars, they need correct information. Otherwise, they need to leave beer out of it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Sure, that sums up why they might not care about the beer info, but is irrelevant to whether the information it's in fact correct or not, which was the point of the thread.

Which is all well and good, but it still doesn't address the issue. If they want to market the certification to beer bars, they need correct information. Otherwise, they need to leave beer out of it.

Given that the org was founded 43 years ago I am willing to bet that to 90% of the people taking the cert it is an entirely true statement.

So, then, I ask again. What difference does it make?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I don't want someone who takes the test to believe the answers are correct, and use the certification as a way to get a job serving beer, and then start making the wrong assumptions and telling customers as such (calling a raspberry weizen a lambic, or saying Guiness is stronger than SNPA). It's bad enough when beer servers don't know their stuff. I'd rather not have them THINK their incorrect knowledge is in fact correct because some certification told them so. And knowing what I do about this test now, if I owned a bar and someone put this certification on their resume, I'd ask a few questions about beer (specifically about the stylistic ones of lambics and dark beers, whether or not a server knows what a decoction is I suppose is a little more trivial). And if they couldn't answer correctly, tell them to beat it. This test is doing the world a disservice.

 

[xjmox14x]

Just like Iffy eluded to, it depends on the client.

In Oklahoma for instance, in AT LEAST 85% of the Beer Bars, restaurants, and pubs the dark beer WILL ALWAYS be stronger than the light beers.

In the bottle shops. not so much. But, I'd dare not ask teh clerk at OKC Wine about the subleties of of a Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

Sex Panther by Odeon. 60% of the time, it works EVERY time.

 

[Skelator]

i farted.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Sex Panther by Odeon. 60% of the time, it works EVERY time.

Ha. Now THAT is funny.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

i farted.

Now here is a case where the opposite is true. Light farts are always stronger than dark farts.

 

[IffyG]

Then whichever entity administering the exam should lose its credibility. If a college was teaching their students flat out incorrect information, they'd eventually lose their accreditation. Teaching to the test doesn't justify having incorrect information.

Welcome to the shady world of certification exams that don't mean a damn thing.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Welcome to the shady world of certification exams that don't mean a damn thing.

Because every BJCP certified judge knows the difference. "I like the bubbles" - BJCP Anon

 

[Denny]

Call me crazy, but a decoction in it's simplest form is removing some of the wort and heating it up...

That's a thin decoction, usually reserved for the 3rd decoction on a triple decoction. Usually, it's grain that's removed and boiled.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Given that the org was founded 43 years ago I am willing to bet that to 90% of the people taking the cert it is an entirely true statement.

So, then, I ask again. What difference does it make?

To you, none, apparently. I happen to believe that if you are going to have a test and want to maintain credibility, you should actually have true answers on your test.

And for the final time, the statement it's not true for 90% of people, unless somewhere on the test, it said "answer as it applies to your establishment," which we have no reason to believe it did. if it is indeed an "always" statement with no other modifiers or conditions, as it was presented here, it is simply false. For 100% of people taking the test.

Oh, and if a test is going to have different "true" answers based on who's taking it, that's a weird test.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

To you, none, apparently. I happen to believe that if you are going to have a test and want to maintain credibility, you should actually have true answers on your test.

And for the final time, the statement it's not true for 90% of people, unless somewhere on the test, it said "answer as it applies to your establishment," which we have no reason to believe it did. if it is indeed an "always" statement with no other modifiers or conditions, as it was presented here, it is simply false. For 100% of people taking the test.

Oh, and if a test is going to have different "true" answers based on who's taking it, that's a weird test.

Ok Gilbert. What part of "Wine and Spirit Education Trust" suggests any credibility regarding the subleties of beer styles? Answer = Whichever part satisfies my employer who pays my check and sent me to this stupid thing in the first place.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Ok Gilbert. What part of "Wine and Spirit Education Trust" suggests any credibility regarding the subleties of beer styles? Answer = Whichever part satisfies my employer who pays my check and sent me to this stupid thing in the first place.

I never suggested they should have credibility around beer. Just that they shouldn't ask the question on their test if they don't want to bother with having the correct answer. Hell, if they asked a question on the test about sumerian architecture, they should have the right friggin' answer.

 

[H-ost]

HAH yeah I realized that a few years ago when I had to get a food handlers card and the "teacher" of the class was reading out the test answers to us (a. c. c. d. ...) Not like those tests aren't mainly all common sense anyways.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I never suggested they should have credibility around beer. Just that they shouldn't ask the question on their test if they don't want to bother with having the correct answer. Hell, if they asked a question on the test about sumerian architecture, they should have the right friggin' answer.

Which would be that Dark mortar is always stronger than light mortar.

Except when it doesn't mortar.

IMO, certification of anything that is not strictly technical is a joke.

To certify anyone on such subjective topics that involve taste and aroma is a joke in itself.

 

[mtbfan101]

This only furthers my argument that a lot of common knowledge is wrong. Once things become simplified for a large portion of people to understand, information gets lost in translation and the truth becomes diluted. There are, however,some things on this list that are blatantly incorrect. Haha, the dark beer one is my favorite. Take a Bud Light recipe and add a bunch of black patent malt to it, and then take an imperial IPA recipe and tell me which one is stronger .

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Take a Bud Light recipe and add a bunch of black patent malt to it, and then take an imperial IPA recipe and tell me which one is stronger .

Would be interesting to take that DIPA head to head with a Sinimar DIPA and see which is found to be stronger.

Subjective perception is a very powerful force.

 

[mtbfan101]

Would be interesting to take that DIPA head to head with a Sinimar DIPA and see which is found to be stronger.

Subjective perception is a very powerful force.

That idea is better than my Bud Light one, and I think you're on to something.

 

[starrfish]

"Dark beer will always be stronger than light beer." That cracked me up as I'm sipping my oatmeal mild.

Should read like a Yogi Berra comment:
"Dark beer will always be darker than light beer."