Agreed. The thing that confounds me about Brulosophy's tests is the tasters don't even need to have a proper palette... just need to be able to tell the difference between 2 beers (among three tested).
Well - that is only the first part of each test. Basically, that is the threshold to even allow commentary on what you think the differences are, etc.
The triangle test is administered first. ONLY people who can identify the different beer are allowed to then answer questions about perceived differences, flavors and preferences.
Bottom line - if you give people a beer, and you tell them to look for the effects of oxygen (or acetaldehyde, or DMS, or different yeast, or phenols..... or whatever.....) you can bet your pay check that people will find it whether it is there or not. It is just human nature and confirmation bias. We see what we look for.
The nice thing about a triangle test is that you first have to prove you can even tell any difference at all between beers. And, using 3 instead of two makes it statistically and practically more difficult. As most of these tests prove - most people just cannot really tell the difference at all. From there, when pressed about what the difference is..... few can articulate it if they have not already been told. And, even the ones who can are generally split on the preference.
Simply put, I really think about the only thing people can regularly tell the difference between is "good beer" vs. "bad beer" and also "styles I like" vs. "styles I don't like."
So, if you get a beer that is basically well brewed...... people are going to like it if it is a style they like and it is served to them within an experience they enjoy (atmosphere, good friends, etc.)
99% of beer drinkers are not sifting through a beer perceiving "levels" of an off flavor in the low to moderate range.
The other thing I noticed when I have done my own sampling is that palette fatigue (especially with hoppy beers) is very, very quick to make an impact. I feel like I can quickly detect some things upon the first or second drinks ...... but, take a couple sips of 2-3 different beers and they just all blend together in a hurry. Especially when you are tasting the same beer with one differing variable....
I actually am pretty decent at tasting and judging beers. I have entered a lot of beer in comps, I routinely judge my own beers and compare to my comp score sheets, I practice scoring commercial examples vs. BJCP scoring templates from Gordon Strong, I passed the BJCP tasting exam easily on my first attempt..... So, I am probably more familiar than an average person with flavors and impacts of brewing processes. Even with a decent amount of experience..... it is REALLY hard to drink repeated samples of very similar beers and consistently pick out differences. It is almost impossible to do it consistently if you don't even know what differences you are looking for. Unless it is a glaring fault, it is tough to do.
