Having been a judge, I couldn't agree with Gern more. You're tasting something and reaching for an explanation. Although I have to say I've never critiqued ingredients - my palate just isn't that sensitive.
There are benefits to having a neutral party judge your beers. For one, we have no idea what you intended so something you did intentionally may not be obvious to us. And we, just like every human walking the planet, have blind spots in our taste perception. When I get the judges' score sheets I look them over, get out the beer they judged and see if I can pick up the same issues. If I can't, I may ask someone else, perhaps in the homebrew club, after checking the judge's qualifications. If it's someone new, they might just be on a witch hunt, finding diacetyl where only malt lurks, or mistaking amyl acetate for acetaldehyde. And there's some benefit to judging - my own beers are better for it and I always learn something.
Homebrew clubs - ditto. I'm an active member of one (and Gern, we could use your expertise there as well!). We don't seem to get the hair splitting you mention so maybe we're lucky. We tend to be older, more technical brewers so that might be a factor as well. But because of your own blind spots, other opinions, particularly those who have no idea what you intended, are valuable. But as always, take them with a grain of salt. You may love the beer someone else spews. It's your beer, do what you like.
Finally, to fresh malt. The test is simple: chew a few kernels. If it tastes old, stale, moldy or rancid, don't brew with it. If you see mold in the bin, leave the malt there. If it's discolored, don't buy it. Malt has a long shelf life as long as it's kept dry, easy in Colorado, perhaps more difficult here in Houston where it's 90% relative humidity. I've never had a problem I could trace to the Brew Hut's ingredients, doesn't mean there couldn't be one. And as always, use my opinion for comparison, actual results may vary. Good luck!
