Looking at beer is like smelling music.
i gotta disagree. visual assessment of a beer will impact what is tasted. there have been numerous studies that compared taster's feedback on a beer where half the drinkers got the original light-colored version, while the other half had the same beer that was darkened with a tasteless colorant. the "darker beer" was rated as maltier, heavier, boozier, more intense, etc... even though its taste was identical to the lighter version.
an issue that homebrewers face is that few filter their beers, so they are often (but not always) cloudier than commercial beers. i've seen people go so far as to refuse to try a homebrew because "it's too cloudy." how's that for affecting your appreciation of a beer! could have been the best thing they've ever tasted, but because of its appearance they won't even give it a try.
when i started brewing, i didn't care about appearance - it's all about the taste, right? i've since come to appreciate the impact that the eyes have on taste, and have been putting some effort into making the beer look good. plus, it's an extra thing to geek out on
aside: part of the appeal of black IPAs, in my opinion, is the visual disconnect that they create in the drinkers mind. "a dark beer that doesn't taste too roasty? and it's hoppy like all those light-colored IPAs???"
