the way i drink a beer definitely lends itself to being able to spot the flavors should they be there... but it's just not happening. unless it's overwhelming, i don't get 14 flavors in a beer.
and i'm an eater. i love food.. love flavor.. though i have to confess that i tend to call things out differently than my friends (for instance, wine tastes like bread and butter to me). still.. i think 75% of it is BS and 25% is truth.
if i were to review the Rocky's i'd call out the bourbon taste.. the Falls Nut Brown Ale.. well, tastes like mixed nuts and chocolate.
but all this nonsense about "vinegar" and "wood".. come on now.
You mean you can't tell the difference between birch and oak? Jeebus, man, go back to Budweiser!!!

I like to finish half the brew, see what flavors I can pick out, then look at some BA reviews if I can't place a flavor. It's a fun way to educate the palate and the buzz is just a bonus. I can nail a number of flavors and a lot of hops, but by no means have a palate like
Venom (one seriously great guy, btw - he's into beer like Otis is into women) or some of the other long term BAs. I've been in a long non-reviewing mode - probably should start that up again.
Right now I'm drinking a Dominion Oak Aged Millenium - aroma of toast, tobacco, vanilla, bourbon-like alcohol fumes, toffee, and a earthiness that indicates East Kent Goldings hops. Flavor starts with vanilla and toffee-apple malt, with tea-like flavors that I attribute to Liberty hops (had an astounding all-Liberty cask ale at Cambridge Brewing Co once that had me wanting to abscond with the cask - talked with Will Meyer, the brewer, who explained what flavor notes were due to what components and have never forgotten that flavor) then gets a peppery alcohol flavor going mid-sip, followed by a slightly tongue-numbing sensation (alcohol? phenols?) with bourbon flavor notes and a non-aggresive bitterness (Perle hops), with a long vanilla and apples/apricots finish with slight hints of licorice.
No BS, just the flavors I'm tasting. You may try it and find different flavors. The wonders of beer.