Beards can be very helpful in eliminating possible contenders for an id. But must look at the entire beard--texture, layers of color and such. Some are tipped with a different color, and can be very heavy or very light. Some tipping is only in the throat. Some have 3 layers to them. Look for heavy, thick, thin/sparse, "unkempt" and other texture issues. They are definitely much more than just the main color one sees at first glance!
