I remember that before I really got into 'classical' music, I couldn't really tell the difference between the major eras. Now, I can't fathom not being able to tell the difference between Bach and Chopin, and I can usually identify the the composer of a piece I've never heard before, or at least get close to the mark.
I've never realized it until I read this thread...but yeah, it is kind of hard to explain it in layman's terms. I guess a good indicator would be the degree of (I know this is really subjective) "drama" within the piece. Baroque and previous-era music tends to be kind of reserved dynamic-wise, whereas Romantic music has the tendency to be a tad bit bombastic (especially the later composers). This same principle could also be applied to emotional expression, since the now popular philosophy that music's primary purpose was to express one's self didn't really catch on until Beethoven came around. Again, that's incredibly subjective and not really helpful, but that's all I have for you at the moment. =\
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