Knowing is Half the Battle

BeerAdvocate user reviews often get criticized by others, including brewers. We hear gripes that a user may not understand a style or the brewer’s intent, that a user may be reviewing an old or off beer, or that he/she may have a bias toward certain styles (usually higher alcohol-by-volume percentages).

So we thought we’d take a moment to clear the air.

First, and foremost, our users are consumers. Subjectivity inevitably comes into play, and with it, human error. We are not a body of professionally trained judges conducting reviews in strictly controlled environments; most of us aren’t using a blind-tasting format, and we’re not being trusted to be as objective as possible. Instead, beers are critiqued in the moment. They’re obtained from various sources and tasted in often less-than-ideal settings. Sometimes, reviewers do form opinions based on personal taste, perhaps comparing one experience to another, with raw emotion added to the mix. Trends, hype and marketing also impact opinions, as does a global, collective palate that’s been shifting toward more flavorful, bold beers over the last decade.

Given all of this, you simply can’t expect consumers to be completely objective or fault them for being subjective. Take the reviews for what they are: real-time opinions from people directly supporting craft beer with their wallets and thoughts.

Now that that’s out of the way … To the brewers who criticize, here’s some constructive criticism for you:

• Don’t have a website? Get one. Keep it updated, too. Facebook doesn’t count.
• Include your website on all packaging.
• List the style on the label or online; ABV, too.
• If your beer defies style, explain your intent.
• It’s nearly 2012. Mark packaging with a damn “bottled-on” date already.

While implementing the above suggestions might not shake the subjectivity out of consumer reviews, it’ll at least arm consumers with more information about your beers … and knowing is half the battle.

Respect Beer. ■