Heady Topper #1 or #29?

Any list that has HopSham over Heady should be ignored.

 

Who makes Hopsham?

 

Heady probably shouldn't even be in the top 10 but wherever people want to put it, it's really a great beer and one of the best DIPA's out there

 

Exactly, and the biggest flaw in these ratings (and it is a mighty big flaw) is that reviews aren't done to style, even though the rating guidelines on the site specifically state that beers are to be rated to style. So while it's meaningless that Heady Topper is #1 on the top 250 beers with regards to whether it is actually the best beer in the world, it is meaningful to say that it is the best IPA according to this community. And even though I rag on these ratings and this community a lot, that still counts for quite a bit in my book.

 

I fully agree with your first point- in the vast world of beer, the difference between being 1 and being 29 is nearly moot. It's like being the first or the 29th richest person in the world.

As for your second point- I LOVE the way Heady looks, and made a point of it in my review. All hazy and floaties and yellow/green. I wouldn't allow for that in most other styles, but for Heady, it works.

 

Thanks for the response Todd. Out of curiosity, what was considered significant/the threshold?

I think you are correct in that there is no big difference between the two full averages on the profile pages, having looked at a few examples, which is great to know.

Looking at it more closely, I think the biggest difference in including the ratings is the total amount of reviews, which would affect the weighted average, on something like the "Top" lists. Something like KBBS would not have been elligble before ratings were added to the total review number. Personally I don't really care about the order, which beer is where or which beers makes what list, so not a big deal to me.

Glad to know the ratings aren't affecting the page averages!

 

I believe I saw Heady at number 16 over there a while back.

 

I am not sure I understand the fuss over rating to style and the top 250 list here. There is different value in a list of the top 250 and a list of the top beers of a style. Both lists seem to be available here. (sorry if that is obvious but today is the first time I have looked for it here) I see the most popular beers iipa lists heady as the top beer in the style and this list seems to use the same formula as the top 250 list (correct me if I am wrong there). Everyone should be entitled to rate the beer they are drinking in a way that they are comfortable with and as long as they rate them the same way each time it should be a non event. You rate the beer you drink the way you like and I will rate mine the way I like what is the big deal unless this is a dictatorship.

 

At the end of the day anyone can make a case for or against heady being number one since ratings are 100% subjective. I will also say that once you are dealing with these upper eschelon type brews, a person would be hard pressed to really have the ability to say heady is better than kbs or pliny is better than parabola simply because when a person craves a top notch stout they won't be reaching for a top notch dipa. Lastly, dipa seems to be the favored style around these parts, and it seems more people like heady over pte or any other dipa for that matter. I do feel if stouts were more popular right now that you would see a stout up there. So, at the end of the day, while I enjoy heady, it isn't my number 1 beer, but it is my #1 dipa.

 

When I'm on BA it tastes like 28 beers better. That's why I don't go to RB.

 

I really don't understand what everyone's hangup is with the appearance of Heady. Oh my God, it's hop sediment, it's so ugly! If anything, haze and hop or yeast sediment makes me score a beer's appearance higher because it makes it look more raw and potentially dank (hence the name Heady). It reminds me of unfiltered homebrew that has that rustic look I find appealing. Not to mention the fact that the things floating in there are completely harmless. People really need to get over it. Sorry for getting worked up over a simple comment but I've been seeing it so much that it was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

I was just about to say this. You can't compare KBS to Heady Topper. Its illogical.

 

OP poses a simple question, I will answer it simply. #1.

 

Actually, Heady is one of the ugliest IPAs in a glass, which IMO is why the Alchemist has the write-up on the can telling us to drink from the can. It doesn't smell or taste better drinking from the can, but that is how to keep the rating inflated and not have psychological issues with a bad visual making it less appealing.

FYI...Murkiness and floaties in beer is a turnoff for most people. Drinking something that looks like vomit or watered down peaches and cream oatmeal isn't usually a positive visual.

 

Actually, I drank my two last Headys the other day, and I intentionally drank one from a tulip glass to see if it tasted different. I thought it tasted different. In the glass, I thought it tasted less sharp, fuzzier and softer than from the can. It still tasted great, but I'll be drinking it from the can from now on.