Rated a 5. Anything else is crazy.

You fail to understand that not everyone wants to rate to style.

 

You guys must've really struggled in math class...

 

Style standards should be part of the rating process but not the entirety of it. Each rater should decided how much weight to give to "trueness to style."

Furthermore, I will certainly continue to compare pils to stouts and other styles to each other as well. My enjoyment of the beer is part of my rating. That enjoyment is somewhat dependent upon style.

 

Closest thing that I have come to a 5 is FBS at 4.93

My search for the mythical 5 keeps the beer quest going strong.

 

Duvel.

 

I was being sarcastic

 

Bruery Smoking Wood Rye Barrel

Lagunitas Sucks (when it's fresh)

BCBCS

 

I've only been rating beers for 2 to 3 years and I've yet to have a perfect beer. And that's what a 5 is. Perfection. And I've had plenty of top rated beers from BA so far. Nothing is perfect.

 

I'm not in the "there is no 5, ever, it would have to be an utterly transcendent experience" camp, and more of the persuasion that a world-class beer you would not change at all is a 5.

Completely avoiding the 5 strikes me as a similar process to some companies I worked for in the past (and quit working for), where they'd have a performance review with categories and a scale from 0-4, or 0-3, or whatever, where literally nobody got a max score in any category at all, ever. It did not matter if you could prove that you personally made the company's market cap quadruple in a year while achieving 100% market share and turning the entire population of Earth into raving fans of the company, no 4. Just seemed rather sad and limiting.

So when I run across a beer where I wouldn't change a thing, 5 it is.

 

Me, too

 

Correct. I love a little head and nice lacing on my beer. Some of the BA stouts have very little carbonation. So, they don't get a 5, even though they are dam good beers.

Frankly, I should probably have more 5s because there are some beers that at the time and place (wife next to me, at a beer festival, and nice 80 degree California sky) are a 5.

I can still go back to the day in 2012 when I had Double Bastard followed by Victory at Sea. Mind blow. Although my ratings don't show it, they will always be 5s in my book. I know that it doesn't make sense, but I totally get why some people have more 5's...

At the moment, my only 5 is Vietnamese Speedway Stout. I could bath in the stuff...

 

This demand is hypocritical wouldn't you say? I'm not quite sure what part of my post came off as deadly serious, angry, or threatening, but I apologize for causing you angst.

 

Yeah, I don't really understand where this idea came from that there can only be one 5 (or one per style), and therefore there can be no 5's because you may find a better beer someday. Think about any sport with a rating system (gymnastics, snowboarding, etc.). They grade on certain characteristics and deduct for mistakes. Theoretically, every single competitor could get a perfect 10.0 if they do everything right. I don't see why anyone would rate beer with the idea that it is only possible to achieve perfection once, if at all.

When I have a beer that is amazing, across the board, it's a 5 to me. If I'm that happy with the beer, what's the point of saying, "you know, it smelled pretty amazing, but I'm going to give it a 4.75 in smell because beer X that I had 2 years ago smelled slightly better...I think." I feel like at that point, I'm basically just making stuff up.

 

Yeah- I'm not saying to be frivolous or anything, but if you've had the beer enough times and it still comes across as a 5 then that's what it is.

 

I rate 5 based within that style AND additionally based within that style & for that particular beer thru whatever brewer does not IMO have anything that I would improve upon. Ratings are subjective & one man's opinion, not the end all.

 

I don't think there are unicorn beers out there for you to find. After brewing for a few years I guess I have a different appreciation of what the world class, sought after beers ares. They aren't easy to make.

 

Well, if it's defined that way then I say the Munich Lowenbrau I drank along the banks of the Danube over 20 years ago. I couldn't tell you exactly what variety it was, probably their original lager. Delicious!

 

Abner and Ephraim

 

DBH