Lets talk about your perfect 5s

Never had a 5, IMO, yet, but many were pretty close..

 

I know I'm not part of this convo, but I 100% can tell you I've had plenty of beers that are so incredibly perfect that I wouldn't change anything about them. Without beer like that, what's the fun in searching after these crazy expensive hard-to-find beers?

 

This is my only 5 as well, but I've just rated on Untapped.

Glad to see I'm not the only one.

 

There is just no way that these hard to find beers are absolutely perfect. So much of it comes down to hype.

 

Maybe some of the 'never give a 5 crowd ' should drink more lagers .

 

Haven't rated anything over here, but have two perfect beers that come to mind.

Cantillon St. Lamvinus
Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze

Perfect examples of their respective styles, and probably my two favorite beers of all time. Both are peerless.

 

no 5 ers for me but Heady close!

 

Pretty sure they also make up a majority of the "bland" crowd who think all Munich Helles taste like Budweiser.

Funny, because I have 2 fives in my reviews; one top-fermented, one bottom-fermented. Some close-to-perfect scores that run the gamut, but the idea (as has been pointed out) is to review-to-style, not rate a Kölsch against an Imperial Stout according to personal preference. Then again, who reads instructions?

 

Actually, yes. That'd be both the 5 ratings I've given, which are to non-hyped shelf beers which I've had I don't even know how many times (my wallet cringes at the thought of calculating just how much I've spent on those two beers over the course of my life).

When rating to style, with personal enjoyment factored in, I find both of those beers to be as close to the Platonic ideals of hefeweizen and eisbock as a beer can get.

Of course, I also have 9 different beer styles in my top 10 ratings, as well as only one barrel-aged beer and only one sour in there, so I may be doing it wrong.

Wait, never mind.

 

Yeah- I don't know when the word 'perfect' got introduced to the concept anyway. My 5s just relate to the elite-est beers of their type. And they happened to score 5s in every category (sorry, but I just couldn't give Orval a 5 in appearance, no matter how great it is).

 

When I was new to drinking/rating I gave out 5's pretty easily (not sure if Untapped counts as much or not), pretty much to anything I really liked. Now that I've had a wider range of beers and gotten to know styles and my personal tastes a bit better, I've become a bit more discerning. My last 5 was given out Christmas Eve to a 2014 Eclipse Evan Williams 23. I could not think of anything the brewer could have been done to improve that drinking experience and that is my new criteria for a perfect 5.

 

SR71 is a 5- best beer I've had.

Hopslam is one that I had thought was a 5 when I first got into craft beer, but soon realized it is not.

 

I can, and I rated them both with Fives.

 

Evil Twin Even More Jesus.

Something about that beer keeps bringing me back for more.

 

You know, every time I drink an Aventinus (not the Eisbock, mind you -- but I understand your enthusiasm) it makes me realize how delicious beer can be. I didn't review it to a five, back in 2008, but I wonder if I had the BA reviewing guide in my head and I was afraid it really wasn't perfect. I may have to reassess that review soon.

 

I have just south of 600 reviewed on here (and probably another 500 that I've had but never reviewed)

The only one I have ever given a perfect 5 to is Sucaba. I don't know if the beer was really that special or if it was just the experience (sharing with my father and brother-in-law) but everything about it just nailed the right notes across the board. It was sweet but not over the top, boozy but never hot, firm barrel presence but not too much, full body but not like tar, etc. I can't think of how you can make a barleywine better than that. Every barleywine I've had since reaffirms my assertion; that beer is perfect for the style.

 

Indeed so! Plain ordinary regular shelf-dwelling Tap 6 is also a fantastic beer. I think I have that one around a 4.77 or so - right near Vitus. The only reason I don't have either rated higher is that the other one exists, and I'm torn between them every time I have one.

 

1) The Abyss, BABOS

2) BCBCS

3) None

 

I just checked to see what I had higher, Aventinus or the regular Schneider Weiß Original (Tap 7)... tie.

I haven't done a full review of Vitus, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I was afraid it was too close to Aventinus? Have to remedy that soon, too.

 

1) Which beers did you at one time give a perfect score to, only to try it again at a later date, found a few imperfections and knocked it down a little in your score?

Only beers i have knocked down a score are Gandi Bot and Second Fiddle. I feel this knock down was strictly to the batch I had. As other batches after those taste great and brought its core right back up.
2) Which beers did you give a perfect 5 previous, had once again or several times again, and still keep it a perfect score because it always seems flawless?

Parabola, King Sue,
FUnky Kingston, by far my favotrite sour i have ever had. I am also comparing this to alot of elites i have had over the past coupel years. a must try for any sour wild ale fan by 512 brewing in texas.

3) Any beers you previously rated below a perfect 5 initially, then only after having that beer again and comparing to other comparable brews, then came to the realization that this beer is truly perfect, and bumped it up to a 5?

Focal banger and Abner i dont know why i had them lower.