Poll: can a beer be "the best"?

Blondes, Brunettes or Redheads? I like 'em all.

 

Maybe you would award the unfiltered and unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell the Silver Medal?

Cheers!

 

I'm not sure it's enough to make the podium in my pils olympics
It's all personal preference, of course, but I'd go with:

Gold: Keesmann Herren Pils
Silver: Rothaus Tannenzaepfle
Bronze: Shoenram Pils

A Czech pils, Uneticky, would probably be 4th...so I'm not totally biased toward the German versions.

 

I am a fan too! Enjoyed several mugs at the brewery's beer garden:



And a bottle to take 'home':



I personally would place the unfiltered and unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell higher in the podium but this is the subjective aspect of beer appreciation.

Na Zdravi

 

In the "big picture" sense I don't think there can be a best. It's largely subjective. Those of us who review I believe make an effort to review objectively, but speaking for myself I know I'm not always able to do so. I will admit that the "overall" category is where my subjectivity comes into play.

I can possibly say "best I've had" in a particular style or I think this brewery is "best". We all have our particular binkies in both of those categories. I've had great brews from breweries I don't like and vice versa. Scoring adds even more confusion and not just subjectivity creeping into the picture. I have quite a few beers I've scored lower than world class that I tag as favorites in my spreadsheet, so in some way are they the "best" in my world?

Then throw in the increasing blurry lines between styles - I think that adds another layer of confusion.

As an example of a disconnect, I can go to the big stout box we had last year. My favorite beer from that box was Black Daruma, but I did not give it the highest score of the beers in that box or even versus others in the same style. I "liked" it the best at the time within the context of the box, but it was not the best beer or stout I've had even by the metrics of our scoring system. I simply enjoyed it the most.

Maybe at the end of the day it doesn't really matter and it's all fuel for debate and the personal enjoyment is what matters.

 

How are we 3 pages in and I'm the first to post this gif? Y'all be slackin

 

Just to ask the question could imply that the subject is hedonistic?

 

In the Middle Ages a fierce debate amongst scholars was the question "how many angels could dance on the head of a pin" ?
Never quite glommed that...until now.

 

Need more data. How big is the pin? How big are the angels? Waltzes, polkas, or tapdancing?

 

I think it is fair to add, and necessary based on replies, that the word best when used for something subjective can ONLY mean favorite. Thank you, that is all.

 

And then there is the more recent vexing question:



Cheers!

 

I went with "No" due to subjectivity. I have my "5's" that are to my palate and tastes.
I prefer "to style" when going down that road. I never understood the school of thought that there's no "5's" ever. I get it, when you hit the top where left to conquer (Bolt Thrower!!) but then why does 5 exist. If there's a low card, gotta be a high card...or does this beer go to 6 ala Spinal Tap going to 11
As far as rating's go scale of 5 is the way to go...scales of 10 or 100 now we're just splitting hairs needlessly when you can do likewise just as well w/a scale to 5.

 

"Welcome to my TED Talk"

 

Man, a buttery beer is a let down. Not undrinkable but not totally enjoyable and not expected when received. Not as wretch inducing as the draft glass that arrives smelling like wet dog however, which will put me off a place quickly.

 

I don't think it's unreasonable to assume always, whether the disclaimer in any form is used, or not, that when the word best is applied to beer we add to it the prarameters that were used, or explain it directly as a part of the designation, such as

Best as determined by a panel of judges
Rated most favorite by XYZ
Overwhelmingly most popular among ABC
Most medals awarded for the years LMN

For beer it is all based on what is a favorite of some group or favorite of the most people, so my answer to your question is, when you see the word best applied to beer, mentally add one of the above disclaimers, or your own that would fit more accurately.

 

My late brother-in-law believed the best beer was a free one.

 

I think a lot of people confuse "favorite" with "best".

 

From what I understand, it wasn't there until the fall of communism, and they started taking shortcuts to save money. Say what you want, the commies knew when they had a good thing going and didn't change a thing. Same reason that schwartzbier and Baltic porters are still around. They'd have died off in the '60s if they had been western styles.