What makes an outstanding beer?

To me its flavor and ingredients. I love a beer that has robust flavors and really hits the mark for its style, nothing better to me. I also believe freshness (pending style) comes into play especially with IPA etc. There are good beers then there are wow beers and its the wow factor that keeps me loving craft and all the awesome beers we have to enjoy, cheers.

 

Rarity, hype, and barrel aging, in that order.

 

What makes a beer outstanding is a very subjective. I am getting to the point that any beer that needs massive hype, is not outstanding.It may be a good beer, but outstanding beer does not need the hype. It is a product that pulls on it's own with out the hype machine.
Now breweries are taking advantage of their consumers in regards to rare beers. Limit production, amp up the hype machine and sell a 4 pack for 25 bucks. I love creativity, not hype.

 

When a beer comes together like a complete entity, you can tell. it's like a joy full moment of surprise. You expect it none the less. An outstanding beer hits all the points for the style well. There is loosely met and then better than that. A well made beer invites it's own second helping. Again no matter the style I should want another. This is where people usually put the disclaimer, I do not like ____________ . (insert style name here.) The aspects of the beer that can be measured objectively can all be found in the tasting notes. Not how much you liked it per se, but the carbonation, the flavors, the appearance. . . . The subjective part is your excitement, your appreciation and the way you bring that style and that beer to the other people.

 

It's name being prefixed by rauch or smoked

 

To be somewhat universally outstanding - appealing to a lot of people - it must hit all of the main points for the style, and conversely must avoid characteristics far from the style. For instance, if a stout is insanely bitter, hoppy, or sour - it strays and limits appeal. But if a stout is balanced, has coffee and or chocolate notes, is thick, and is more robust tasting than a non-stout porter, then it has a better chance of being outstanding. A hefeweizen should have the bread and banana notes - but would not expect sour or bitter tastes here either.

No - I don't see how a beer can be objectively deemed outstanding.

 

Haze. More to the point, BA hype is an inverse function of a beers opacity.

 

A beer that tastes good.

 

An outstanding beer is an excellent beer with a clearly displayed and easily comprehended bottling date.

 

Obviously flavor profile and aroma are the key factors in making a sublime, world-class beer. I wholly believe the often over-looked, or under rated key in a world class vs. a great beer is its look and feel.

Taking IPAs as an example, they should have robust, fluffy foam with great retention. I've seen some pouring out with just a finger of head that disappears sometime during my walk to the kitchen to rinse and recycle the bottle. Ridiculous. That immediately starts the whole experience of the beer as meh.

Feel is the last thing I consider when I'm reviewing, but it's vastly important. An imperial stout that drinks like water is not a world class imperial stout even if it has the most clearly defined notes in the flavor profile and aroma. If it can't convey the whole experience of an imperial stout, it's just great or less.

 

For me an outstanding beer is one that's perfectly put together. I'm reminded of a comment from the novelist Alexandre Dumas who, when first tasting the magnificent white Burgundy of Montrachet, remarked his impulse was to fall to his knees and take his hat off. I won't go that far, (old knees) but have come across some beers that made me want to salute.

A group of us were in the music department for our jury finals when some high school students came by on a tour. One of the instructors recognized a girl and asked her to play the piano. He handed her a technically difficult piece from the French composer Debussy. I still remember her words, " I've never seen this but I'll try". Then she played it. Not concert level certainly but notes and timing were spot on. By the second page she was adding phrasing as well. I know college music professors who wouldn't have dared try to play that work by sight in front of witnesses but here was this 17 year old kid banging it out as calmly as someone asking to pass the rolls at dinner. Some people just have the knack and the rest of us can only watch and admire.

So I don't think it's a matter of recipes, ingredients, or even training for that matter. Outstanding beers are made by outstanding brewers who are past the point of being merely good and are capable of a higher standard.

 

dead on. i couldnt agree more. there are beers that people would say are outstanding, and there are beers that are brewed in an outstanding way. when rating styles that aren't my cup, i tend to rate it on how true it is to the style as opposed to "i dont like saisons (etc) so im gonna give it a 1"

 

Whether the beer has a limited can brewery-only release.

 

Personal preferences. I can no more tell you what you think outstanding than you can tell me what I think sucks. It's all subjective.

 

I agree, its very subjective. I think the worst thing is not judging a beer by style, and I know I am guilty myself of this.
Let's just agree that my favorite beer is just my favorite beer, not necessarily yours.

 

The personal preference factor is strong here, but I think that its craftsmanship is ancillary to that appreciation... When a beer presses your personal buttons, is executed well (brewing, ingredients, etc. all on-point), and it meets or exceeds your expectations... well, that's what I consider outstanding.

 

I've been trying many new styles, and while I've tried to stick with the highest rated example of each, I often must settle for what I can find here. If it's rated low, I can't be sure if it's representative of the style, but if rated higher then it's more likely to be and I'm more likely to learn about the style. Either way, I can't be assured I am rating to style until I've had several/many of a given style.

A good example for me is IPAs. I am generally not an IPA fan because one of the style characteristics seems to be hoppy bitterness, which I don't care for. Still, I have reviewed a number of the higher rated IPAs in the hope that I will find some that are OK - and have found some. Still not sure if I'm reviewing them equitably to style.

 

just like ****: couldn't define it but i know it when i see it

there are so many different things i like (about specific beer styles) that i couldn't possibly come up with a set of qualities i most look for