Scoring: What do the numbers mean to you?

I admittedly score higher than others, and my current average is 4.12 because I avoid buying beers that are likely to suck. If I review a beer and it scores between 4.75 and 5.0, I'll rush right out and buy as much as I can. From 4.25 to 4.75, I may grab more sometime but won't go looking for it. Below 4.25, I'll probably never buy it again.

 

When I joined BA, the average score across the board was 3.75, so I went with that as an average beer. My overall average is 3.88. No 5's (yet), lowest is 1 71.

 

Interesting take. I treat ratings like tipping: default is 4.0 (20%).

 

That pretty well aligns with how I rated when I was doing it. My school system used a 0-100 grading system, with 70 being passing, so that's kind of how I based my scoring.

 

This is always an interesting topic because people take different approaches. Like @bbtkd I tend to score a little higher. I try to adhere to what our fearless leader @Todd lays out in the scoring thread. I always compare beers within styles versus across styles, so I'll have some high scorers within a style. I start with a 5 and deduct points for flaws or missing style adherence. A German Pils that nails the style across the board is going to get 4.5+ plus from me even if it doesn't have citrusy hop bomb aroma. There are world class Helles and Czech Pilsners out there. At the end of the day, to each their own.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/how-to-review-a-beer.241156/

 

If I like a beer, my score for it will usually reflect how much I like it vs. how well It meets style guidelines. If I don't like it, I don't want to penalize it for that, so I try my best to disregard my preferences and consider style, perhaps comparing it to others of that style that I've had.

 

I try to rate by the style guidance, although I admittedly will grant extra points if the drinking experience is exactly like the can says it will be, even if there is some tweak that is a modification of the classic style. Likewise, I will deduct points if the experience bears no resemblance to the can claims. After all, I will often buy a new beer based on what the can claims I will experience; I expect it to be fairly accurate. The distribution of my scores is disappointingly narrow; huge majority of my beer scores are clustered between ~3.8 and 4.2. Generally, if a beer does not score at least a 4.0 average by me, I won't buy it again because it is too easy to find beers that I scored 4.0 or higher.

 

It’s clearly varies a lot with the person.
I rate very little over 4.5 but have rated many between 4 and 4.25. I rate few below 3.5. My average is also 3.88. I think it’s interesting that many of us rate most of the beers we drink between 3.75 and 4.25; I’ve been consciously trying to drive my ratings down since it appears skewed towards higher numbers.
I score very few below 3.5, reserving that to macro-lagers - Stella, Corona;
…

 

That's where the overall score comes in. It's interesting to see how that 20% changes the total score. It can miss the style guidelines for taste and aroma for example, but if you still really like the beer and give it a 5 for the Overall it will get a Good or Very Good score.

 

The clustering just shows you are very consistent in your scoring. A good thing.

 

I doubt it's in writing anyplace, but the general rule of thumb bandied about is that overall is usually the same as taste, so that must be somewhat discretional too. I guess that right or wrong, your entire rating is discretional.

 

It is described as overall impression of the beer: How was the overall drinking experience? What did you find pleasurable or objectionable about it? Offer suggestions for improvement. Yes, you're right it is somewhat discretionary.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/how-to-review-a-beer.241156/

 

Love your rubric it matches my rating system pretty well!!!

 

Personally I think of it like this:

5 - Exceptional
4.5 - Excellent
4 - Very Good
3.5 - Above Average
3.0 - Average

Below 3 is “do not pass go, do not collect $200”