Diversify the top ranked brews

Well, keep in mind:

C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 3.74)
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People inflate their ratings across the board.

 

Indeed, it's actually quite a bit worse than I would have thought.

American Pale Ale:
C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 3.7)

American IPA:
C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 3.82)

American Barleywine:
C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 3.98)

American D/IIPA:
C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 4.05)

American D/I Stout:
C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 4.15)

American Wild Ale:
C = the mean rating across the dataset (currently 4.17)


That AWA average really seems cray-cray to me. There's a lot of AWAs being produced which are simply not good at all, although I've certainly seen at tastings plenty of people who are blind to what should be considered flaws in these beers.

 

Correction, Albert Einstein discussing Ales vs Stouts vs IPAs.........? That's wrong too.

I'll give my last post a 1.3 rating and hang my head in shame as i choke down my sad desk lunch.

 

I do not rate to style. The guidelines for each style are arbitrary. Someone at some point made up each style, and this was most likely based on people's taste at the time, availability of ingredients, cost, etc. As far as I know, Anchor Steam is an authentic California Common that perfectly fits the style. Why should I give it a 5? Because some people 100 years ago had to figure out how to brew beer in the desert? I am never sitting at a bar thinking "I could really go for a great representation of a California Common". That's not to say that all beer has the same objective. Some is great when it's hot, some when it's cold, some I gulp, some I sip. If I give a beer a 5, it is because in some situations it is all I want in the world.

PS: I hope I did not offend any Anchor Steam fans. It's good; I'm just using it as an example.

 

This whole thing is very odd to me.....taste is a subjective system by its very nature and the best way to accurately gauge the impact of something subjective is by polling opinion - which is what happens here. We could look at purchase trends and other things, but in reality that only adds more variables and reduces the understanding of what the originator of the opinion was driving at, and in this case opinion is the data set we are forced to work with. That is not to say that the system is perfect, there are subconscious items at play that are very difficult to compensate for, but I don't know that we have many better options outside of mandating double blind taste tests of each brew prior to an acceptable review being posted.

So if they invented a style of beer that is literally shit flavored (besides American Adjunct Lager - couldn't resist ), we should be sure to include the best example of that on the top 250 even if 99.9% of people find it disgusting?

 

This lady sat down at my bar the other day and was talking to her friends: "Have you heard of these new sour beers that are out now? They're supposed to taste like a Warheads candy and it's what all the hipsters are drinking." It was very difficult to bite my lip. I at least wanted to say "Hipsters drink PBR, not sours" but it was pointless to get involved.

 

Yes, but a perfect lager is not nearly as good as a perfect BBA coffee imperial stout! Not really.

 

"No matter how you cut it, some styles are better than others."

But if what is considered better is a matter of opinion then surely there can be no definitive decision that one style is "better," only that one style is considered better by a specific person, no?

Case in point, you say skirt steak isn't as good as a filet. I say skirt steak is much better than a filet. So is skirt steak better? Of course not. Same applies to beer styles here.

I understand where you're coming from, but using language that suggests one style is better than another does the craft seen a disservice in my opinion. Just my $0.02.

 

Right, but if you want to quantify something subjective then you use polling data. This does not mean any taste is "better" than another taste, only that one is more prevalent. The "Top 250" Beer list is not named "The best tasting beers", or the "best beers"...they are simply the Top 250 based upon ratings. Would it make everyone feel better if it were renamed the "Top Rated Beers List"?

 

Oh I understand completely and the name of it doesn't bother me. I was just responding to your specific use of the sentence "No matter how you cut it, some styles are better than others." It seems like you don't believe this to be true either, ie: "This does not mean any taste is "better" than another taste."

 

That wasn't my quote well, the first one was not.

 

I rate them against like things...other beers. Budweiser and BCBS are both beers. Style is just an artificial construct to convey information to the consumer, nothing more. Which one tastes better and smells better? Ratings themselves cannot capture style biases, but reviews can. That's why when I rate a Saison or Pilsner, two styles I just don't care for, I rate them for the style, but acknowledge in the review that unlike some styles, which go to 5, this style is handicapped and probably is capped at 4. I'll disclose my bias.

Each thing has its merit. The world's best Pinot Grigio is not as good as the world's best Cabernet Savignon. The word's best rental class economy car isn't as good as its best luxury sports sedan. The best roadside motel isn't as good as the best luxury resort. I'm not rating them the same.

 

Using the Waldorf Astoria for a Nooner seems a waste of resources. But, you wouldn't judge a hot sheets/by-the-hour motel using the same standards you would the W-A, would you? Why judge Bud Light by the same standards as WestyXII?

 

I agree, but Beer Advocate can't help what style of beers and breweries are on the list. This is the peoples top 250 beers and perhaps beer drinkers don't have diverse taste as they would like to think. For me, the seasons dictate my beer drinking. In The Summer, I drink a lot of Saison's, Sours, session IPA's and Pilsners. Spring I drink a lot of West coast style IPA's, the Fall Oktoberfest's, Harvest Ales, Pale Ales, IPA's, and a few pumpkins. Winter Im all about Imperial Stouts, Oatmeal Stouts, and DIPA's. I think that is diverse but only to the season. You guys could throw me up on the cross if you want though.

 

Same standards apply, but while I rate Bud Light zero, I might choose a refreshing beer at 3.5 over a BCBS I rated 5. The higher rating doesn't mean it is the right tool for the job.

 

I think it has to do with the intensity of flavors in those beer styles. It's been a lot like an arms race when it comes to IPAs and RISs the last 5-10 years. More and more hops and more and more barrel aging and chocolate or vanilla. So people are more likely to be wowed and remember a beer with extreme flavors than a simple mild or bitter no matter how good that beer may be for the style.