First Review of a 5

Society and Solitude 4, Very Hazy

 

If I followed the BA review metrics I'd never give a 5. That said, I have several 5's. My real criteria is whether the beer can really be "better" as opposed to different. I find that it isn't that hard to give 5s by that metric.

 

I give out a lot of 5s!!

 

If I gave a beer a 5, then I was probably hammered. Just my scale

 

Still waiting for the perfect beer, came close a couple times but no 5's yet in 2500+ beers

 

4.96 is my highest, NEBCO G-Bot DIPA.

 

Haven't had a 5 yet. But I am enjoying looking for one!!

 

My first 5 was the beer that got me to create an account on this site, Navaja from Half Acre. It was everything I wanted in a DIPA.


I look at my ratings here as a guide; if I gave the beer a 5, it's my idea of something that can't be topped (as @HuskyHawk said, could be made differently, but probably not better). Under my ratings, there's no "perfect beer" (because there's no beer that could simultaneously fill every check box I like in my beer, just like there's no food that could somehow fuse pizza, burgers and tacos into something I'd like more than those 3 separately), but there are multiple beers that for me are perfect in what they do.

 

I haven't given anything on BA a perfect 5 yet - too many factors. I've given a few 5s on Untappd though: Peche Mortel, Heady Topper, Focal Banger, Society & Solitude 5, Susan. Lots of 4.5s and 4.75s.

 

Afraid if I give out a 5 I will quit chasing down beers.

 

Everett Porter.

It was a combination of two things. First, porters are in my wheelhouse - good, full dark beers without getting too boozy or too heavy. Second, it was immediately apparent that this porter had everything I looked for in one, delivering a rich, full, complex flavor set while also producing a delicious whole.

I knew after the first sample that it was something special. When I sat down to rate, there was nothing to rate down. In fact, there was nothing to rate anything less than the pinnacle of beer. And so I gave my one, and to date only, 5 rating.

 

No 5's yet but my closest was a ten year old bottle of JW Lees Harvest Ale - 5's in all the categories except Appearance - so a 4.91

 

I usually skew more to the generous side on my reviews, but still haven't given a perfect 5. I have had a lot of beers that I find perfect, but the standards of measure inhibit me from delivering a perfect score. I think one of the big hangups are all the great tasting and smelling New England DIPAs/IPAs that, from a technical standpoint, don't have a perfect look.

 

The only beer I deemed worthy of a 5 at the time I reviewed it was an Alesmith Speedway Stout draft pour back in 2007.

If I had the exact same beer under exactly the same circumstances today, would it still merit a 5? I can't say with any certainty.

 

First beer I gave a 5 was Grimm's afterimage. but the most deserving of a 5 I've ever had was the red label Sosus from TG. my second time having it, it was terrible. not sure what happened

 

Lawson's Double Sunshine was my first and only straight 5...that beer broke my mind.