How do really sought after beers compare?

I've seen you post about it a lot, and I agree to a certain extent, but I want to ask- what is your main issue with beer being a "competition?" I have an idea where you might be coming from, but I'm curious to hear it directly.

 

As you can see there are many different opinions of whether or not these rare beers are worth the chase. The real question is that if you feel that the chase/hunt of finding them is worth it to you, part of the fun, then go for it and enjoy (the beer and the chase). If you are like me however, the chase is not worth it (yes I'm old). Having said that living in Northern California there is so much great beer around that I can find a very superb beer to enjoy without much hassle. The main thing is to drink good beer and enjoy the ride.

 

I look at it the same way, too- there is definitely a top echelon, but among those on that level it is then up to personal taste (or even mood) that will decide how they stack up. Or even if they stack up . I was recently saying something similar on another thread regarding Andechs Doppelbock and Ayinger Celebrator- they are both great beers, but each it's own particular way.

A lot of the talk, and ratings, and lists, and etc. that goes on here can definitely have value, though- as long as it isn't taken too literally or seriously. The lesser offerings will be sorted out (for the most part), the cream will rise (for the most part), and what you are left with is a list of things to keep in mind to check out if they ever cross your path. An occasional trade can be nice, too, especially if you want to give yourself a mental benchmark as to what the latest scuttlebutt is all about. But the overall quality and distribution of beer is so good these days that you shouldn't feel short-changed if you can't get a Top 10 whatever beer- chances are that there is something on that level that you can get, and hopefully BA will help you put your hands on it.

 

Had a Hill Farmstead BBA Damon recently. Can confirm it was definitely better than anything I could get at my local stores.

 

Another question formed out of curiosity - what did you think of Parabola in particular (I ask this because this one and the BCBS variants are the main BA stouts that I can actually obtain in MD with a minor miracle)?

 

It is definitely one of my favorites of the style. (But I would by no means put it in a league of its own.)

 

You stop that. I will seek out more Lindley Park and DB Hunah until the end of my days.

 

this ^^^^^^ though I enjoy the hunt for the rates

 

Depends. KBS I think is the most overrated highly sought after beer (at least in my opinion) but I'm sure many would disagree. I can come by Heady pretty easily and can say maybe its not the best beer in the world like its rated here, but its up there without a doubt. Its much better than enjoy by or sculpin. Dirtwolf is pretty amazing. But different.

 

I know it's not that rare or sought-after, but I think something like FW's XVII is a case study in the idea that some beers really are heads and shoulders above the vast majority of what you're going to find in a year-round beer. Not to say someone couldn't make something that stacks up to XVII but with the availability and price of, say Stone's IRS, but I'm not aware of anything that fits the bill.

 

I think LP and ORF are good, but not exceptional, but Event Horizon is seriously underrated IMO and can hang with the best of them. I might need to drink a few more bottles to confirm though.

 

I personally gave up on KBS recently, really dont give a shit about it anymore. Epic Big Bad Baptist is a shelf surfer and is really fucking close in taste IMO. I can get it whenever I want. Plus I normally dont give a crap about rare beer most of the time anyway. Too many awesome beers out there always available. So many people are just completely out of the loop on that. I think that Sucks and Dirtwolf are a good example of this fact. I can go out and buy some right now.

 

I find that good barrel-aged stuff often requires a little searching, and it's really fun to seek out some of the DIPAs like Heady Topper and Double Sunshine and Pliny the what-have-you because they come from pleasant areas of the country. But other than that, it's not really worth it to me.

 

This is Realness. I thought Heady was good, but Number One? Next time just give me a bottle of Double Sunshine. To me DS is worth seeking out.

 

When you get above a certain level of quality of the beer, any differences among them become almost purely a matter of personal taste and/or personal preference. That's largely when rarity or limited access take over. As others have noted, you want to build up a good backlog of whats good and readily available to you so that if you decide to go hunting the rare, you'll have a shot at determining whether or not it is, for you, a better beer than what you have on the shelves.

Work your way through the Beers of Fame list and then if you still like the idea, start your hunt for the rare. But recognize that in a lot of cases the effort you put ut to find the rare won't be rewarded with an exceptional experience.

 

I'm pretty new to the trading scene here and probably about 6 months or so into actively persuing more hard to find/regional beers. My policy is nothing ventured nothing gained... My first trade on here was some MBC Dinner and it got me bcbbw/Sucaba and I flipped when I tried them because they were both awesome. I'm not going to debate what beer is better than what and if you try enough beers you can certainly find gems that are readily available in your area (say what you will but mine is baxter stowaway, love that stuff). I just acquired Huna and thought it could be one of the best beers I've ever had. All I had to do to get it was create a thread and drive about a half hour for a beer you had to show up at an event in FL to get, haha. I definately agree that some beers will be less than your cup of tea, but it's so subjective that why not go for it. So can you make do with what's around you? Certainly. Are harder to find beers that will blow your mind? F-YES!...
Also, as has previously been stated, there are some awesome people on here that are just worth shooting the breeze with and glad I've had the fortune of meeting.

 

Too many really good, readily available beers on the shelf for me to go and start trading or driving a crazy amount of miles to obtain rare or out of market beers. As a matter of fact, there are so many beers on the shelf that I haven't even gotten around to trying yet, I could keep drinking those and trying beers that are new to me and be satisfied.

 

Funny, I had Heady right after DS and definitely preferred DS. So incredibly tropical and smooth.

 

Off topic, but I had to comment. I tried Alewerks BBP for the first time over the weekend. Outstanding beer that I would put up against any porter in the world and a lot of barrel aged stouts. It's that good, folks.