Hype is not a flavor...

You are not cool until you s#!+ on a hyped beer. KBBS? Pbbbt. Garbage.

 

It depends on the beer. A hyped beer can be underwhelming and a shelf turd can be great. It also depends on the experience, temperature of the beer, flavor preference, sensitivity to booze or bitterness, etc. Some things you like others may not, and some things others like you may not. It's all personal preference with no facts or right answer. Everyone is different. I personally try to stay open-minded and unbiased. Some "hyped" beers I like, some maybe not so much. It all depends on the beer, my familiarity with the style, the situation, certain flavors, degree of bitterness, and probably a whole bunch of other factors. I like what I like. I try to keep my ratings as accurate to my senses and the way I rate as possible. From what I see it looks like public hype leads to rarity and higher prices, or maybe rarity leads to hype, sometimes can't tell.

 

Beyond expectation, there's also pressure in hype. If a friend excitedly tells me about what he considers to be the best Indian restaurant around and I end up checking it out, there's pressure on me to like the damn place because if I report back to him that I thought it was mediocre at best it causes friction. The beer community is not immune to this sort of dissonance.

 

BA is a lot of hype. So is every other hobby. Just think about it. People hype up certain supplements in the fitness world although they all do the same shit.

 

I agree with this. The Beer Speaks, only We can Translate what it Says to Us. There's been "Highly Acclaimed" Beers I've had and I thought they were mediocre and some I thought were Upper Tier.

 

Hyped beers that don't deliver die on the shelf the following year. Kbs IMO is deservedly pursued, it's just a great beer, maybe not for everyone, but it's highly rated for a reason, look at the ave score here on BA. It's well scored on a site for guys who love to take on big beers.

 

As far as the chatter here about KBS, 95% of the posts fall into one of four categories:
- Have you spotted KBS?
- I bought __ number of bottles of KBS at __ number of stores.
- I couldn't get any KBS.
- I was underwhelmed by KBS.

 

I should also add that if hype has a real effect on me, it's probably when I'm buying beer, not when I'm trying it.

 

I agree. I enjoy them but sometimes they just aren't worth it. KBS is good but it's not the best. Pliny the Younger is very good but if I don't get to have it, it's not a big deal.

 

Does it have to be the "best" to be worth pursuing?

 

I've learned nothing is worth pursuing besides a case on the discount shelf.

 

I'm in the 5% I guess.

 

Agreed. After I've had the beer and it didn't say anything to me, I pass on it next release and let the Kids fight over it.

 

Here's the best way around that: live with the beer for a while, and never really trust first impressions.

Unfortunately that can't always be done, so I just go into it with zero expectations other than a solid beer at that point. Usually, yup, they are solid and give a good ride and I'm a happy passenger.

 

Badge of honor? Hardly. If there were any such ranking I wouldn't be aware of it. I had my first legal beer more than 50 years ago and since that time have enjoyed enough styles in enough places to have developed a pretty clear idea of what I like. I'm not influenced by hype in beer, fashion trends, or anything else. That's just me though, I'm here because the subject of beer interests me and don't presume to infer or project motives on others.

I do make a point of always speaking the truth though . . . that way I don't have to try and remember what I said.

 

I have a differing opinion here. IMO every person is biased; it is the nature of being a human being.

To go back to my first post in this thread: the only way to assess beer in an unbiased manner is via a totally blind tasting. Very few people assess beers in a totally blind manner.

Cheers!

 

What's the difference between being influenced by "hype" or curiosity on beers that we've never had? One and the same?

 

Everyone is biased in different ways for different things, and that degree of bias can vary. Is it not agreed upon that a lot of hyped beers are actually good? At least to the peoples' taste buds that like them?