Overrated Is Overused

Spot on.... Great article and great point.

 

You are proving my point...this is a matter of opinion.
When someone uses the word overrated, they mean that their rating is lower than the collective; with the whole idea of a public rating system being opinion based and subjective. The writer (and you in turn (in my opinion)) is misinterpreting the rating as fact and trying to state that his opinion(rating) should mean more than others.

 

I appreciate the constructive responses as I am just looking to have a conversation about the matter; we will have to just agree to disagree on a difference of opinion.

 

If someone thinks Cheerios tastes like OJ and chocolate, they are, demonstrably, wrong.

 

Opinions are one thing. Informed opinions are another. An overrated product can certainly be overhyped, but it might be overrated for other reasons besides the hypetrain.

 

This was just a random example of palates are different which is why I love the community of beer because people want to try different things and discuss them.

 

If General Mills starts making orange & chocolate Cheerios, you'll make millions for the idea!

 

Guys, if it's not a hazy, lactose laden, oat cream DIPA or a Barrel aged stout with 15 different adjuncts, then it is overrated! Just kidding, but I mostly agree with the OP on this topic. Taste is subjective, so there is really no way to convince everyone one way or the other. Example- the discussion has been brought up numerous times on here about people who "hate" sours and actually go ahead and rate sours. If they're saying "overrated", how can you take their word for it when they don't like them to begin with? I'll admit I've thrown out the term "overrated" in regards to beer a few times, but I will now think a little more before quickly throwing it out there.

 

Taste certainly varies from person to person, but there is such a thing as a trained palate. Everyone who drinks beer is not accurate in their assessment of it, either.

If you rate a beer or a style that you know you don't like, but tick it or review it anyway because you feel that you need the numbers, you should be covered in honey and tied to an anthill.

That's probably a good look.

 

There is some negative connotation to the term overrated at times, there have just been beers that I would rate lower than the collective rating so that by definition means that they are overrated in my opinion.

 

I think that if you express that something is overrated to someone else, it always has a negative connotation. If you keep it to yourself with it meaning, "I did not rate that beer as well as other people did", then it can be of a rather neutral one.