Sometimes I agree with the hype, sometimes I don't.

Such is life.

 

Pictures for proof...never had the others but Roch 10 is fantastic. I buy a case about 4 times a year and ends up costing me under $6 a bottle. Roch 10 is what makes me ok with not having ever tried Westy 12...don't see how it can get much better.

 

riveting tale ol' chap!

 

I will agree on Westy 12, there are a couple quads I prefer before it, mostly Pannepot.

I disagree on CBS, I was not impressed for the hype. It's a great beer no doubt but I can think of quite a few ba stouts I would gladly grab if the building was on fire before that one.

That's the great thing about taste buds. Cheers.

 

Looks like you had a good night, regardless. Yep, it totally stinks when you break a highly rated beer open and it doesn't meet your expectations, been there too. IMO, I think sometimes the hype on a particular beer ends up working against it, which is unfortunate. (Sometimes, but not always.) And sometimes it's just braggin' rights to say "had that one already", and then you know for next time.

 

WRT W12, there was some recent chatter about the Brick version having some issues during a certain brewing phase (believe Brabander also confirmed this with the abbey). Meaning, it may be worthwhile to try a regular offering of the beer to compare to R10, St B Abt, etc.

EDIT: Full disclosure - when fresh, I prefer R10. 6 mos to a year on W12? Often a different story.

 

I often think that the Law of Diminishing Returns affects these scores. Certain beers that we all have easy access to might not get the highest score since it might not be as exciting each time versus a beer being had for the first time, or one you may not be able to have again. People likely tend to savor and explore those more than they would a beer, they've had 50-60 times. My two cents.

 

Are you subscribed to the magazine? There was an article about how Westy 12 is overhyped in the 2nd to last issue.

 

That Zing Zang in your fridge is better than both of those beers...

 

where/when did you get the CBS?

 

As everyone will agree, not every beer in the Top 100 is top 100 worthy. The ratings are a collaborative effort and some beers get higher grades because of hype or recognition. My reviews are 100% no bullshit. If a beer isn't great, it isn't great.

 

So tuff to put beer in order. Here's a bunch in no particular order that I liked better.
Black Tuesday
KBS
Parabola
BCBS
BCBCS
BCBVS
BA Speedway
Black Xantus (yes you read that right)
Probably some others I can't think of at the moment, just to give you an idea.

 

Get out of here!