The Bros vs BA Score

I see the Bros scores as a curiosity. It doesn't impact me one way or the other. I value the BA score more highly.

That said, I value actual reviews the highest of all. I can actually learn whether I may like the beer based on reviews. A BA score of 100 may point me in the direction of a beer that I don't actually like if I know little more than the actual score.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30654/145496/

The biggest deviation I've seen. The Turbiditygate scandal of 2015

 

I look more into the BA consensus. I believe that the average rating over 1000 people will usually be close to where it should be. I only look at the bros when it is hugely different than the BA score. Usually if either score is high I am more likely to give a beer a try.

 

bro's before hoe's

 

I try to regard them somewhat equally, but do realize that the Bros really know they're shit.

Most of the time the Bros and BA are somewhat close in the ratings. Most of the times when the Bros rate a beer higher, I seem to lean towards them (a few occasions its reverse).

I try to not let the Bros (or BA) rating influence my review at all. Its hard enough ignoring hype, etc

 

haven't read the thread yet but i always wondered if i go thru with the "send em beer" button... would i get Karma Pts?

 

I take both with a grain of salt. I tend to look more at the review for flavors that I would like or dislike.

 

As my rDev suggests, I'm rarely on-point with ANYONE, especially the Bros. I do read their reviews from time to time. I appreciate their thoughts, but I do not let the score guide me in any way.

 

Pretty interesting. I've never really placed much weight in the bros scores, they are a pair of very knowledgable guys for sure but just two opinions. I'd rather see a large consensus/sample size every time.

 

I don't see a big gap between the Bro reviews and the General BA reviews often, but I've seen it enough to believe that people aren't letting the Bros influence them too much. Which is good. Honest, unbiased, reviews are important! But what I really want to say is that the Bros are two guys. Two individuals. There is such diversity in terms of the way even the craft obsessed crowd views specific beers, that I'm never going to value the opinion of two people over the opinion of hundreds. I believe the Bros have knowledge to base their reviews on, but they also have their own individual palates, and there are lots of very knowledgeable folks within the general BA population as well.

 

The only time I look at reviews prior to drinking a beer is if A) It is a very expensive beer, or B) It is a beer that has garnered a LOT of hype on here. Otherwise, neither the bros nor the BA consensus means much at all to me. I don't want to know which beer is considered the best before I go to a brewery or liquor store, I'll talk to the brewer/stocker and decide which sounds most appealing to my palate. I don't want my thoughts on a beer colored by someone else's.

 

I know this is unpopular, but the first time I drank Crooked Tree, I thought it was the best beer I had ever had...

 

That would be very interesting... Biggest ratings deviations between the BA's and the bros!

 

Until this thread I had no clue how much I do not look at the bros ratings. Not sure why. I guess wanting more opinions.

 

You can sort their reviews by rdev and see their highest and lowest rdevs. I've played around with it before, but they've reviewed so many beers that most of the beers with biggest variances are either things I've never had/heard of or stuff from ABInbev that I have no interest in trying. Still interesting to see where they vary most though.

 

I make up my own mind and then check the ratings. If I am way off, I check a few out to see if I can figure out why. Sometimes there are obvious quality issues that impact a score while The Bros tend to be more objective on less popular styles but then many of the more experienced reviewers are too. I think just using scores from people who use at least 150 characters to review the beer also enhances the objectivity of the scores and removes some of the popularity contest type scores.

 

I disregard the Bros score simply for statistical reasons. One the one hand they've had a ton of beers, have super experienced palates, and do beer for a living. So of all the individuals to put some stock in, those guys are good candidates. But they're still individuals, and tastes vary so much from person to person. I feel much safer relying on the averaged-out opinions of hundreds or thousands of people making hedonistic ratings, all with different preferences and palates. If the herd thinks something is a 70 and the bros think it's an 85, I'm willing to bet 70 will be closer to what I'd think. I have my own wildly divergent rDevs, so I know the herd isn't always a great predictor, but more often than not it's closer than any given individual's would be.

I think that's the whole value of sites like this. Some people follow a given beer blogger but I don't because that person's rating and review can be effectively random compared to mine. When I'm in the store and want to know what to expect from some of the candidates on the shelf, I look at that weighted average and skim the first page of reviews just to get a general idea. I don't give any one person's rating or description much weight, but rather look for a general trend. Might still be off base compared to my impression, but it's usually a good guide.

 

I usually go Bros over BA, especially on less popular styles.
1) Too many people rate a beer 5-10 pts higher due to the beer being a 'whale'
2) Seems that a lot of people are not rating to style, they are rating it against their favorite beer/style which over inflates the ratings on the more popular styles and underrates the less popular/less extreme styles

 

As a consumer I don't like to waste my time let alone money. That is all that beer deserved from me ... had it again after the Tree House beer dinner again to confirm my thoughts and felt I did not have to change a word. Both times it was pushed back to the bar. Not every review needs to be "Homer's Iliad and Odyssey" especially when reviewing at a bar. Love what Trillium is doing but its funny how I've received some flack for not liking that beer ... like I have some vendetta now against Trillium.

 

In my opinion, I follow the bros score. since the beers I've had and really liked a lot, the bros have rated them high as well. So as i figured we would have the same taste. But that's just me as an individual. Not everyone likes every style. For me, i would judge the beer taste for its respective style, seeing how much it reflects what a beer traditionally should taste, smell, appear or its mouthfeel should be like. but then again, there are so many new beers coming out pushing the bundaries of traditional brewing methods, and when they hit the nail on its head, it would really stand out to me and be rated high.