But why is that? What's the point in having a 5 of it's unattainable? Yes, but I didn't always live in Arkansas. I'm from Grand Rapids, but I've also lined in Arizona and DC area.
I never had a perfect 5 and I don't expect that I ever will. I feel like if I find the Holy 5, my search might be over. And, I want to be searching in perpetuity.
But what if there’s a perfect 5 in every category of beer? Do you really want to stop searching after finding the perfect Rauchbier?
I used to think that way too, but then I rationalized that having a beer with a rating of, let's say 4.99, isn't nearly the same honor as having it on a pedestal with a 5.0, an honor that it really deserves. Plus it's okay to have ties in each style in this game. But you do whatever you want.
5 years ago I went from Lake Placid, crossed Lake Champlain on the ferry and ran around Vermont chasing IPAs. I was back at the cottage by the evening. One of the beers I picked up was Double Citra from Hill Farmstead. Sitting on the back porch after driving all day I cracked a cold one and poured it into a 16 ounce glass. It was probably the most freshest tastiest IPA I had ever had. I mean it was that good. I checked the bottom of the can and it had been canned that morning. I will never forget that can of beer.
Just for clarification, the last, "new to me" brew I gave a 5 star to was BKS, barrel-aged Recollection barleywine (10/7/25) back when it was released last fall. As for my previous comment about a zero-to-five means a 2.5 is a 'C' average, I'm trying to always consider rating for style as well as my personal preferences/wheelhouse. Does that mean I'll never have another brew that I've rated a 2.5 again if not use it for marinade after a few swigs (just to make sure)? Yep, I'll probably never revisit that beer again! If'n I've rated any beer lower than a 3.5, then when I have it again, it's because I'm thirsty & want a lower-alcohol, lawn-mowing beer. Or it's a 90 degree & above day. Or I just want to pound a few. Like Red Stripe, or Harp, or Free State lager, etc. if you get my drift? And now, heading into tonight's below-freezing temperature (after 6-7 days in March that set new 90 degree records) here in LFK, I'll be popping my last bottle of aforementioned Recollection (10/7/25).
No perfect 5's for me, and anything I had in the past that I rated close to a perfect 5 I know I wouldn't rate those beers as high now. At this point something would have to be truly amazing for me to give a perfect score to.
The last time I rated something a perfect 5 was in 2017. Lorelei - Barrel-Aged Extra Maple from Omnipollo. An imperial porter. Not sure if I'd give it a 5 today, but it was amazing at the time.
Before rating I would of placed Thomas Hardy's say 1993 vintage and Bornem Dubbel in a solid 5. Not sure these days. A great question would be what is your favorite brew with the highest rating in say imperial stout or double IPA compared to the communities top ratings.....bet there would be a lot of local brewers that hit the mark. Say Inch Of Dust from Combustion....warm and fuzzy feelings! Cheers
I'm MUCH more critical, discerning and stingy with my 5 ballers but I'll never stop hoping that they're out there, available & I'll get a taste! I think I've got close to 200 five stars on 'Dumcrapped', at least 60-75% of those given out in my first few years (2017-2019) of check-ins and there would easily be less than 100 if'n I actually wanted to devote a few hours & go back & downgrade over half of 'em to a 4.5-4.75, considering I was waaaay too 'enthusiastic' over finding an app that let me expound on my love of brews. Then I discovered & realized I should have just been on BA all along but it was too easy to keep going on 'Dumcrapped' since there wasn't a BA app for check-ins. Like I've told/enthused/preached to many of my 'Dumcrapped' friends......join me on BA and leave the high-school popularity contest app behind.
Two total, out of 2,580 rated or reviewed since 2013, the last in 2019: 2015 - Everett, Hill Farmstead Brewery, American Porter 2019 - Very GGGreennn, Tree House Brewing Company, Hazy Imperial IPA
So here's my .02, take it as thou wilt... As a teacher, I gave "100s" on projects/presentations. If the student met, and usually exceeded all of the requirements on the rubric, he/she was awarded the max score. At the same time, I've know some teachers who never gave 100s, saying, ' nothing is perfect.' They'll find one little thing, a missed period or comma and deduct a point, which isn't even how the rubric is designed. I, and students, found that maddening. If you set guidelines, which are met or exceeded, why not give the full allotment of points? Sure, nothing or nobody is "perfect," but that's not what the score is saying. I have noticed quite a few BA reviews where person says phenomenal things about the beer in all categories, raving about it's merits and taste and experience, and then score it a 4 (80) or 4.25(85). If y9u score a beer a 5, you're just acknowledging that, within that style, it exceeds the norm. Life us short and uncertain. Drink what u like and score accordingly. It's just beer and numbers! For me, and IPA aficionado, Alchemist is the standard by which others are measured. Yep, i have HT, FB, and Crusher as 5s. Will there be other 5s? Sure, I hope so! I'll keep trying em all, enjoying the highs and lows (tho, thanks to BA, I'm usually able to avoid those lows). That's my judgement, and I stand by it. Alchemist Fanboy? Maybe? And, besides, it gets averaged into all the other reviews, so it'll all work out. Cheers, y'all
I have never rated a beer with a 5, because while most of the best beers are higher in alcohol volume, the downside is that it gets you drunk too much and makes you lose your appetite for food the next day. I always thought that beer was the best poison. So, how can a poison be perfect?
I don't rate very often, because I have my own set of rules on which beers I review, but when I do review, I think of the beer in two ways. How it compares to the style and how it is as a stand alone beer. I will always give the beer a score that reflects the better of the two, and, obviously, explain why I did so. As you said, it's not a competition, and, with enough ratings, the score will figure itself out.
Timothy Taylor's Golden Best 12/9/2018 review (I had it in April 2018) https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2150/5561/?ba=Premo88#review
Very good question, but a simple answer: I could find no way to make it better. It ticked all the boxes for me. I could have discounted for the barrel aging and the coffee, but for whatever reason at the moment I took them as part of the whole, not distinct elements.
That's like saying I can't like it because you don't like it, yes? 5s are purely subjective anyway. I will literally never rate an IPA or rauchbier a 5 because I don't like them. But if you like it, I'm wrong? What is missing here is "I rate it a five." You don't have to agree for it to be MY 5.
You can like it, you're just wrong. Being wrong is a perfectly acceptable life choice. I do it all the time. (But never about good beer!)
