Zymurgy's Top 50 list

BA Events are pretty heavily skewed towards the East, and probably the Bros. do more reviews from their own availability, but other than that I don't see a heavy East bias at all on BA.

The fact that the 2 representatives from New England on the Zymurgy list aren't even in the New England Top 100 on BA is kind of embarassing though. Heady Topper has almost 750 reviews already, the word is out. As to the rest, if the Vermont Trio is still too obscure, surely something like Allagash White (or something else from Allagash) should have made the cut. Allagash is in almost 20 states.

 

I'm looking at the list and it all seems like somewhat accessible beer. Even with trading they would all be easy to get. Then I get to the bottom and BAM! Pliny the Younger!

Yeah...okay, whatever bro.

 

PtY was on tap for like a week in Seattle, and that was just one location. I don't think it's really that hard to get anymore.

 

Is it on tap near me? No

Can I trade for it? No

Yeah super easy to get.

 

Why? What were you expecting?

The Zymurgy poll is pretty much the same every year. PtE wins, Two Hearted comes in second, SNPA, Arrogant Bastard, and Old Rasputin fill out the top ten. It's national poll, so it's going to be dominated by beers from the most widely distributed breweries. Zymurgy readers are more knowledgeable than most, and I'd gladly drink any of these beers, but if you're expecting this list (or any list) to conform exactly to your tastes you're going to be disapointed.. The only thing I find odd about the linked material is the intro by this guy who doesn't seem to understand the difference between PtE and PtY.

 

I didn't say "super easy," a drive down to Philly may be required. But probably at least as easy for you to get a taste of PtY as for me to get CBS, BCBS, Hill-Farmstead, Double Sunshine, King Henry etc.

 

I wasn't expecting anything, but it's still a weird list. It has nothing to do with conforming to my tastes, I just think that list is weird. After hearing their methodology, I'm not really surprised, but still, it's weird.

Also, this is a general comment, don't all modern browsers come with spellcheck nowadays? The number of misspellings that would be trivially caught be spellcheck on this site (and the wider internet) is befuddling. I mean, I can't spell for shit without it, but every browser I've ever used has had it...

 

Timing would be crucial to get it in Philly. I'm about 9-10 hours away. I would have to get an idea of when PtY was shipped then stay in Philly for a few days checking twitter/facebook until I find a place tapping a keg. Then make sure that I arrive really early so as not to get shut out. I'm sure there are crowds. Doesn't sound too appealing and not 100% guaranteed that I'd even see a glass of PtY.

You on the other hand can trade for all the beers listed. Even buy them on ebay if necessary.

 

I'd say the only thing wrong with the Zymurgy poll is that it's not weird enough. It doesn't offer many surprises. Year after year, the same beers win and place highly, for the same reasons: they're widely available, well-made beers in styles that homebrewers tend to appreciate. Notice you don't see many lagers or sours, which are harder than ales to do at home.

Now, if somebody wanted to start a 'Beer Traders Anonymous' magazine and a do a readers' poll, you'd get a list full of whales. (Or is it wales? Damn spelcheck.) And if the magazine was based in Germany or the UK, you have fewer US beers. But the Zymurgy poll is what it is.

 

How can Pliny and SNPA both be in the top 5? One is great and hard to get nationwide, and the other is average and plentiful.

stupac2 is right....weird indeed.

 

Pliny may not be easy to get but it is not uncommon for someone outside of RR distribution area to get their hands on it. There are obviously more people put it in their top 20 beers than any other beer.

And SNPA is average? Lets not confuse personal preference or flavor intensity with quality. SNPA is the quintessential APA and you will be hard pressed to find a better more widely available beer. The large majority of APAs still wish they could match SNPA.

 

How is Two Hearted #2? 90 Minute at #3? What a joke... Sculpin and Breakfast Stout are way too far down.. Ruthless Rye at #12? Fucking gross.. Do people really think that rubber tasting beer is better than Bigfoot (#17)? Just thought it would look different.. Then I remembered last year's list, things don't change.

 

And where the F is Heady Topper? Any mention of PtE must include HT (even though HT is better IMO).

Naturally the list will be dominated by Left Coast beers coming from a WA state blog (shocker!).

No KH, Parabola, HT, etc = Rubbish list

 

First off, called it!

This list isn't from a WA state blog, that's just where the results were posted. This is the result of an annual national AHA poll.

Again, national list voted on nationwide. Blame the breweries for not getting their product into more hands.

 

Whatever! *eating shoe*

 

Yes, it's average. SN's classic beers have an aggressive bitterness that has been surpassed by breweries that know what balance means. It's not a matter of flavor intensity or quality, it's a matter of flavor balance and exploring new types of hops. The reason it's so popular is because it is in grocery stores across the US, not because it's the best APA around.

Same thing with Deschutes Mirror Pond. Another flagship beer from a longstanding brewery, but definitely not the best available.

 

That's so weird. I just checked the SNPA page expecting to see a 3.0 rAvg. I guess 2,477 reviewers who collectively gave this beer a 4.08 rating simply have no idea what they're doing. Good thing you're here to straighten this out.

Same thing with Mirror Pond. A lot of people who've had it think it's good.

I'm not going to argue that there aren't better APAs out there. There probably are. But you have to get them out to the people voting, or it just doesn't matter—at least as far as this poll is concerned.

 

I dare say that 37 IBUs in a 5.6% beer is much more balanced than many APAs out there.

I doubt it would be in every grocery store is it were not a quality beer.

 

I never said either beer wasn't good. They are both just far from the best. Bottom line - SNPA absolutely does not deserve the #4 spot. A glaring reminder that Zymurgy's poll is not only flawed, it's ridiculous. Or just weird.

 

I don't want to insult you, but you should try it side-by-side with other Pales...as many as you can find. I've done that on numerous occasions in groups and the consensus is that it has a harsher, less balanced flavor than many others. It tastes aggressively bitter and most of my beer-oriented friends rank it pretty low as well. Nothing against SN...just not deserving of #4.

And there are a lot of shitty beers in stores. Your logic is flawed.