Never a 5

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Huffaroma, Mar 26, 2013.

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  1. mp19

    mp19 Initiate (0) Feb 22, 2013 Virginia

    I haven't reviewed any beers on here yet. A couple hads just to do it. Haven't figured out my criterion yet. But honestly I try not to get caught up in the "perfect overall beer" or even best fitting to a style. I think the better thing to search for/strive for as a drinker,( different for a brewer obviously) is having the right beer at the right time. The style that you are in the mood for and the nuances or lack thereof that you are looking for in said style. Example: I've been drinking a bunch of IPA's lately and my palate had just had enough of the big IBU beers. I just wanted something simple, malty, but still a little bit of hop presence, and not too sweet. I found a perfect beer for that time. I would not have rather had anything else that I've ever tried. (500+) And in my opinion the ability to figure out what your palate craves at that time and finding the perfect beer for that time is way more useful. That's why I can't understand why people only like trying new beers. I love trying new beers but why wouldn't I come back to something that I know I love and I crave at that time.

    Also can anyone guess my perfect beer for that time? Hint: Most on here have had it- National distribution
     
  2. gcamparone

    gcamparone Pooh-Bah (2,057) Dec 6, 2011 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Giving a beer would be like ending my search to find the perfect beer
     
  3. mnphish

    mnphish Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2012 Minnesota

    Westy 12 End/
     
  4. Hopsiam14

    Hopsiam14 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2013 Minnesota

    Heady Topper, bourbon county, CW BBBW. Maybe I'm too easy to please...
     
  5. JamesMN

    JamesMN Initiate (0) Jul 12, 2012 Minnesota

    A rating of 5/5 can only come from a perfect storm of circumstances. Right beer, right mood, right time of the night: first drink/second/third/etc, enough time to truly enjoy, and on and on.
     
  6. 1up

    1up Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2013 District of Columbia

    Like ........ perfect storm??? (Pelican Pub)
     
  7. Chaney

    Chaney Pooh-Bah (1,957) Apr 20, 2006 District of Columbia
    Pooh-Bah

    Goose Island BCBCS. Seriously, I don't think there is any room for improvement on that beer, especially for what it is. Out of nearly 1200 reviews, it's the only 5 I've ever given.
     
  8. mp19

    mp19 Initiate (0) Feb 22, 2013 Virginia

    Fat Tire. And by no means is it a five. A couples days later I had it and was like meh. But it was the perfect beer at the perfect time.
     
  9. BrewTasting

    BrewTasting Initiate (0) Dec 8, 2010 Nevada

    If you have the best beer you've ever had, it's a 5. Even if you have a better beer down the road, you're 5 was justified at that time.
     
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  10. Premo88

    Premo88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,486) Jun 6, 2010 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Our palates change from day to day ...

    ... most spot-on thing I've read on BA in three months, and there's lots of well-made points on here (and in this thread alone).

    Part of why I don't give out 5s left and right is exactly because a beer often changes how it tastes to me on a day-to-day basis. Most get better, but some don't (Old Peculier, Samuel Smith's Pure Brewed Lager Beer got worse by a little). So I'm careful giving out 5s because what tastes like a 5 one day might not live up to that the next.

    As SadMachine also points out, though, why not give something a 5 if you feel in that moment it deserves a 5? Maybe those of us who fear the 5 like me shouldn't be so careful at times. It's a great point ...
     
  11. sergeantstogie

    sergeantstogie Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2010 Washington

    I think a lot of BAs must be masochists. To struggle and search for flaws seems contrary to the point of having a beer.
     
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  12. JuicesFlowing

    JuicesFlowing Initiate (0) Jul 5, 2009 Kansas

    I think I've rated 2 beers a 5 out of the 390 that I've reviewed. One of them is decidedly well liked by the BA community, the other not so much.
     
  13. GameFreac

    GameFreac Initiate (0) Apr 8, 2011 Georgia

    The beers I have at a 5 are CBS, FBS (2011 - for the record 2012 was still great but I'm not saying it sucked like a lot of people did) and Lagunitas Sucks.
     
  14. weeare138

    weeare138 Initiate (0) Apr 1, 2003 Pennsylvania

    I've rated almost 2500 beers and I've never felt compelled to give a 5. Once I would've done that --game over. Why bother to continue the hunt?
    I've had a few that I would put up there though. My rating days are pretty much spent at this point and there are several outstanding ones not logged but the best few I've had recently were Hill Farmstead's Juicy, and The Bruery's White Chocolate. Those two would be in my upper tier right now.
     
  15. sergeantstogie

    sergeantstogie Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2010 Washington

    My mirrors are black for you.
     
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  16. gillagorilla

    gillagorilla Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2013 Maryland

    So far, I gave out one 5 (had) for FW's 16th Anniversary. I wasn't reviewing then (2 weeks ago) and I had it at a bar, but I was just blown away. This was my first FW and thus my first of their Anniversary series. After smelling it, I cracked a huge grin because I knew it was going to be good. Then, I took a sip and I was blown away. It was just so complex and different. Every sip brought up different flavor profiles, and there were eddies of specific flavors within your mouth after each sip. I mean just reading the description of what went into that beer had me salivating. Not sure how you would improve that. Each of their Anniversary blends are different, but I mean it is not really a specific style to me since it is a blend of the most ridiculous things, but ends up tasting brilliant. Like how did they decide on that mixture. That one had some magic in it.
     
  17. Jake1605

    Jake1605 Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2009 Missouri

    Never had a 5, but one night, I drank 5 ones.
     
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  18. DaveAnderson

    DaveAnderson Initiate (0) Jan 11, 2011 Minnesota

    Do you deliberately avoid one-time brews, then? Because if one of them is a 5, you quit drinking altogether.
     
  19. fox227

    fox227 Initiate (0) Nov 19, 2010 California

    I don't review much, but for a quick rating, I'm rating based on "overall" how much I liked it. I'm looking pretty much at flavor for those ratings. If I gave them a full review I'm sure they'd come down to a lower number between 5 and 4.5, but does it really matter? Flavor is the most important.
     
    hagbergl likes this.
  20. hagbergl

    hagbergl Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2009 Maryland

    I have reviewed only one "5's-across-the-board" beer–Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude #4 DIPA. It was absolute hop perfection. The Bruery's Oude Tart Flanders Red Ale and Rochefort 8 came really close (4.98).
     
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