Never a 5

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

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  1. StArnoldFan

    StArnoldFan Pooh-Bah (1,817) Dec 28, 2012 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I try to review beers on where they fit for the style, then to my liking. Iv seen someone on a forum say they hate IPA and went to check out thier reviews to find he had some top notched ones at either a 2 or 3. I hate seeing bullshit like that. So that being said, my favorite imperial stout is Ten Fidy and I gave it a 5, my favorite DIPA is Firestone Walker Double Jack and I gave it a 5, and my favorite flavored stout is Pumpkinator by Saint Arnold so I gave it a 5. I find it hard to believe there are people on here that have had 500+ beers and not 1 is worthy enough to be a 5.
     
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  2. 1up

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

    But I see you've ranked some beers as having PERFECT appearance, smell, taste, and/or mouthfeel! Interesting that you've seen some beers attain perfect in specific categories but never the whole package (except for BA Pt5)?

    I wish there was a way to standardize people's ratings, like a guide? Maybe one exists, haven't checked. Just throwing spaghetti.
     
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  3. Reneejane

    Reneejane Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2004 Illinois

    There was a fun thread over on the homebrewing forum about BJCP judges, and what's a good score. Pretty much it was agreed 45 (which is the top score) is unattainable. They said that even the top commercial breweries were rarely getting 38's. 45 is like the best ever, world class blew your mind, phenomenal. A good beer, fits the style, and is tasty, etc. is going to be like 31-35.

    here's the thread:

    http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/licking-wounds-from-first-bjcp-event.64661/
     
  4. sergeantstogie

    sergeantstogie Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2010 Washington

    I'm a horrible reviewer. I give out 5's like candy. Once I like a beer, it's almost a 5. Thanks for pointing this out, I think I may never review again. Sho do like drinkin'em though!
     
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  5. Gotti311

    Gotti311 Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2009 Wisconsin
    Trader

    I think people are overly influenced by the "beer advocate" standards. I think of it as a bell curve, so 1-2% of the beers I have drank should be perfect 5's. Everyone gets too bogged down in looking for criticisms. Lighten up and enjoy it.

    And why in the world do people rate appearance? I dont care if the beer is bright green, if it smells and tastes great, why would appearance matter. I would trust the rating of a blind person just as much as my ranking.

    My 5/5 beers are Cuvee des Jacobins Rogue, Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th, and BCBS to name a few.
     
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  6. Reneejane

    Reneejane Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2004 Illinois

    well, it should look like it's supposed to, a brown ale should be brown, a stout should be black, a pilsener should be clear and straw colored. You've completely missed the style if it is the wrong color and clarity. (my perspective is as someone who homebrews and enters competitions.)
     
  7. PatriotsRule

    PatriotsRule Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2012 Massachusetts

    Hoponius Union and Kiwi Rising are my 5s
     
  8. Reneejane

    Reneejane Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2004 Illinois

    I've never rated a beer a 5, myhighest though (just checked, I've reviewed 90+ beers) was Diamond Bear's Paradise Porter. It was so long ago, and it's not distributed that I haven't had it since, but.. now *pout* i want to try it again, and see if I agree with myself.
     
  9. Reagan1984

    Reagan1984 Pooh-Bah (2,305) May 15, 2008 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

  10. Gotti311

    Gotti311 Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2009 Wisconsin
    Trader

    I homebrew also, but I am not to the point where I enter competitions. Part of my problem is that I think me and my buddy do a pretty good job constructing recipes and I usually dont like parting with any of my hard work :slight_smile:

    People are too influenced by color. A great example is Bells This One Goes to 11. Yeah it looks red in color and is 11% ABV, must be an imperial red...Except it has the hoppiness and taste of a Double IPA. One of the biggest problems is brewers are pressing the boundaries of brewing styles, which diminishes from categorizing beers. For me, it doesnt really matter, if it is good it is good.

    It all comes down to my original point: I would trust a blind person's opinion on my beer as much if not more than someone that has complete vision.
     
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  11. Reneejane

    Reneejane Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2004 Illinois

    it's absolutely FINE to brew not to style, there is an "other" category in BJCP competitions, too. And, there's nothing wrong with creating new styles (black IPA?) nothing wrong with Imperial Red, either, G'night is an Imp Red, and it's on that style border, too. If you ever do want to start entering competitions, I have learned it's best NOT to brew at the bottom of one style so that it could be, maybe be, Oh, gee, those never do well. I had a British IPA/ESB crossover once, fine beer, fine fine beer, but it was a neither/nor, those don't do well,a nd it doesn't do yourself any good to enter that in a competition, enjoy it for what it is.
     
  12. Reneejane

    Reneejane Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2004 Illinois

    I will add, that in some styles color and clarity are of uptmost importance, such as a pilsener, and less importance in other styles, like IPA's, in which clarity may be there or might not, either is fine. If you're going to put out a hazy pilsener you should expect as a brewery or a homebrewer to get downgraded on style for haze, alone.
     
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  13. alex_hart

    alex_hart Initiate (0) Feb 28, 2013 Oklahoma

    i disagree..if i have rated a beer above a 4 then obviously i thoroughly enjoyed it. If i give it above a 4.5 then there is no way in hell I am going to forget to buy this again. If it gets above a 4.75 I know that it is one of the best beers I have ever tried. I wouldnt give a beer a 5 just because it is my "favorite" at that point in time. If all of a sudden I try 5 beers in a row that I considered my "favorite" each time in one specific style, then I believe all of those 5 beers, with a set of 5s across the board, would have diluted scores.
     
  14. Ivegotmule

    Ivegotmule Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2012 North Carolina

    KBS, Ruination 10, and Stone 15 year are my only 5's. there are many other 4.75 ish beers but those 3 I wouldn't change a thing.
     
  15. Ivegotmule

    Ivegotmule Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2012 North Carolina

    Oh, and Stingo :wink:
     
  16. dsal89

    dsal89 Initiate (0) Jul 6, 2008 Indiana

    I didnt read a lot of the posts (if any) but I just wanted to say I always laugh when I see all fives across the board except for the lone 4.5 for appearance. My guess would be that they didnt want to give a certain beer all fives so they knock the appearance down.


    ...or in some cases the beer itself could just look bad
     
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  17. BB1313

    BB1313 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,278) Jul 16, 2009 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I've never reviewed every beer I've ever tried. Rarely review beers I have on-tap, I don't know why. Dreadnaught is the only beer I gave a perfect score to. Big whoop, what you wanna fight about it?:wink: I don't think I'd change a thing about it, except for the price/format.
     
  18. papaholmz

    papaholmz Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2012 South Carolina

    I haven't rated any beers on here yet, but I do write a quick review on the untapped app everytime I try something new (I feel less pretentious that way). So far the only beer I've rated 5 and would rate 5's across the board on here is Bell's Black Note. I had it in the bottle and it got a 4, then I had it on tap, and it was amazing, easily a 5; I could drown in that stuff and be perfectly content.
     
  19. YogiBeer

    YogiBeer Initiate (0) May 10, 2012 Illinois


    Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), I don't think he ever has to worry about that.
     
  20. Gotti311

    Gotti311 Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2009 Wisconsin
    Trader

    you think haze in a pilsener really matters if it doesnt change the taste? I think these BJCP people should re-prioritize.
     
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