Like most folks, I have decided to start putting a star rating on each beer I drink. It will be pretty simple and probably not much different than the other ratings systems, but I will basically base this rating on whether I would buy the beer and how often. I'm not so much concerned with "true-to-style", though I have commented on that in the past, just where is the great beer.
One Star
Definition: Beer that is so bad I probably would prefer not swallowing it. This is beer that will make you think about NOT drinking beer ever again. It will be rare for a beer to make this list, but I can already think of one: St. Pauli Girl NA, Colt 45, Desperados. Another strong candidate is the Bud Light Lime.
Two Star
Defintion: Beer that is okay. Nothing to write home about and not much in the way of flavor. Kinda like a beer that will only work if I'm thirsty or hot as hell, or if I'm trying to get a girl drunk (in my younger days) and I don't have much money. If you are just trying to get drunk, then please just get a couple shots of well vodka. Life is too short to be drinking crappy beer. You are going to see a lot of your macrobrewed beer on here, and that is by design. The people who make them are not bad brewers, they are just using old fashioned capitalism. Just like the rap music the masses listened to is just a watered down version of the true grit of hip-hop, that's how these beer are.
Some Beers on this list: Bud Light, Budweiser, Tecate, Corona, you get the idea.
Three Star
Defintion: Now we are getting to beers that are pretty good. Will I get them every time I'm at the bar, only if two star stuff is the only other option. But many places like Hooters and whatnot will only have the macro-stuff, and then maybe a beer or two from this list. There are some macros on here as well. Lots of these beer are moderately flavored stuff. Nothing too harsh one way or the other, just good tasting that will work with bar food mostly. A lot of these beers will probably end up on my Tailgating series.
Some Beers on this list: New Belgium Fat Tire, Shiner Bock (most Shiners), Heineken Dark, Amstel Light, St. Arnolds Amber, Abita Amber
Four Star
Definition: These are basically beers that if they are on the menu, I'm getting them unless there is something on the menu or chalkboard that I've never had before. After I try a couple new ones, I'm getting these EVERYTIME. These are where more of my IPAs and whatnot come on the list. Lots of flavor, great nose, great body for the conditions.
Some Beers on this list: Rogue's Dead Guy, Stone IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Blue Moon (and all the seasonals but Spring), Jockamo IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Northcoast Scrimshaw Pils, Big Rock Traditional, you get the idea. I'm into something with bigger body.
Five Star
Definition: Basically these are beers that define beer for me. It's hard for a beer to stay on this list as I grow more into the beer world, but these are the beers that I think are the whole point of the industry. These are beers where I'll say: This is why we do what we do. Plain and simple.
Some Beers on this list: St. Arnolds Divine Reserve #6 (on it's way down), Northcoast's Brother Thelonious, Avery Maharajah IPA, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, the END.
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5 comments:
hey brotha i cant believe you have blue moon at 4 stars . id rate it a 2 i wish you could try stuff from brooklyn brewery there so good . plus a black brewmaster garret oliver whos book on beer brewmasters table turned me onto a lot of stuff i didnt know about cheers
What's going on. I had a feeling someone would nail me on the Blue Moon, but I just can't get enough of that stuff. I think they laced it with crack when I first had it at Buffalo Wild Wings. I can see I didn't put it on the blog, but I only prefer it around 50ish deg F. Ice cold it does nothing for me.
I look forward to making it up to NYC for some beering. If you don't live in the Texas area, maybe we can arrange a beer trade (assuming its legal to send in the mail). Right now I think Real Ale in Blanco, TX is kicking the most arse. Holla at me if you're up.
I also learned recently that the brewmaster for BJ's Brewpub chain is a brotha, and luckily we have one of those in Houston, so I'll check it out.
brotha if you like blue moon so much what do you think of leinekugels sunset wheat ??? its just as easy to get as blue moon nice beer on a hot day . really enjoy your stuff blog more often cheers
anon. Thanks for reading the blog. As you can tell, I work offshore, and I keep forgetting to pack my little beer log to keep up. I'll try to blog something at least every other day.
I did a post on the Sunset Wheat.
http://thebeerbrotha.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-do-pretty-well-until-sundown.html
As I re-read the post, I noticed I used the word "ga ga". Must have been watching MTV at the time.
It was a cool and smooth, but a little orange-sodaish for me. I recall it was more heavily carbonated than the Blue Moon, which I don't care for, even if its par for the course for a wheat bear. I would get Blue Moon over the Sunset Wheat. BM is a little more smooth and subtle (hee hee), just like I like it.
im gonna do a side by side tasting this week . i gotta taste blue moon with a clear mind because i dont like that coors makes believe they dont make the stuff. maybe ill add a hoegarten in there and do a blindfolded tasting . enjoy your time off brotha
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