Trust Your Own Taste

Trick photo: Glass of beer hidden in picture. 

I stink at beer reviews. I admit I’m one of those that checks in at Untappd on my iPhone when I drink anything resembling a malt beverage. I buy my mix-a-six weekly and feebly attempt to review them at Ratebeer.com(along with the usual Untappd check in). It’s usually just a few sentences and I pick some numbers to rate them as best I can. As much as I drink beer I admit I’m no expert in them and in how they review them. I’ve read books and watched many Youtube videos but I’m afraid that still not an expert.

In the beginning of my craft beer renaissance about 5 years ago I found the beer review sites like Beer Advocate and Ratebeer. Let’s add the element of beer review videos on Youtube. I even tried a few videos; they were so bad I took them off-line. I do read some others opinions on beer but I feel I’m the best judge as to whether I like something or not. It is interesting though to see what others think of what you’re drinking. It sort of brings us all together in a  kinship of the suds.

I will give a shout out to the one beer reviewer, Chad Polenz, that I seem to consistently come back to. I think I first discovered his beer reviews on Youtube and he also writes reviews online. I don’t always agree with what he thinks about certain beers but he does put in an honest effort. His reviews are descriptive and well thought out.

My rant here is inspired by an interesting article in All About Beer called, The Agony and Ecstasy of Beer Reviews” by Heather Vandenengel (say that name 5 times fast)which weighs the pros and cons of online beer review sites such as Beer Advocate, Ratebeer and Untappd. These sites have their good and bad points. One is that you can get first-hand accounts of what a beer may be like. Let’s face it with over 3000 brewers to choose from in the United States alone it can make for tough decisions in the beer isle. It’s serious business I tell you. On the other hand your also trusting the word of unknown strangers (for the most part) in what a beer may taste like.

Just because a beer is rated high doesn’t mean you’ll like it. Back when I was a craft beer newbie I saw a 4-pack of DogFish Head 90 Minute. It was proclaimed the best on the packaging and online reviews backed that up. I spent the $15 bucks for a 4-pack(what you’d pay for a 30 pack of old frat boy beer) figuring it was a safe bet. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I may have finished the first beer but I was not impressed. In fact I thought it was awful. It even turned me off to IPA’s for long time awhile. I was a relative newcomer to craft beer and in some ways I still am. In a bit of irony I love DFH 60 minute.

 I use the social media sites as a way to keep track what I’ve tried and whether I liked something a lot. Anyone who has spent any time in their local beer store can tell you the sheer number of choices you have can be overwhelming. You want to try them all. Some can also be pricey so you also want to spend wisely at the same time. It’s hard to trust your random reviewer online. So many variables come into play when you taste a brew. They could be in a local bar and just drank 3 shots of Fireball and downed a dozen 5-alrm Buffalo wings and meanwhile they posted a review of the beer they used to dose the fire in their belly. How accurate is that? Eating the wrong food or drinking your 10th Imperial IPA at a local beerfest(probably more chicken wings).

Don’t get me wrong I do think these sites serve a purpose. Like keep track of what you’ve had. They add an element of fun and being social. Isn’t that part of what beer drinking is about? It’s a social lubricate in many ways. As far as serious reviews go I’d take them with a grain of salt. Maybe think of them like finding a good auto mechanic, when you find a good one stick with them.