Beer advocate

[Gibsons]

What bugs me about beer advocate is the emphasis on more hops/more stuff in a beer. Basically an imperial stout will score better than a regular stout, etc.

The top ten as of right now:
Imperial IPA
Imperial IPA
Imperial Stout
Imperial IPA
Imperial Stout
Pale Ale
Quadrupel
Imperial IPA
Imperial Stout

 

[Kyle]

I use it sometimes for instance if I'm going to fill a growler and want to try something new, and I know the style I want. I think that's the biggest factor- if you're picking based on score alone and not on the style you like/want, then you may get something you really don't like...but generally if there's lets say 3 imperial IPA's to pick from, that site and ratebeer can be a good tie breaker for me - I usually will read some of the reviews instead of going just off the average score.

And I'll also say- it's led me to some incredible beers that I may not have ever tried if I hadn't seen reviews of it.

 

[ControlD]

how good are the northern brewer kits?

I've been happy with mine. I probably could have done better by piecing a kit together but until you know what you need that isn't the easiest thing to do.

 

[BurnItDwn]

What bugs me about beer advocate is the emphasis on more hops/more stuff in a beer. Basically an imperial stout will score better than a regular stout, etc.

The top ten as of right now:
Imperial IPA
Imperial IPA
Imperial Stout
Imperial IPA
Imperial Stout
Pale Ale
Quadrupel
Imperial IPA
Imperial Stout

Ehh, I've noticed that as well. There is a lot of "one upping" and such in brewing world these days.

That said, my favorite beers are generally all imperial stouts, triple IPAs or belgian quads. I like something with a nice and strong flavor. Something that stands out from the pack. Something like a Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA or an Old Rasputin or Oak Aged Yeti stout, or a Chimay Blue.... These things are like lesser beers, just, they are more concentrated. It's like getting 2 beers down into one bottle by removing a bunch of water. They are rated higher, because apparantly that's what a lot of people prefer.

That said, I'm perfectly content with a Guinness