Everything's Better with a Graph

Another beer blogger put together a pretty detailed comparison between beer rankings on BeerAdvocate and Rate Beer. It's kind of a fun read (yeah, I said fun) and interesting to see just how varied opinions on beer really are. Westvleteren 12, however, does rest confidently at the top spot on both sites. Have you had it? Probably not - you can't get it anywhere outside of the abbey and its cafe across the street. So how on earth does this beer make it to #1?

Certainly, it's good. But personally, I think many beers are a lot like small, obscure bands - they tend to be rated higher than more popular ones simply because people get a kick out of bragging rights - "You haven't had TinyTown Oak-Aged Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Chocolate Plum Smoked Coffee Bacon Porter? Psshh, novice." That doesn't apply to all of them, of course. Clearly, many of those on the list are phenomenal beers. But really - Lost Abbey Yellow Bus? 53 reviews? How would that compare to Rochefort 10 (drool...) if it had 2200+ ratings?

I found it intriguing to look at the opinions on BA vs. Rate Beer. Seems there's a strong preference for the big beers, and Three Floyds is clearly a favorite (and a well-deserved one, although a wee bit overhyped in my opinion - though granted I'm not one to gush over any particular brewery anyway. Except Rogue. But they have personal significance. And, they make great beer. And gin. And rum. I digress...).

Personally, I tend to go to BA simply because there's more going on there and, well, I have it bookmarked on my browser. Honestly, though, I fit more in with the RateBeer crowd. I recommend checking out both to see where you belong. And have a beer while you're at it.

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Not Quite a Slam Dunk

We went to Flying Saucer on Friday night, the objective being to get some food and a pint or two of Bells' new Hopslam Imperial IPA. 

I love Bell's Brewing. Their stouts are great, Two Hearted is a wonderful IPA, their Old Ale is delicious, their Winter White is always a favorite... but the Hopslam was honestly a bit disappointing. The citrusy-grapefruity flavor was nice, but overall it was just way too sweet. Lots of honeysuckle and fruit flavor overwhelmed the predominance of the hops, likely an effort to balance the beer. I had a hard time finishing my one goblet, and that's saying something given how much I love an over-the-top IPA. I just don't like drinking hop syrup. 

Most of the reviewers on beeradvocate.com, however, love the beer.  If you tend to find yourself agreeing with them, you'll probably like it. My own preferences lean more toward the less sweet imperials, such as Rogue's I2PA or Avery's Maharaja (or, if we could get them out here, Dogfish Head's 90 minute, Stone's Ruination, or Moylan's Moylander).  Hopslam reminded me of a slightly less intense Dogfish Head 120 minute. 

It's worth trying, and Flying Saucer gives you an opportunity to do so without having to commit to an entire six-pack. Gomers in Midtown & Royal do not have Hopslam (as of 1/23) but Lukas off 135th does. Due to the limited availability of the beer, they're only allowing purchase of one 6-pack per customer. At $16 each, I'm not sure it's worth picking up more than that. I may pick one up just to compare to my experience of it on tap - and perhaps to keep a bottle or two to compare to next year's batch.