Beer reviews can be misleading or helpful. As long as you recognize that everyone has unique tastes, and yours might not be the same as mine, maybe my notes below of beers I’ve tried might be helpful to you.
You should keep in mind that beers I tried before July 2014 weren’t necessarily checked for freshness. While doing research for my story in MI Beer Guide on beer freshness (link here) I got a better appreciation of fresh beer and an understanding of how to check for date codes and the importance of storage temperature. So new beers purchased from the local beer store may have gotten a poor rating simply because they were old or not stored cold.
Since everyone’s interpretation of a rating can mean something different, here’s how my number ratings translate into words. Most of these beers I like, but I wanted to be able to differentiate them somehow.
5-Star (Absolutely Amazing)
4.5-Star (Excellent)
4-Star (Very Good)
3.5-Star (Pretty Good)
3-Star (OK)
2.5-Star (Not Very Good)
2-Star (Not Good)
1-Star (Gross)
5 Star Ratings
[catlist name=”Reviews” + tags=”5_stars”]
No noticeable hop aroma. Sweet taste with a bit of bitterness on the back end. A hint of grapefruit-like palate cleansing effect, with a hint of bitterness. Smooth malt taste in the middle.
4 out of 5 Stars.
Excellent sweet hop aroma, smells like a bag full of fresh hops. Smooth mouthfeel with a nice moderate hop flavor, lingers slightly hoppy but not bitter at all. Can’t tell it’s 8.3%.
5 out of 5 Stars.
Fresh taste, not as hoppy as the description makes it sound. Fairly low bitterness bite, but decent hop flavor. Can taste the malt backing, menu days German pale, biscuit makes, and hint of crystal. I think I can taste the biscuit.
4 out of 5 Stars.
Bottled 10/05/15, drank on 10/29/15. Nice sweet bourbon aroma but not harsh at all. Taste is very pleasant with nice dark malt flavor but no harshness. This is slowly followed by a slight wooden barrel flavor that gives way to a moderate chili kick. Slight alcohol warmth in aftertaste, mixed with chili heat. Great stuff going on, distracting you totally from the 11% ABV.
5 out of 5 Stars.
Faint sweet aroma. First taste is fairly sweet and almost puckering. Finished smoothly with a sweet tinge that gives way to a neutral clean malt flavor.
4 out of 5 Stars.
Great fruity hop aroma. Sharp hop bite with a hop aftertaste that lingers between a harshness and a full palate full of varied hop flavors.
4.5 out of 5 Stars.
Sweet hop aroma. Crisp hop bite, gives way to a harsh hop flavor. Lingering hop aftertaste. Additional drinks mellows the hop edge and makes it nice.
4.5 out of 5 Stars.
Sweet, almost vinegar aroma. Very smooth malt flavor with no significant hop flavor.
3.5 out of 5 Stars.
Strong pilsner aroma. Starts smooth them comes in with a sharp bite at the back end. Aftertaste you can taste the spruce flavor. A bit minty. In hindsight, I’m not sure I want my beer to taste like a pine tree…
2.5 out of 5 Stars.
