BeerAdvocate Ignorance Vent. LOL

I am a big fan of the BA site. I go there for beer knowledge and too review brews as well as shoot the breeze on the forums. Anyhow lately I've been running into a lot of sarcastic arrogant idiots on there, who in all fairness do know what they are talking about, they just tend to be like I said arrogant. 99% of the people on the site are decent. Just had to vent as I guess this seperates the beer geeks from the beer snobs. If I ever turn into a snob someone please shoot me.

Are you talking about the ones who get all pissed off when a question had been asked previously and their answer is "look it up"?

I don't spend too much time there anymore. I got tired of thread getting locked or deleted because the bros don't approve. But hey, it's their site so they can do what they want. I'll just go elsewhere.

I still frequent them for event posting or beer reviews.

for the most part, I agree. Their homebrew forum is ok. But the beer tasting stuff is nuts. Rating a beer high just because its rare doesn't mean its good...

My buddy owns a very small brewpub. If you walk in there with a note pad, he lets you drink your beer then asks you to leave. he can't stand the BA people.

It took me less than a week to leave that site and join this one. I'm not one for snobs.

I enjoyed the anti-BA rants of Chad on youtube... hehe.

My recent problem is. I made a post about a girl asking me in my local bottle shop if these were all ales or beers. Little did I know some people don't consider ales beer. I wasn't talking down on the girl I just thought it was funny. I basically got called stupid, condescending, lame etc. Kind of annoying when all I was trying to do was have a sense of humor.

Did you at least educate the girl in the bottle shop? There was a time I didn't know the difference between ales and lager, but that was like 1984.

dfess1 said:

My buddy owns a very small brewpub. If you walk in there with a note pad, he lets you drink your beer then asks you to leave. he can't stand the BA people.

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Well, that's pretty f*cking stupid. Why does he care if someone wants to write notes to themselves? How does he even know if they're writing notes about the beer?

stevo155 said:

Did you at least educate the girl in the bottle shop? There was a time I didn't know the difference between ales and lager, but that was like 1984.

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All beer. Different fermentation processes. This guy was from England and apparently they over there beer and ales are two different things. Sorry if im not up on my british customs.

the_bird said:

Well, that's pretty f*cking stupid. Why does he care if someone wants to write notes to themselves? How does he even know if they're writing notes about the beer?

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That's what I was going to say... seems like a very quick way to lose customers.

I don't even bother with their forums, too obnoxious.

scottyg354 said:

All beer. Different fermentation processes. This guy was from England and apparently they over there beer and ales are two different things. Sorry if im not up on my british customs.

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Yeah, I think the Brits have their own common misconceptions over there. The whole "ale isn't the same as beer" in the USA is a common misconception, but they have a thing about "real ale", which is just bottle conditioned beer. I think it's almost a marketing thing for craft brewers to make a distinction of their beer from the mega-brewery lagers which isn't a bad thing at all really! It is better to have those slight misconceptions if it makes people interested in trying it.

scottyg354 said:

All beer. Different fermentation processes. This guy was from England and apparently they over there beer and ales are two different things. Sorry if im not up on my british customs.

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In a lot of European countries (so I've heard), the term "beer" is interchangeable with the term "lager"... so it can definitely be confusing when trying to explain the difference between a "beer" and an "ale".

I've even heard (not sure if entirely true or not) that alcohol content in some countries determine what the nomenclature may be.

xjmox14x said:

In a lot of European countries (so I've heard), the term "beer" is interchangeable with the term "lager"... so it can definitely be confusing when trying to explain the difference between a "beer" and an "ale".

I've even heard (not sure if entirely true or not) that alcohol content in some countries determine what the nomenclature may be.

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You don't even need to go that far. In Utah, any beer over 4 ABV, yes you read correctly, 4 percent, is considered liquor. They are subject to the following rules: Utah is a “control state”, and only the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) may lawfully have liquor products imported and shipped into Utah. Private individuals may not lawfully import or transport them into the state. Manufacturers and suppliers of these products may only supply them to the DABC. Only the DABC through its state liquor stores, package agencies, licensees and permittees may sell liquor products in Utah.

Not sure if liquor products is all alcohol including beer or just those "spirits" over 4 percent.

Kinda glad to say I've never frequented the BA forums. I do have to say, though, how lame it is that the top 100 lists are always full to the brim with big beers. A vast majority are 10%+ and probably 85-90% are 8%+. A big beer is not necessarily a good beer. I've had and made many a great beer under 6 or 7% abv.

I very rarely crack 6%.

I never understood the infatuation with big beers. I didn't get into this just to double some number on the side of a Budweiser bottle. I prefer the taste of good beer, and I can drink (and taste) a hell of a lot more of a 5% beer than a 10% beer.

SenorPepe said:

You don't even need to go that far. In Utah, any beer over 4 ABV, yes you read correctly, 4 percent, is considered liquor. They are subject to the following rules: Utah is a “control state”, and only the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) may lawfully have liquor products imported and shipped into Utah. Private individuals may not lawfully import or transport them into the state. Manufacturers and suppliers of these products may only supply them to the DABC. Only the DABC through its state liquor stores, package agencies, licensees and permittees may sell liquor products in Utah.

Not sure if liquor products is all alcohol including beer or just those "spirits" over 4 percent.

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https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/pu...t-beer-drinker-286171/index6.html#post3561599

Yup.. Post #55

It's just an incredibly grey area and has been construed by many throughout the years I feel.

Used to spend a lot of time on those forums and got sick of it for the same reasons as everyone else. The elitism was unbearable.

And someone please tell them that they're not tasting the honey in Hopslam. It's on the bottle for legal reasons, not because it's a huge component of the beer. :facepalm:

HokieBrewer said:

And someone please tell them that they're not tasting the honey in Hopslam. It's on the bottle for legal reasons, not because it's a huge component of the beer. :facepalm:

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That's a really good point. Most beer "snobs", as opposed to geeks like us, don't have a clue about actually making beer. Oh it has honey in it, it tastes just like honey. I especially love the "hmmm, yesss, there is a slight hint of plum and passion fruit that was grown in Australia on Thursday in the month June" comments. It's called yeast, it likes to poop magical flavors sometimes, end of story.

I'm from Kentucky. We get a bit testy over the differences between bourbon and whiskey...I guess I understand...lol

the_bird said:

Well, that's pretty f*cking stupid. Why does he care if someone wants to write notes to themselves? How does he even know if they're writing notes about the beer?

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Lol, where is this pub? I want to come in and doodle on my note pad.

the_bird said:

Well, that's pretty f*cking stupid. Why does he care if someone wants to write notes to themselves? How does he even know if they're writing notes about the beer?

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you have to understand the guy. And i'm saying when they write notes and critique the beer right in front of him. To each their own. He's been in business for 7 years now, and is actually expanding.

Xtant said:

I'm from Kentucky. We get a bit testy over the differences between bourbon and whiskey...I guess I understand...lol

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it's all the same stuff, no???

Sound pretty petty to me...

Most of the threads I've read on there seem to be pretty light-natured TBH, but I mainly visit for the reviews. The main reason I've never joined is their forum layout is terrible. I figure you'll have the cocky, arrogant users anywhere there are clashing opinions. Even HBT isn't exempt, I've noticed.

One of my last straws with being a regular forum visitor was when the bros locked a thread that was talking about breweries that also make their own root beer.

I happen to love craft root / birch / ginger beer, and always sample some if I'm visiting a brewery that makes their own.

It pissed me off when they locked that thread because they didn't think it had anything to do with beer and was too far off topic. uggggg!!!!!

I admit I still go there as a research resource for places / beers/ breweries, but the forums are not worth it.

bomberman said:

I mainly visit for the reviews.

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The reviews/ratings are the least useful part of that site.

I disagree. If you think BA is the ultimate authority when it comes to how a beer should taste, then yes you're using it for the wrong reason. But I still like reading them, mainly to compare notes between other people's reviews and my own opinion of a certain beer. Taste is subjective, after all.

bomberman said:

I disagree. If you think BA is the ultimate authority when it comes to how a beer should taste, then yes you're using it for the wrong reason. But I still like reading them, mainly to compare notes between other people's reviews and my own opinion of a certain beer. Taste is subjective, after all.

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I do like this too. It's the only reason I visit the site. I drink a beer and go, "Do I taste stone fruits? Am I crazy?" or something like that and it's interesting to read some other people's tasting notes.

Taste is subjective and everybody's palate is different so who cares what Joe Blow tastes or smells in a beer. If you like the beer that is all that matters. Do you really need validation that someone else perceives stone fruit, horse blanket, hay, barnyard funk, sweaty gym socks, baby diaper, vomit, or any other stupid descriptor in a beer? There is less than a handful of people on that site who know anything about reviewing beer. The rest just regurgitate the same garbage that is in the first ten reviews.

The ratings are so inflated that they are useless. 81% of the beers are rated B- or higher and if you take out the adjunct lager categories it jumps close to 90%. The best are the reviews extolling the absolute mediocrity of a beer only to score it an A-/B+. What kind of backward ass thinking is that?

Homerism is also a big problem with new limited special releases. People try to hype up everything so they can trade it for something else.

I spend a moderate amount of time there but I sure as hell don't use it as any kind of resource material. It's fodder. Just when you think things couldn't possibly get more stupid someone ups the ante.

I normally look at it when I want to know the ABV of a beer and it's not on the bottle. The reviews are pretty useless.

dmckean44 said:

The reviews are pretty useless.

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Sad thing is they are more useful than the staff at the liquor stores near my house so I often whip out my phone to get a sense of what something is if I haven't seen it before.

I actually find the reviews fairly useful. It's not so much the overall score as it is being able to pick out specific phrases that will indicate whether or not a beer is to my taste.

I spend about the max amount of cash I can on beer so I like to check the beer advocate reviews and go for the higher rating brews first (unless the beer excites me then I don't care about rating). I find there is generally some correlation, though the grading policy is really forgiving. knock off a letter on most of em and I feel its generally a more accurate seeing as how a C is supposed to be average.
I never realized there was this much strife and drama in the beer world, its kind of pitiful honestly. (though I've started to notice it after working at RedHare brewing) There is so much ego in this business. I mean who cares if someone comes in and critiques your work. Sounds like that brewer has never cooked, or been in a classroom, or made a work of art before. I relish criticism, one cannot expect to be content with ones own work, there is always something to learn and improve.
I'm pleased with the high gravity of all the top beers, because although they may not be the most drinkable there is a certain amount of class that comes with the ability to have vintage years of a beer. I feel the bigger the beer the more room for complexity if done correctly, of course there are exceptions to this as well.
Granted making fun of the uneducated is equally disgusting. Its amazing how elitist some drinkers are. I find that everyone knows an awful lot about something, our thing just happens to be beer. I get fed up with the uneducated often, but I try my best to teach, its the one's who act like there is nothing or little to learn I snap at. (and those bro's who swear miller is a high quality brew no matter how much proof I bring them)

I typically only find the review ratings useful for IPAs, sours, RIS, and baltic porters. Most other stuff is really unreliable.

I think WhineAdvocate would be a more appropriate name for that place. I check there in every now and then, but the conversations always seem to revert to petty complaints and pointless bickering.

I also find the reviews useful when i am interested in a beer but dont know what to expect. Like any review site, you have to read a lot of the reviews and take them with a grain of salt. Some are good and some are people with a thesaurus in front of them trying to sound smart. The reviews have directed me to some good beers when ive been indecisive at a bottle shop.

I cant stant to look at the forum though.

I've read those forums on and off over the years and never joined for that very reason. I think we all have enough noise in our lives without adding the pretentious ramblings of pseudo-elitist "brewing experts" into it.

I love the science and mathematical aspects of brewing as much as the next brewer, but there's no reason to be a ********* about it. The craft of beermaking should be used to spread knowledge, friendship, and fun. It's a shame that some use it as a shield over their fragile egos.

A lot of the reviews are more like tasting notes.

"Taste - citrus, carmel, good."

"Smell - coffee, chocolate."


I was tweeting back and forth with the BeerAdvocate twitter about this, they just said "Less is sometimes more, and more is sometimes less" which I don't agree with. I don't like a REALLY long review, but I like to read what makes a beer different than another beer.

I have this contention with my brewing buddies. They all love BIG beers. The Bigger the better, the higher the rating on BA the more they want it.

I don't agree with their perception, but their desire to find and try these beers has given me a great opportunity to try a lot of different beers from around the country. Sadly most of the beers are highly lacking and use fancy art and big words to make themselves sound better. A beer isn't good because it is big, it is good because of how it tastes.

Very recently The Alchemist released a series of beers that were recovered from when their brew pub was destroyed in Irene. Now Heady Topper is a fantastic beer (one of the best), but these beers tasted like hot sweaty fermentation. They were just bad, but the mystique and people on BA drove up the price. Good for The Alchemist, but I'll pass on the crappy beer.