Come to Estonia around 11th June when Tallinn Crap Beer Fest takes place (organized by FatPhil and Anna). Can’t promise 0.5, but there have been always some really bad beers
Also, I like how people are quick to point out that rbrians don’t give out too many 5.0-s, and hence don’t use “the full scale”, but ignore the fact that most people also don’t give out sub 1.0 too often.
Majority of my ratings are between 3.2-3.7 I’d say (without doing the math to confirm). 3.4 is kind of my default / starting score - 7/3/7/3/14 and I move things up or down from there.
I only have 14 <1.0 ratings, and most of them deserve it. It’s actually harder to get a 0.5 than a 5.0 in some ways - Getting a 1 in appearance and overall is difficult imho. I think in both cases it is often a case of a beer that’s a 4.7 or a 0.7 (for example) that the rater likes or hates enough to shift the numbers.
That may be to the fact most of us are not masochists and are trying to stay away from such beers. I’d even dare to say I’m actively looking for 4.5+ beers. But also have to admit there is more fun in tasting utter 1.0 crap than some dull 3.4 average beer you’ve tried thousand times before.
Yeah I’m similar, my default being 6 or 7 for aroma and taste with 4 for appearance and finish. I used to think of 3.3 as my go-to but now more like 3.4. I think this is because I am drinking better beer these days, not because I’ve gotten kinder. However 2021 was the first year that the gap widened between my average and overall average of beers I rated.
I feel like it’s hard to rate decent but not great beers below 2.8, so i conceded that I am bad at using the whole scale. But beer is generally a good thing, most beers i drink are good, so maybe the lower half should be used for true transgressors.
An online ‘terrible beer’ meetup? We geet beer we know will not be good and commiserate together.
A well meaning colleague of mine got me a 4-pack of world lagers for Christmas. Stella, Moretti, Becks and Amstel. Moretti and Becks are passable but the other two are evil. I’ve already got a couple - Ive rated them before but always happy to revisit a classic!
Similar to Glen, 4.8 but then one 4.7 and a number at 4.6. I would really like to see sessionability as a marker as I think this would level matters up with some bitters, pilsners, wheat beers etc muscle in on the lambic and imperial stout domination. I guess that I could factor this in myself, and add additional points.
Yep, it’s an annual event. Took place even last year and year before that.
Harder now when people don’t travel. Back when traveling to US was easier, some excellent American crap was provided by @VastActiv . Unfortunately American crap is otherwise quite hard to get in EU. But yes, Americans really know how to do a proper crap beer!