I'd definitely skip the Schafly Hefe. Wouldn't be nearly as good as a half dozen different German produced hefes you can get in a bottle.
And the Duvel Single on draft is not the same beer as Duvel from a bottle. It's vastly inferior.
See, I did that without even looking at Beer Advocate!
I see two of my very favorite beers on the list...Sculpin and Double Jack. Probably wouldn't even go any further. Though the Ommegang's look good, if i were i nthe mood for a Belgian ale.
When you go to Max's and see a list of 100 beers on draft, how are you going to find the four or five that are likely to be the real gems?
If you want to drink all 100 beers to see which ones are the best, go right ahead. I'm going to use the internet to help me whittle the selection down and make my choice from there.
What exactly is wrong with saying:
"I like this album or beer, and you should too. Look at how much/many other critics/craft beer drinkers like it too."
or
"I think that sucks, and look the critics/other beer drinkers seem to agree with me."
when you're writing to an audience of internet strangers?
My first Iris Dement purchase (first album on cassette in 1992) predated my internet use by several year, but nice that you're keeping tabs on me.
Actually, if you were to research the music I most listen to (Americana and middle of the road indie stuff), you'd find that most scores pretty ho-hum ratings. But go ahead and believe whatever you want.
I am sure my evinronment and genetics makes me appreciate German beers more than James Ford would.
James Ford would only appreciate whatever the ratings site told him to...the guy has no personal taste or individuality.
ha ha...yeah... Iris Dement gets a hohum rating..
don't think so but you know what? I don't look at ratings.. I listen to what I want..
so what? so you felt gratified she got good ratings and kept buying her stuff? so it confirmed to you that she was good?
I'm not keeping "tabs" on you dude.. but I been on this board a few years now and nobody resorts to dropping ratings more than you.. be it beer or music... and thats fine... but it means you live by other people's opinions and that is sad.
to say "the aggregate data don't lie" as you did is poppycock....
Why do I care what other people I don't know like in beer or music. If we went by that we would drink bud light. As it is liked by so many more people than the guys who post on beer advocate like. Same with music I don't care how many people like a band. So I should listen to Jay-z because everyone else does?
I like what I enjoy. Post what you enjoy and if I like some of the beers you like than I might try some I know. But if you are basing your beer tastes on what Beer Advocate states why even post anything. I could go to Beer Advocate directly.
Like David Lee Roth said most music critics like Elvis Costello because most music critics look like Elvis Costello.
I look at the country, the abv, the type of beer. Off the top of my head I would probably select these for my choices:
Hof Ten Dormaal Blonde
Lindemans Framboise
Schlafly hefeweizen
Duvel Single