Joined in ’06 but tasting and mentally rating brews since 1968. Still a rookie rater, and yea, I'm really from Beaver County, Pennsylvania USA, the land of taxes.

In my other life, I question the worth of any round over $1, (example; a loaded bullet, a beer, a drink or a lottery ticket; go ahead and try to change the meaning, you silly wabbit) I also am suspicious of any; cigar over $2, gun or fishen rod over $10, old sporty over $3K, a shovel over $6K, contemporary leak free HD big twin over $7K and especially anything labeled IPA.

We all know that RB used to say, back when I joined: "This isn't about how well the beer conformed to its style definition -- its about a measurement of my own appreciation."

So; I am by no means a beer expert, I am not qualified to rate by style. My rating numbers are for my personal enjoyment review only, a rating of 0-5 is based only on how much I enjoyed it and my own feeling about it. So be it.

IMHO & JMHO: Purposefully bitter hops are adjuncts which were originally used as a preservative, on long ship deliveries; in a land long long ago and far far away. They add an unnatural bitter flavor and hide the real complexities of fine, fresh, well made, real beer - we don't need preservatives with modern technology. I guess I'm just a sad sad Luddite.

It used to be, the stupid ubiquitous cheap beer when I joined RB in oh six, was macro pale lager, but it’s now IPA; those cheap IPA outnumber pale lager by a long shot. They're inexpensive & everyplace & are rarely well made; especially those made by the wave of craft brewers. Some like the flavor of preservative hops; well, OK. Additionally, many styles have been bastardized by the IPA. I just don’t git why there is only on style for cheap pale lager and 100 for different kinds of IPA.

Nevertheless, I have tremendous respect for those, neutral real beer experts who enjoy IPA style hops; session, hazy, regular, imperials, whatever hoppy beers!

In the end, I will taste any beer that comes across my path, whether I like the style or not; I will tick it, as long as I deem it worthwhile, $ wise; yes; I'm a tikker, go figger......so, looking for straight forward, straight up, cheap-ass beers.

Finally, real wild lambics are to beer like old loud smoking, oil-leaking HDs are to bikes.... there....ya have it, what else can be said? Except maybe, gimmie a bottle of Gueuze Cuvée René, Hanssens Oude, or if I'm lucky, Cantillon Classic Organic Bio, Bios Flaamse or even a simple cheap Rodenbach! I love that rodenbach, yummy. In the end, I'd rather have the big O and you know what that is; just really good plain old real Trappist ale..

ORVAL - this is the beer of which all others must be compared!

Caution: Don't hang round me when I get a new top 10 beer cause, I'll git me han-me-down 44 mag and shoot aimlessly into the air in celebration. Oh, well, lets hope it does not go beyond the border of my acres. What goes up must come down, and love the percussion. (just kidding, they're blanks, heheh)

~Later, gottah adjust my tardis. Looking to the future, or is it the past? Can't explain. [ less ]

Joined in ’06 but tasting and mentally rating brews since 1968. Still a rookie rater, and yea, I'm really from Beaver County, Pennsylvania USA, the land of taxes.

In my other life, I question the worth of any round over $1, (example; a loaded bullet, a beer, a drink or a lottery ticket; go ahead and try to change the meaning, you silly wabbit) I also am suspicious of any; cigar over $2, gun or fishen rod over $10, old sporty over $3K, a shovel over $6K, contemporary...
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