Beer List

Here’s a handy list of beers I’ve drank and judged over time.  Beers I’ve tried since 2007 I’ve reviewed on this blog and are hyperlinked to the original review.  Beers I rated prior to 2007 do not have a full review and do not link to anything

I rate beers by awarding points for their appearance, aroma, taste, how they look after a few sips, and overall quality on a ten point scale. Any beer that earns 5 or more points is worth trying again and I rank these with one to five stars. Any beers below five points are on a descending spiral of badness. I tend to screen out bad beers ahead of time so I don’t get many no star beers.

If you want to look at it on a letter grade system then the point scale to letter grade equivalents would be something like this:

• A = 8.1 – 10
• B = 6.1 – 8.0
• C = 4.1 – 6.0
• D = 2.1 – 4.0
• F = 0.1 – 2.0

Five Stars

• 9.6 -  Guinness Stout (from the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin)
• 9.1 -  Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
• 9.0 – Aventinus

Four Stars

• 8.9 -  Growstown Steam Ale
• 8.9 -  Gritty’s Black Fly Stout
• 8.9 – Rogue Shakespeare Stout
• 8.8 -  Murphy’s Irish Stout (in Cork, Ireland)
• 8.7 -  Well Bombardier Bitter
• 8.5 -  Victory Old Horizontal
• 8.4 -  Kilkenny Beer (in Kilkenny, Ireland)
• 8.0 -  Beamish Irish Stout (in Cork, Ireland)
• 8.0 -  Tennant’s Lager
• 8.0 -  Trappistes Rocheforte Biere

Three Stars

• 7.9 – Éphémère
• 7.9 – Lindemans Framboise
• 7.8 – Hofbräu Dunkel
• 7.8 – Mayflower Pale Ale
• 7.8 – Mill City Porter
• 7.7 – Magic Hat “Jinx”
• 7.6 – Weihenstephaner Korbinian
• 7.5 – Anchor Liberty Ale
• 7.5 -  Caffrey’s Ale
• 7.5 – Radeberger Pilsener
• 7.4 – Harpoon Octoberfest
• 7.4 – Paulaner Oktoberfest
• 7.3 – Grimbergen Abbey Ale
• 7.3 – Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout
• 7.3 – Magic Hat #9
• 7.3 – Samuel Smith’s Organically Produced Lager Beer
• 7.3 – Shipyard Old Thumper Ale
• 7.2 – Post Road Pumpkin Ale
• 7.1 – Berkshire Brewing Co. Cabin Fever
• 7.1 – Buzzards Bay Black Lager
• 7.1 – Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale
• 7.1 – Sevens Dark Ale
• 7.0 – Affligem Blonde Ale
• 7.0 – Mount Desert Island Ginger Wheat
• 7.0 – Smithwick’s (draft in Boston pub, 2009)

Two Stars

• 6.9 – Long Trail Belgian White
• 6.9 – Long Trail Blackberry Wheat
• 6.9 – Long Trail Double Bag Ale
• 6.9 – Samuel Adams Hefeweizen
• 6.9 – Sea Dog Brewing Co. Apricot Wheat Beer
• 6.9 -  Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
• 6.9 – Wachusett Blueberry Ale
• 6.9 – Wexford Irish Cream Ale
• 6.8 – Ipswich Oatmeal Stout
• 6.8 – Ithaca Apricot Wheat
• 6.8 – Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy
• 6.7 – Blue Moon Spring Ale
• 6.7 – Harpoon Winter Warmer
• 6.7 – Negro Modelo
• 6.6 – Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
• 6.6 – McEwan’s 80/ Ale
• 6.5 – Cain’s Bitter
• 6.5 – Peak Organic Pomegranate Wheat Ale
• 6.5 – Red Hook Long Hammer IPA
• 6.5 – Samuel Adam’s Boston Lager
• 6.5 – Staropramen Lager
• 6.4 – Brooklyn Lager
• 6.4 – Ommegang Abbey Dubbel
• 6.4 – Stoudt’s Scarlet Lady Ale
• 6.3 – Boddington’s Pub Ale
• 6.3 – Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat
• 6.3 – Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
• 6.2 – Harpoon Weizenbock
• 6.2 – La Fin Du Monde
• 6.2 – Otter Creek Winter Ale Raspberry Brown
• 6.1 -  Calder’s Cream Ale
• 6.1 -  Fuller’s London Pride Bitter
• 6.0 – Abita Turbodog
• 6.0 – Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre
• 6.0 – Narragansett Beer
• 6.0 -  Old Speckled Hen Ale

One Star

• 5.9 – Belhaven 80/ Ale
• 5.9 – Blanche de Bruxelles
• 5.9 – Cambridge Amber
• 5.9 – Southern Tier Raspberry Porter
• 5.7 – Leinenkugel Fireside Nut Brown
• 5.7 – Smithwick’s Ale (in Kilkenny, 1998)
• 5.6 – Singha Lager
• 5.6 – Victory Lager
• 5.5 – Stella Artois
• 5.4 – Samuel Adams Boston Brick Red
• 5.4 – Simpler Times Lager
• 5.4 – Southern Tier Heavy*Weizen
• 5.4 – Whale’s Tail Pale Ale
• 5.2 – Clarke’s Amber
• 5.2 – Heineken Lager

No Stars

• 4.9 – Bass Ale
• 4.8 – Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale
• 4.5 – Presidente
• 4.2 – Wallace IPA
• 4.0 – Caledonian 80/ Ale
• 4.0 – Carlsburg Lager