If you are like me while walking around the beer store, sometimes you like the look of a can or see a new beer you want to try….but are hesitant to pull the trigger on the purchase because a 4 pack of craft beer can run you upwards of $20 or more easily. I always Google Search the beer and see what BeerAdvocate or Untapped has to say. The best part is most of those beers are drank by many people daily and reviews are readily available. It makes me wonder when I see the list of top beers…are they really the best….or just rare and that’s why they get ranked so high. Below is the list of BeerAdvocate’s top 25 beers as of today.
The highest rated beer I’ve had on this list is Heady Topper…which is more available now in NJ than it ever has been. I’ll also be visiting Alchemist brewing this summer so I can try their other selections (I’ve only ever had Focal Banger from them). It clearly is more available than others with so many ratings on this beer.
I’ll say this much…Heady Topper is a fantastic beer. Do I think it’s the 5th best beer out there? NO. It’s probably at the top for it’s style as an Imperial IPA, but I don’t think it comes close to any of the Tree House NE IPAs on this list…and I’ve had all of them. But I guess it’s a matter of taste really. And you really can’t compare Heady Topper to Pliny the Elder (which I’ve had…still haven’t tried Pliny the Younger) even though they are both listed as Imperial IPAs. Pliny the Elder is the best West Coast style IPA I’ve ever had…Heady Topper is East Coast.
Bottom line is this: I would love to run through all these beers if I could ever get a hold of them.
My question to all of you: how many of these have you had? What are your thoughts on them and do they deserve their high ranking? Cheers!
Leave a Reply