Top 20 Best Beers in the World

[FiddlersGreen87]

Let the debate begin!

http://www.businessinsider.com/experts-pick-worlds-best-beers-2014-7?op=1

20 Stone Russian Imperial Stout
19 Bell's Batch 7000 Ale
18 Bell's Hopslam Ale
17 3 Fonteinen's Schaerbeekse Kriek
16 Hürlimann's Samichlaus
15 Hair of the Dog's Fred from the Wood
14 Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss
13 Surly's Darkness
12 Westvleteren's Extra 8
11 Russian River's Supplication
10 Hair of the Dog's Adam
9 Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout
8 Russian River's Temptation
7 Russian River's Pliny the Elder
6 Founders Brewing Co.'s KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
5 Three Floyds Brewing's Dreadnaught Imperial IPA
4 Bell's Expedition Stout
3 AleSmith's Speedway Stout
2 Three Floyds Brewing's Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout
1 Westvleteren's 12

I've not tried any of these except #20, so I'd love to hear feedback on which ones to seek out. I think it's kind of unfortunate that RIS dominated the list so much. I would love to find some of those Westvleteren beers.

 

[Doctor_M]

That list is laughable at best.... A lot of those beers do belong on another list as being overhyped.... westy 12 and DL especially. Not saying they are bad beers but they for sure do not deserve that number 1 and 2 spot. A LOT of those beers are rated highly on ratebeer/beer advocate not because of how good they really are but instead on how rare and hard to acquire they are.

Also lists such as those are never gonna match up to one's own personal list since taste is subjective...

I've had most of those beers and out of all of the ones on that list I'd say try and get numbers 7,9, and 11. Those are the ones I liked but once again everyone has different taste preferences.

 

[catdaddy66]

I want to try #13 so bad I may take a road trip to get it! The Darkness!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[grathan]

I've had a few of the stout's listed. They weren't impressive to me. The list seems to favor stout and dark beer in general. It's confusing how the software picks the experts, but it doesn't seem to account for people rating a beer high just because it is a highly rated beer to begin with.

 

[Spartan1979]

Good beers, but they're all Russian Imperial Stouts and Imperial IPA's. The few that aren't are still big beers or sours. I object to the premise that a standard strength beer can't be among the world's best. No German beers?

It's a list of 20 good beers, but the World's Best? Nope.

 

[dnslater]

Curious where you live given that your list is heavy on Chicago region breweries.....Bells, Three Floyd's and Founders. Won't mention Goose Island as that is now owned by InBev.


I live in Indianapolis so I drink my share of Three Floyd's and Bells. Two Hearted and Alpha King are my default beers when nothing else looks good on a menu. Have a project currently across the street from Three Floyd's so I have been enjoying their Zombie Dust as of late at their brewpub although not as balanced as Alpha King.

I agree that hard to get beers sometimes are overhyped. I remember long ago when Coors wouldn't ship east of the Mississippi and people would travel west and tell stories about how good it was.....

 

[FiddlersGreen87]

I live in GA, although I'm from and grew up in Indy. I found the list on facebook pulled from Business Insider I think.

I think the list is unfortunately biased to the Stouts/IPAs which I think discredits it to some degree. I think there's plenty of lower alcohol beers that are still fantastic beer. I would of like to see some wheats or Hefes on the list too as well as a few from the other varieties.

 

[Flipadelphia]

Anything that is even remotely hard to acquire on that list I'll never have, because I'm never going to go through that much trouble to get a beer. I have had Dark Lord though once, and I didn't like it at all. I couldn't believe the trouble people go through to get it when there are plenty of RIS's at my local store that are way better, and you don't have to spend lots of money and wait hours in line to get.

 

[FiddlersGreen87]

Yea I'd never wait in line for any beer really... except maybe a couple... and that line would have to have plenty of beer... and food.... and a place to sit.... so maybe a waiting room... or a bar.

Anyway my only real comment is your name is Awesome. :rockin:

 

[Teromous]

The real story (narrowly mentioned) is in their research here. It explains the results of this list as well, where the researchers stratify experts and novices based on the types of beer that they drink and how highly they rate them. In a nutshell, if you rate Bud Light highly you are considered a novice. Here's a little nugget that I thought was humorous:

In this data we find a classic example of an acquired taste: hops.
The highest-rated beers on the website are typically the hoppiest
(American Pale Ales, India Pale Ales, etc.); however, due to their
bitterness, such beers may be unpalatable to inexperienced users.
Thus we might argue that even if such beers are the best
(i.e., the highest rated), they will only be recognized as the best by
the most experienced members of the community.

If there ever was a better definition of fallacy...

 

[Flipadelphia]

Yea I'd never wait in line for any beer really... except maybe a couple... and that line would have to have plenty of beer... and food.... and a place to sit.... so maybe a waiting room... or a bar.

Anyway my only real comment is your name is Awesome. :rockin:

One of my favorite episodes. You're also the first person to make a comment on my username, so props to you!

 

[Doctor_M]

Anything that is even remotely hard to acquire on that list I'll never have, because I'm never going to go through that much trouble to get a beer. I have had Dark Lord though once, and I didn't like it at all. I couldn't believe the trouble people go through to get it when there are plenty of RIS's at my local store that are way better, and you don't have to spend lots of money and wait hours in line to get.

DL is definitely overhyped BUT DL day (and the night before if you find a good bottleshare) is totally worth it. The bottle sharing I experienced there was absolutely out of this world.... I had more fun there then I did @ GABF... then again I enjoyed the other events/ stuff around Denver during GABF week then I did the actual GABF event as well.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/20-best-beers-world-392304/

 

[Flipadelphia]

DL is definitely overhyped BUT DL day (and the night before if you find a good bottleshare) is totally worth it. The bottle sharing I experienced there was absolutely out of this world.... I had more fun there then I did @ GABF... then again I enjoyed the other events/ stuff around Denver during GABF week then I did the actual GABF event as well.

I know, I'm talking about the beer specifically. That's it.

 

[Xpertskir]

That list is laughable at best.... A lot of those beers do belong on another list as being overhyped.... westy 12 and DL especially. Not saying they are bad beers but they for sure do not deserve that number 1 and 2 spot. A LOT of those beers are rated highly on ratebeer/beer advocate not because of how good they really are but instead on how rare and hard to acquire they are.

Also lists such as those are never gonna match up to one's own personal list since taste is subjective...

I've had most of those beers and out of all of the ones on that list I'd say try and get numbers 7,9, and 11. Those are the ones I liked but once again everyone has different taste preferences.

None of those beers are all that rare, a lot can be purchased on the net and the rest are relatively easily traded for if you don't live in distribution.

These lists are always nonsense. Agreed on them being rooted in personal taste.

With all that being said there are some very good beers on that list. Supplication, Pliny, speedway, and dreadnaught are all extremely good beers.

 

[jbaysurfer]

One of my favorite episodes. You're also the first person to make a comment on my username, so props to you!

Wow...because your username has had me singing the song for weeks now. LMAO...I never said anything because I figured you'd already been inundated by now...

 

[Doctor_M]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/20-best-beers-world-392304/

Another list with ipas being favored instead of RIS like OP's list was. Whoever did that article did a horrible job of picking out the pictures to go with each beer, DFH Positive Contact (which is horrible imo and I like dfh) shows a bottle of 90 minute and Rochefort 10 shows a picture of Rochefort 6 lol.

 

[ktblunden]

As has been mentioned previously, even if you narrow the sample to the so-called "experts" they selected, the source information is inherently biased. Look at the top rated beers on BA and Ratebeer and the vast majority are extremely limited release. Whether consciously or not, most of the reviewers on there apply a "rarity factor" when they rate beers. The more rare a beer, the more exclusive the rater for having tried it, and therefore, the higher the rating. Again, consciously or not, there's a bit of a, "it's really too bad you'll never have any chance of trying this beer, because it's the best thing I've ever had."

I've had 7 of the beers on that list and of those I would say Supplication and Temptation are absolutely world class beers. Abyss and Stone RIS are excellent imperial stouts, but I've had others just as good or better, some of which are more widely available. Hopslam and Pliny are good DIPAs, but I've had others that are better and more available. I find Speedway Stout to be way too boozy. Can't speak to the rest of the list.

 

[Teromous]

I find it humorous that most of these "top beers of the world" lists that keep cropping up consist largely of popular US beers with a few well-known international beers sprinkled on top, usually from Belgium. It's sad to see places like England, who have a wealth of good beers that sit in the mid-range ABV and IBU-wise, fall by the wayside. I really like watching European beer reviewers because there are a LOT of beers over there that I've never even heard of that sound fantastic. If these writers really wanted to capture my eye, they'd make an article like "Brewing Regions of England" or "Best Beer in Wales." I don't need another article to tell me that Pliny is a good beer. Write something new.

 

[jdm61]

The real story (narrowly mentioned) is in their research here. It explains the results of this list as well, where the researchers stratify experts and novices based on the types of beer that they drink and how highly they rate them. In a nutshell, if you rate Bud Light highly you are considered a novice. Here's a little nugget that I thought was humorous:


If there ever was a better definition of fallacy...

No, some of the overly hoppy beers are unpalatable even to those who are not beginners. :rockin: