The Scientific Way To Rank Beers

Published on May 20th, 2006

It’s the weekend. Time to relax with a beer in one hand and your choice as to what in the other. But which beer should it be? The Beer Advocate’s list of the Top 100 Beers (as reviewed by them and voted on by readers) from all over the world might help you choose. Clear away the foam in your brain and check out how they ranked them.

How was this list calculated?
The Best of BeerAdvocate (BA) lists are generated using statisical formulas that pull data from hundreds of thousands of user reviews. They are not hand-picked by any one person. The general formula uses a Bayesian estimate:

weighted rank (WR) = (v ÷ (v+m)) × R + (m ÷ (v+m)) × C

where:
R = review average for the beer
v = number of reviews for the beer
m = minimum reviews required to be listed (currently 49)
C = the mean across the list (currently 4.03)

The formula normalizes scores, that is pulls (R) to the mean (C) if the number of reviews is not well above (m). So if a beer has only a few reviews above (m), its (WR) is decreased a little if it is above the mean (C), or increased a little if it is below the mean (C) in accordance with the normal distribution rule of statistics.

Currently, a beer must have 5 or > reviews to be included in any calculations. And (m) is calculated by averaging the number of reviews for beers that have 5 or > reviews within the list being viewed, while (C) is the mean (average) overall score for all beers that have or > reviews within the list.

Example 1: (a beer with a 4.35 review average and 105 reviews)

(105 ÷ (105+49)) × 4.35 + (49 ÷ (105+49)) × 4.03 = 4.25 = WR

Example 2: (a beer with a 3.1 review average and 6 reviews)

(6 ÷ (6+49)) × 3.1 + (49 ÷ (6+49)) × 4.03 = 3.93 = WR

Let the party begin!

8 users responded in " The Scientific Way To Rank Beers "

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# 1 John said, on May 20th, 2006 at 8:34 am

There are two HUGE…cans of beer in that picture.

# 2 Roc Rizzo said, on May 20th, 2006 at 8:39 am

It seems like a perfectly valid way to rate beers. But let me tell you, as a certified American Hombrewer’s Association beer judge, it’s all subjective, for the most part.

As you can plainly tell from the top 100, the people who read Beer Advocate, your’s truly included, they prefer STRONG ales. The stouts there could be a meal on their own.

The Belgians… Ah, the Belgians. Best beermakers on the planet! Well, the most diverse anyway. What more do you want from a country with 7 million people and 800 breweries! Do the math, that’s a lot of breweries per person. The Trappist breweries are few, and are still run by monks. St. Bernardus is wonderful, so is Westvleteran. But one of my faves that is not on the list is Bier de Miel. Honey Ale. Yum!

If you want to learn about beer, sign up with Beer Advocate at the Link that is provided.
To learn more about homebrewing (the best fun one can have) go to http://www.beertown.org
That’s the official site of the American Homebrewer’s Association.

I love my homebrew, but I can’t make it like some of those in the top 100.

There’s my dollar three-eighty and eleventy two cents.
Rocco

# 3 Gary Marks said, on May 20th, 2006 at 9:16 am

There are some really GREAT beer names on that Top 100 beers list. Uncle Dave says “Let the party begin!”, but the party might already have begun if your favorite beer is #8 “Founders Breakfast Stout” or #63 “Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout.”

If you’re a NASCAR fan, your enjoyment of the sport can only be enhanced if you drink #10 “AleSmith Speedway Stout” (let’s assume it’s for spectators and not drivers).

If you’ll be going to see live theater tonight, be sure to take some #21 “Shakespeare Stout.” Most of the higher class theaters still don’t frisk for bottles.

Next Valentine’s Day, no doubt you’ll want to surprise your wife or girlfriend with roses and a box of #25 “Chocolate Stout,” and later in the evening you can progress to #94 “Old Horizontal.”

If you plan to tour Greece on your summer vacation, be sure to visit some ancient sites while sipping #26 “Stone Ruination IPA.”

Luckily, I found one that has apparently been custom brewed especially for me. I’ll be drinking #49 “Arrogant Bastard Ale.”

# 4 ECA said, on May 20th, 2006 at 10:22 am

AND WHERE can I find ANY of these in the USA…

MORE BEER…PLZ..
BETTER BEER…PLZ
If you think BUD, is supposed to be on this list, you have been Pickled. Literally…
Good Beer dont SLAP you in the face, and make you cry in the morning.

# 5 Roc Rizzo said, on May 20th, 2006 at 1:32 pm

ECA,
Lots of the beers on the list are made right in the US of A. You just have to find a GOOD beer distributor, or a decent pub, where they serve more than the usual, and I don’t mean Guinness either.
You might visit the brewery, or brew pub. There are thousands of them all over the place, unless you are in Utah. Most of the smaller “micro” breweries run tours, or have at least a few hours a week set aside for the public to see how (their) beer is made.
If you are around Albany, NY, you might want to stop into the Albany Pump Station, home of C.H. Evans brewing. Such a friendly bunch of folks running the place, I have never seen. The owner, Neil Evans, got back into the family buisiness of brewing, after a very long hiatus of close to a century, but the family brew has been around since colonial times. It’s a must stop place for in Quackenbush Square in Albany, whenever I am in the area, or just passing by!
His brewer is a great guy, and will even let you help him clean the brewery with him! Seriously, it’s a great pub that was converted from the old water pumping plant in Albany, and they did a superb job.

So just hunt down those little brewpubs, and don’t be afraid to try a beer with a strange name, like Arrogant Bastard, or a picture of Rasputin on it like Old Rasputin. You can get great beer these days anywhere (except Utah). You just have to hunt it down.

And Paul, I’m not a beer snob either. Life is just too short to drink tasteless beer.

Don’t get me wrong, people like Anheiser-Busch do a great job with their beers. To make something like a Budweiser, which is an American Light Lager, with little complexity of flavor, is virtually impossible, let alone to make it consistantly. You see, if there are any ‘mistakes’ in the beer, you can’t cover them up with malt and hops.

So get the heck out there and look for even a Michelob Amber Bock. You might just be able to get more of an impression of what beer is supposed to be like.

Okay, I’m off the soap box now!
Roc

# 6 david said, on May 20th, 2006 at 3:48 pm

Budweisers are surprisingly good, especially cold and in a frozen mug. Just started drinking them after someone offered me one. I always thought a Bud was beneath me, but it’s the best all-around beer I discovered.

# 7 Mr. H. Fusion said, on May 21st, 2006 at 12:24 am

As said before, it is all subjective. I suspect that the “taste testers” are all snobs who won’t rate the popular beers simply because they are too common.

# 8 ECA said, on May 21st, 2006 at 1:57 am

iF YOU WANT cheap, AND FAIR beer, TRY nAT ice… sORRY ABOUT CAPS…

Umm, other wise, there MIGHT be 2 places in IDAHO,,,NORTH of UTAH, that COULD have GOOD beer. and the Distributours, AINT selling ANTHING thats expencive, OR may not sell…they WONT even try…

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