My beer ratings often get called into question and rightfully so because they are purely subjective. I judge each beer based simply on whether I enjoyed it or not. In fact you could say that I’m not actually rating the beer but the experience of drinking the beer. This means the rating can get a boost by things like getting a Belgian beer in the correct glass or it coming in a gigantic can. This can also be influenced by a number of factors that have nothing to do with the beer at all like where I am and what I’m eating; but I do try to make a note of this where I think it had a significant impact.

My rating system has also gotten harsher over the years. When I started I was comparing an Amstel lager to a Fosters and the Amstel came out looking pretty good. These days I have access to a much wider range of craft beer so I’ve had to adjust. In fact my ratings these days are quite hard on the beer, out of 1067 beers in the album only 3 have gotten a 10 and only 4 with a 9.5. Half ratings are pretty new though so I expect the 9.5 basket to fill up a bit more over time.

What each rating means

• 0 - There’s something incredibly wrong with this beer that makes me question whether it’s beer at all. Or maybe it’s a non alcoholic beer.
• 1 - Ranging from barely drinkable to completely undrinkable. It tastes off or rancid. It might even have made me feel a little sick.
• 2 - It’s pretty damn bad but I can drink it. I never want another.
• 3 - It’s a fairly bad beer. If it was the only alcohol available I might still drink it.
• 4 - Just a step down from being a generic macro lager.
• 5 - It’s a plain average beer. No great flavors, nothing exciting, just beer.
• 6 - The beer has something more than a macro lager. It’s good and slightly interesting
• 7 - It’s a pretty good tasting beer and it’s on point for what style it is. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a bad rating. This is still a great beer.
• 8 - Either an exceptionally good example of a particular style or with some flavours that are interesting or unique. No off or wrong flavours.
• 9 - A fantastic standout beer that sits head and shoulders above most beers but it’s not quite perfect.
• 10 - It’s perfect. There’s nothing I would change about the beer. It’s pretty hard for something to reach this level.