The Bar Towel

If the last quality IPA you tasted was a Stone Ruination 6 months ago, a half-assed IPA from Canada might seem to taste pretty damn good...but if you did a true side-by-side comparison, it wouldn't be close. I continue to be amazed by these glowing reviews of Canadian IPAs that I pour down the drai...

Keep in mind those numbers are percentile rankings, not necessarily the equivalent of a letter grade...I don't think that's a fundamental problem with the system... Fully aware of what the RB ratings mean. It's the initial "alarm bell" perception you mentioned that I can't get over. Basic...

I would like if the reviews on RB were required to be longer - I agree that some of the one-liners are laughable, and especially early ratings from some of the "institution guys" are unhelpful at best, but usually good for a laugh. E.G. Black Oak's long-retired Premium Lager merited this ...

The majority of users on both sites are great people, and great beer fans. There is a friendly rivalry but for the most part I don't think people care which site you are on. Agreed. I have a strong dislike for the BA layout personally, but this is (a) personal preference. Of course. As are the rest...

Christoffel isn't a true to style pils, it's kind of shoehorned into the closest fitting category. When I say 'true-to-style' I simply mean it has many of the traits you would expect from a Czech Pils i.e. golden yellow appearance, sweetish grainy malts, honey, lemon, grassy bitter Saaz hops. It's ...

Bar Towel members seem to be evenly divided between Rate Beer and Beer Advocate as their beer rating site of choice, though some Towelers are members of both sites. For my 75th post, I decided to open a potential can of worms by posing the following questions to the forum: 1) To the Towelers who are...

Count me among the fans of this one. My marks on BA are way above the average, but I just can't find many faults. Looks great...Smells wonderful. Great blend of hops and malt... Your "rDev" probably won't be that high for long. I don't have my rating on there yet but it will likely come i...

Wow, having a Bells Expedition (thanks Matt) and it's as if Goose Island brewed the Yeti Stout - only they did it much smoother and better. My first Bells beer and how tasty it is. +1 on the Expedition. It's currently my highest rated beer on BA. Only a handful of beers that I like more. Glad you e...

Anyone know what the rest of Railway City's lineup is like? Dead Elephant is their best beer, so if you don't like that one, you probably won't appreciate their other brands. They have an average rating of "worthy" (B- / 3.3) on BeerAdvocate, if that means anything to you: http://beeradvo...

A few months ago, Bobsy posted some news on two new beers from Southern Tier. At the time the brewery claimed their "Farmer's Tan Imperial Pale Lager" was scheduled for release this summer. Now the ST website says the beer will be available this month. I haven't heard whether it's hit stor...

Cratez brought over a Stone 13th Anniv Ale to my place. A nice treat. It wasn't over the top. Very roasty with milk chocolate and lots of dark fruit. It was 90 IBU, but was quite well balanced, with only a bit of heat coming through towards the finish. It drank well. Thanks Mike! No problem Len. Th...

Creemore Springs Kellerbier, and whatever Chancey's has on tap. Good to be back in Canada! Hope you aren't going tonight Mikey. I was just there, and there is a huge wedding party taking up all tables at the bar plus the entire dining room. Nope. But I'll be there tonight around 9ish. If you and Ad...

The_Jester wrote: Church Key Black IPA

Tried this for the first time at West 50 last Thursday. What a kick ass beer! Tons of roast, a little chocolate, loaded with West Coast hops, strong bitterness to finish. I loved it!

Creemore Springs Kellerbier, and whatever Chancey's has on tap. Good to be back in Canada!

Funny - I love saisons and I love Ommegang, but I found Hennepin to be mildly underwhelming. I might've just had a super fresh bottle, but I was getting LOTS of citrusy lemon flavours, some pleasant nutty aromas, and one of the spiciest, most refreshing mouthfeels I've ever encountered. It drank wa...