Beer test
I’m hosting a blind taste test of popular lagers this Saturday. Fitty-five will be there too. Care to make any predictions? I’ll post the results after the weekend.
- Busch
- Yuengling
- Pabst Blue Ribbon
- Brooklyn Lager
- Samuel Adams Boston Lager
- Sapporo
- Stella Artois
(Next year I hope to do a Pale Ale test: Sierra Nevada, Bass, Magic Hat #9, Saranac, etc.)
I hosted a blind beer tasting party way back when in Cambridge. Sam was the winner by a wide margin, and Busch did surprisingly well.
Incidentally, I now have a Sapporo every time I have sushi. A much better way to “clear the palate” than nibbling on those nasty pickled ginger slices. Sapporo is also the only beer that Dr. Path really likes.
I participated in Beefcake’s previous party. I’d have to bet on Sam Adams taking it.
I would bet on Sam. But then again, maybe I just like the idea of liking Sam, and my palate would go for another in a blinded test.
Okay, we had the blind test on Saturday. The final lineup was Sam Adams, Sapporo, Amstel Light, Corona, Brooklyn, Stella and PBR. (No Busch or Yuengling, unfortunately.)
25 participants, who self-selected themselves into the following categories: “I don’t like beer much/I rarely drink it” (5), “I like beer; I drink it occasionally” (12), “I really enjoy beer; I drink it often” (8).
Beers were judged in three categories: drinkability/refreshment, character/flavor, overall enjoyment.
Rankings (in order of “Overall Enjoyment” score, with drinkability and character in parentheses):
1st overall: Sapporo (1st in drinkability, 3rd in character)
2nd: Sam Adams (4th, 2nd)
3rd: Brooklyn (6th, 1st)
4th: Stella (2nd, 4th)
5th: PBR (3rd, 6th)
6th: Corona (5th, 5th)
7th: Amstel (7th, 7th)
Interesting that Amstel ranked dead last in all three categories, while it is arguably the most popular beer in New York. I order it often, but never again!
If we weight the scores (giving a weight of 3x to beer lovers, 2x to beer likers, and 1x to beer dislikers), the rankings are similar, except Sam Adams takes the top spot from Sapporo.
If we isolate the eight “beer lovers” only, these are the rankings:
1st overall: Sam Adams (1st in drinkability, 2rd in character)
2nd: Brooklyn (3rd, 1st)
3rd: Sapporo (1st, 3rd)
4th: Stella (4th, 4th)
5th: Corona (5th, 5th)
6th: PBR (5th, 6th)
7th: Amstel (7th, 6th)
Some other observations (on data I haven’t posted):
* Beer lovers ranked Sam Adams #1 (tied) in drinkability, while Beer dislikers ranked it last in drinkability!
* Sapporo was ranked #1 (or #1 tied) in drinkability, regardless of the data cut.
* Amstel, the only LIGHT beer, was rated consistently low in drinkability
* Beer dislikers (infrequent drinks) ranked PBR #1 in character, while everyone else ranked it #6
* Sam Adams was ranked #1 overall by beer lovers, #3 by beer likes, and #5 by beer dislikers. Clearly, it’s an acquired taste.
* Brooklyn shared a similar following: #2 overall by beer lovers, #4 by beer likers, and dead last (#7) by beer dislikers
* The only people who didn’t hate Amstel Light were infrequent drinkers, who ranked it #3 overall
* Beer lovers disliked PBR (#6 overall), while everyone else liked it (#2 overall among beer likers and beer dislikers).
I’ve never liked Amstel Light, so now I feel vindicated.