Two Stanford computer scientists proved last year that beer geeks have great taste.
Stanford University computer science post-doc Julian McAuley and assistant professor Jure Leskovec released a paper in 2013 outlining how our tastes change as we consume more products and gain more expertise.
They theorized that the more experience we have, the more we will like certain products that are less accessible to beginners.
McAuley and Leskovec developed a model to help them separate "expert" users from "beginners" on a given review website. You can read all about it here, but briefly, it takes into account the number of reviews a user has written, and how the user's ratings evolved compared to the rest of the "expert" community (those who have written more than 50 reviews).
In honor of International Beer Day, we are sharing their data for the highest-rated beers by experts on RateBeer, the largest beer-rating website, with more than 3 million beer reviews.
#20 Stone's Imperial Russian Stout
Brewed in Escondido, California, experts on RateBeer gave Stone Brewing Co.'s Imperial Russian Stout 4.215 out of 5 stars.
The brew is thick, rich, and pours black with a roasted, complex aroma of black currants, coffee, and anise.
Ratings on RateBeer are out of 5, and factor in aroma, appearance, taste, palate, and an overall score. "Experts" are defined by the Stanford University study as RateBeer users who are assigned the highest experience level based on volume of reviews and how their ratings compare to other "experts." Click here to learn more about the methodology.
#19 Bell's Batch 7000 Ale
This imperial Stout from Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan was rated 4.226 by experts on RateBeer.
Brewed in honor of the brewery's 7,000th batch, it pours dark with almost no head and flavor undertones of vanilla and caramel.
Ratings on RateBeer are out of 5, and factor in aroma, appearance, taste, palate, and an overall rating.
"Experts" are defined by the Stanford University study as RateBeer users who are assigned the highest experience level based on volume of reviews and how their ratings compare to other "experts." Click here to learn more about the methodology.
#18 Bell's Hopslam Ale
Another beer from Kalamazoo's Bell's Brewery, Bell's Hopslam Ale is an Imperial/Double IPA beer that was rated 4.229 stars by RateBeer experts.
Bell's used six different kinds of hops to make this beer, which has floral and grapefruit notes.
Ratings on RateBeer are out of 5, and factor in aroma, appearance, taste, palate, and an overall rating.
"Experts" are defined by the Stanford University study as RateBeer users who are assigned the highest experience level based on volume of reviews and how their ratings compare to other "experts." Click here to learn more about the methodology.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
