This is something we were debating a few weeks ago. We were at Brewer’s Alley enjoying a sampler of eight of their fine brews. For three of the four of us it was our first visit. As we were discussing the merits of each selection, in addition to whether we liked it or not, we brought up how close each was to the definition of the style.

Now, obviously, we’re not professional beer reviewers. Heck, all you have to do is read some of the reviews we’ve done here and there’s no doubt. Certainly we’ve never been accredited by the Beer Judge Certification Program. But, we have opinions, we know what we like, and we like to tell you about them.

But how important is it for the beer to be “true” to the style? If a beer bills itself as an Irish-style Red Ale, but is highly hopped with a distinct hop aroma, it’s not really a red ale. But if it’s delicious, does it really matter?

On the other hand, if I’m in the mood for a stout, the beer I’m drinking claims it’s a stout, but it doesn’t taste like a stout, I’m not going to enjoy it as much. Further, I know from experience that there are styles that I generally like (I tend to like English styles over, say, Czech, German, or Belgian styles). I would be quite put out if every E.S.B. I tried was wildly divergent from the last.

Ultimately, we decided that it was more important that we like a beer than for it to be true to its style.

So, what do you think? When you “rate” beer, how much weight is the style to you? Let us know in the comments.