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Specialty Beer Evolution and Revolution
Specialty Beer is, practically speaking, a catchall tasting for beers that don’t fit neatly in an existing category. However, if enthusiasm for a particular innovation grows, an emerging style may come to warrant its own, new category, as was the case for the Imperial IPA or Barrel-Aged categories. Simply put, Specialty Beers may be flavored with or affected by unusual ingredients (ginger, chipotle peppers) or fermentation agents (Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus), or brewed with unusual fermentables (buckwheat, sweet potatoes, maple syrup). In addition, the base beer may be related to almost any classic beer style. Given the variation possible in this category, there are no established standards for appearance, aroma or flavor. Instead, judges look for a pleasing combination of the beer’s elements, and overall drinkability.
Interpreting the 100-point Scale
Consumers can translate the point score to the following quality bands:
| Point Range |
Quality Band |
| 96-100 points |
Platinum |
| 90-95 points |
Gold |
| 85-90 points |
Silver |
| 80-84 points |
Bronze |
| Less than 80 |
Not Recommended |
Legend
= Brewpub- ABV = Alcohol by volume
- Date denotes the date on which the beer was tasted
93 13th Hour Stout, The Boston Beer Co. (MA). 9% ABV (8/11)
Brown black color. Bold aromas of oily organic peanut butter, fruity caramels and yeasty cheese pastries with a supple, dry-yet-fruity medium body with touches of berry yogurt, roasted root vegetables and mossy earth. Excellent complexity, depth and style.
88 Punky’s Monkee Rye, Blue Tractor Brewery (MI). 5.8% ABV (6/11) 
Lightly Hazy golden amber color. Aromas of rye toast, citrus marmalade and nougat with a crisp, round dryish medium body and a nice spicy radish and grapefruit pith snapdon’t know what this is on the finish.
87 Bailey’s “Big Deal” Belgian Blonde, Willimantic Brewing Co. (CT). 6.9% ABV (8/11)
Hazy amber color. Aromas of citrus, baked apple and toast with a crisp, dryish medium-to-full body and a grapefruit, char-roasted nut and grassy earth -accented finish. Nice complexity and flavor.
