This is the first in what may be, or may not be, the start of a Market Power beer ranking system. Chad the Elder at Fraters Libertas has no need to have a monopoly on the MOB beer ranking system, so I'll see if I have the wherewithal to continue this ranking.
I have no set system with which to judge, but my favorite beer is Avery Brewery's IPA. I will base my rankings on my comparison of the brew to the Avery IPA. It should also be noted that I have a taste for hoppy beers. So I prefer an IPA, a Cascade Pale Ale, or an ESB. Now you know my biases. I will give the Avery a score of 16. A perfect beer will have a rating of, say, 18.
This evening's brew is a Longshot Cranberry Wit brewed by Sam Adams. Recently Sam Adams brewery has been holding a contest for homebrewers where brewers send their homebrew off to be judged. Winners get to have their brew made by Sam Adams.
This beer was created by Carissa Sweigart, an employee of the Boston Beer Co. She entered the 2008 homebrew contest and was one of three winners. Her brew is brewed with cranberry, cinnamon, orange peel, coriander, and grains of paradise. It is a fairly cloudy beer, golden in color with a bit of a red hue (probably from the cranberries). This picture is close to what I have in the glass in front of me.
It is a very light-tasting beer, has little mouthfeel, and does not have much hop in the flavor. The orange peel comes out fully in the aroma of the beer and it leaves an after taste not unlike that left after drinking orange juice. The back label says it is reminiscient of an autumn day in New England, but I think the beer would make a good tailgating beer for an Indian Summer football game.
Phil's rating: 11
Plusses: refreshing, light
Minuses: no hop flavor, not much body