Alan's post on Beer Advocate magazine reminds me that David was kind enough to send me some copies of it. I never saw the magazine in Arizona and frankly was unwilling to subscribe to any magazine that doesn't offer me a trial copy for free before subscription. Because of the Big Move(TM) but I really didn't have the time to write what I thought at the time. Now seems the time.

Labeling
First off the number system is confusing includes no publish date so you can only vaguely know from the content what time of year the magazine was issued. Also with no year is this a copy from Spring or a year ago Spring that has been kept in great condition, I don't know.

Content
I liked the content within the magazine but as Alan noted it's a bit heavy on food. But as a bit of a foodie I didn't really mind. One would think that for a magazine with such a strong online presence they could highlight a best of the web those sites with great information who have a unique angle on beer. This would have two benefits, educate their readership and participate in the larger web community. I like there Innovation column but it doesn't quite always cover the same turf.

Tastings
They are very meticulous in telling you how they judge the beer except who actually does the work. Zymergy who does similar tastings each issue does that right. By telling us who each judge and what their experience level it provides background on the ratings. I know beer geeks who actually very closely watch specific judges recommendations because they have noticed they have similar tastes. The other problem I was the Black Demon Stout reviewed in Volume II Issue II. The BA Overall scored the beer a B they scored the beer F. It was obviously a bad bottle based on reading the review they wrote, why didn't they get another bottle from another source? I have also noticed beers miscategorized from what there brewers consider them as a still occasionally. So while I am glad to have the reviews I am left to wonder about their quality.

So overall while I'd be happy to pick up a free copy from a local brewpub, I don't think I would be willing to buy a subscription at this time.

(I read Volume II Issues II and III I got from David and Volume II Issue V I found on a trip.)