Another game of Beowulf, and a near loss. (As compared to a hideous last place). I suspect that Beowulf will get a few more plays, and then lurk in the back of the closet. I'll have a nagging "I should play this more often..." thought, like I do with Lord of the Rings (or LotR The Confrontation, or many of Knizia's Games).
What I don't feel is what I felt after Caylus.
Chris mentions (in comments below) that he felt better on PR after the first play. It's tough to tell which game felt better. (Part of the issue is that my first play of PR was at a convention where I could play it again and again. So I could quickly knock out several games. Caylus was a few plays and now the prospect of a long layoff...)
But both games left me with the same thoughts ... "what did the winner do right?", "how do the systems interact". I feel a desire to write out 10 pages of strategy thoughts, so I can hear other people's thoughts (and to clarify my own thoughts).
It is premature to declare Caylus a better game, but that's my gut feeling. Chris (and others) are right in that the time certainly favors Puerto Rico.
But no matter what, there aren't many games I ever play "back to back." Especially long games (anything over an hour). It's already in rare company ... I'd turn down other respected new games to play it again. Always a good sign.
I can see Beowulf being sorta like that. Beowulf is also a pretty intense game. A well-fought game can be exhausting because it's just hammering you so constantly with tough decisions that could be game-altering (although becuase of the risks they don't always turn out that way). The first time I played, I played it again immediately. But after that, once is usually enough in one game session, even though it's only 45min-1hr.
I just don't know on Caylus. I've come around to it more on recent playings; like Age of Steam, I've been able to work past the obvious rough edges. But it's 2-3 hours. That's a long game. I'd rather play the much tighter Goa, personally; not that Caylus is a bad game, it's just missing something for me, and is a bit too fiddly. And I don't like the hoseage and kingmaking possibilities, espeically in a game of that length. Caylus is still a good game I think, but certainly it can join War of the Ring as the hugely overrated game of the moment.
Others may chime in, I've only played Keythedral once. Obviously I think that Caylus is a better game (I consider Keythedral in the 'average-ish' range), but I don't think they are similar, except in theme. My recollection is sketchy though. Both deal with building and resources, but use different mechanics. Keythedral also has a 'take that' deck of cards, if I recall.