Friday, December 29, 2006
Mission Accomplished!
The quest is over... Mission Accomplished...
I have had 365 beers this year... none of which I have previously tasted before.
As I sit here sipping beer #365, I realize that what I've done is nothing great... its just something that took a lot of patience and discipline to accomplish.
Anyway, that was it... my 365 Days of Beer. Have a Happy One...
365) Westvleteren Abt 12 - So this is the legendary Westy 12... The top rated beer in the world, and one of the rarest. I'm sipping this one slowly, to fully enjoy it. Right off the bat I will say I don't think its the best beer I've ever had. That honor still belongs to the Victory Storm King Imperial Stout. But, its damn complex. Pours a dark brown/ruby color with a tan head that lasts a long time. Aroma is complex... apples... raisins... plums.... chocolate... carmelized sugar... etc. Flavor is very complex too... spices... all of the above flavors... and the finish just lasts forever. Mouthfeel is incredibly smooth, almost like drinking melted butter or cream. A fine way to end the night, and the 365 Days of Beer.
I have had 365 beers this year... none of which I have previously tasted before.
As I sit here sipping beer #365, I realize that what I've done is nothing great... its just something that took a lot of patience and discipline to accomplish.
Anyway, that was it... my 365 Days of Beer. Have a Happy One...
365) Westvleteren Abt 12 - So this is the legendary Westy 12... The top rated beer in the world, and one of the rarest. I'm sipping this one slowly, to fully enjoy it. Right off the bat I will say I don't think its the best beer I've ever had. That honor still belongs to the Victory Storm King Imperial Stout. But, its damn complex. Pours a dark brown/ruby color with a tan head that lasts a long time. Aroma is complex... apples... raisins... plums.... chocolate... carmelized sugar... etc. Flavor is very complex too... spices... all of the above flavors... and the finish just lasts forever. Mouthfeel is incredibly smooth, almost like drinking melted butter or cream. A fine way to end the night, and the 365 Days of Beer.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Just one away...
I don't know what else to start with other than saying right now I am having beer #364 and I realize I am just 1 frickin' beer away from having had 365 beers I have never previously tried this year.
By the way I am still having trouble shaking this cough. It's really annoying, because I'm going to San Francisco in less than 4 days.
Here are the latest two:
363) Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter - FRICKIN AWESOME! I love this style... Maybe its my half-Baltic (Lithuanian) roots. But I love big beers that have a huge, smoky, chocolately, rich, not sweet profile. This has that and is going to be my go-to Baltic Porter now that Heavyweight is closed and I can't get the Hammer. There is apparently a Swedish Baltic Porter that has surpassed my intended 365th beer as the top rated in the world. I will have to investigate.
364) Rochefort Trappistes 10 - This is dark and full of flavor. Distinct plum aroma. Lots of dark fruits in the flavor with the complexity of a fine wine. Oh man I just had the last sip and that last bottle is tempting me...
364 down.... 1 TO GO!!!!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Back in Business
So my illness has past and I am back on the beer bandwagon. Or off the wagon, depending on how you want to look at it.
Also, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.
360) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - I may have mentioned that imperial stouts are my favorite style, and this was one of the best I have had. This was aged in bourbon barrels and as such, absorbs all kinds of woodsy and smoky characteristics. Really enjoyable nightcap with none of the annoying sweetness of other recent dark beers I have had recently, such as those eisbocks.
361) Whole Foods Lamar St. Pale Ale - Actually contract brewed by the above Goose Island, this is a decent American Pale Ale that was nice and hoppy.
362) Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale - I've added a permanent link to Stone Brewing on the left. They can do no wrong. The oaked version of Arrogant Bastard was just as awesome as the regular one. If you love an in your face strong ale, this is the one for you.
So only 3 more left to reach 365. I am looking at having #365 on New Year's Eve, so between now and then, I have 5 days to have the other 2. Its only a matter of time now!
Also, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.
360) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - I may have mentioned that imperial stouts are my favorite style, and this was one of the best I have had. This was aged in bourbon barrels and as such, absorbs all kinds of woodsy and smoky characteristics. Really enjoyable nightcap with none of the annoying sweetness of other recent dark beers I have had recently, such as those eisbocks.
361) Whole Foods Lamar St. Pale Ale - Actually contract brewed by the above Goose Island, this is a decent American Pale Ale that was nice and hoppy.
362) Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale - I've added a permanent link to Stone Brewing on the left. They can do no wrong. The oaked version of Arrogant Bastard was just as awesome as the regular one. If you love an in your face strong ale, this is the one for you.
So only 3 more left to reach 365. I am looking at having #365 on New Year's Eve, so between now and then, I have 5 days to have the other 2. Its only a matter of time now!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Under the Weather...
Woke up under the weather today... but I had one yesterday at Nevada Smith's while watching football...
359) Veltins Pilsener - Previously I thought I had finished off every beer in this bar, but I think this is a recent addition. This is a German pilsner. Bit of a thin body with a metallic taste. Bitter finish. Nothing great...
6 more to go! Hopefully I will feel better enough tonight to add another to the list!
359) Veltins Pilsener - Previously I thought I had finished off every beer in this bar, but I think this is a recent addition. This is a German pilsner. Bit of a thin body with a metallic taste. Bitter finish. Nothing great...
6 more to go! Hopefully I will feel better enough tonight to add another to the list!
Monday, December 18, 2006
7 to Go!
Welcome to my latest post!
We start with...
353) St Peters Golden Ale - This is of a similar style to the English ale I had recently but its not as good as that one. Hops were not as prominent.
354) St Peters Old Style Porter - Pretty average porter overall. Well made but nothing stands out.
355) Rochefort Trappistes 8 - Dark brown color with a huge head. Sugary aroma. Mouthfeel seemed dominated by carbonation. Complex, fruity flavors dominate. Long finish.
356) Capitol City Pale Rider Ale - A nice American style pale ale... but I didn't get a pic of the beer only. Very agressive with the hops but that was right up my alley.
357) St Peters Cream Stout - Very chocolately and sweet. I rather enjoyed this and it was the best of the St Peters beers I've had recently.
358) Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter - Decent but not as good as the Rogue hazelnut porter. But any porter with hazelnut in it is a winner in my book, as its usually a pretty boring style.
358 down and only 7 to go!!!
We start with...
353) St Peters Golden Ale - This is of a similar style to the English ale I had recently but its not as good as that one. Hops were not as prominent.
354) St Peters Old Style Porter - Pretty average porter overall. Well made but nothing stands out.
355) Rochefort Trappistes 8 - Dark brown color with a huge head. Sugary aroma. Mouthfeel seemed dominated by carbonation. Complex, fruity flavors dominate. Long finish.
356) Capitol City Pale Rider Ale - A nice American style pale ale... but I didn't get a pic of the beer only. Very agressive with the hops but that was right up my alley.
357) St Peters Cream Stout - Very chocolately and sweet. I rather enjoyed this and it was the best of the St Peters beers I've had recently.
358) Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter - Decent but not as good as the Rogue hazelnut porter. But any porter with hazelnut in it is a winner in my book, as its usually a pretty boring style.
358 down and only 7 to go!!!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Early AM Hangover
You'll see later why this post is titled "Early AM Hangover" but let me begin by recapping some other beers.
I've now purchased enough new brew to reach my goal. All the bottles are numbered and lined up in the fridge ready to be opened.
348) Faxe Premium - A crisp Danish lager served in a 1000 ml can... however, only the first few sips were good and after that this beer kind of fell on its face. Lots of pale lagers are more enjoyable than this premium and it was kind of tough to finish this huge can.
349) Faxe Amber - Not good either... Another weak offering from this brewery. Very thin and dry... the flavors do not last at all.
350) Hollandia - Pretty good lager. Having it out of the can saves it from getting skunky. Nice alternative to a Heineken.
351) St Peters English Ale - The bottle looks nice, but it lets in way too much sunlight. Initially this has a skunky aroma. The flavors are pretty decent though... Good hop bite and nice malts.
352) Dogfish Head Raison D Extra - An "extreme" beer at around 18.5% alcohol. Maybe i'm becoming a wimp but this was too much. Too sweet and too much alcohol. It gave me a headache in the morning.
352 down and just 13 to go. It won't be long now!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The Final Stretch
It's been a while since my last update, and if you've think I've somehow given up or fallen off the pace you are sadly mistaken.
I am in this for the long haul and I can see the finish line on the horizon.
Let's recap the latest beers I've had...
341) Michelob Bavarian Style Wheat - I gotta hand it to AB here... they did a good job on this and should put this product out there more. Its a well made German hefeweizen, with all the flavors and aromas you are looking for. I think the low ratings it has been getting on RateBeer.com are more because of where it comes from than anything else. But AB did a good job on this.
342) Mahrs Bräu Festtags Weisse - I had this right after the Michelob... as you can see, the pour is much darker on this one. Has a little more body to it. This one came from the Beer of the Month club and was pretty decent.
343) Sand Creek Wild Ride IPA - Another one from the club, which I think I am going to leave for financial reasons more than anything else. Anyways, this was a pretty good IPA. I liked the hop bitterness in this one. Excellent complexity brought out on the finish.
344) Jopen 4 Granen Bokbier - Also from the club... This is a dunkler bock and the first one I've had. Excuse the cruddy photo... I decided to test my camera phone. The pour is a dark brown/red. Huge foamy head as you can see. Flavor is mainly nutty/smoky.
345) Schneider Aventinus - One of the more highly touted weizen bock's out there. Huge head that seemingly lasts forever. I liked the Victory Moonglow a lot better though for some reason. Still this is very powerful and intense to drink.
346) Grand Teton Bitch Creek ESB - This is a top-rated ESB but I don't think I got a good bottle. Everything just seemed kind of flat. I have 2 others saved so I will give it another go.
347) Delirium Noël - Had this one last night at the Ginger Man. Has a light brown/red color to it. Lots of caramel flavors with some spice notes. 10% alc. by volume. A good winter brew.
347 down leaving just 18 to go. I'm 6 days ahead of pace if I want to finish by the end of the year. With the last beer I also have completed 95% of the goal. Stay tuned as I come down the final stretch for the year.
I am in this for the long haul and I can see the finish line on the horizon.
Let's recap the latest beers I've had...
341) Michelob Bavarian Style Wheat - I gotta hand it to AB here... they did a good job on this and should put this product out there more. Its a well made German hefeweizen, with all the flavors and aromas you are looking for. I think the low ratings it has been getting on RateBeer.com are more because of where it comes from than anything else. But AB did a good job on this.
342) Mahrs Bräu Festtags Weisse - I had this right after the Michelob... as you can see, the pour is much darker on this one. Has a little more body to it. This one came from the Beer of the Month club and was pretty decent.
343) Sand Creek Wild Ride IPA - Another one from the club, which I think I am going to leave for financial reasons more than anything else. Anyways, this was a pretty good IPA. I liked the hop bitterness in this one. Excellent complexity brought out on the finish.
344) Jopen 4 Granen Bokbier - Also from the club... This is a dunkler bock and the first one I've had. Excuse the cruddy photo... I decided to test my camera phone. The pour is a dark brown/red. Huge foamy head as you can see. Flavor is mainly nutty/smoky.
345) Schneider Aventinus - One of the more highly touted weizen bock's out there. Huge head that seemingly lasts forever. I liked the Victory Moonglow a lot better though for some reason. Still this is very powerful and intense to drink.
346) Grand Teton Bitch Creek ESB - This is a top-rated ESB but I don't think I got a good bottle. Everything just seemed kind of flat. I have 2 others saved so I will give it another go.
347) Delirium Noël - Had this one last night at the Ginger Man. Has a light brown/red color to it. Lots of caramel flavors with some spice notes. 10% alc. by volume. A good winter brew.
347 down leaving just 18 to go. I'm 6 days ahead of pace if I want to finish by the end of the year. With the last beer I also have completed 95% of the goal. Stay tuned as I come down the final stretch for the year.
