Beers of the Year 2011

Over the course of 2011, my first year of being able to drink legally in the United States, I took it upon myself to take full advantage of my new (re)found freedoms and decided to drink a lot of beer. Below is a list of the beers that I drank but did not review over the past year. It should be noted that it is not an exhaustive list, but pretty damn close (give or take five beers I think).

Anyway this is mostly for my own OCD-ness in recording things, but enjoy

USA

(generic)

Miller: High Life

Pabst: Blue Ribbon

(California)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

(Illinois)
Goose Island: Pepe Nero*

(Michigan)
Bell's: Third Coast Old Ale
Bell's: Oberon Ale

(Massachusetts)

Sam Adams: Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Sam Adams: Bonfire Rauchbier

Sam Adams: Octoberfest

Sam Adams: Cherry Wheat

Sam Adams: Irish Red

(New York)

Brooklyn Brewery: Local 1

Brooklyn Brewery: Brooklyn Summer Ale

Brooklyn Brewery: Brooklyn Pilsner

Brooklyn Brewery: Brooklyn Pennant Ale
Brooklyn Brewery: Brooklyn Lager

(Ohio)

Great Lakes Brewery: Dortmunder Gold

Great Lakes Brewery: Christmas Ale

Great Lakes Brewery: Eliot Ness

(Texas)
Ranger Creek: Oatmeal Pale

Saint Arnold: Brown Ale

Saint Arnold: Centenni-Ale (Blonde)
Southern Star: Buried Hatchet Strong Stout
512: Pecan Porter

(Washington)

Fish Brewing: Leavenworth Black Lager

Rogue: Morimoto Soba Ale

Rogue: Dead Guy Ale

CANADA

Big Rock Brewery: Traditional Ale

Big Rock Brewery: Rock Creek Dry Cider

Labatt Blue

Okanagen Spring Brewery: 1516

Okanagen Spring Brewery: Black Lager

Phillips Beer: Longboat Chocolate Porter

CZECH REPUBLIC

Pilsner Urqiel

GERMANY

Spaten: Premium Lager

IRELAND

Killian's Irish Red

Guinness: Draft (in UK)
Guinness: Draught

Guinness: Foreign Extra

UNITED KINGDOM

Newcastle: Brown Ale

Wells Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Samuel Smith: Oatmeal Stout

Samuel Smith: Imperial Porter

JAPAN

Sapporo Brewery: Sapporo Premium

...and beers I tried, but couldn't bring myself to finish

Dos Equis

Budweiser

Natural (Natty) Ice

Some non-alcoholic beer that I can't remember but I couldn't get past one sip

*This beer was phenomenal and I can't say enough about it. Unfortunately I lost the review that I wrote and it is really difficult beer to get a hold of so, check it out here, and then go out and buy it!

Places to Drink

Over the past year, during my endless quest for craft brews, I came across a few great places either to drink or to buy beer which I though I'd share, in case anyone was feeling especially parched.

Places to DRINK

Beer Revolution, Calgary, CA

This is a brand new bar in Calgary attached to Brewster's (Microbrewery/Restaurant). Much like Brewsters (which actually split in half to birth Beer Revolution), it sells it's own brew, but it is also much more focused on selling a wide range of craft beers (almost all on tap). They have TV screens showing everything available and the selection changes every day. I wouldn't even be surprised if on a busy night, it changed every few hours!

Grizzly Paw, Canmore CA

This is a nice little brew pub conveniently located along the drive from Calgary to Banff, Radium, and (everything else located west of Calgary). The serve only their own beers on tap, but with between 9 and 13 at any time, you are spoiled for choices Additionally, the serve a wide range of palletes in beer drinkers, so even if you are pretty particular, they can probably sort you out.

The Flying Saucer, Houston, TX

Quite possibly the best thing about Houston, TX. With over 200 beers and a literal wall of taps, this place is a craft brew enthusiasts mecca in the South (they also have 14 other locations in six states so I'd check your area if you're interested.

Delerium Cafe, Brussels, BE

The place with the largest selection of commerically available beers IN THE WORLD (over 2000 at any time). Need I say more?

Places to BUY

-- DnQ Mini Mart, Houston, TX

806 Richmond

Houston, Texas, 77006

United States

phone: (713) 526-4451

No website and frankly it looks like a crappy convenience store from the outside, but walk in and you'll see one of Houston's real gems. A huge selection of brews for the size of the store (especially given stupid texas craft brew importing laws) and at decent prices too. Also, the best selection of beer glassware for sale I've ever seen in one place.

The New Beer Distributor's, New York, NY

167 Chrystie Street

New York NY . 10002

phone: 212-473-8757

Hands down my place to buy craft brews in New York City. A phenomenal selection of domestic and international beers, with quantity discounted cases and kegs available for parties. A bit difficult to find initially, but as soon as you go once, you won't be able to stay away!

Blaecorn Unidragon

So I believe the name for this one requires a bit of explanation, so I will transplant it directly from the bottle for you.

"What should we all our Russian Imperial Stout? Black Unicorn? Soul Dragon? Nahhhh Let's combine them and create the ultimate mythical creature: Blaecorn Unidragon!"

So their you have it, the Blaecorn Unidragon Russian Imperial Stout by Clown Shoes beer. This is a brewery I can honestly said that I have never heard of, but a quick perusal of their site shows that their humorous naming schema continues through the rest of their brews.

Year: 2011

ABV: 12.5%

From: Form a 750ml bottle, and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

FOAM: creamy, brown head, medium size

COLOUR: black, with a dark brown tint, opaque

SMELL: roasted hoppy smell

TASTE:

(initial) slight oak-ey character, roasted hops

(body) medium body

(aftertaste) slightly hoppy aftertaste

Terrible

This self-depreciating name comes from Quebec-based brewery, Unibroue. When in Canada, I tasted another one of Unibroue's creation's, their Maudite, an amber ale, and so when I saw that, especially given it's fantastic name, i just had to try it.

On to the brass tacks, though it's name is Terrible, the beer itself is not. A bit too hoppy for me, but none the less a good beer, especially if you like your beers a bit more complex. Final decision, come for the bottle, return for the beer.

Year: 2011

ABV: 10.5%

From: Form a 750ml bottle, and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

FOAM: creamy, beige head, medium size

COLOUR: black, with a dark brown tint, opaque

SMELL: dark roasted hops, slight berry smell

TASTE:

(initial) comples, sweet roasted hops

(body) medium body

(aftertaste) slightly sweet taste

Bow Bugger Amber Ale

On my last full day in Canada this year, I ended up heading to this great new craft beer hotspot in Calgary called Beer Revolution. With fantastic specials like $2 bavarian pretzels on Tuesdays, and $4 truffle fries on Wednesday as well as tapping a cask every Friday! In addition their food (though it is a bit pricey and pretty limited) it is really phenomenal and if I live in Calgary, I would definitely be here at least once a week.

I went on a Wednesday, so in addition to getting cheap truffle fries, their home brews were $1 off, and so I grabbed me a 12 oz pour of Beer Revolution Bow Bugger Amber Ale. As a beer, it wasn't anything fantastic but, since I knew that it was made less then 30ft away from me and because I was having such a great time, I would definitely drink it again.

Year: 2011

ABV: 5.4%

From: On Draft, and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

FOAM: creamy, beige head, medium size

COLOUR: dark amber, translucent

SMELL: hoppy

TASTE:

(initial) initally hoppy

(body) good body, hops mellows out into a sweet rich taste

(aftertaste) slightly bitter

Grizzly Paw sampler (9 beer reviews in one!)

Today I headed back from Kicking Horse in BC, back to Calgary in Alberta. Along the way, we stopped for Lunch at the Grizzly Paw, a great little brewery and restaurant that we have eaten at before on this route. Usually I just get a pint of one of the local brews, but since I was feeling especially adventurous (and I am very conscious of how far under my 52 beer review goal I am at this late stage in the game) I decided to go for the all-inclusive sampler and decided to review 'em all.

Given that these were all draft pours into 3oz glasses, in addition to my standard of skipping how the "foam" section, these reviews are going to pretty short and sweet, ending with a thumbs up, down or middling from me.

Powder Hound Pilsner

Colour: Pale yellow, transparent

Taste: Light Body, tastes like a traditional pilsner, aftertaste of corn

Verdict: thumbs down

NOTE: Some people like really watery light bodies beers, this is for you, not me.

Grumpy Bear Honey Wheat

Colour: Pale amber, transparent

Taste: Light Body, slightly sweet, slight taste of grains, slightly aftertaste of sour

Verdict: thumbs middling

Beaver Tail Raspberry Ale

Colour: Pale amber, cloudy

Taste: Light Body, bitter, RASPBERRY!, aftertaste of raspberry lingers

Verdict: thumbs down

NOTE: I dislike raspberry, if you do, you'll love this beer

Rutting Elk Red

Colour: Brown-deep red, transparent

Taste: Medium body, note very hoppy, a good standard red ale

Verdict: thumbs up

Big Head Nut Brown

Colour: Dark brown, transparent

Taste: Medium Body, sweet, but not cloying (slightly dry), slightly sour aftertaste

Verdict: thumbs down

Mooseknuckle Coffee Stout

Colour: Black-deep red,

Taste: Rich medium body, slightly chocolately, coffee with a strong espresso aftertaste

Verdict: thumbs up

Indra Island IPA

Colour: Dark amber, cloudy

Taste: Medium body, bitter, VERY hoppy, bitter aftertaste

Verdict: thumbs down

NOTE: If you like hops, like a lot, a whole lot, you will love this, other wise, you've been warned

Unity Brew

Colour: Light amber, transparent

Taste: Medium Body, hoppy, bitter, dry,

Verdict: thumbs middling

NOTE: Though I wasn't the biggest fan of this brew, others at my table really loved it. Also it is worth noting that the name for this beer came from the fact that it a collaboration from 9 craft brewers in Alberta. This is the third year this special seasonal is being produced, and its proceeds go towards funding a great charities, all reasons enough on their own for you to give it a try

Mocha Porter

Colour: Black-deep brown,

Taste: Full Body, rich, very chocolate-y, sweet coffee, slightly bitter aftertaste

Verdict: thumbs up

NOTE: This beer is definitely not for quaffing down. From anywhere in its vicinity you can smell its intense chocolate-yness. It is a desert beer, clear and simple, and definitely a treat if you can find it.

AfterDark

During winter, for the past few years, I have been wintering with my family in a small ski resort called Kicking Horse. Located in British Columbia in Canada, the powder skiing is phenomenal. The biggest problem is that the alcohol is super expense because of high taxes and then it has to trucked out to the middle of nowhere.

Even so, I did manage to score a couple of beers for relaxing in the evening, and this was one of them AfterDark, by the Nelson Brewing Company. What intrigued me about this beer was that is claimed to be Organic (something I later found out is a defining characteristic of all of Nelson's brews). My big complaint about this beer was that I was tricked by it's name and colour into thinking it was a stout or a lager, when it is actually just a brown ale. Free of that prejudice, it is a decent enough beer, and if you are an organophille, it is definitely worth checking out.

Year: 2011

ABV:5.0%

From: 12oz bottle (chilled), and poured into plastic cup

DRINKING NOTES:

FOAM: thin, light tan, dissipated very quickly

COLOUR: very dark, black, opaque

SMELL: very sweet, slightly hoppy smell; like the foam, the smell also dissipated very quickly

TASTE:

(initial) slightly oak-ey, sweet, chocolate-ly taste

(body) medium body

(aftertaste) very little