Beer of the Weekend @ 4

Guess what I almost did? Forget about my yearly BotW retrospective.

Yep, it is that time of year again and I almost let it pass by. The prospect of BotW@4 has been on my mind for over a month and I meant to do some early legwork. However, I plain forgot about it until today. What can I say? My mind has obviously not been on beer recently. I have really slipped this year. First I forgot to bring home any brew from the Twin Cities, then I snubbed anything I could get in the South, and last week I missed an opportunity to buy iconic East Coast brew. What is going on?

Fittingly, I pondered that today. (It is probably what reminded me to write this.) Am I getting burnt out? No. I love beer, but I will gladly admit I am not the kind of guy who will eagerly stand in line to buy an initial release. John’s Grocery bier guy Joe Hotek will sometimes give me the scoop about incoming shipments of coveted brew, but I never capitalize on the information. I am unwilling to go out of my way for beer. (Plus, more than likely I will be able to get one of the leftover sixers.) Sure, I wish I could have brought some Surly home from the Medium White North and a case of Yuengling or Iron City for Mervgotti, but it was not to be and I am not going to beat myself up about it.

Anyway, without further ado here is the list of brews featured on BotW over the last year in beer.

#228: Summit Maibock (C+)
#229: Madhouse American Wheat (C)
#230: Millstream 25th Anniversary Doppelbock (B-)
#231: Trader Joe’s Hofbrau Bock (B-)
#232: Millstream Sun “Ryes” Helles Doppelbock (B-)
#233: Angry Cedar Angry Amber Ale (D+)
#234: Angry Cedar Chocolate Porter (C)
#235: Peace Tree Hop Wrangler (B+)
#236: Cream City Pale Ale (B-)
#237: Schell’s Maifest (D+)
#238: Dancing Man Wheat (A+)
#239: Totally Naked (B-)
#240: Spotted Cow (C+)
#241: Snowshoe Red Ale (B)
#242: Millstream Big Honey Hefe (B)
#243: Uff-da (B+)
#244: Imperial Weizen (B+)
#245: Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse (B+)
#246: Mom Hefeweizen (Half-E-Weizen) (C+)
#247: Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss (A-)
#248: Cabin Fever (B)
#249: Hofbräu Hefe Weizen (B)
#250: Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier (A-)
#251: Pabst Blue Ribbon (C+)
#252: Back 40 (B+)
#253: Two Women (B+)
#254: Fat Squirrel (A-)
#255: Coffee Stout (B+)
#256: Schlitz (B-)
#257: Moon Man (A-)
#258: Imperial IPA (A-)
#259: Coors (D)
#260: Coors Light (D)
#261: Miller Lite (D)
#262: Reissdorf Kölsch (B+)
#263: Pauwel Kwak (A-)
#264: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen (B+)
#265: Maudite (A-)
#266: Bud Light (D)
#267: Madhouse Honey Pilsner (B-)
#268: Hacker-Pschorr Weisse Dark (A-)
#269: Summit Pilsener (B-)
#270: Island Wheat (C+)
#271: Summit Oktoberfest (B-)
#272: Capital Brewery Oktoberfest (B-)
#273: Tucher Kristall Weizen (B)
#274: Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss-Dunkel (B)
#275: Green Bay Brewing Oktoberfest (B)
#276: Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale (A-)
#277: Victory Festbier (B+)
#278: Maisel’s Weisse Original (B+)
#279: Brooklyn Brown Ale (A-)
#280: Maisel’s Weisse Kristall (B)
#281: Plank-Bier Dunkler Weizenbock (B+)
#282: Great River Oktoberfest (B+)
#283: Great River Redband Stout (A-)
#284: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel (A-)
#285: Staropramen (B)
#286: Stone IPA (A-)
#287: Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest (B)
#288: Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout (B-)
#289: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (A-)
#290: Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (A)
#291: Goose Island Christmas Ale 2011 (B+)
#292: Snow Day Winter Ale (B+)
#293: Santa’s Private Reserve Ale (B)
#294: Lakefront Oktoberfest (C+)
#295: Moo Joos (A-)
#296: Schlafly Coffee Stout (B+)
#297: Millstream Weizenbock (B+)
#298: Sprecher Russian Imperial Stout (B+)
#299: Bell’s Porter (A-)
#300: Hitachino Nest Lacto Sweet Stout (B-)
#301: Fuller’s London Porter (A-)
#302: Taddy Porter (A-)
#303: Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche (A-)
#304: Bad Elf (B-)
#305: Frambozen (B)
#306: Very Bad Elf (B+)
#307: Seriously Bad Elf (B-)
#308: Pickled Santa (C+)
#309: Santa’s Butt (C)
#310: Anchor Christmas Ale 2011 (B)
#311: Snowstorm 2011 (B+)
#312: Saison-Brett (A)
#313: La Trappe Tripel (B+)
#314: Ommegang Abbey Ale (A)
#315: Maredsous Abbey Brune 8 (A)
#316: Maredsous Abbey Triple 10 (B+)
#317: Tilburg’s Dutch Brown Ale (B)
#318: La Trappe Quadruple (A)
#319: Scaldis Belgian Ale (A-)
#320: Summit Black Ale (B+)
#321: Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale (B+)
#322: Schlafly Irish-Style Extra Stout (B)
#323: Grain Belt Premium (C)
#324: Sprecher Irish Stout (B+)
#325: Ayinger Celebrator (A)
#326: Ruthless Rye IPA (A-)
#327: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale (A-)
#328: Luna Coffee Stout (B+)
#329: Foster’s Lager (D+)
#330: Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer (C)
#331: Sprecher Black IPA (B)
#332: Pandora’s Bock (B-)
#333: Schlafly Pale Ale (B)
#334: Bell’s Pale Ale (C+)
#335: Schlafly Dry Hopped American Pale Ale (B+)
#336: Bancreagie Peated Scotch Ale (B+)
#337: Miller High Life (D+/C-)
#338: Centennial IPA (A)
#339: Ranger IPA (A-)
#340: Goose Island India Pale Ale (B+)
#341: Lakefront IPA (A-)
#342: Red’s Rye PA (A-)
#343: Torpedo Extra IPA (A)
#344: Farmer Brown Ale (A-)
#345: Boom Imperial Pilsner (C+)
#346: Leikeim Helle Weisse (C+)
#347: Hop•A•Potamus (A-)

Wow. In total I reviewed 120 beers — the most ever for a BotW year. Much of the inflation is due to my venture to New Glarus last May, sudsy hauls from the Chicagoland area (back when I seemingly cared about hard to find beer), and a number of test samplings for my LV recommendation.

While skimming through my BotW@3 post I noticed this line: “For year four I should endeavor to try more ‘shitty’ beer.” Have I done that? Kind of, but once again I see a lot of A’s and B’s in the list above. There are, though, many more C’s and D’s. No F’s, though. I have yet to damn any beer with a dreaded F, though Sol probably deserved it a couple years ago. However, I will admit I do not want to buy a beer I perceive as shitty or subpar. Yes, I unfortunately judge beer by the carrier and label design, or by the name, so I avoid certain brews when browsing the beer shelves. (These retrospectives have a habit of doubling as shameful confession.) I think, “I want something better,” and search until a beer strikes my fancy. Except for my Great Adjunct Adventure, my beer purchases lack adventure and courage. Perhaps I should start grabbing sixers indiscriminately.

The Primo Island Lager BotW@4 Worst Beer Award: Schell’s Maifest. Originally, I wrote in Angry Cedar Angry Amber Ale for the worst beer, but having read both reviews I have to say Schell’s Maifest wins it hands down. Purposefully lackluster macro lagers aside, Schell’s Maifest must have been bad. Regarding its drinkability I wrote, “Wow. All I can think about right now is the five bottles of this still chilling in my fridge. How am I going to make myself drink them?” That is damning — yet I still gave it a D+. (Once again, I am not being harsh enough.) Schell’s Maifest also wins because I mentioned the hairspray aroma and flavor that seems to be a common feature with August Schell brews. Schell’s lagers are the worst offenders. I have no clue why, but popping one open is like stepping onto a nursing home shuttle bus full of old ladies primped and ready for a trip to the casino.

BotW@4 Best Beer Award: Dancing Man Wheat, the only BotW beer to garner an A+ grade. In the review I referred to it as “liquid heaven.” It truly was, and it almost got me dancing (which is an almost impossible thing to do).

BotW@4 Ultimate 12-pack: Dancing Man Wheat, Fat Squirrel, Pauwel Kwak, Maudite, Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche, Ommegang Abbey Ale, Maredsous Abbey Brune 8, La Trappe Quadruple, and Torpedo Extra IPA.

On to year five!

(Note: the pic at the top of the post is of the chalkboard menu at the Worth Brewing Company, a place I consider an ideal model for grassroots/local brewing.)