Beer of the Weekend @ 11
The last year in beer is an interesting story, one that can be told by a peek inside my fridge.
Besides the usual—granny smith apples, one or two jugs of juice, bread, bagels, cheese, yogurt, and faux meats—is a growing number of sixers and four-packs I have not finished. Single cans and bottles sit in the shelves along the door and are scattered among the partials. The vegetable drawer has vegetables in it—not cans of PBR.
Not only did I review the fewest number of beers (43), I stopped drinking as much of the beers I did review. I buy more beer than I drink now. I need to have a fridge-emptying party to get rid of them.
Why I am drinking less? First of all, my enthusiasm for and interest in beer is waning. It has been for years. Second, I’m drinking less for my health and to lose weight. Nothing makes you want to drink less craft beer than learning how many calories are in it ... except something else that’s popped up recently, which may be related to alcohol. Needless to say, I’ve taken it very easy the last month until I get an explanation. Together, they are all signs that my relationship with beer and alcohol may never be the same—and I have no problem with that.
Below are the beers reviewed in BotW’s eleventh year:
#876: BFD (A-)
#877: Hopped & Confused (B/B+)
#878: Detour (C+)
#879: Over the Ivy (B-)
#880: Dakota Soul (B)
#881: Hop Nosh Tangerine (C+)
#882: Namaste White (B-)
#883: Easy Jack IPA (B-)
#884: Extinction Event (Columbus + Galaxy + Mosaic) (B)
#885: Braupakt (A-)
#886: Good Day Sunshine (C+)
#887: Arms Race Pale Ale (A-)
#888: ReUnion IPA (A-)
#889: ConFlix of Interest (B-)
#890: Victory Dance (B+)
#891: Flying Aces Pale Ale (B)
#892: Extinction Event (Bravo + Citra + Simcoe) (B-)
#893: Tricycle (A-)
#894: Puck the Beer (A-)
#895: Centaurus (A-)
#896: Extinction Event (Nelson Sauvin + El Dorado) (B-.)
#897: ReUnion Marzen (B+)
#898: Tank Puncher (B)
#899: Belhaven Black Nitro (B-)
#900: Slurm Lord (A-)
#901: Hopzeit Autumn IPA (B+)
#902: Flannel Friday (B+)
#903: Dogfish Head Indian Brown (B-)
#904: Confluence Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout (C-)
#905: Newcastle Brown Ale (C+/B-)
#906: Easy Eddy (B+)
#907: Cursed Angel Black IPA (B+)
#908: Burch the Bear (A-)
#909: Mocha Merlin (B)
#910: Michelob Ultra (F)
#911: Blurr (A-)
#912: Sierra Nevada Brut IPA (A-)
#913: Break a Leg! IPA (A-)
#914: Olde 17 (A-)
#915: Polecat Porter (B)
#916: Official (B)
#917: Mission Creek Lager (B)
#918: Pecatonica IPA (B)
The Primo Island Lager BotW@11 Worst Beer Award: Michelob Ultra.
“It’s Just a Little Taste of Heaven” BotW@11 Best Beer Award: Slurm Lord. No beers earned a coveted A this year, but there are a lot of A-s. Most of them do not stand head or shoulders above any of the others, but Slurm Lord sticks with me. Because of that, it’s the beer of the year.
BotW@11 Ultimate Six-pack: ReUnion IPA, Tricycle, Puck the Beer, Centaurus, Slurm Lord, and Olde 17.
(The intro pic is the only worthwhile beer-related photo I took during the last year in beer: the Oktoberfest 1982 ceramic stein I bought at Artifacts. I have photos of a Spuds MacKenzie light at a restaurant in Cedar Rapids, but none of them are very good. Prost!)
