Beer of the Weekend @ 14

Beer of the Weekend can now get a learner’s permit!

This year-in-beer review is a couple months late, but I am OK with it. (It’s better late than never, right?) Regardless, it blows my mind that I have been doing this beer review thing for fourteen years. I don’t review sixty-some beers per year anymore, and my taste buds and descriptions are not as sharp as they once were, but I am still doing it. And despite long stretches between some posts, I plan to continue doing it. My goal is to get to 1,000 reviews (sooner rather than later, though I have been mentioning the number and hoping to get there the last few years), but I have no intention of stopping there. As long as new beers are being released and I have access to them, I will drink and write about them.

However, I understand I don’t drink them all. I avoid too many right now, especially doubles and imperials. I also avoid beers I know I won’t like, mostly because of style or some crazy ingredient. I am trying to think of an example and all that comes to mind is ghost pepper. I like a little spice, but I have no interest in trying a beer made with ghost pepper. Despite that, I need to venture out of my comfort zone. That is one reason why they sell single bottles.

On to this year’s list:

#952: Bohemian Rapids (B+)
#953: Drewrys (B)
#954: Citra Sky (B)
#955: Big Grove Festbier (B)
#956: Oktobot 3000 (B+)
#957: Fun Size (B)
#958: Royal Roots (B)
#959: Drewrys Easy Ale (C+)
#960: Forage (B)
#961: Drewrys Bock (B)
#962: On the Button (B)
#963: Garret's Got a Goat Named Garth (C+)
#964: West Eddy (A-)
#965: Dear Annie (B)
#966: ReUnion Amber Ale (C+)
#967: Anti-Hero IPA (B+)

The Primo Island Lager BotW@14 Worst Beer Award: None. None of them deserve it, so I will not be giving this infamous decoration for a second straight year. (At some point, I need to give Primo Island Lager another try, though I am unsure if it is available outside of Hawaii.)

“It’s Just a Little Taste of Heaven” BotW@14 Best Beer Award: West Eddy. No beer stands out head and shoulders above the rest, but West Eddy is the only beer to receive an A rating this year. I am not saying it gets the award by default, though, because it is a good beer. (To be honest, I drink Easy Eddy much more often. It has become our go-to IPA in the house.) An honorable mention goes to Bohemian Rapids, which is a damn good Czech pilsner.

The BotW@14 Ultimate Four-pack: West Eddy, Bohemian Rapids, Anti-Hero IPA, and Oktobot 3000.

(The post pic was taken at the Salvage Barn in Iowa City. I’m a sucker for old beer cans, though I have no interest in collecting them. I look and touch but don’t buy.)