The Empty Glass

Well, this is the end of The Beer Year. I have drunk 366 beers in 366 days (remember it was a leap year), and then reviewed them for all to see. My glass is now empty. I have to be honest, at this point I feel no different. I don't feel that I accomplished anything spectacular. However, in a week or two (after I give my liver a break) I will be sitting at a bar, and there will be a beer on tap that I had months ago and haven't been able to have since. And I will order that beer and enjoy it with having to go home and review it. While I am enjoying that beer I am sure that I will reflect upon this moment and be able to feel pride in my accomplishment.

I had a few goals coming into this thing:

1. I wanted to learn as much about beer as I could. I can honestly say that I know a shit-ton more about beer than I did 12 months ago. I have learned how it is brewed and even brewed some myself. I have learned about the numerous classifications of beer as well as the great number of breweries. I have even learned to like more beers than I did before I started.

2. I wanted to be a better writer. I do it for fun as a hobby and I think I suck at it. Actually I still think I do, but I have gotten better at describing things. So that's good...

3. I wanted to see if I could commit myself to something and stick with it. I think that one speaks for itself. 

So, I guess one question some people may have is, "What am I going to do after The Beer Year is over?" A couple of choice answers could be, " Go sober for a year" "Keep going for a second year" "Start a new blog in which I actually do something productive for a year". Well those are all wrong. Well, sort of. I don't know what I am going to. But wish me luck, I'm going to need it. 

I would also like to say a couple of special thanks, because while this whole thing may not have been a big deal, it was really fucking hard to do sometimes. So let me thank all the bars, the friends that went and drank with me, the bartenders that served me, the brewers, the bottlers, the stores who sold me beer, the people who sent me beer or bought me beer, the people who have read my blog, and of course, my wife for letting me do this ridiculous adventure. I truly thank you!

Cheers,

Kyle R. Abrams

Day 366: Pabst Blue Ribbon

Name: Pabst Blue Ribbon

Brewer: Pabst Brewing Co. (Woodridge, IL)

Classification: American Adjunct Lager

Alcohol: 4.74%

Thoughts: If ever there was a Nectar of the Gods this is it. Pabst Select won the Blue Ribbon at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago for "America's Best Beer" and became Pabst Blue Ribbon. It's like when that man won the Super Award at the Krypton County Fair and became Superman. Since then it has not only remained America's Best Beer, it is the Universe's Best Beer, including Krypton. PBR is my life blood. I shit you not. I drink whenever I can and it brings me joy every freakin' time! It's the Santa Claus' of beer! I know that there are some skeptics out there who may think I am being sarcastic or that it is in fact a crap beer, but I don't joke about PBR (check out the rating below). PBR is more than look, smell or taste. It is more than its iconic label or can. It is the cerebral, surreal feeling I get when I drink it. Some of my greatest memories involve PBR ... among other things. I purposely saved it for the last and final day of The Beer Year because I  honestly love this beer more than any other beer I have had over the past year. I wanted to make sure it stood up to the test before I proclaimed my undying love and admiration for it. Some may see this as rambling, but I see it as my "Ode de la PBR". 

Rating: 100/100

Day 365: Hop Stoopid Ale

Name: Hop Stoopid Ale

Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, CA)

Classification: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 8%

Thoughts: With only a couple of beers left on the beer year I wanted to bit an "American Legend" on the stand before I have my grand finale tomorrow. I had a lot of options but when it came to having some bang for your buck I went with Lagunitas' Hop Stoopid Ale. And the reason, I assume, that Stoopid is misspelled is because there are so many fucking hops in this thing that it throws off all of your senses. I honesty cannot remember the last time hops took over my whole spectrum of senses like this beer has. It pours a crisp, clear gold with a white, frothy head resting on top of it. There is a nice, full hop bouquet with mango, pineapple, grapefruit, and pine notes. There is also a very noticeable and solid caramel malt backbone that adds a lot of balance to the aroma. However, I swear my taste buds have been melted off by the Godzilla/King Kong/Mothra sized hop annihilation. I get a big wallop of citrus fruits, and some spicy and floral hops right off the bat. The malt tries to balance everything out with some light caramel and buttery biscuit, but those damn dirty hops just keep holding on to your palate. Despite the huge hop profile the beer not overly bitter, but it does finish rather dry. I happen to think this is a good thing, because you need to wet your whistle right after you take a sip, and what better way then what you already have in your glass. This is terrific stuff! If you are the type of insane maniac that can drink something hoppier than bunnies on Easter, then this is the drink for you. 

Rating: 90/100

Day 364: Lucifer

Name: Lucifer

Brewer: Brouwerij Het Anker (Mechelen, Belgium)

Classification: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Alcohol: 8%

Thoughts: It's the Final Countdown! Three more beers, three more days and this year long journey comes to a close. But first, 3 special beers. The first of which is Lucifer. Lucifer is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale that is brewed by the same company that brews Golden Carolus beers and spirits. These are some of the best beers in the world and a little out of my price range. However, it is not their creation. They bought the rights to it from Liefmans' decided to make only fruit beers. May I just say that was a stupid decision on Liefmans' part. Lucifer pours a highly carbonated, pale copper color with a thick brimming head. The aroma was of a funky barnyard Belgian yeast and a light grain malt with notes of honey, citrus, toffee, a mild fruitiness and a slight alcohol scent. Taste is very appley, balanced by carbonation and a hint of hops for a clean, dry finish. The spice seems to get right to the edge of being overbearing without going over. It is actually a really interesting feeling to experience. Very balanced for something that on the surface would seem very sweet. Heaven rarely comes in a bottle labeled Lucifer, but in this case it does. The excitement is big as hell because this is a devilishly good beer. Is that enough puns for you?

Rating: 89/100

Day 363: Jaipur IPA

Name: Jaipur IPA

Brewer: Thornbridge Brewery (Bakewell, England)

Classification: English IPA

Alcohol: 5.9%

Thoughts: Not many of the beers over the past year have been recommended by a television show, this is probably the first, but that is exactly what happened with this beer. I love BBC America. Between, The Inbetweeners, Top Gear and Friday Night Dinner it is an amazing channel. However, one program stands out for my purpose. It is James and Oz Drinks to Britain. James May from Top Gear and Oz Clarke , who is a wine expert, travel around the British Isles finding the perfect drink for Britain. During the show they both talked about how great Thornbridge's Jaipur IPA was. So I got myself a bottle of it. It pours a glorious orange/copper/gold with a minimal, highly carbonated head. The aroma is mulled a bit bit, but you can sense melon, and citrus and a genuine balance of malts and hops. When it comes to the great and complex taste there is really only a couple of notes that stand out above the usually IPA. The first is that this is not the usual IPA. Jaipur is exploding with ingenuity.  There is an assload of sweetness at the front, which is followed by a tender hoppy bitterness. It's like sweetness is a nymph being chased by a viking of bitterness down your gullet! In between the nymph and the viking is a profound melon and citrus taste that rests on the tongue liking a sitting Buddha. Since I only have 3 more beers after this I am confident in saying this in the most unique, independent IPA I have ever had. This is a tremendously accomplished and exciting beer. I would have been extremely happy to end this amazing year with Jaipur IPA, but I have a few more to go. Nonetheless, this is a beer to remember. I would dare say that it would be the beer I would have at my final supper. Fucking Incredible!

Rating: 94/100

Day 362: Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Name: Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Brewer: Wells & Young's LTD. (Bedford, England) 

Classification: Sweet Stout

Alcohol: 5.2%

Thoughts: Next to Guinness, Young's Double Chocolate Stout is probably one of the most well known stouts. I could be totally bullshitting you though. It pours an opaque jet black with a cascading, cream-tan head. The lacing this beer leaves is significantly apparent and thick.  This beer has a mild aroma overall but there is a nice amount of complexity to it. I can detect some dark roasted malts, light elements of coffee, lots of milk chocolate, and just a hint of charred wood. The flavor really follows the smell with a really wonderful milk chocolate sweetness upfront There is a nice amount of complexity and the flavor is well balanced. There is a really nice balance between the milk chocolate sweetness and the dark roasted malts. There is a very light bitterness in the finish.  I would recommend this beer to anyone wanting to try a good "stout" beer for a first one.  It was sweet, not overpowering on the ABV %, and could be enjoyed by sipping, or gulping it down. I would happily buy this beer again for a nice after dinner beer, or pair it with a good thick bacon burger, or a steak. 

Rating: 86/100

Day 361: Chimay White

Name: Chimay White

Brewer: Bieres de Chimay (Chimay, Belgium)

Classification: Tripel

Alcohol: 8%

Thoughts: Finally! Chimay is on the blog! I have had the Chimay Blue and Red, but I have yet to have White. So that's what I went for since I couldn't really afford to get all three. If you don't know anything about Chimay let me give you a few facts. The brewery is located in the Scourmont Abbey, a Trappist monastery, and is one of the seven breweries worldwide that produce Trappist Beer and is the biggest in Belgium. This Tripel pours a murky orange/brown with plenty of sediment and a gigantic, bubbly head. The aroma is as Belgian as statues of little kids peeing. It is full of that great spicy Belgian yeast that gives Belgian beers its special something. The clove and pepper are out in full force and the citrus balances out the spice just enough so that it doesn't overwhelm you. The taste is like a rainbow of flavors! The Belgian yeast, spicy cloves and pepper are up front, and is followed by a bready taste of caramel malts. There is a big mix of fruits with notes of lemons, apricot, grapefruit, passion fruit, orange, banana, and pear. There is also some hints of candied sugar and honey. It finishes with a lightly bitter and drying presence of earthy hops. Chimay is worth every penny they charge, and it takes plenty of pennies to pay for these Belgian Bad Mamma Jammas. 

Rating: 91/100

Day 360: Hobgoblin

Name: Hobgolin

Brewer: Wychwood Brewery (Whitney, England)

Classification: Extra Special Bitter

Alcohol: 5.2% 

Thoughts: I haven't featured many Extra Special Bitter beers on the blog because I haven't found many that I like or want to try. The ones that I have had are either too bitter or have a staleness in the flavor. However, I have heard of one ESB that does not have either of these problems. Hobgoblin pours a dark near black carmel with an ever so slight reddish tinge. The head is fat and frothy with a light maple coloring. This is a very bready beer, with nice malty sweetness alongside a fruit bread wafting. This beer is definitely a trickster though, as its name might suggest, with some nice subtleties hidden in the smell. The first impression this beer leaves on you is with a strong, malty backbone, quite similar to the smell. There’s a nice side taste of tingly rich fruits. The after taste is slightly bitter, with a sweet lingering note. As you drink down further a slightly watery taste seems to get to the beer though. Like I said I haven't had many ESBs on the blog, but this is one I would drink over and over. It would be something that if I was in England I would have as my beer of choice. It is that good!

Rating: 88/100

Day 359: Three Philosophers

Name: Three Philosophers

Brewer: Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)

Classification: Quadrupel 

Alcohol: 9.8%

Thoughts: I got one week left! Seriously? I am so happy to stop reviewing these beers and just drink them. But before I do that I am gonna get so good beers in. Here I have Ommegang's Three Philosophers. It is one of the most legendary beers in the American Craft Brew world. I here stuff about it all the time and it is always extremely positive. I thought it was about time I tried this big mother humper. It pours a purplish amber color with a full, broad head. It just looks thick and full. The aroma is full, rich and very complex. I got notes of vanilla, cherries, oak, sugar and a bit of yeast. The malts are a bit distant for my taste. Usually a quad has full flavored malts, but this one has muted malts. The taste is pure and solid though, an there is a richness to the malts that is not apparent in the smell. The notes are exactly the same as the aroma with the addition of the malts so I won't make another list of crap for you to sift through. The body is in the medium range and lifted up by the active carbonation. It's super-sweet but balanced a bit by the yeast's phenols. Overall, this is an above-average Quad. A damn fine American attempt at the style, but not comparative to the revered Belgian inspirations.

Rating: 86/100

Day 358: Green Gold

Name: Green Gold

Brewer: Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: 7%

Thoughts: Have you heard of Mikkeller? If you haven't then you need to recheck your thinking on beer. Mikkeller was founded in 2006 by home brewers Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller with the intention of "challenging the Danes’ taste buds with intense taste adventures." These guys don't have their own brewery. They travel around the world using other people's breweries, such as BrewDog, Three Floyd's, Stone and a number of other prestigious breweries around the world. A year or two ago Keller left the business because Mikkel wanted to get crazy with beer and Keller wanted to stay with the same stuff they had been doing. It was a sad moment in beer, but it has worked out just fine. Here we have their Green Gold! Probably their flagship brew. Despite being called gold, it pours a  cloudy deep copper, almost amber color with an outrageously fluffy tan head. It is a different look for an IPA. The nose was uniquely intense.  A pungent, spicy hop aroma with notes of pine, grapefruit are present as well as dark caramel and bready malts. A lot is happening in the nostril area and the palate gets similar tribute. There are hops all over the tongue and throat. Like the nose suggested, this one is bitter and there is also a leafy hop presence providing a "green" flavor in the beer. After the hops a brief caramel sweetness provides just a little bit of balance. The finish is big and bold and a load to handle. This was my first experience with Mikkeller and it is only the fringe of what they have already accomplished. I cannot wait to try even more of their brew. 

Rating: 87/100