2008 will by default always be my best year in beer, being that it was the first year that I fully dove into the madness of craft beer obsession. I sampled an insane amount of amazing beer this year for the first time — making my way through all of the Belgian Trappist beers, sampling examples of West Coast IPAs, battling against various gigantic Stouts and Barleywines, and learning the subtle pleasures of German Lagers, amongst others. I also toured the local beer circuit numerous times, started homebrewing, traded beer with other enthusiasts, and visited my first breweries. All in all, I have been amazed by the generosity and enthusiasm of the beer community at large, from fans, to brewers, to importers, to retail workers, and beyond. This post will recap some of my favorite beers from the year, some of my favorite events, and will give anyone new to the blog a chance to check out some of my favorite posts.
My craft beer journey began with a healthy hop obsession. Here are five IPA that I wrote about, and five that I didn’t:
Green Flash West Coast IPA -The first beer I wrote about, one that really got me going. An intense bomb of an IPA in session beer clothing. Green Flash is one of my top breweries of 2008 and is one of the most consistent representatives of the amazing San Diego movement that really lets the hops flow.
Ithaca Flower Power IPA -The beer that I think about when I hear clueless west coast bloggers say that “there are no good east coast IPAs” or “when will east coast IPAs match up with west coast examples?” Flower Power is transcendent on tap, amazingly sessionable in bottles, and well, it’s just fucking great. We get it fresh and it kicks our asses.
Mikkeller Stateside IPA – One of the first beers that I grabbed based on how it looked, even though I had never heard of it. I thought, “whoah, beer from Denmark, awesome.” And it turned out to be a winner. A delicious European take on an IPA, the concept of which proves the complexity of the craft beer industry and makes the “is beer as deep as wine” debate seem completely ridiculous.
Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA – One of the best breweries in the country right now with one of the most delicious examples of a wet hop beer I’ve had. The freshest hops in one of the brightest, most drinkable floral IPAs I’ve had, ever. And that’s almost a year’s worth of experience talking…sorry, I can’t keep that up.
Bell’s Hopslam – I chased this beer like a madman, and it was worth it. I finally ended up with it in a serendipitous manner, as an “extra” in a beer trade. I was not disappointed at all — I shared it with a good friend, and it lived up to both of our expectations. Honey, bitterness, sweetness. Wow.
Five beers I didn’t review but fucking ruled:
Russian River Blind Pig & Pliny the Elder – Believe the hype, enough said.
Bear Republic Racer 5 – One of the first West Coast IPAs I ever heavily sessioned — very memorable. Crisp and delicious.
Victory Yakima Twilight – A tiny cup of this from a cask at Bierkraft was enough to put it near the top of my list. Very generous bitterness and incredible hop character flavor and aroma wise as well.
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid – One of my first IPA holy grails that I drank out on the west coast first but have since had the pleasure of drinking on tap and from growlers a couple times since. Seriously, it’s Stoopid.
I began my stupid blog by saying I didn’t like lagers, and I ended saying I wish I drank more. I really have an affinity for Bocks and Doppelbocks, and the goat phenomenon on the blog has been duly noted. Namely Ayinger Celebrator, which is pretty much completely lifechanging. But there’s also Sierra Nevada Double Debockel and Smuttynose S’Muttonator Doppelbock, which both bring their own new world perspectives. Embrace them and drink them often.
Sour, “funky,” or “wild” brews made a big splash this year, and I was lucky enough to sample some of the best examples around. Here’s a list of them, in list form:
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca -Probably in my top 3 favorite beers for the year. Extremely drinkable “infected” Wheat Beer from one of my favorite breweries and the shining star of Michigan’s amazing brewing scene. Everything from them is spectacular, and there’s always something special about an interesting beer that you could drink a lot of. Superb.
New Glarus Unplugged Berliner Weiss – When I started trading beer, New Glarus was at the top of the list of breweries I needed to get my hands on. I wasn’t disappointed by their more popular Raspberry Tart of Belgian Red beers, but this specific “ungplugged” beer really struck a chord with me — also a very sessionable sour beer. Beautifully complex and acidic, and very wine-like. I hope this comes back next time around.
Hanssens Mead The Gueuze – Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklym has become one of the holy beer grails of the entire city, and for good reason. One night I went there to drink Cantillon and ended up drinking a lot of Hannssens instead. An amazing blender of lambics and gueuezes, Hannsens made this specific gueuze with mead, which was an inspired choice — the deep, musty flavors from the honey complimented the over the top sourness and acidity of the gueueze with which it was mixed. Any Hannsens is worth drinking, but this is my current favorite.
Russian River Beatification – Russian River is just completely unstoppable. One brewery having the top entries for me in both the IPA and Sour Beer category is just fucking ridiculous. Vinnie, you’re killing me.
Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton – I didn’t write this beer up fully, but I wrote about going to the brewery for its release, which was a great time. Opened another 750ml bottle of this recently and was very impressed by it’s grapey complexity. A lot of different flavors and aromas going on, like a tamer Beatification with a bit more bright acidity. Excellent, local, and another example of a brewery that can master both Sour beers and other, maltier or hoppier styles.
The following beers were inducted into the BDB “Life is Beautiful” Hall of Fame: Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock, Russian River Damnation, ’t Gaverhopke Extra, Three Floyd’s Alpha King, Three Floyd’s Gumballhead, Orval Trappist Ale, De Dolle Stille Nacht, Rochefort 10. Read about them, drink them, live them.
We attended many events this year. Spuyten Duyvil, The Gate, and Blind Tiger have taken the show with their amazing dedication to breweries, regional beers, and beer styles, which are all showcased at various times at these fine establishments. Even though New York City gets an amazing amount of beer, it’s always a treat when something special comes in — and these places love to share.
To wrap it up, I have a few 2009 Beer Year Resolutions — brew more, drink more, and visit the west coast on a full beer trip. Until next time, thanks for reading.
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