Friday night: Legend Golden Ale and Victory Old Horizontal

Beer: Golden Ale
Brewer: Legend
Style: Pale Ale
Tasting notes: On draft @ Joe's Inns. A tiche sweet, w/ a funny finish. I wondered if the line was clean. Not much hop.
Rating: Poor. (This may be too harsh; but, I did not want any more.)

Beer: Old Horizontal
Brewer: Victory
Style: American Barleywine
Tasting notes: (5) 4.25 year-old bottle. Ditto. (4) 3.75 years before best before date, 1.25 or 2.25 years old. Caramel malt, some dark fruits, a sour/bitter hop bite at end. (Too) easy drinking - Old Aleish. (3) A fresh one I think. Much tamer. Some sweet malt and then some bitter hops. Hot alchohol. Needs more kick. (2) About 1.25 years old. Wonderful sweet malt up front - English barleywine style. Then a deep, bitter, slightly sour bite at end that lingers. All this with an alcohol blast. (1) A bottle dated about 9 months ago. Lots of malt and bitter hops. Finish has a sour and "hot" (alcohol?) taste. I think it will improve with age wonderfully.
Top 100: 29 December 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 03 April 2009.)
Rating: Recommended with qualifications

Top 100 = Best Beers on the Planet

The label, "Best Beers on the Planet", refers to beers ranked in the top 100 beers on the planet by reviewers at BeerAdvocate.com. I downloaded the list on 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007 and check the current list when I review a beer I know to be highly ranked. The lists for 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007 follow. I have tasted the beers followed by "Y" and have the beer followed by "C" in my cellar.

29 December 2005

1. Trappist Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) (Y)
2. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Y)
3. St. Bernardus Abt 12 (Y)
4. Dark Lord Imperial Stout
5. Trappistes Rochefort 10 (Y)
6. Storm King Stout (Y)
7. Trappist Westvleteren 8 (Blue Cap)
8. Founders Breakfast Stout (Y)
9. Dreadnaught IPA (Y)
10. Masala Mama India Pale Ale
11. Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru [Brasserie Des Rocs Grand Cru] (Y)
12. AleSmith Speedway Stout (Y)
13. Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock
14. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock (Y)
15. Double Bastard Ale (Y)
16. YuleSmith
17. Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout (Y)
18. Shakespeare Stout (Y)
19. Trappistes Rochefort 8 (Y)
20. Duvel (Y)
21. Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock
22. Chocolate Stout (Y)
23. Old Ruffian Barley Wine (Y)
24. J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Y)
25. Aventinus (Y)
26. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier (Y)
27. Stone Ruination IPA (Y)
28. Two Hearted Ale (Y)
29. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
30. Imperial Stout
31. Hop Rod Rye (Y)
32. AleSmith IPA (Y)
33. La Fin Du Monde (Y)
34. Bell's Expedition Stout (Y)
35. Stone IPA (India Pale Ale) (Y)
36. Cadillac Mtn. Stout
37. Perkuno's Hammer Imperial Porter (Y)
38. Pliny The Elder
39. Pliny The Younger
40. Wisconsin Belgian Red
41. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (Y)
42. La Folie Wood Aged Beer
43. Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel
44. Supplication
45. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Y)
46. Southampton Grand Cru (Y)
47. Big Bear Black Stout (Y)
48. Alpha King Pale Ale (Y)
49. Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe)
50. Hercules Double IPA (Y)
51. Abbaye Des Rocs [Brasserie Des Rocs Brune]
52. Yeti Imperial Stout (Y)
53. Arrogant Bastard Ale (Y)
54. Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison) (Y)
55. Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter
56. 90 Minute IPA (Y)
57. Bell's Batch 7000
58. Fuller's London Porter (Y)
59. St. Bernardus Tripel (Y)
60. Alaskan Smoked Porter
61. Trois Pistoles (Y)
62. Gumballhead (Y)
63. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout (Y)
64. Westmalle Trappist Tripel (Y)
65. HopDevil Ale (Y)
66. Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale (Y)
67. Sinebrychoff Porter (Y)
68. Ramstein Winter Wheat
69. Fantôme Saison (Y)
70. Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout (Y)
71. Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue / Blauw) (Y)
72. I2PA - Imperial India Pale Ale
73. Thomas Hooker Imperial Porter
74. Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (Y)
75. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale (Oaked Bastard) (Y)
76. Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale (Y)
77. Maudite (Y)
78. Titan IPA (Y)
79. Tripel Karmeliet
80. Okocim Porter
81. Old Horizontal (Y)
82. Celebration Ale (Y)
83. Allagash Tripel Reserve (Y)
84. Racer 5 India Pale Ale (Y)
85. Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
86. Great Lakes Blackout Stout
87. Weihenstephaner Korbinian (Y)
88. Fuller's Vintage Ale (C)
89. Insanity
90. World Wide Stout (C)
91. Obsidian Stout
92. Temptation (Y)
93. La Terrible
94. Smuttynose "Finest Kind" IPA (Y)
95. Cantillon Saint Lamvinus
96. St. Bernardus Prior 8 (C)
97. Thumbsucker
98. Traquair House Ale (Y)
99. Founders Red's Rye
100. Harvest Ale (Y)

10 March 2007

1. Trappist Westvleteren 12 (Y)
2. Dark Lord Imperial Stout
3. Trappist Westvleteren 8
4. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
5. Pliny The Younger
6. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Y)
7. Trappistes Rochefort 10 (Y)
8. Dreadnaught IPA (Y)
9. AleSmith Speedway Stout (Y)
10. Masala Mama India Pale Ale
11. Founders Breakfast Stout (Y)
12. Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock
13. Pliny The Elder
14. Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe)
15. St. Bernardus Abt 12 (Y)
16. Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel
17. The Abyss
18. Supplication
19. YuleSmith
20. Live Oak HefeWeizen
21. Storm King Stout (Y)
22. Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock
23. La Folie Wood Aged Beer
24. Wisconsin Belgian Red
25. Cantillon Saint Lamvinus
26. Bourbon County Stout (Y)
27. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock (Y)
28. Darkness
29. Beatification
30. Cadillac Mtn. Stout
31. Bell's HopSlam (Y)
32. AleSmith IPA (Y)
33. Double Bastard Ale (Y)
34. Temptation (Y)
35. St. Bernardus Abt 12 (60th Anniversary "Special Edition")
36. Old Ruffian Barley Wine (Y)
37. Bell's Batch 7000
38. Bell's Expedition Stout (Y)
39. Tröegs Nugget Nectar (Y)
40. Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale (Y)
41. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier (Y)
42. Trappistes Rochefort 8 (Y)
43. J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Y)
44. Imperial IPA
45. Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze (Y)
46. Southampton Grand Cru (Y)
47. Thumbsucker
48. Shakespeare Stout (Y)
49. Chocolate Stout (Y)
50. Two Hearted Ale (Y)
51. Kuhnhenn Fourth Dementia
52. Stone 10th Anniversary IPA
53. Kriek De Ranke
54. Reality Czeck
55. Hop Rod Rye (Y)
56. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
57. Imperial Stout
58. Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label (unfiltered) (Y)
59. Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout
60. Avec Les Bons Voeux (Y)
61. Yeti Imperial Stout (Y)
62. Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (Y)
63. Aventinus (Y)
64. Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout (Y)
65. Thomas Hooker Imperial Porter
66. Pure Hoppiness
67. Duvel (Y)
68. La Fin Du Monde (Y)
69. Abbaye Des Rocs [Brasserie Des Rocs Brune]
70. Stone Ruination IPA (Y)
71. Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout (Y)
72. Furious
73. Alpha King Pale Ale (Y)
74. Fantôme Saison D’Erezée - Été (Y)
75. Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter
76. Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel (Y)
77. Hercules Double IPA (Y)
78. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (Y)
79. Stone IPA (India Pale Ale) (Y)
80. Jadwiga
81. Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
82. Great Lakes Blackout Stout
83. Raspberry Tart
84. Allagash Interlude (Y)
85. Unearthly Imperial IPA (Y)
86. Fantôme Saison (Y)
87. Imperial Russian Stout
88. Obsidian Stout
89. Alaskan Smoked Porter
90. Southampton Saison (Y)
91. Fuller's London Porter (Y)
92. Okocim Porter
93. 90 Minute IPA (Y)
94. Guinness Special Export Stout (John Martin - Belgium)
95. Sinebrychoff Porter (Y)
96. Frank Double IPA
97. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale (Y)
98. St. Bernardus Tripel (Y)
99. Allagash Odyssey
100. St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

Friday night lights: Prima Pils, Loose Cannon, and Bigfoot.

Beer: Prima Pils
Brewer: Victory
Style: Pilsner
Tasting notes: (4) A bottle @ Tastebuds. A good pilsner: clean, crisp, and refreshing with a mild hoppiness. (3) Downgraded. May be age of bottle or that it followed a Weiphestephanhaurer Hefe. (2) The best Pils? (1) Clean, crisp and refreshing with a nice hoppiness and bitter aftertaste. A nice summer beer.
Comments: The highest rated German Pilsner on BeerAdvocate.com.
Rating: Recommended with qualifications. I am not generally a big fan of lagers.

Beer: Heavy Seas Loose Cannon
Brewer: Clipper City
Style: Double IPA
Tasting notes: A nice, balanced DIPA. Previous review.
Comments: BeerAdvocate now classifies the beer as an IPA. I think DIPA is more appropriate because of the nice malty sweetness that forms the backbone.
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale
Brewer: Sierra Nevada
Style: American Barleywine
Tasting notes: A fresh beer bottle in 2009. Delicious and (too?) smooth. Previous review.
Top 100: 29 December 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 30 January 2009.)
Rating: Top 10ish

Deux saisons: Hennepin and Bons Voeux

Beer: Hennepin

Brewer: Ommegang

Style: Saison

Tasting notes: (13) Another fine bottle. Light citrus, spice, and a tiche of sour funk. (12) Another fine bottle. (12) A bottle from Jose. Very nice and refreshing. Citric spice and a little funk. (11) Not as great as I remembered. A complex blend of flavors and spice and hop that did not blend well. (10) Orange rind and funk. (9) Another wonderful bottle. (8) Very nice. (7) A bottle @ Barnetts. (6) A bottle at Mekong. Spicy, light, dry, and funky. Very nice. (5) Light, fruity, delicious, and refreshing. (4) My recollection is that the last few bottles have varied. Some seem more spiced and sour and less funky. (3) Wonderful. (2) Light, fruity, delicious, and refreshing. (1) Funky. A great complement to a good meal.

Comments: A great value and a beer that accompanies a wide variety of food.

Dates on which reviewers at BeerAdvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (not 10 March 2007 or 8 March 2009).

Rating: Recommended without reservation

Beer: Avec Les Bons Voeux
Brewer: Dupont
Style: Saison
Tasting notes: (2) Complex mix of light aromatic flavors. I kept saying, "What is that flavor?" A bit more tart and funk than Hennepin. No spices detected. Very light given the ABV. (1) Great w Christmas turkey. Complex. Winey. Sour ending.

Comments: Saison Dupont is a classic beer. Bons Voeux is the winter seasonal.
Dates on which reviewers at BeerAdvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 10 March 2007 (not 29 December 2005 or 8 March 2009).
Rating: Highly recommended

Pilsner Urquell

Beer: Pilsner Urguell
Style: Pilsner
Tasting notes: (4) Slightly dry, and lightly hopped. (3) Bottle tasted "old". (2) A slightly dry, slightly hopped, pleasant quencher. (1) On tap in Denver. Nice with food.
Comments: Pilsner Urguell means Royal Pilsner. It is a classic Pilsner and is brewed in the town of Pizen in the Czech Republic. The brewer is Plzensky Prazdroj and is part of the SAB Miller family.
Rating: Good

Old Dominion Millennium

Beer: Millennium

Brewer: : Old Dominion

Style: English Barleywine

Tasting notes: (10) A two-year-old bottle. Lemony w/ hop bite when cold. An old ale as it warms? Easy drinking and pleasant but lacks punch and complexity. Downgraded from recommended w/out reservation. (9) A 1.5 -year old bottle. Malty with hint of pollen in the background. Finish is deep and sour. (8) An interesting mix of flavors: honey, sherry, floral hops, petals, pollen, bitter hops, and alcohol. (7) Sweet malt w/ a hint of VA honey. Less hops than an IPA. Easy drinking and pleasant. (6) A year-old bottle. Easy drinking w/ relatively subdued flavor, sort of a cross between an Old Ale and a Pale Ale on steroids. Little nose, Some musty, spicy hops, a hint of honey (and clover?). (5) Sweet and pleasant. (4) Dryer than I remembered with more of a bitter deep hop bite. Tastes like an Old Ale. (3) A one-year old bottle with cheesecake. Ages well. Malty with traces of VA honey and with a small bite at end. (2) Malty caramel with touches of honey and sherry. Alcohol and sherry begin to dominate as the beer warms. Not as big as SNBFBW. Would be great with or as dessert. (1) Too cold at first. First sip was like drinking liquid sugar. Very nice as it warms.

Comment: I think that the Old Dominion ceased production of Millenium after Anheuser-Busch acquired 49-51% of the company. The brewer's web site does not list the beer. I bought two six-packs shortly after the acquisition because I feared that AB would adversely affect the quality of the beers offered by the brewer.

Rating: Recommended with qualifications

Unibroue La Fin du Monde

Beer: La Fin du Monde
Brewer: Unibroue
Style: Tripel
Tasting notes: (2) Cloves, yeasty wheat, banana, white grapes, and alcohol breath. (1) Cloves, alcohol, and apples. Previous review.
Dates on which reviewers at BeerAdvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 1 January 2009.

Rating: Recommended without reservation.

Bell's Expedition Stout, Chimay Tripel, and Tröegs Nugget Nectar

Beer: Expedition Stout
Brewer: Bell's
Style: Imperial Stout
Tasting notes: A bottle from 1.5 years ago. Massive bittersweet chocolate and coffee w/ alcohol, and hops in background. Upgraded from recommended w/ qualifications. Previous review.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated the beer as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not on 30 January 2009.)
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Beer: Tripel
Brewer: Chimay
Style: Tripel
Tasting notes: (4) Orange zest and hop bite. More assertive and not a fruity as I remember. Downgraded rating from highly rated to without reservation. (3) Draft @ Belga Café. Wonderful. Funky, light, flavorful, cleansing, hoppy sour bite @ end. Upgraded rating from no reservation to highly rated. (2) A bottle @ Can Can. Very nice, I remember the draft as being fruitier and funkier. (1) A glass @ Daniel's rehearsal dinner. Wonderful, light, funky, w/ hoppy sour bite at end.
Comments: Chimay is one of six Trappists brewers in the world.
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Beer: Nugget Nectar
Brewer: Tröegs
Style: Red Ale
Tasting notes: (3) Ditto, A tiche too much pine and perfume. Downgraded rating. (2) Flavorful, hoppy, red ale w/ just a tiche of perfume. Upgraded rating from good to with reservation. (1) Better. No perfume. Previous review.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 1007, and 30 January 2009.
Comments: This is a well crafted beer whose flavor profile misses my mark.
Rating: Good

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Bass, Founders Breakfast Stout, Leffe Blonde, and Legend Brown Ale

Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: American Barleywine

Tasting notes: Yummy. Muted hops. Vanilla.

Previous reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4

Comments: It is a screamer when fresh and gets better with age.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 30 January 2009.)

Rating: Top 10ish

Beer: Pale Ale

Brewer: Bass

Style: English Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (2) Light, refreshing, and a tiche bland. (1) Easy drinking, light, lemon-fruity, spicy w/ touch of hops, and a slight sour twang. Would be an nice summer quencher.

Rating: Good

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Beer: Breakfast Stout

Brewer: Founders

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: A complex and well made beer but not my style.

Previous review

Dates on which reviewers at BeerAdvocate rated the beer as one of the top 100 on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 20 December 2008.

Rating: Good

Beer: Blonde

Brewer: Leffe

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (3) Blonde w/ clove. Something between a belgian pale ale, a hefe, and a wit. Doesn't hit the mark. (2) Yeasty and wheaty. (1) Balanced with many subtle flavors - a little sweet, thick mouthfeel, some orange. Easy drinking and pleasant.

Rating: Good

Beer: Brown Ale

Brewer: Legend

Style: Brown Ale

Tasting notes: (2) 2 pints recently @ Joe's Inn. Pleasant - a tiche of roasted sweet malt followed by a touch of bite. A decent option in restaurants. (1) A glass on tap on 14th. Reminded me of a stout w/ a weak body.

Rating: Average

Dinner @ Mekong

Brewer: Trappistes Rochefort

Beer: 10

Style: Quadruple

Tasting notes: (3) Complex and quaffable. Massive, dark, sweet malt, w/ dark fruits alcohol, and wonderful sourish bite at end. A malty Baltic Porter? (2) A complex assortment of tastes. A little sweet, some fruit, a little sour, and some spicy bite at end. (1) A complex medley of cream brulee, sweet belgian candy sugar, brown sugar, hops, sour, funk, orange, and dark fruit. Dangerously quaffable. Would be great with beef and sweet chutney. Better than Orval.

Comments: One of six Trappist brewers and the only one in Belgium.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 5 March 2009.

Rating: Top 10ish. The rating has varied but the last bottle pushed the beer back into my top 10ish list.

Brewer: Sierra Nevada
Beer: Celebration

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (4) A bottle @ Mekong. Well crafted but too much pine. (3) A year-old bottle. Some age has improved the taste. Some sweet malt and hops. Still a piney bitter aftertaste that is not my favorite. (2) A fresh bottle. Spicy hops. Too much pine. (1) Well crafted but too much pine.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (Not 10 March 2007 or 5 March 2009)

Previous review

Rating: Good. It is a well-crafted and highly-regarded beer but does not appeal to my tastes.

Dinner with small group

I shared four wonderful beers with good friends at a dinner with our small group. Mike T. was the primary partner in crime.

Brewer: Russian River
Beer: Temptation
Style: Wild Ale
Tasting notes:(3) Cellared by me for 15 months. Lemons and grapefruit and dry pale ale w/ oak. (2) Opened by mistake when looking for Fonteinen. A grapefruit cider? Great as an aperitif before Thanksgiving. When well with beginning of meal. (1) A smoother gueze? Lemony fruit, tart-sour, dry, with a backdrop of smokey oak. May rate 7/8. Emily LOVED it.
Comments: Temptation is a Blonde Ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. "Bret" makes the beer wild. It gives beer sharp, tart, acidic flavors.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 28 February 2009.
Rating: Highly Recommended

Brewer: Unibroue
Beer: Maudite
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
Tasting Notes: (5) A bottle cellared by me for over 2 years: Smoooth. Caramel malt, apple, and wheaty yeast. Aging mellows the flavor. (4) Malt, wheat, yeast, funk, and clove. (3) Apple, a tiche of pear, yeast, and a dry, spicy finish, A clove flavor emerged in the finish as the beer warmed. Paired well w/ apple and cheese plate. An easy drinker. 2) Malt, light fruits, citric spices, clove, and a touch of hops. The line is fuzzy. (1) Complex malty beginning with sour bitter bite at end. Finish reminded me of Sammy Smith Imperial Stout
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (Not 10 March 2007 or 28 February 2009)
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Brewer: Unibroue
Beer: Trois Pistoles
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Tasting notes: (5) Dark fruit and hop bite. (4) Winey (burgundy?), w/ tiche of cloves. (3) Sweet and pleasant malt when cold. Wheaty, yeasty flavor w/ a faint bite emerges as the beer warms. Best @ room temperature. (2) A bottle @ Edo Squid. Vinous, wheaty, Unibroue yeast, and a subtle bite at finish. Good w/ food, sipped, or gulped. (1) Smooth, pleasant mix of dark fruit taste with a touch of hops. Winey - a little thin and the head dissipates quickly. Good with food, alone, sipped or gulped.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (Not 10 March 2007 or 28 February 2009)
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Brewer: Alesmith
Beer: Speedway Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
Tasting notes: A bottle aged in my cellar for 10 months. Chocolate and coffee and alcohol and cocoa (and cherry?). Complex, big, sippable and gulpable.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 28 February 2009.
Rating: Highly recommended. Placed in top 10ish list initially and downgraded after a few days. I didn't dream about drinking this beer again.

Current Top 10ish List

My Top 10ish List now contains 13 beers.

Additions since last list: De Stolle Stille Nacht, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, and Trappistes Rochefort 10

Deletions since last list: Bell's Expedition Stout

Beer: 10
Brewer: Trappistes Rochefort
Style: Quadruple
Previous review
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Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale
Brewer: Sierra Nevada
Style: American Barleywine
Previous reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4
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Beer: “Finest Kind” IPA

Brewer: Smuttynose

Style: IPA

Previous review

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not on10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009.)

Beer: Gueuze 1882 Black Label
Brewer: Girardin
Style: Gueuze
Tasting notes: (3) A bottle purchased about 2 years ago. Tart, complex, funky. Less lemon than I remember. Almost quaffable. Still the best. (2) Lemon, vinegar, and apple cider. Each sip causes salivation. (1) Sour and tart but doesn't take away your breath. Sort of a fizzy lemon cider.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009. (Not on 29 December 2005.)
Comments: May be my favorite of all.

Beer: Gueuze
Brewer: Cantillon
Style: Gueuze
Tasting notes: Tart and funky.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009. (Not on 29 December 2005.)
Comments: May be my all-time favorite but I'll wait till I taste Giradin again.

Beer: Harvest Ale aged in Calvados Cask (Calvados is French Apple Brandy.)

Brewer: J.W. Lees

Style: English Barleywine

Previous reviews: 1, 2.

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Beer: Hefeweissbier

Brewer: Weihenstephaner

Style: Hefe Weizen

Tasting notes: (6) Fruity w/ lemon up front and cloves and pepper at finish. Flavorful, quaffable, and light. Less banana than I remembered. (5) Last of a 6er. Sorry to see it go. (4) Upgraded from highly recommended. Light yet flavorful. The PERFECT summer beer? (3) Still great. (2) 2 330-ml bottles from VWB. Great. Refreshing and flavorful. Terrific with lemon-pepper fish. (1) Cloves and banana from the oldest brewery in the world. A light and tasty complement to a summertime dinner al fresco.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009.

Beer: 120 Minute IPA

Brewer: Dogfish Head

Style: Double IPA

Tasting Notes: A BIG english barleywine. Sweet raisin mash w/ bitter hops fighting to emerge followed by big alcohol blast. A 2+ hr. sipper.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not on 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007 or 8 February 2009.

Beer: Saison Deluxe

Brewer: Southampton

Style: Saison

Tasting Notes: (5) Second and last bottle purchased two years ago. Wonderful, citrus, spicy. Downgraded from my favorite. Didn't make me go WOW. May have been because I was rushed or that the beer followed a Golden Ale. (4) A bottle purchased one year ago. A delight. Massive head, wonderful effervescence, complex citrus and apple flavors with some sour funk and a nice touch of hops. May be better w/ yeast: orange flavor comes forward and the hops recede. Upgraded to my favorite. (2) Another bottle @ Mekong. I love this beer. Tingly effervescence, tangy spiciness, citrus flavor, balanced dryness with a touch of sour. (1) A bottle @ Mekong. Massive head. Lovely straw-orange color. Taste is light and dry, with citrus, lemon rind, apple, complex spiciness, and a touch of funk. Eminently quaffable, quenching, and clearing. May be my all-time favorite.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not on 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, or 8 February 2009.

Beer: Sanctification

Brewer: Russian River

Style: American Wild Ale

Tasting notes: (2) Very nice. Lemony, sour, funky Belgian Pale Ale. Upgraded from Recommended w/ qualifications to highly recommended. Then upgraded to top 10ish list a few days later. I could not get the taste out of my mind. (1) Wow. Sour pale ale? Different and refreshing and gueze-like.

Beer: Stille Nacht

Brewer: De Dolle

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Previous review

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not on 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, or 8 February 2009.

Comments: I want to buy more and age it longer. Stille Nacht is the brewer's Christmas beer.

Beer: Vigneronee
Brewer: Cantillon
Style: Fruit Lambic
Tasting notes: A slightly tamer(?) version of Girardin Gueuze. May be better?
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not 10 on 29 December 2005, March 2007 or 8 February 2009.
Comments: The brewer soaks Muscat grapes in lambic beer to make Vigneronee.

Beer: Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewer: Great Divide
Style: Imperial Stout
Tasting notes: A "fresh" bottle. Chocolate filled the air upon pour. Chocolate taste, followed by more chocolate. As the beer warmed the taste when from sweet to bittersweet chocolate and bitter piney hop finish emerged. Went gr8 w/ fudgie brownie and french vanilla ice cream.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 25 November 2008

Vertical of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, 2005 v. 2009

I enjoyed a vertical tasting of two vintages of Sierra Nevada's Barleywine. My conclusion is that the beer is great beer that improves w/ age.

Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: American Barleywine

Tasting notes for 2005 vintage: (4) Yummy. Muted hops. Vanilla. Moved into my top 10ish list. (3) Yummy. An English barleywine with a little too much pine kick at end. If not the extra pine, I would think about including the beer in my top 10ish list. (2) A 2005 tasted great in 2006. (1) My first rating was "An occasional delight".

Tasting notes for 2009 vintage: Loads of hops and a strong bitter hop bite at end. Delicious and smoother than I remember. Have my tastes changed or is the year's version a little tamer?

Date on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 30 January 2009.)

Rating: Top 10ish. The 2005 was better.

Props to Williamsburg Alewerks: A brewery is a sanitation business that dabbles in brewing beer

I had a wonderful exchange of emails with Charles Haines of Williamsburg Alewerks. I wrote to notify him that a bottle of his Washington's Porter had an off, sour, acidic flavor. He replied that the beer was bottled in July and was unstable and he graciously offered to reimburse me for the bottle. I then asked how a retailer could sell a beer that was "out of code". His reply is educational.

"Very few microbreweries either microfilter, sterile filter or pasteurize their beer. Most microbreweries do filter (remove residual yeast) from some of their beers. Wheats, big beers that are cellared and some other styles are usually not filtered at all. We do not filter our Tavern Ale, Porter, Wheat and any of our big beers.

"It has beer said that a brewery is a sanitation business that dabbles in brewing beer. There is a lot of truth in that. Each brew is a challenge, and some brews are cleaner than others. Generally speaking, microbreweries figure their beer is good for three months. If it is really clean, it will last a year plus, maybe not taste fresh, but not be infected at all. If the beer has some alcohol in it (8% ABV or more) it will last longer. Same thing for hops as both alcohol and hops are preservatives.

"Generally speaking, the wholesaler is going to sell it if he has it in the warehouse, same thing for the retailer if he has it on the shelf. If have no problem taking back beer that is kind of in the cycle, particularly if I think the batch was not going to last much beyond three month (that is the case of porter #27, I will swap out the remaining Corks & Kegs six-packs). When I find beer in the wholesalers warehouse that is five months old, or has been on the retailers shelf for a year, I do not think it should be my problem. It is however my beer, so I would rather buy it back than have it sold."

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Beer: Oatmeal Stout

Brewer: Samuel Smith

Style: Oatmeal Stout

Tasting notes: (3) Ditto, although now I would lean to recommended w/ qualifications. I think that I seek a "bigger" flavor. (2) Wonderful English stout. Flavorful and understated. Smooth and buttery. May rate recommended highly. (1) Don’t know whether to sip it or to gulp it.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated the beer as on of the top 100 on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not on 29 10 March 1007 and 02 February 2009.)

Rating: Recommended without reservation.

Tröegs Nugget Nectar

Beer: Nugget Nectar

Brewer: Tröegs

Style: Red Ale

Tasting notes: (2) I figured out what I don't like about the beer - perfumey hops. (1) An imperial red? A red IPA? Roasty malt and floral hops. Recommended with qualifications.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 1007, and 30 January 2009.

Rating: Good

Another 2-Beer Night

Beer: Weisse

Brewer: Scheidner

Style: Hefeweizen

Tasting notes: (2) Lemony and wheaty w/ a small hole in the flavor. (1) Pleasant darker hefe. Very subdued and smooth.

Rating: Good

Beer: Expedition Stout

Brewer: Bell's

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: (8) Another disappointment. Nice chocolate smell at first. Then a taste like cardboard soaked in soy sauce appears. Both disappointments were brewed on 1 Feb 2007. Perhaps the batch is bad? Removed from my top-10ish list. (7) A disappointment. Unsalted soy flavor and hot. Oxidation? No longer a favorite. (6) Malty mix of milk and bittersweet chocolate Alcohol peeked out. Went great w/ chocolate dessert and was a delightful after-dinner sipper. Back to being a favorite. (5) Big malt with touch of chocolate and a long bitter hop finish. Back to a top10ish beer but not a favorite. (4) A 2006-07 bottle. Yummy!!!. Charcoal milkshake with coffee and hops. Alcohol is present but subdued. One of my absolute favorite beers. (3) 2007-08 bottle. When cold a charcoal milkshake. Then a little hot. With more warming a sour/bitter hop bite at finish emerged. Emily described it as rich". I suspect it will be fantastic with some age. In my Top-10ish list. Would be one of may favorite beers except it is too hot. (2) Yummy - THICK, dark malt, dark fruit, charcoal, burnt chocolate, and a little alcohol burn. The perfect stout? (1) Black as old motor oil and twice as thick.

Comments: My rating for this beer has traditionally bounced between one of my all-time favorites and being in my top-10ish list. Two consecutive disappointments have led to a severe downgrade in the rating.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated the beer as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not on 30 January 2009.)

Rating: Recommended with qualification.

Sierra Nevada Night

Beer: ESB

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: ESB

Tasting notes: (2) Very nice. Easy drinking and flavorful w/ a nice bitters finish. (1) Very English for Sierra Nevada. Understated, tasty and too quaffable. Sweet malt followed by dry bitters. Went great w/ burger topped w/ maple smoked bacon. Quaffability increased the rating.

Comments: I liked the 1st bottle I had that I looked for the beer in Kroger. I bought a case for $14.49 + tax. A great value @ $1.25/bottle. Sierra Nevada releases ESB once a year in the early spring. I have now had two super-super fresh bottles before February.

Rating: Recommended without resesrvation

Beer Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, 2009

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style American Barleywine

Tasting notes: Loads of hops and a strong bitter hop bite at end. Delicious and smoother than I remember. Have my tastes changed or is the year's version a little tamer?

Comments: Sierra Nevada releases Bigfoot once a year in the winter. This bottle is super fresh.

Date on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 Decemember 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 30 January 2009.)

Recommendation: Top 10ish. Bigfoot joins the Top-10ish club. Previous years are highly recommended.

Sierra Nevada ESB (Early Spring Beer)

Beer: ESB (Early Spring Beer)

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style ESB

Tasting notes: This beer has an understated tastiness that is very English for Sierra Nevada. The flavor starts w/ a little sweet malt and ends w/ dry bitters. The beer went great w/ burger topped w/ maple smoked bacon. It goes beyond quaffable into gulpable. Its drinkability and tastiness for such a "small" beer increased its rating slightly. It would be a wonderful session beer. Perhaps freshness matters - I am drinking a 2009 Early Spring Beer in January.

Comments: Sierra Nevada uses ESB cleverly. ESB usually means Extra Strong Bitter or Extra Special Bitter. The brewery takes the same initials to refer to their early spring beer. Bitter is a classic brew in English pubs - a bit more hops and bite than mild ales. ESB is a little more of what makes Bitter bitter.

Rating: Recommended without reservation

Clipper City Heavy Seas Loose Cannon

Beer: Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale

Brewer: Clipper City

Style: Double IPA

Tasting notes: (3) Aromatic hops dominates the palate. Very low bitterness given the hop load. Went great w/ spicy tortillo soup. (2) More hops and less sweet than I remembered. A nice bitter hop bite. (1) I would describe the beer as an IPA with a touch of sweet and was surprised to see it classified as a DIPA. Hops were present and nice but not overbearing. Maybe I'm becoming immune to them.

Comments: Hop3 Ale uses over 3 pounds of hops per barrel and is hopped 3 ways - in the kettle, in the hop back, and dry hopped. Heavy Seas is the line of BIG beers from Clipper City, many of which are seasonal. Clipper City is located in Baltimore, MD.

Rating: Recommended without qualifications