The rundown. 20 awesome beers that I liked.

About a year ago I started a journey. Taste 200 different beers, there was no set time frame by the bar, but I had a personal goal of two years. I wrapped it up in under 1. They say taste, but my official motto became “I paid for it, it’s going in my body.” For better or worse I lived by that minus the occasional shared sip amongst friends or roommates. No matter how awful I thought the beer was.

Having said that the following list is based on my taste and that alone. I appreciated every beer I tasted, however I didn’t enjoy them all. That of course brings us to the good! In no particular order.

1. Chimay Grand Reserve – This guy has the blue label. It clocks in at 9% ABV and is plain delicious. A definite sipping beer you can really appreciate the sugar, subtle flavors and the alcohol present. It’s a true Trappist Ale, and goes extremely well with the Chimay cheese.
2. Dogfish Head Black and Blue – A 10% ABV Fruit ale it does a few things right. Balances high alcohol and fruit without tasting like cough syrup, I’m looking at you Kasteel Rogue but we will get back to that later. It’s a definite sipping beer again, it’s one to savor, beware the alcohol will sneak up on you.
3. Rogue Juniper Pale – When I started I hated hops. Seriously, they pissed me off. I had to drink with my nose pinched shut like I was taking robitussin. This one, helped change my opinion. Comes in a big bottle, you can share or be greedy and keep it to yourself. It’s light, refreshing, and a little hint of Christmas.
4. De Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere – Despite the ridiculous name and a price tag that almost matches the number of letters this one was a pleasant treat. Mine came wrapped in a green and yellow wrapper, I assume to keep light out to preserve the beer and held 750mL of peppery light summer awesome saison. Perfect for the hot days, and not too high on the ABV sitting at a comfortable 7.5%
5. Rogue Chatoe Dirtoir Black Lager – Here is a secret, I hate dark beers. Well, almost. I thought I would hate it. My description told me to expect licorice (really, who enjoys that?!) and some coffee amongst other flavors. I figured why not? Rogue hadn’t done me wrong yet. I’m glad I jumped in. This beer is made with hops and malt grown by Rogue themselves and honestly the beer shows the pride they have in everything they produce. It’s supposedly a one off brew, so find it and cherish it.
6. Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager – More fruit beer? Really? Can you even consider it a beer? You bet I can. Abita makes an awesome strawberry lager. The strawberry is very subtle, but delicious. Another lighter beer that people wait around for. Seriously, when the weather turns almost everyone I know gets excited because these 6 packs will be on store shelves.
7. Left Hand Sawtooth ESB – The ESB means extra special bitter. This was my third beer on the journey and I remember it being the first truly ‘different’ beer I had tried. I was expecting something literally bitter, and I didn’t have that at all. It was my first real experience on this trip with a hoppy beer.
8. Weihenstephaner Kristall – I love wheat beers. Really, I was disappointed that there were only 15 or so for me to try on the menu. It was the first time I realized that this challenge may be uh… challenging. This beer comes from the oldest operating brewery in the world. It’s a filtered wheat beer that is a bit lighter than your average wheat beer. My favorite part of this beer is the aftertaste. If you close your eyes it tastes like cream soda. Really, its a great beer.
9. Blanche De Bruxelles – Another light wheat beer. Perfect for a patio or back deck. Easy to get down, though you’ll want to make sure you get it on draft.
10. Monty Pythons Holy Grail – Wait. That’s the name to a movie. This is a beer list, right? Right, on both. It’s a novelty beer, but not like Billy Beer. This one is actually good. A nice dark ale, easily drinkable, though I couldn’t ever see myself drinking more than one at a time. Even after they reduced the bottle from a full 16oz pint to the standard 12oz, one is enough.
11. Boulevard Smokestack Sixth Glass – Part of the Smokestack series these beers come in 750mL bottles and are STRONG. This particular example is a quad, it’s inspired by Trappist ales this one is darker and a bit more well… acloholic. You can definitely taste all 10.5% of it. A good beer for a winter night, and split between some friends. Sip this one.
12. Fruli – This is a light fruit ale. It’s a strawberry wheat beer, and a world apart from the Abita listed above. You really can’t tell this is a beer, and it almost isn’t. It’s a lightweight clocking in at 4%, but its a beer, it’s delicious and you can bet someone that you know a beer they will like. You can’t lose with it.
13. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA – As I mentioned earlier, I was not a fan of the hops. That changed around halfway through. I could appreciate the flavor. At first I didn’t “love” it, but I would almost crave the taste. The 90 minute is a great example of a stronger IPA that knows balance. It’s a 9% full of alcohol, but it isn’t too much which is easy to do in the high gravity beers.
14. Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale – This beer isn’t for everyone. Stone mentions it right on the label. I’m almost not even sure it’s for me, but that’s the thing. Stone doesn’t care. They make what they want when they want, and if you want it good. If not, that’s okay too. It’s strong and makes no excuses. It’s different though, and that’s why it is on this list.
15. Kona Pipeline Porter – This beer tastes like coffee. Seriously. Slightly carbonated coffee. The funny thing is, I hate coffee more than I hate stouts and porters. For some reason though mix them together, and I love it. Terrapin’s Depth Charge, The Schflay Coffee Stout and Highland Black Mocha all are beer perfection, so close to each other I am only listing one. Try one of them, you won’t be disappointed.
16. North Coast Old Stock – Deceptively strong. You can’t tell it is a beefy 11.5% ABV but it is. Sip this beer and savor every second. It’s an Old Ale and the guys at North Coast have yet to pump out something I did not like.
17. Boulevard Smokestack Double Wide IPA – Another IPA? Man, I must be a hop head. Boulevard goes big on this one again, and it’s a real treat. Lots of hops. Lots of alcohol it’s probably one to share if you can find a buddy who enjoys beers like this. Otherwise your night may get very very interesting.
18. Victory Golden Monkey – At first I was drawn in by the price, about $5 a pint, it was in the Belgian section where beers can easily creep to $20 or hit $60 if you aren’t careful. I pretty much fell in love. Complex, light, fairly high in alcohol this honestly has to be one of my favorites. It helped me branch out from my norm and understand where other beers can go in flavors and style. The bottled versions are good, but really should be enjoyed on draft. Find this beer. You won’t hate it.
19. New Belgium Biere de Mars – New Belgium. The guys who like bikes and wind power, the ones who gave us Mothership Wit and Fat Tire went in a whole new direction here. Or at least for me. It’s a spicy dark beer and definitely one for the winter, or if you want you can drink in a deep freeze or turn your air conditioners up full blast. Great if you want something different.
20. Blue Moon – This is where it all started. Yes I know Coors brews it. I almost cried when I found out, this was one of the first beers I truly enjoyed. It’s filling, refreshing, delicious and no, I don’t need an orange. I waited until I had 50 different beers before I had one I knew I liked. I’m glad I did, and I can’t turn my back on it now. I think I will always like this brew.

And that wraps up the good. I have an official list of 202 different beers to pull from, I know I left out a lot that I enjoyed, but this is a standout list of 20. Stay tuned for the 20 most vile brews I encountered on my journey.