For me, 2011 was a fantastic year in beer. From homebrewing to festivals, bottle shares, brewery release events, pub crawls and just sharing a beer with friends and family, it’s certainly one to remember. After an in-depth look back, I’ve narrowed down from over the 500+ unique beers I’ve recorded tasting to my Top 10 of the year.
If you read my reviews you probably know that I normally review a seasonal beer in the season it is for, and I also evaluate it based upon this. There is nothing like good “summer beer” in the summer, or a warming dark beer in the winter. Given this, it may be surprising that I also enjoy drinking beers out of season – it is beer after all.
Three Floyds, the brewers of the famous Dark Lord Imperial Stout, have another yearly release that gets high marks – their Behemoth “Blonde” Barleywine. Shane and Nick take a look at the white-waxed 2011 vintage. Our curiosity got the best of us, as we venture into the “Blonde” Barleywine – a style neither of us recall having before.
When Port City Brewing Company first opened in Alexandria Virgina I paid them a visit and profiled them in this post. Now, nine months later, the brewery is continuing to grow at an astounding rate. This week Port City released their Tidings Ale, a strong Belgian blonde ale, which is made with local Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat, and is spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger and grains of paradise.
Recently as a group present for a friend, myself and some others put together a beer tasting. A beer tasting is easy to organize, and with a bit of thought can be a good way to experience new beers and some old favorites. Below are some tips for putting together a beer tasting for somebody other than yourself.
