Monday, August 1, 2011

Walker's Top 100 Beers...So Far

After trying Stone's Imperial Russian Stout, I've tried one quarter of the Top 100 Beers in the world. Most have been fantastic. A few have not. So it's time for a quarterly wrap up of sorts. Here is how I would rank the 25 beers I have tried in the Top 100.

1. Deschutes' The Abyss - Still the champ in my book. An unbelievable beer that I plan on revisiting again in the very near future.

2: Westvleteren 12 - Rated #1 in the world by beeradvocate.com. I would really love another bottle of this one...for less than $40.

3: Founders' Kentucky Breakfast Stout - Coffee and beer can't go together any better than they do in this beer.

4: Russian River's Pliny the Younger - Slightly ahead of...

5: Russian River's Pliny the Elder - I never get tired of seeing this beer on tap.

6: Firestone Walker's Abacus - Words can't describe how good this beer tastes.

7: Surly's Abrasive Ale - My favorite IPA besides the Pliny family.

8: Russian River's Supplication - A fantastic sour. Not exactly a starter sour beer, but the best I've ever had.

9: Alesmith's Barrel Aged Speedway Stout - How more of Alesmith's beers aren't on the Top 100 list is beyond me. One of the best breweries in the country.

10: Ballast Point's Sculpin - I discovered this beer right before they made it a year round offering...thank God.

11. St Bernardus Abt. 12 - A close cousin to the Westvleteren 12. Very very similar, but not as tasty.

12. Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout - If you love bourbon, you'll love this beer fresh. Holy schnikies there's a lot of bourbon in this.

13: Russian River's Consecration - Another fantastic sour from Russian River.

14: Tröegs' Nugget Nectar - The most peach I've ever tasted in a beer. And that was a very good thing.

15: Bell's Hopslam - Seriously, Bell's deserves more spots in the Top 100.

16: Alpine's Exponential Hoppiness: I really, really need to get more of this beer.

17: Green Flash's Silva Stout - One of the best barrel aged stouts I've ever had.

18: Alpine's Bad Boy - Another great IPA in Alpine's lineup. Pretty much anything that Alpine adds hops to turns to gold in my book.

19: Trappistes Rochefort 10 - Another tasty quadrupel from Belgium. In my opinion, it's a little too high on the list, but it deserves its place in the Top 100.

20: Three Floyds' Dreadnaught IPA - I'm starting to think that I need to get my hands on some more IPAs from the midwest.

21: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier - The best wheat beer in my book.

22: Schneider Aventinus - I can see what the hype is about on this one. Pretty tasty.

23: Ayinger's Celebrator - I thought I didn't like dopplebocks...until I tried this one.

24: Alpine's Pure Hoppiness - Surprise! Another IPA from Alpine on the list.

25: Stone's Imperial Russian Stout - The last to be reviewed and, unfortunately, my least favorite of the bunch.

So far, I think nearly all of these beers (with the possible exception of Stone's Imperial Russian Stout and maybe Alpine's Pure Hoppiness) are worthy of their rank. That said, here are five beers that (in my opinion) should be on the list.

1: Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew - This is one of my all time favorite beers and one that is definitely Top 100 worthy.

2: Ballast Point's Victory at Sea: As far as getting the coffee flavor in beer perfectly, this and Kentucky Breakfast Stout are in a class of their own.

3: Great Lakes' Edmund Fitzgerald Porter: A fantastic, fantastic porter.

4: Bell's Expedition Stout: Apparently this beer isn't quite as good fresh as it is after it's been sitting a few years. Maybe that explains why it's not on the list.

5: Great Divide's Oak Aged Yeti - So delicious and, luckily, so available year round!

So that's my list. If and when I hit the halfway point, I'll be sure and update the list. Thanks for reading!

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