Top 25 Beers on the Planet

I finally got a chance to open my Beer Advocate magazine from December and read it. It covers the top 25 beers in different categories as chosen by BA.

The top 25 beers on the planet was the first list. (The ones that made us drool, quiver, trade and go broke in 2007). Nice to see Live Oak HefeWeizen make the list at #14.

In the top 25 American Beers List, Live Oak HefeWeizen took the ten spot, and Saint Arnold's took #25 with it's Divine Reserve #5.

Happy New Year

A Year of Beer

I spent this Christmas in Dallas with my family, one of my gifts to my Dad was a selection of 80 different styles of beer, including over 100 different bottles of beer. These are beers I have tasted, collected, etc over the past year. Below is the list he will get to sample from all year.

US: Boston

Sam Adams Honey Porter

Sam Adams Brown Ale

Sam Adams Scotch Ale

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Sam Adams Black Lager

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner **

US: Colorado

Left Handed Brewing Company

LH Blackjack Porter

LH Sawtooth Pale Ale

LH American Pale Ale

LH Milk Stout

Breckenridge Brewing

Extra ESB Small Batch #471**

Double Hopped IPA Small Batch #471**

Christmas Ale *

Oatmeal Stout

Flying Dog Brewery

Oktoberfest*

Double Pale Ale

TommyKnocker Cocoa Porter*

US: Louisiana

Abita Pecan Ale

Abita Restoration Ale

Jockamo IPA

Abita Christmas Ale *

Heiner Brau Marzen (Microbrew)

Dixie Lager

Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager

US:Minnesota

Surly Beer

US: Oregon

Widmer Snow Plow *

Widmer Oktoberfest *

US: Washington

Pyramid Snow Cap*

US: Texas

St. Arnolds Brewing, Houston

Christmas Ale*

Oktoberfest*

Shiner Brewing, Shiner

Bavarian Amber 98*

Dunkelweizen

San Antonio, Pete’s Wicked Ale

Rally Cap Ale

Austin, Independence Brewing

Sisyphus 2007 Barleywine**

US: Delaware

Dog Fish Raison D etre

US: New York

JW Dundee Pale Ale

JW Dundee Amber Lager

JW Dundee Pale Bock

US:Unknown

Duff Beer***

Czech Republic

Velvet***

B.B. Burgerbrau

Zatec

Pilsner Urquell

Slovak Republic

Zlaty Blazant

Vietnam

Hue Beer

Germany

Ayinger Brau Weisse

Ayinger Ur-Weisse

Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen*

Ayinger Celebrator

Flensburger Gold Lager

Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest*

Belgium

Blanche De Bruxelles

Chimay Red (Trappists)

Chimay White Cinq Cents (Trappists)

Chimay Blue Grand Reserve (Trappists)

Orval (Trappists)**

Corsendonk (Trappists)**

Pavel Kwak

Tripel Karmeliet

Hoegaarden Wit

Stella Artois

India

Taj Mahal

United Kingdom

Fuller ESB

Fuller Limited Ale 2007 ***

Banana Nut Bread Ale

Monty Python Holy Grail Pale Ale*

Holland

Windmill

Russia

Baltika 7

Ireland

Smithwicks

* Seasonal

**Uncommon

***Rare or Limited Edition

A Blend of Belgian Ales

In addition to tasting a few ales, we will be creating our first attempt at a salad dressing made from a Framboise Beer. Start with a saute of onion and garlic, deglaze with the Framboise beer, salt,sugar, rice and white vinegar. Mixed green salad, purple onion, feta cheese and walnuts. Good salad, needs more beer in dressing for a stronger raspberry flavor.

Tasting notes: Of course raspberry from nose to close. Cloudy cranberry hue, great after dinner drink.




Duchese De Bourgogne, A Belgian Red Ale.
6%ABV. Deep reddish or Merlot colors. Apple or fruit cider on the nose. Tart apple flavors are the first notes with a pucker or tart finish.

This ale was named after Mary of Burgundy, born 1457 in Brussels, daughter of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold. France and Belgium were one country at that time. Barbara, Marie and Chantal enjoyed this ale.





St. Bernardus Pior 8
Dubbel Ale
Caramel orange in color, sweet malt taste and smooth finish.
Bottle label: "Bringing Heavenly Nectar to Earth"


Koningshoeven Quadrupel Ale (No Photos)
Ale from the Holland Abbey founded 1884. Yeast strain used is unique to this Abbey.

Mom's bottle tree

My mother has created many bottle trees, but this has to be the coolest so far. It was created using two existing Bois D Arc trees, rebar, lights and various bottles. Thanks to Max and Molly for posing. If you want to see some of Barbara's mosaic work, check out www.mollage.com

Pabst blue ribbon?

Funny email my wife sent me. It took me six years to get through gyna college, we usually drank bud light.

Beers from Louisiana

More notes and photos coming soon.
Heiner Brau Marzen











Abita Restoration Ale











Abita Jockamo IPA











Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager

Beer Christmas Trees

My neighbor sent me this photo in an email of a cool bottle tree. It reminded me of the beer can pyramids my brother and I used to build at the Czech Club when we were kids. I figured there had to be more pictures to find, so here they are so far. I did not build any of these or take these pictures, just stole them from the internet.

Enjoy!!

Celebrate the Repeal of Prohibition

The 18th Amendment was ratified January 16th 1919.
Prohibition took effect 1 year later in 1920.
Bootleggers and the Speak Easy become the norm.
The 21st Amendment was ratified in 1932.
Prohibition was lifted in 1932.
Lots of people got drunk.


Celebrate the repeal today, I will.

Happy repeal day!!