The Beer Tasting

Last fall, our family had its annual beer tasting. We've done this a few times now. My dad always runs the show, and the format changes each year. I recently came across my notes from last year's event, and I thought I'd share them with you.

Last year, there were 13 beers. With each beer, we were told the type of beer, and which percent of online voters liked the beer on a popular beer website. At the end, we had to guess how many were imports, which one was my dad's favorite, and the capital of Bolivia. (We do not question why this needed to be known.) In the end, we were told the exact names of the beers. Here's how it went, and the comments I made.

Beer #1:
-Type: Kolsch Ale, originated in Koln, Germany
-Approval Rating: 89%
-My Comments: Nice
-And the beer is...Goose Island

Beer #2:
-Type: American All-Malt Lager, deeper malt flavor, bitterness
-Approval Rating: 97%
-My Comments: Still good
-And the beer is...Bells Lager

Beer #3:
-Type: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB) Ale, low carbonation
-Approval Rating: 96%
-My Comments: Me likey!
-And the beer is...Left-Hand Brewery

Beer #4:
-Type: Spiced Beer (Vanilla Porter) Ale, can be almost anything
-Approval Rating: 86%
-My Comments: Sweet, but not too bad
-And the beer is...Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Beer #5:
-Type: American Porter Ale, malty, citrusy hops
-Approval Rating: 99%
-My Comments: Count me in the 1% (who don't like it), if you know what I mean
-And the beer is...Sierra Nevada

Beer #6:
-Type: Witbier
-Approval Rating: 94%
-My Comments: Not too bad, not too good
-And the beer is...Avery White Rascal

Beer #7:
-Type: American Amber Ale, balanced with toasted malt taste
-Approval Rating: 90%
-My Comments: Okay
-And the beer is...Black Dog Ale

Beer #8:
-Type: English Brown Ale, malty, sweet, low hops presence
-Approval Rating: 93%
-My Comments: I don't know how to feel
-And the beer is...Wolliver's Brown Ale

Beer #9:
-Type: Altbier Ale, smooth, balanced between hops and malt
-Approval Rating: 93%
-My Comments: Weirdy weird weird
-And the beer is...Otter Creek

Beer #10:
-Type: Rye Beer, made with rye, some bitterness
-Approval Rating: 99%
-My Comments: Really bad, I mean honestly, people!
-And the beer is...Red's Rye

Beer #11:
-Type: Oatmeal Stout Ale, oats added to mash for smoothness
-Approval Rating: 95%
-My Comments: A new low
-And the beer is...Goose Island

Beer #12:
-Type: Irish Dry Stout Ale, lower carbonation
-Approval Rating: 95%
-My Comments: Passable
-And the beer is...Guinness Extra Stout

Beer #13:
-Type: Schwarzbier Lager, smooth, tastes light, looks dark
-Approval Rating: 98%
-My Comments: I think it's okay; Really, when you think about it, it could be worse. But overall, in the grand scheme of things, what is beer anyway?
-And the beer is...Sam Adams Black Large


Now, on to the final questions.

How many imports?
I guessed 8. It turns out there was only one import.

Which is Steve's favorite?
I guessed #7, the Black Dog Ale. I can't remember the correct answer.

What is the capital of Bolivia?
My guess was "Olivia." Wow, I'm just a regular Bob Hope. Of course, I was wrong. There were two correct answers: Sucre and La Paz. Bill Austin got this one correctly, mainly by sending a text message to his son to look it up. This is why Bill is a top-notch businessman.

There were many awards in the end, although none as memorable as those given during the first beer tasting. In the first go-round, somebody who shall remain nameless received an award for giving a high rating to Natural Light (these are blind taste tests, after all), and my grandmother won an award for giving a high rating to a strong Guinness.

We learned a lot, we enjoyed each other's company, and we found out just how strange America's taste in beer is. Honestly, look at how many beers had an almost unanimous approval rating that turned out to be terrible. And that's how it goes, folks.