Yesterday I wrote about the progress I have made towards achieving the 105 goals I set for myself on January 1st of this year. The terms specify that I must accomplish everything by October 28th, 2010, or 1,001 days from when I started. Without a doubt, my favorite goal stipulates that I must consume five new beers every month. I like that way more than trying new foods, or drinking 50 ounces of water every day. Admittedly, I began at a disadvantage because I’ve already tried so many great beers over the course of my life. Yet to this point I’ve consumed 60 new beers. That’s an average of six-and-two-thirds beers per months over the first nine months of my plan, only counting new beers. God knows how many total beers have been consumed over the last nine months. And not only have I made my goal every month, I’ve gone almost an entire beer beyond my goal! At this rate, I’ll have finished the 190-beer challenge in a little over a year. Throw in a few more nights of boozing at the Gingerman in New York, or new taps at Pure Luck here in LA, and that number might be reached by this time next year. Awesome.

So, yesterday I promised that I would review all of the beers I’ve consumed so far. This is actually quite easy, as I rate them all at www.ratebeer.com, so I won’t be grasping at straws trying to remember how the lacing was on a beer I drank on some forgotten drunk night in March. Thanks a lot, Internet! You do such a good job keeping me informed of what I’ve gotten drunk on, and whether or not it tasted good!

Let’s get to work!

01. AleSmith Nautical Nut Brown Ale – This was one of the three best beers I’ve consumed this year, if not the best. They had it on tap at Pure Luck when my sister was in town, and I had at least two pints of this brew (maybe three?) when I should have limited myself to one so that I could try something else new. Oh well. Pours a nice translucent brown with a tiny off-white head. Aroma is full of nuts. Flavor is nuts, caramel and malts. A minuscule bitter finish. “I could drink this for ages.”

02. Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout – Nicci surprised me with this a few weeks ago. I was surprised I’d never tried it before, but I’ve seen it at beer marts quite frequently. It’s a highly-rated stout, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. I wanted something fuller-bodied and creamier, and this didn’t deliver. Poured black with a tan head, very sweet aroma (chocolate) and taste. Flavor of chocolate and roasted malts. Recommended, but by no means revelatory.

03. Angel City Ale – A lot of people hate eating at California Pizza Kitchen, but I like it. I especially like how the restaurants out here usually offer one local brew on tap, and it differs from location to location. I drank Angel City Ale at the Hollywood/Highland location during a dinner date with Sari. I wasn’t a fan. Reddish, tan color with a little white head that disappeared quickly. The flavor was “quite bland,” malty but not that savory. Aroma was equally bland.

04. Avery Old Jubilation Ale – Served cold from 12 oz. bottle. “Pours a dark reddish brown with a nice tan-colored head. The aroma includes malts, but anything other than that I couldn’t quite discern. The flavor is wonderful upon first taste, but the aftertaste is a little dry and bitter. It’s a fine beer, but not exemplary.”

05. Avery White Rascal – Sometimes the wine store next to my work stocks some good beers. I was not impressed by this Witbier, but my palate is a bit particular, and many Belgian styles I find to be distasteful. The few that I do like…man, they’re good. This one was served cold from a 12 oz. bottle. It poured light yellow/gold with a white head. Some lacing. The aroma was floral and citrus-y. The taste left something to be desired. Smooth, but just not flavorful enough for me to really enjoy it.

06. Bayhawk Chocolate Porter – Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. Pours ruby brown with a medium tan-colored head. The aroma was almost without chocolate, but with a good amount of roasted malts. Sweet tasting, with a weird blend of sweet/bitter that somehow didn’t taste right. It’s not downright bad, but it’s just flavorless and not interesting. Where’s the chocolate in this chocolate porter?

07. Beer Valley Black Flag Imperial Stout – This is a beer that I accidentally drank twice (and at $9.99 per bottle, that’s a costly mistake), most recently last night. Whoops. The first time, I wrote, “Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. Pours jet black with a light brown head. Smells deeply of roasted malts and chocolate. The taste is alcohol, coffee, and chocolate. Very good, rich, thick and creamy stout. I recommend.” Last night’s bottle tasted a little more bitter than I remembered, but it was still very good.

08. Belmont Strawberry Blonde – I only bought this because the sign at BevMo said it was brewed in Gilroy. Unfortunately, I soon found out it’s brewed in Long Beach. And it sucks! Pours a simple gold, slightly pale, with a large white head and an aroma of strawberries. It’s mostly tasteless. A non-beer drinker might enjoy it.

09. Bitburger Premium Pils – Mark’s birthday dinner at Red Lion included two pints of this one and two pints of Erdinger. Again, I should’ve expanded my choices but I think I’d already consumed my five beers for whatever month that was. Average tasting, mundane looking, very easy to drink a lot of. “It’s not a bad option if it’s the only option.”

10. Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale – Remember when we were eighteen and Blue Moon tasted so good? Podcast Jack remembers. He bought a six-pack of this and another Blue Moon beer over to my house in May, and we drank ‘em up right. It’s sweeter than Belgian White, malty, with barely noticeable (but present) hops. Very drinkable, average beer.

11. Blue Moon Rising Moon Spring Ale – “At the check-out counter my friend said to the cashier, ‘I hope this doesn’t taste like crap.’ We tried everything we could think of to make it taste better, including the addition of even more lime, but nothing could save this brew. It was bad.”

12. Mateveza – Ilya’s favorite beer. Jesus. I’ve only reviewed 11 so far? Fuck, I’m going to have to start moving more quickly. “Served cold from bottle. It poured gold, maybe a hint of orange in it, with a thin white head that left some lacing. The smell was very earthy with some hop presence. The taste was interesting, and the maté is definitely palatable. I couldn’t drink it regularly.”

13. Captain Lawrence Brown Bird Brown Ale – On tap at the Ginger Man, NYC. Pours clear brown with a small off-white head. Aroma was nuts and malts. The flavor was good, it started nutty and then became sweet. Very good drinking beer, and I found it to be enjoyable.

14. Craftsman .5 IPA – Served cold from tap at Pure Luck in LA. It looked like a macro, like a Pabst or Bud or something. Slightly unappealing at first, but the flavor was decent. Good hops. No lacing. Good medium bodied beer.

15. Craftsman Oktoberfest – Served cold from tap at Pure Luck in LA. Good appearance and creamy head, amber in color. Malty flavor, good mouthfeel. Would drink again.

16. Craftsman Single – I can’t find any info on this one. I might have the name wrong.

17. Dogfish Head Black And Blue – Ian had a bottle of this at his apartment, which I think we drank after the Yankee game. I thought it was a fine beer. The color wasn’t exactly “deep purple” with a “pink head”, but more amber with an off-white head. Good lacing. The aroma was hugely infused with berries, and I thought I smelled some apple too, but I might be retarded. The taste reflected the aroma. It reminded me of Festina Lente. Malty and fruity and just a great overall beer that is easy to drink.

18. Dogfish Head Liquor de Malt – Now retired. Good luck finding it. Ian and I bought bottles of it back in Jersey in 2004, and mine was “cellared” until May of this year. Some of it ended up on the floor of my mother’s condo when I drunkenly spilled it. It was way better than I thought it would be, as I was expecting utter crap, watery, and without flavor. Gold in color, nice malty aroma, and the flavor was simple malt goodness with the faintest hint of alcohol. Yes, there were yeast particles floating throughout. It kind of distracted me from appreciating the full taste, but it wasn’t a big deal.

19. Erdinger Weissbier (Hefe-Weizen) – Consumed at Mark’s birthday dinner. Very refreshing and easy to drink. Hazy in color, white head, light-bodied feel. Tastes of spices and sweetness. So-so carbonation.

20. Firestone Walkers Reserve (Robust Porter) – “I don’t quite remember the specifics, but it was better than I expected.”

21. Hair Of The Dog Adam – For a while, this was considered to be one of the best beers in the world. I was excited to find it. “Batch number 70. Served cold from bottle. Pours jet black (no light comes through) with a huge tan-colored head. In fact, the head unexpectedly overflowed my pint glass. The aroma is thick with burnt malts and raisins. Super-sweet flavor is rich with chocolate, wood and vanilla. A shockingly powerful beer with a wholly unique flavor. “A beer this fine could only be consumed alongside an entire sleeve of Chips Ahoy cookies.” What was I, drunk when I wrote that?

22. Hair Of The Dog Fred – “Served cold from a bottle. Pours a beautiful amber/honey color with a thick off-white head that leaves a good amount of lacing. The aroma is sweet (to me), yeasty with a lot of fruity notes (pears? apples?) and a hint of hops. The flavor is rich in malts and hops, a slight alcoholic aftertaste, and plenty of sweetness and fruits, quite like the aroma. There are a wide variety of flavors at play here. The mouthfeel is slightly warm from the alcohol, thick and sticky. Overall I would rate this beer highly due to its unusual blend of flavors and general drinking goodness. Not for the faint of heart.”

23. Hair Of The Dog Ruth – Personally, I find most golden/blonde ales to be boring, but this is one of the better ones I’ve tasted. Pours clear gold with just a hint of opacity. Thin creamy head that leaves excellent lacing. Aroma is pine-y hops and fruits. Flavor is very rich with citrus and a bitter hop blend. A great golden ale.

24. Hornsby’s Amber Cider Ale – Had this at one of Nick and Lauren’s soirees. “Served cold from a bottle. It was the only option last night, and I’d rather drink a bad beer than tap water, so I chose to try it. It’s cool in that it tastes like carbonated apple juice, but the luster fades pretty quickly.”

25. Karl Strauss Star Of India Pale Ale – Nicci ordered a flight of samplers, so I tried a bunch of the Karl Strauss beers, but this was the one I ordered, so I only counted one Karl Strauss beer on my list instead of six. “Served cold from tap at Universal Studios brewery. It wasn’t nearly as hoppy as it should have been for an IPA, it had a very nice finish though. Poured clear amber with a thin white head, leaving trace amounts of lacing. Aroma was somewhat weak and hoppy. Taste was middle-of-the-road.”

26. Lagunitas Cappucino Stout – This was the other beer that I accidentally purchased twice. No worries, this one was pretty good, and cheaper than the Black Flag Imperial Stout. “Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. Pours a dark brown with a thin, tan-colored head. Aroma was heavy on coffee and chocolate. The flavor was fairly unique, it seemed to have a lot of roasted coffee flavor and a tiny amount of hop bitterness. It had a really nice, smooth finish with good aftertaste. I would consume this one again.”

27. Lagunitas Censored (Kronik) – Aroma was mostly malts and hops. It poured copper and featured a large white head. The flavor was malty with a small hint of hop bitterness. It came recommended by a smart beer friend (Ian), and I enjoyed drinking it. It’s definitely not their best beer, though.

28. Lagunitas Lucky #13 – “Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. Pours a delicious amber/auburn color with a one-finger off-white head. Aroma includes hints of citrus, sweet malts, maybe even a hint of mango in the scent? Something definitely fruity about it. Nothing fruity about drinking it, though. Medium bodied, flavor of malts and a touch of hop bitterness, but not overwhelming. A very nice strong ale!”

29. Lost Abbey Inferno Ale – Port Brewing/Lost Abbey brews some of the greatest beers on the planet. The cork was difficult to remove for some reason. “The beer poured hazy amber with a large white head that left good lacing. Aroma of spices and fruit. Flavor was also spicy and sweet. Definite presence of cloves. Thin mouthfeel. A nice beer. One of my friends (not a beer person) commented, ‘This beer tastes like pot.’”

30. Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout – I was very excited to see this beer available at the 711 store with the ungodly selection in Highland Park. Served cold from bottle. Pours a jet black with a large tan-colored head. Aroma is largely chocolate. Flavor is very bold, huge amounts of chocolate and coffee. The finish is somewhat bitter, there is a hint warmth from the alcohol. Good carbonation makes it easy to drink. Very yummy Imperial Stout.”

31. Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout – “Served cold from 12 oz. bottle. This stout pours a very dark brown (probably black when not looking directly into the light with my pint glass) with a light brown head, good lacing. The aroma is quite sweet, with some hints of chocolate and coffee. Excellent flavor, really sweet and creamy. Some roasted coffee, chocolate and malts. I could drink a ton of these.”

32. Lost Coast Downtown Brown – Pours dark brown, a hint of amber (sort of like a soda pop!) with a creamy off-white head. Aroma of malts and nuts. Taste is good. Smooth. Average for a nut-brown ale, but I would drink it again.

33. Maui Brewing Coconut Porter – Nicci picked up a six-pack of these at BevMo because she loves coconut. I don’t, but I gave it a shot because there’s nothing better than a quality beer in a can. There’s something so cold and refreshing about it. Seriously. Drink a 12 oz bottle of Newcastle and then drink a 12 oz. can. The can is so much better. I couldn’t taste the coconut in this beer, but it was sweet and flavorful. Easy to drink and delicious.

34. Mikkeller Stateside IPA – Recommended by the guy at the 711 in Highland Park. He said they were one of the most highly-decorated breweries in the world. Ranked the sixth best world brewery by some publication. Served cold from bottle. It pours a translucent copper/amber color with a large, white head that leaves a good amount of lacing. The aroma is very hoppy, and rounded out with some floral notes. The flavor is crisp and filled with hops. The aftertaste is a little too bitter for my palate, but it is still quite drinkable and a good take on the India Pale Ale model.

35. Nøgne Ø Porter – I think this was the best porter I’ve ever consumed, and one of the best beers I’ve had this year. Pours a dark, dark brown with a tan colored head that dissipates rather quickly. The aroma is great: roasted malts, a hint of coffee, maybe some fruity notes? The flavor is even better. roasted malts all over, with hints of everything else noted in the aroma coming at seemingly different times. Again, a great, great porter.

36. North Coast Blue Star – Yellow/gold color. Hazy. Aroma of citrus and yeast. Flavor is pedestrian. A drinkable wheat beer, but by no means a quality one.

37. North Coast Old No. 38 Stout – Not nearly as good as Old Rasputin. Aroma a delicious blend of roasted malts, chocolate and coffee. Pours a deep oily black with a nice-sized tan head. It’s remarkably smooth. Good mouthfeel, and leaves no discernible aftertaste.

38. Ølfabrikken Porter – No, this was the best Porter I’ve ever had. Now I remember! The other one was really good, but oh man, this one was amazing. Pours very dark brown (probably black) with a small light-brown head. Aroma of chocolate, sweet malts and a touch of alcohol. Flavor is sweet, rich and full. Somewhat creamy, with a very slightly bitter finish.

39. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence – On tap at the Ginger Man in NYC. Ian said it was amazing but I wasn’t completely sold on it. Poured black with a nice tan-colored head. Aroma is filled with chocolate and roasted malts. Flavor has a hint of alcohol but is chocolate and malt heavy. Slightly better than middle of the pack when it comes to chocolate stouts.

40. Pacifico Clara – Fucking gross. It shouldn’t even count as a beer.

41. Pizza Port Hop-15 – Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. I drank this during the Super Bowl. I think I might even have been mid-sip during “the catch”. Pours a nice amber/orange color with a rapidly diminishing off-white head. Good lacing. Aroma is all pine with some notes of different fruits. Great body, citrus flavors and a sweet finish to counterbalance the bitter hops. For a beer with over 10% ABV, there is almost no alcohol flavor, making it an easily drinkable imperial IPA.

42. Pizza Port Shark Attack Triple Red Ale – Served cold from tap at Solana Beach Pizza Port location. That was such a fun night, with Ken and Katie visiting. Great pizza and even better beers. Even if there’s a douchey frat-boy scene at all both the Pizza Ports I have visited, the beer and the grub makes everything worthwhile. Pours dark amber or orange with an off-white head. Strong hop aroma and flavor. Very strong hop flavor. It was overwhelming at first, but by the time I finished I was ready for seconds.

43. Pizza Port Stunna Shade Stout – My second pint at Solana Beach Pizza Port. Black with a tan head. Aroma is roasted malts and coffee. The flavor wasn’t really what I was expecting (I hoped to be blown away), but it was still a good stout. Malty, chocolate-y, with a toasty finish.

44. Pocono Blonde Ale – I don’t remember anything about this beer other than it was the epitome of average.

45. Port Brewing 2nd Anniversary – “Always excited to try a new Port Brewing / Pizza Port-related beer. Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. Pours a clear dark orange color with a thin head that leaves almost no lacing. Aroma was fruit and piney hops. The beer itself was very nice and sweet with a bit of malts and a great smooth taste. Some hop bitterness near the finish but overall one of the better double IPAs I have had. Would recommend highly.”

46. Port Brewing Old Viscosity – I drank this one…gosh, I don’t remember. I’m shocked that I even found this, considering how quickly it always sells out from the two local stores where one might find it. “Oily jet black with a thick tan-colored head and great lacing. Technically it’s not a stout (it’s an American Strong Ale), but it tasted like one to me. The aroma isn’t as overpowering as I was expecting, but it’s got noticeable chocolate notes and roasted coffee as well. Maybe even a hint of bourbon? The flavor is flush with chocolate, coffee, and perhaps some wood from the barrels. It is super-creamy, and easy to drink. The finish is sweet, with a slight lasting flavor of bourbon. A wonderful beer.”

47. Pyramid Amber Weizen – Ian recommended. Hazy copper/orange with a barely-there head. Aroma is malts with hints of fruits. Flavor is sweet, but characteristic of a typical wheat beer. It’s about as enjoyable as the other Pyramid beers. Highly drinkable. Easy to drink. Not amazing.

48. Rogue Mocha Porter – “Served cold from 12 oz. bottle. Purchased a six pack because I see this beer everywhere and have never actually tried it, at least as far as I can remember. I might have bought a 22 oz. once, but I don’t really know. Anyway, it was consumed straight from the bottle so I can’t tell you about appearance. The smell was roasted malts and coffee. The taste was really nice, with a good amount of coffee and a good amount of roasted malts. Very good and yummy.”

49. Sam Adams Triple Bock – This one is retired now too, so you’ll never find it. Consider yourself lucky, too. I tried a sip of this many years ago with Ian and Justin, but we were so high at the time I don’t remember anything about it. Now I remember why. “This bottle was a 1997 vintage. I don’t see it at stores too often, so I picked up a bottle today. It’s not very good. It smells great, like fruit and malts, maybe some chocolate? It tastes like soy sauce, which is to say it tastes pretty horrible. Sam Adams made a valiant effort, but it was also a pretty bad one.”

50. Sam Smith Imperial Stout – Like all the Sam Smith brews I’ve tried, this one is just a fine overall beer. I often write here that Samuel Smith’s is the best widely available beer that I can always count on enjoying anywhere in the country.

51. Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale – This is the only beer of Sam Smith’s I was even slightly disappointed with, but I also purchased it with super-high expectations. It was very mild and nutty, clean and drinkable, but it didn’t wow me at all.

52. Santa Cruz Mountain Organic Devout Stout – I couldn’t get through an entire bottle of this beer. I just didn’t like the flavor, the mouthfeel, or anything about it, really. I did not like the sour/bitterness at all. That’s not what a stout should taste like.

53. Stone 11th Anniversary Ale – Now retired. Never to be brewed again. “Served cold from bottle. Pours dark brown/black with a fairly thick off-white head. Good lacing. Aroma is sweet with malts and some citrus-y flavors. Not particularly flavorful as far as I am concerned. The hops overshadow any of the other ingredients, which is fine, but I look for more flavor in a “strong ale”. If I was in the mood for an ESB or an extreme IPA, that’d be one thing, but I guess due to the uniqueness of this beer and the quality output Stone normally produces, the 11th left something to be desired.”

54. Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout – The name says everything. I was so excited to get home and drink this beer. “This is what I was looking for from the 11th Anniversary brew. A marvelous Imperial Stout with so many great flavors I was practically salivating between sips. Very blad color with a small tan head. Black coffee, rich malts, like a great Oatmeal Stout infused with chocolate. Mild bitter finish. Great body, great mouthfeel, everything about this one was solid. Killer beer. Highly recommended.”

55. Stone Pale Ale – I think this was the other beer I drank during the Super Bowl, but I don’t remember exactly. It was good. “Served cold from 22 oz. bottle. pours amber with a small, fading off-white head. Good lacing. aroma is quite hoppy, but noticeably malty as well. A smooth, medium body and easy to consume, the beer is highlighted by the hop finish. Bitter, but not overwhelming. A good pale ale.”

56. Stone Russian Imperial Stout 2008 – Stone being one of my favorite breweries in the world, I make sure that I never miss one of their special, limited beers. The forumula for this one is changed every year, so I’ve tried the 2006, 2007, and 2008 editions. The first one I had was the only one I’ve reviewed, so you can imagine the 2008 edition was something like, “Jet black color. Aroma is chocolate, coffee and nuts. The flavor is sweet, with the aforementioned flavors plus a slight hint of fruit and a touch of alcohol at the finish. Remarkably good Imperial Russian Stout.”

57. Stone Smoked Porter – Poured jet black, not oily like a stout, but definitely opaque. Nice tan head. Aroma is very sweet, good malts, and a hint of coffee. Definite smokey flavor, but not overbearing. It’s actually rather smooth and easy to drink.

58. Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 – The story behind these beers is that they’re all released one year, one month and one day apart from each other, and they’re supposed to be cellared until 2012. I couldn’t wait that long to try it. It was clear gold in color, with an aroma of mixed fruits. Taste combines cloves, caramel and hops. Good spice, good bitter finish. I’m a big fan of it. If anyone out there wants to share a bottle on 12/12/2012, let me know.

59. Upper Crust Pizza Homebrew – Remember when Tom and I went to Palm Springs to look at laundromats, and we ended up at a gay bar without realizing it? Downstairs from the gay bar was a pizzeria that made a really good homebrew of their own! I’ve never quite found it on the Internet to review it, but it was good. That’s all I remember. No specific details available.

60. Xingu – “Served cold from bottle. I was out for Brazillan food and figured I would compliment the meal with a local beer (local meaning Brazilian, not Californian). It poured dark brown with a modest light-brown head. Aroma was mostly malts. Sweet. The taste was also mostly malts, and somewhat bland. Crisp and easy to drink. Not bad. Not good.”

There you have it. 60 beers, 60 reviews. Can you spot my drinking tendencies? Can you tell how my taste-buds work? Isn’t it embarrassing how limited my palate is? I can only taste, like, four flavors! Someone teach me how to work my mouth better. Wow, that sounds dirty…

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