January 1 through January 12
Now that my official welcome is over, I now welcome you to my analysis of beers that I have drank in 2020. My wife and I took a trip with some great friends to Memphis, Tennessee post-Christmas, and stayed through the New Year (returning home January 2). So, I had the opportunity to drink several Memphis based beers from Memphis Made, Wiseacre, Meddlesome and Ghost River Breweries, but some of those were consumed in 2019. Being true to my plan to analyze my 2020 beers, some Memphis-area breweries started my drinking journey for this year, just not as many as I imbibed while on the trip. (Numbers are just sequential for when I drank the beer, not a ranking. The ranking should be apparent below.
Keep in my mind that I won't be doing some deep, metaphysical palate discussion of each beer, just a slight description, whether I like or not, any random thoughts, and on occasion, discuss pairings. I am doing this mostly to keep a running list of the best of each type - according to me.
1. Fireside Amber - Memphis Made Brewing - Memphis, TN - 5.1 ABV
So, I basically cheated in that I had the opportunity to select which Memphis Beer I wanted to have as my first of the year, and having previously ordered the Fireside Amber earlier on my trip, I ordered another one at 11:50 p.m. C.S.T., and it was a 32 ouncer. Thus it was my last beer of 2019 and my first beer of 2020 - although the champagne toast was the first alcoholic drink, nay, first drink, of 2020.
Fireside Amber is malty and roasty, and is a very hearty beer. I think it would be a great balance to some lighter chicken dishes, or would hold its own with a heavy steak entree. Although classified as an amber by the brewery - and thus I will rank it among ambers - it really feels and tastes like a brown ale. This is definitely delicious, and the best beer I had while in Memphis.
2. Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA - Brewdog Brewery - Ellon, Scotland - 6.5 ABV
Ok, so this one was actually a mistake. We went to a grocery store to lightly stock our refrigerator and wanting some more Memphis beers, I came upon the Elvis Juice. Assuming it was from Memphis, we picked up one of these, plus another from the same brewery. It wasn't until after we arrived back at our place that I saw it was from Scotland.
This beer was just OK. It didn't taste very hoppy, nor could I taste the grapefruit infusion. I could taste a hint of citrus, but not enough to truly identify the flavor. I would not buy another one of these. Now, if they were trying to make a citrus lager, this might be what that type of beer would taste like, but it was supposed to be a grapefruit IPA, so it did not live up to its billing.
3. Hazy Jane New England IPA - Brewdog Brewery - Ellon, Scotland - 7.2 ABV
Part II of my "Elvis" assumption. This was a good, not great New England IPA. Unlike the Elvis Juice, this beer tasted exactly like advertised and was a true NEIPA. It had a decent fruit flavor, but not overwhelming the rest of the beer. I will definitely have this one again, assuming I find myself somewhere this Scottish brewery is distributed.
4. Tiny Bomb Golden Pilsner - Wiseacre Brewing - Memphis, TN - 4.5 ABV
This was an easy drinking pilsner, with a hint of honey. If you find yourself wanting to drink several beers without being overwhelmed, then this is your beer. I would also imagine this beer would taste great on a hot summer day. As it was, I drank it in winter, so I don't think it had the some affect on me. Still, pretty good.
5. Ananda IPA - Wiseacre Brewing - Memphis, TN - 6.1 ABV
Although probably my third favorite beer from Memphis (the second one will be mentioned shortly), this was definitely one of the three that I would drink regularly. Not as hoppy tasting - meaning no real aftertaste - as most IPAs, this is an IPA that you could drink with some type of volume if you wanted to do so. That being said, it is definitely an IPA and not a mislabeled Pale Ale, just a bit lighter. Overall a really good beer to drink while watching a game.
6. Cat Nap IPA - Memphis Made Brewing - Memphis, TN - 6.2 ABV
This was a good IPA, but I feel like I did not give it a good sampling because it was the last beer I had at one particular bar. I remember that it tasted pretty good, but I really wanted to give it another taste later, but for whatever reason I never did. It had the problem of being consumed immediately after the Ananda, which I really, really liked.
7. She Devil Belgian Golden Strong - Meddlesome Brewing - Cordova, TN - 8.5 ABV
This is the second best Memphis-area beer I tasted, and it was delicious. It was definitely a belgian strong, but still a bit lighter than most belgians, so I didn't fill up so quickly (enabling me to drink more beer). Just a bit of the belgian aftertaste that sometimes accompanies tripels, but not enough to overwhelm the initial good taste of the beer itself. I could drink this again (and I did).
8. Bud Light
You all know what this is, but sometimes a guy has to hydrate.
9. Stella Artois
Yep, you all should know this one also.
10. Beck's
This was even random for me, but my father had some in his refrigerator when we picked them up to go out to dinner. I figured, hey - at least another beer to add to the list. Was better than I remembered.
11. 420 Extra Pale Ale - Sweetwater Brewing - Atlanta, GA - 5.7 ABV
By now, most people are probably familiar with this beer as well, and it is my definite beer of choice when in the Delta Sky Clubs while travelling (because it is free). But that being said, it is still delicious, and worth mentioning as it is one of my favorite pale ales p although truthfully, I don't drink many Pale Ales.
12. Guayabera Citra Pale Ale - Cigar City Brewing - Tampa, FL - 5.5 ABV
This is a super-refreshing pale ale that can be drank during hot weather, but is filling enough to work during cooler weather as well. It has a lot of flavor, and goes well with seafood, pastas, chicken or salads. Crazy thing is, this isn't even one of my favorite Cigar City beers, and I hope to have more of them this year to rank.
13. Hanalei Island IPA - Kona Brewing - Kailua Kona, HA - 4.5 ABV
This is supposed to be a fruity IPA, but it really accomplishes nothing, which was very disappointing to me because I love several of the Kona beers, especially the Pale Ales (Fire Rock) and IPAs (Gold Cliff). This does pair well with a poke bowl, especially if you have a citrus-hot sauce, but that is about it.
14. Tourist Trappe Belgian Tripel - M.I.A. (Take it to the House) Beer Company - Doral, FL - 10 ABV
First of all, you've got to understand Trick loves the kids. Secondly, this is a great beer. I enjoy it immensely. It is simultaneously fruity, spicy, and there is no mistaking that this is a strong beer. It is heavy enough to hold up to steaks, but light enough to work with steak fajitas. Just a ton of flavor, but so well balanced that no part of the flavor overwhelms any other part.
15. Rollin' Dirty Red Ale - Brew Bus Brewing - Tampa, FL - 5 ABV
This beer is delicious, and I had it after a long 2 hour bar trivia battle. It hit the spot, and for a lighter beer it had a great amount of flavor, with hints of malt, toffee, and even caramel, but light enough to drink several.
16. Sweet Baby Jesus Porter - DuClaw Brewing - Bel Air, MD - 6.2 ABV
This chocolate, peanut butter porter is absolutely delicious, and is almost a better dessert (or breakfast) than it is a beer. This beer is aptly named because one taste might make you exclaim, SWEET BABY JESUS. Would go great with some chicken and waffles, or maybe over ice cream!
17. Bellaire Brown - Short's Brewing - Bellaire, MI - 7.0 ABV
I am not sure how I tasted consecutive beers from towns called some version of Bel Air, and neither of them had anything to do with the Fresh Prince. Nevertheless, this brown is delicious!!! You can taste the malt, chocolate and caramel, but it is nowhere near as prevalent as the Sweet Baby Jesus. These hints of flavor allow the beer itself to stand out outside of the individual flavor profiles.
18. Blood Orange Wit - Copperpoint Brewing - Boynton Beach, FL - 5.2 ABV
Now, this beer is delicious. Just enough orange flavor to be correctly labeled and be refreshing, but doesn't overwhelm the freshness of the wit itself. This is a great beer for a picnic, or a good first beer after a very long day. I would like this with a crisp caesar salad, or a mixed salad with shrimp. Or, just if out having some good beer with some good friends.
19. Tri County Common Lager - 26 Degrees Brewing - Pompano Beach, FL - 5.5 ABV
This is a crsip, smooth, easy beer. I had a pitcher with friends, as the smoothness makes it easily shareable among people who might ordinarily prefer different varieties of beer. We also had this with pizza, as the smoothness and lightness goes with with a heavier pizza, as a heavier beer might be a bit too much. I don't ordinarily prefer lagers, but I would have this one again, for sure.
20. White Wizard Wit - Barrel of Monks Brewery - Boca Raton, FL - 5.5 ABV
This is an incredibly delicious, fresh wit, with a hint of bitterness, but not in a hoppy IPA way. The bitterness just adds a distinctive flavor, allowing us to discern this wit from others. It also makes this beer pair not only with the usual suspects of seafood, salads, or chicken, but perhaps even some wet ribs or other heavier items. A great beer overall from a great beer.
21. Grapefruit Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing - San Diego, CA - 7 ABV
This is a delicious IPA, and the grapefruit, citrus addition makes it even more delicious than the standard Sculpin by the same brewer (which is also very good, but not subject to this rating/ranking - yet). The hoppiness is not too bitter to overwhelm the natural tastes of this beer, but bitter enough that IPA lovers will still enjoy this beer.
22. Fourth Wave - Breakside Brewery - Portland, OR - 9.6 ABV
This is a really strong lager. Like, really strong. I don't mean just because of the ABV, but because of how it tastes. It is delicious, but it is heavy. Not something to drink casually or lightly. Something that you have at home, or only one or two of if you are out. with dinner, it would stand up to a steak, but great with a pork chop.
22. Hopsecutioner - Terrapin Beer Company - Athens, GA - 7.3 ABV
This is a delicious IPA, but it tastes like an IPA. What I mean by that is that it definitely has that harsh IPA taste. I particularly like that, but there are those that will not. I had this one with heavy flavored chicken wings while watching football, but it worked together great.
Ales
Pale Ales
1. Guayabera - Cigar City
2. 420 - Sweetwater
IPAs
1. Grapefruit Sculpin - Ballast Point
2. Hopsecutioner - Terrapin Beer Company
3. Cat Nap IPA - Memphis Made
4. Hanalei Island - Kona
5. Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA
New England IPAs
1. Hazy Jane - Brewdog Brewery
Reds
1. Fireside Amber - Memphis Made
2. Rolling' Dirty Red Ale - Brew Bus
Browns
1. Bellaire Brown - Short's Brewing
Porters
1. Sweet Baby Jesus - DuClaw Brewing
Stouts
Wits/Hefeweizens
1. Blood Orange Wit - Copperpoint
Whites
1. White Wizard - Barrel of Monks
Lagers
1. Fourth Wave - Breakside Brewing
2. Tri County Common Lager - 26 Degrees Brewing
3. Bud Light
Pilsners
1. Tiny Bomb - Wiseacre Brewing
2. Stella Artois
3. Beck's
Bocks
Belgian Strong Ales
Belgian Tripels
1. She Devil - Meddlesome Brewing
2. Tourist Trappe - MIA Brewing
Belgian Dubbels
Belgian Quads
Sours
Keep in my mind that I won't be doing some deep, metaphysical palate discussion of each beer, just a slight description, whether I like or not, any random thoughts, and on occasion, discuss pairings. I am doing this mostly to keep a running list of the best of each type - according to me.
1. Fireside Amber - Memphis Made Brewing - Memphis, TN - 5.1 ABV
So, I basically cheated in that I had the opportunity to select which Memphis Beer I wanted to have as my first of the year, and having previously ordered the Fireside Amber earlier on my trip, I ordered another one at 11:50 p.m. C.S.T., and it was a 32 ouncer. Thus it was my last beer of 2019 and my first beer of 2020 - although the champagne toast was the first alcoholic drink, nay, first drink, of 2020.
Fireside Amber is malty and roasty, and is a very hearty beer. I think it would be a great balance to some lighter chicken dishes, or would hold its own with a heavy steak entree. Although classified as an amber by the brewery - and thus I will rank it among ambers - it really feels and tastes like a brown ale. This is definitely delicious, and the best beer I had while in Memphis.
2. Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA - Brewdog Brewery - Ellon, Scotland - 6.5 ABV
Ok, so this one was actually a mistake. We went to a grocery store to lightly stock our refrigerator and wanting some more Memphis beers, I came upon the Elvis Juice. Assuming it was from Memphis, we picked up one of these, plus another from the same brewery. It wasn't until after we arrived back at our place that I saw it was from Scotland.
This beer was just OK. It didn't taste very hoppy, nor could I taste the grapefruit infusion. I could taste a hint of citrus, but not enough to truly identify the flavor. I would not buy another one of these. Now, if they were trying to make a citrus lager, this might be what that type of beer would taste like, but it was supposed to be a grapefruit IPA, so it did not live up to its billing.
3. Hazy Jane New England IPA - Brewdog Brewery - Ellon, Scotland - 7.2 ABV
Part II of my "Elvis" assumption. This was a good, not great New England IPA. Unlike the Elvis Juice, this beer tasted exactly like advertised and was a true NEIPA. It had a decent fruit flavor, but not overwhelming the rest of the beer. I will definitely have this one again, assuming I find myself somewhere this Scottish brewery is distributed.
4. Tiny Bomb Golden Pilsner - Wiseacre Brewing - Memphis, TN - 4.5 ABV
This was an easy drinking pilsner, with a hint of honey. If you find yourself wanting to drink several beers without being overwhelmed, then this is your beer. I would also imagine this beer would taste great on a hot summer day. As it was, I drank it in winter, so I don't think it had the some affect on me. Still, pretty good.
5. Ananda IPA - Wiseacre Brewing - Memphis, TN - 6.1 ABV
Although probably my third favorite beer from Memphis (the second one will be mentioned shortly), this was definitely one of the three that I would drink regularly. Not as hoppy tasting - meaning no real aftertaste - as most IPAs, this is an IPA that you could drink with some type of volume if you wanted to do so. That being said, it is definitely an IPA and not a mislabeled Pale Ale, just a bit lighter. Overall a really good beer to drink while watching a game.
6. Cat Nap IPA - Memphis Made Brewing - Memphis, TN - 6.2 ABV
This was a good IPA, but I feel like I did not give it a good sampling because it was the last beer I had at one particular bar. I remember that it tasted pretty good, but I really wanted to give it another taste later, but for whatever reason I never did. It had the problem of being consumed immediately after the Ananda, which I really, really liked.
7. She Devil Belgian Golden Strong - Meddlesome Brewing - Cordova, TN - 8.5 ABV
This is the second best Memphis-area beer I tasted, and it was delicious. It was definitely a belgian strong, but still a bit lighter than most belgians, so I didn't fill up so quickly (enabling me to drink more beer). Just a bit of the belgian aftertaste that sometimes accompanies tripels, but not enough to overwhelm the initial good taste of the beer itself. I could drink this again (and I did).
8. Bud Light
You all know what this is, but sometimes a guy has to hydrate.
9. Stella Artois
Yep, you all should know this one also.
10. Beck's
This was even random for me, but my father had some in his refrigerator when we picked them up to go out to dinner. I figured, hey - at least another beer to add to the list. Was better than I remembered.
11. 420 Extra Pale Ale - Sweetwater Brewing - Atlanta, GA - 5.7 ABV
By now, most people are probably familiar with this beer as well, and it is my definite beer of choice when in the Delta Sky Clubs while travelling (because it is free). But that being said, it is still delicious, and worth mentioning as it is one of my favorite pale ales p although truthfully, I don't drink many Pale Ales.
This is a super-refreshing pale ale that can be drank during hot weather, but is filling enough to work during cooler weather as well. It has a lot of flavor, and goes well with seafood, pastas, chicken or salads. Crazy thing is, this isn't even one of my favorite Cigar City beers, and I hope to have more of them this year to rank.
13. Hanalei Island IPA - Kona Brewing - Kailua Kona, HA - 4.5 ABV
This is supposed to be a fruity IPA, but it really accomplishes nothing, which was very disappointing to me because I love several of the Kona beers, especially the Pale Ales (Fire Rock) and IPAs (Gold Cliff). This does pair well with a poke bowl, especially if you have a citrus-hot sauce, but that is about it.
14. Tourist Trappe Belgian Tripel - M.I.A. (Take it to the House) Beer Company - Doral, FL - 10 ABV
First of all, you've got to understand Trick loves the kids. Secondly, this is a great beer. I enjoy it immensely. It is simultaneously fruity, spicy, and there is no mistaking that this is a strong beer. It is heavy enough to hold up to steaks, but light enough to work with steak fajitas. Just a ton of flavor, but so well balanced that no part of the flavor overwhelms any other part.
15. Rollin' Dirty Red Ale - Brew Bus Brewing - Tampa, FL - 5 ABV
This beer is delicious, and I had it after a long 2 hour bar trivia battle. It hit the spot, and for a lighter beer it had a great amount of flavor, with hints of malt, toffee, and even caramel, but light enough to drink several.
16. Sweet Baby Jesus Porter - DuClaw Brewing - Bel Air, MD - 6.2 ABV
This chocolate, peanut butter porter is absolutely delicious, and is almost a better dessert (or breakfast) than it is a beer. This beer is aptly named because one taste might make you exclaim, SWEET BABY JESUS. Would go great with some chicken and waffles, or maybe over ice cream!
17. Bellaire Brown - Short's Brewing - Bellaire, MI - 7.0 ABV
I am not sure how I tasted consecutive beers from towns called some version of Bel Air, and neither of them had anything to do with the Fresh Prince. Nevertheless, this brown is delicious!!! You can taste the malt, chocolate and caramel, but it is nowhere near as prevalent as the Sweet Baby Jesus. These hints of flavor allow the beer itself to stand out outside of the individual flavor profiles.
18. Blood Orange Wit - Copperpoint Brewing - Boynton Beach, FL - 5.2 ABV
Now, this beer is delicious. Just enough orange flavor to be correctly labeled and be refreshing, but doesn't overwhelm the freshness of the wit itself. This is a great beer for a picnic, or a good first beer after a very long day. I would like this with a crisp caesar salad, or a mixed salad with shrimp. Or, just if out having some good beer with some good friends.
19. Tri County Common Lager - 26 Degrees Brewing - Pompano Beach, FL - 5.5 ABV
This is a crsip, smooth, easy beer. I had a pitcher with friends, as the smoothness makes it easily shareable among people who might ordinarily prefer different varieties of beer. We also had this with pizza, as the smoothness and lightness goes with with a heavier pizza, as a heavier beer might be a bit too much. I don't ordinarily prefer lagers, but I would have this one again, for sure.
20. White Wizard Wit - Barrel of Monks Brewery - Boca Raton, FL - 5.5 ABV
This is an incredibly delicious, fresh wit, with a hint of bitterness, but not in a hoppy IPA way. The bitterness just adds a distinctive flavor, allowing us to discern this wit from others. It also makes this beer pair not only with the usual suspects of seafood, salads, or chicken, but perhaps even some wet ribs or other heavier items. A great beer overall from a great beer.
21. Grapefruit Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing - San Diego, CA - 7 ABV
This is a delicious IPA, and the grapefruit, citrus addition makes it even more delicious than the standard Sculpin by the same brewer (which is also very good, but not subject to this rating/ranking - yet). The hoppiness is not too bitter to overwhelm the natural tastes of this beer, but bitter enough that IPA lovers will still enjoy this beer.
22. Fourth Wave - Breakside Brewery - Portland, OR - 9.6 ABV
This is a really strong lager. Like, really strong. I don't mean just because of the ABV, but because of how it tastes. It is delicious, but it is heavy. Not something to drink casually or lightly. Something that you have at home, or only one or two of if you are out. with dinner, it would stand up to a steak, but great with a pork chop.
22. Hopsecutioner - Terrapin Beer Company - Athens, GA - 7.3 ABV
This is a delicious IPA, but it tastes like an IPA. What I mean by that is that it definitely has that harsh IPA taste. I particularly like that, but there are those that will not. I had this one with heavy flavored chicken wings while watching football, but it worked together great.
Ales
Pale Ales
1. Guayabera - Cigar City
2. 420 - Sweetwater
IPAs
1. Grapefruit Sculpin - Ballast Point
2. Hopsecutioner - Terrapin Beer Company
3. Cat Nap IPA - Memphis Made
4. Hanalei Island - Kona
5. Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA
New England IPAs
1. Hazy Jane - Brewdog Brewery
Reds
1. Fireside Amber - Memphis Made
2. Rolling' Dirty Red Ale - Brew Bus
Browns
1. Bellaire Brown - Short's Brewing
Porters
1. Sweet Baby Jesus - DuClaw Brewing
Stouts
Wits/Hefeweizens
1. Blood Orange Wit - Copperpoint
Whites
1. White Wizard - Barrel of Monks
Lagers
1. Fourth Wave - Breakside Brewing
2. Tri County Common Lager - 26 Degrees Brewing
3. Bud Light
Pilsners
1. Tiny Bomb - Wiseacre Brewing
2. Stella Artois
3. Beck's
Bocks
Belgian Strong Ales
Belgian Tripels
1. She Devil - Meddlesome Brewing
2. Tourist Trappe - MIA Brewing
Belgian Dubbels
Belgian Quads
Sours
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