First Beers of the Year January 1 - January 21

Hello 2021, and welcome to my first beers of the year!  For those that missed my last post, I will be starting over, and trying to keep a better job of posting more regularly, for even though I keep a running list of beers I drink, the memory fades over time as to the specifics regarding each beer, and I want this blog to be comprehensive (at least comprehensive for me.)  So, that being said, here is the first installment of beers of the 2021.

1. Jai Alai - IPA - Cigar City Brewing - Tampa, FL - 7.5% ABV, 65 IBU, 17 SRM

Obviously, this is the best beer that I have had to date!!!  Ha!  Ha!  I feel like at this point Cigar City is a pretty well known brewery, so I don't need to discuss too much, but this is a very good IPA heavey on flavor, with a crisp finish.

2.  Blood Orange Belgian Wit - Shipward Brewing - St. Petersburg, FL - 5.1% ABV, 15 IBU, 5 SRM

This beer is absolutely delicious!  A lot of flavor, but still light and crisp.  This beer would be amazing with a nice grilled dolphin with a white wine butter sauce with some grilled asparagus.

3.  Bud Light - Lager - Anheuser Busch Inbev SA/NV- St. Louis, MO - 4.2% ABV, 6 IBU, 1 SRM

It was a football watching day.  We all know what Bud Light is.

4.  Miller Lite - Pilsner - Molson Coors - Milwaukee, WI - 4.2%ABV, 10 IBU, 2-3 SRM

Also watching football.  Still just Miller Lite.

5.  Der Chancellor - Kolsch - Tequesta Brewing Company - Tequesta, FL - 5.3% ABV, 22 IBU, SRM - Unknown

This is a nice, light drinking beer with surprising flavor.  I say surprising, because the light color makes it look like a plain beer.  Really good when it is hot outside, or at the beach, pool, or ball game.  Would also go great with a cobb salad.

6.  Finn McCool - Irish Red Ale - Twisted Trunk Brewing - Palm Beach Gardens, FL - 52% ABV, 32 IBU, SRM Unknown

This is a fantastic Red, once described by a brilliant mind as "Killians, except with way more flavor!"  This red would go great with a nicely marbled ribeye, a baked potato and creamed spinach.

7.  Ellison Wilson Belgian Quad - Belgian Quad - Kelsey City Brewing - Lake Park, FL - 10.8 ABV, 31 IBU, SRM Unknown

A heavy, heavy beer, both in taste and substance.  Very tasty and will make you want to have a bunch more, but the 10.8 ABV says "slow down." A great beer to end a long day.

8.  Raspberry Chancellor - Tequesta Brewing Company, Tequesta, FL - 5.3% ABV, 22 IBU, SRM - Unknown

This is a raspberry version of the Der Chancellor (#5 above), and is so incredibly tasty.  The raspberry gives it not so much a fruitiness, but a bit of a bolder taste uncommon in kolsches.

9.  Stella Artois - Pilsner - Anheuser Busch Inbev SA/NV - Leuven Belgium - 4.6% ABV, 18 IBU, SRM - Unknown

C'mon people, it's Stella.  We all know it.

10.  Monkey Fist - IPA - Shipyard Brewing - Portland, ME/Orlando, FL - 6.0% ABV, 45 IBU, 13 SRM

First off, the name is phenomenal.  Just order one out loud and you will see.  Secondly, this tastes nowhere near as good as I remembered it tasting.  It was a bit sour.  Perhaps I purchased a bad six-pack, but nevertheless, no real high ranking for this one.

11.  Newcastle Brown Ale - Brown Ale - John Smiths Brewery - Tadcaster, New Yorkshire, England - 4.7% ABV, 25 IBU, 23 SRM

Another fairly common beer that most true beer drinkers should know.  But, unlike most common beers, this is delicious.  I had this beer at a seafood restaurant (outdoors), but due to the fact that the Newcastle was tasting so delicious at the time, I had steak tacos.  Needed the beef to match the beer, and it worked.  And yes, I know it is a Heinekin property.

12.  Corona Light - Pale Lager - Cerveceria Modelo (Anheuser Busch Inbev SA/NV) - 4.1 ABV, Honestly Who Cares about the IBUs and SRM

Ugh.  Waitress brought 1 too many to the table.  

13.  Imperial - Lager - Florida Ice and Farm Company - Heredia, Costa Rica - 4.5% ABV, 16.5 IBU, SRM Unknown

Now this is a great beach beer.  I enjoyed this one myself while I was sitting outside at a tiki bar, overlooking a marina and an inlet to the Atlantic Ocean.  Costa Rica's most popular beer has enough flavor to make it great for certain situations, like outside at the beach, but not enough flavor to have it all the time.  Definitely a situational beer.

14.  Tropical Torpedo IPA - IPA - Sierra Nevada Brewing - Chico, CA/Mills River, NC - 6.0% ABV, 55 IBU, Unknown SRM

The more I have this beer, the more I really enjoy it.  Tropical is an apt name and description, as the flavors of mango, passionfruit and other similar fruits (papaya, maybe?) flow smoothly with the hoppiness of the Torpedo IPA.  That makes this been incredibly versatile.

15.  House Ale - Pale Ale - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL - 5.4% ABV, IBU Unknown, SRM Unknown  

This was a very enjoyable Pale Ale.  I was not sure what to expect with the House Ale, as apparently it is a rotating tap at the brewery, and delivers whatever type of pale ale happens to have been brewed and available, and not marketed under a specific brand name at Saltwater.  Pleasantly surprised.

16.  Screemin' Reels IPA - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL - 7% ABV, 75 IBU, SRM Unknown

This was a fantastic IPA, much better than I remembered.  It was not harsh, and no bitter aftertaste, surprising for 75 IBUs, and still had flavor on the back end.  Rally enjoyable.

17.  Sea Cow Milk Stout - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL - 6% ABV, 32 IBU, SRM Unknown

This was pretty tasty, but very light for a stout.  Light in texture, and in flavor, as it was missing that full-bodied flavor of an ordinary stout.  Still a pretty good set-up for my next beer.

18.  Hazelnut Coffee Sea Cow - Coffee Stout - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL - 6% ABV, 32 IBU, SRM Unknown

So, a little run from Saltwater Brewery as I visited the brewery last weekend.  Keep an eye out for my evaluation of the brewery itself.  Anyway, this is a stout.  Amazing.  Even has a little spicy aftertaste.  Neither the hazelnut nor the coffee overpower the stout, or each other, but a good mix of flavors.

19.  Hazy Shark - Hazy IPA - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL - 7.2% ABV, 36 IBU, SRM Unknown

A bit of a change from the previous beers, as I moved on to a selection that was not on draft but only served in cans.  This is a good hazy, but not a great hazy.  In fact, it isn't really hazy, or bitter, despite its name.  The best part of its name is ... "Hazy shark doo doo doo doo doo doo. Hazy shark ..."

Ales

Pale Ales

1.  House Ale - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL

IPAs

1.  Tropical Torpedo IPA - Sierra Nevada Brewing - Chico, CA/Mills River, NC

2.  Jai Alai - Cigar City Brewing - Tampa, FL
3.  Screemin' Reels - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL

4.  Monkey Fist - Shipyard Brewing - Portland, ME/Orlando, FL

Double/Triple IPAs

New England/Hazy IPAs

1.  Hazy Shark - Hazy IPA - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL

Reds/Ambers

1.  Finn McCool - Twisted Trunk Brewing - Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Browns

1.  Newcastle Brown Ale - John Smiths Brewing - Tadcaster, New Yorkshire, England

Porters

Stouts

1.  Hazelnut Coffee Sea Cow - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL

2.  Sea Cow Milk Stout - Saltwater Brewery - Delray Beach, FL

Wheats/Hefeweizens

Whites/Wits

1.  Blood Orange Belgian Wit - Shipyard Brewing - St. Petersburg, FL (among others)

Saisons

Sessions

Lagers

1.  Imperial - Florida Ice & Farm Company - Heredia Costa Rica

2.  Bud Light - Anheuser Busch Inbev - St. Louis, MO

3.  Corona Light - Cerveceria Modelo (Anheuser Busch Inbev SA/NV)

Pilsners

1.  Stella Artois - Anheuser Busch Inbev SA/NV - Leuven, Belgium

2.  Miller Lite - Molson Coors - Milwaukee, WI

Kolsches

1.  Raspberry Chancellor- Tequesta Breweing Company - Tequesta, FL

2.  Der Chancellor - Tequesta Brewing Company - Tequesta, FL

Bocks

Belgian Ales

Belgian Strong Ales

Belgian Tripels

Belgian Dubbels

Belgian Quads

1.  Ellison Wilson Belgian Quad - Kelsey City Brewing - Lake Park, FL

Sours

Dunkels

Specialty

Kellerbier