"There's only one hard and fast rule in running: sometimes you have to run one hard and fast."








Monday, December 22, 2008

Steve's Christmas Challenge - Beer Edition

A lot of ultrarunners are beer drinkers (and a lot are recovering alcoholics), and there's been a little beer buzz in the blogosphere of late, so I got an idea: create your ideal case (24 bottles) of beer. You can make all 24 the same if you want, you can include homebrew, you make up your own rules. I avoided the temptation of all barleywines or Belgian specialties that you can't get here and went for the greatest diversity of styles. As you can see, Sam's my favorite brewery and the only surprises for beer snobs are that I prefer an American porter and alt to their English and German counterparts.

Thomas Hardy's Ale (barleywine)
St. Sixtus (trippel/abt)
Chimay Grande Reserve (trippel/abt)
Liefmans Framboise (lambic, fruit)
Frank Boon Gueuze (lambic)
Young's Export Special London Ale (ESB)
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (IPA)
Ballantine India Pale Ale
Newcastle Brown Ale
Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale
Yuengling Celebrated Pottsville Porter
Guinness Draft Stout (Guinness should be on tap. In a bottle, it's an abomination. Here I'm allowing the nitrogen-injected can, rather than live without Guinness)
Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout
Ayinger Celebrator (doppelbock)
Pilsner Urquell
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest (Vienna/Marzen)
Hacker-Pschorr Hefeweizen (wheat beer)
Anchor Steam Beer (Calif. common)
Widmer Alt
Aass Jul Ol (Christmas specialty)
Anchor Our Special Ale (Christmas spiced)
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Samuel Smith's Tadcaster Porter (stout)
Gouden Carolus (Belgian strong/speciale)

This looks like a really expensive case!

8 comments:

Carl Gammon said...

Ah, I can rally dive in to this topic. These are beers I really enjoy, though not all can be found in this country.

In alphabetical order:
Duvel - Belgium
Fuller's ESB
Fuller's London Pride Ale - UK
Guinness - Ireland
Heineken - Netherlands
Kirin Ichiban - Japan
Lion Red - New Zealand
Newcastle Brown Ale - UK
Red Hook ESB - USA
Samuel Smith's IPA - UK
Samuel Smith's Tadcaster Porter - UK
Steinlager - New Zealand
Summit ESB - USA
Summit India Pale Ale - USA
Victoria Bitter - Australia
Xingu Black Beer - Brazil
and...
Micky's Big Mouth Malt, just because it was the one I first drank behind the school when I was 15. The nostalgia factor!

WynnMan said...

You're right Guiness anywhere but draft should be damned by all who consume.

This is an impressive list Steve, I'll do my best in no specific order:

Two Hearted Ale (Bell's)
Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale (NewGl)
Spotted Cow Ale (New Glarus)
Hefe Weiss (Sprecher)
Unforgiven Amber Ale (Rush River)
Guiness Stout
Luke's Fat Tire Clone (Home)
Luke's SHACKLETON porter (Home)
Luke's Luke O' Lantern Pumpkin Ale
Bad Ben's Fat Tire Clone (Home)
Weathertop Wheat (Viking)
Queen Vicotria's Secret IPA(Viking)
Honey Wheat (Angry Minnow/Hayward)
Dreadnaught IPA
Kate the Great Russian Imper.Stout
Mesabi Red Ale (Lake Superior)
Furious (Surly)
La Trappe Dubbel (Trappist)
Sam Adams Holiday Porter
Hop Slam (Bell's)
Samuel Smiths IPA
Samuel Smiths Nut Brown
BeeKeeper Farmhouse ale
Kalamazoo Stout (Bell's)

Matthew Patten said...

I don't buy you having Pilsner Urquell on the list. I think that is a joke.

Every bottle I have ever had of it has been severly skunked.

I am sure it is mighty fine on tap.

WynnMan said...

worst 24 pack ever:

Natural Light (aka: natty bumple)
Ice House
Special Export (aka: green death)
Molson
Bud
Miller
Busch
Corona
Zima
Strohs
Schlitz
Old Style
Coors
Michelob
Red dog
Old Milwaukee
Moose Drool

please feel free to finish the pack.
This is such a sorry sight of beer that much like one of these diluted, skunky tin cans I can't even finish the list.


The only 3 beers that get a summons just out of kindness are PBR, HAMMS,Labatts blue .

wildknits said...

Ah... 24, eh?

I will do my best, in no particular order, starting with:

Holiday Cheer ( wildknits household homebrew, fresh from the keg in the basement)
Guiness stout - tap
Beamish stout - tap
Big Boat Oatmeal Stout (Fitgers Brewhouse)
Apricot Wheat (Fitgers Brewhouse)
Northern Porter (Summit)
Moose Drool Brown Ale (Big Sky)
Brackett (White Winter Winery)
Fat Squirrel (New Glarus)
Spotted Cow (New Glarus)
Nut Brown Ale (South Shore Brewery)
Rhode Scholar Stout (South Shore Brewery)
Mesabi Red (Lake Superior Brewing)
Split Rock Bock (Lake Superior Brewing)
unnamed ginger infused homebrew
Porter (Anchor - for whom our dog was named)

Not a full 24, but would double up on a few of those (esp. porters and stouts).

Lean towards the darker brews, easy on the hops (though we grow them).

Of course, this would last me a year at the rate I drink ;->

Londell said...

I am not one or the other... I never drank alcohol and see no reason to start... But from my knowledge, this is an impressive list...

Jean said...

Ooh, I’ll play along!

Two of each, since I might like to have seconds:

-Bell’s “Two Hearted Ale” IPA
-Red Hook “Long Hammer” IPA
-Breckenridge Brewery “Small Batch No. 471” Double-Hopped IPA
-Summit Brewing Company ESB
-New Glarus Brewing Co. “Fat Squirrel” Nut Brown Ale
-Breckenridge Brewery “Autumn Ale”
-Boddington’s Pub Ale
-Morland Brewery “Old Speckled Hen”
-Red Hook “Winter Hook” winter ale
-Beamish Stout
-Bell’s “Expedition” Stout
-North Coast “Old Rasputin” Russian Imperial stout

WynnMan's "worst" 24 pack is clearly missing Red, White & Blue (if indeed it is still made!) :)

SteveQ said...

I'm glad to see so much local flavor (pun intended) in responses so far. We might have to set up an aid station together some day!