Aaron's Beer Page

Aaron's Beer Page:

There are thousands of beers in the world, and I've tasted over 3000 of them. What makes a good beer is a matter of taste, and my taste has resulted in my being a self-proclaimed beer snob. As one friend of mine put it, "You're the only person I know who says he drinks beer for the taste and actually means it."

In recent years, I've tried to take at least one trip per year that involves beer (1996 -- Czech Republic; 1997 -- Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF); 1998 -- Oktoberfest in Munich; 2000 -- 19 Breweries in 14 days in Northern California; 2001 -- GABF; 2002 -- RateBeer's Summer Gathering (RBSG) in Toronto; 2003 -- four days in Belgium in the Spring, and a five-day road trip, Minneapolis to Chicago, culminating in RBSG 2003; and 2004 -- RBSG 2004 and the OBF in Portland on successive weekends, with a trip up to Seattle in between), and I've hosted an annual winter seasonal tasting the first friday in December for the past 9 years. I've probably been to over 50 of the Brickskeller's and RFD's beer tastings since I moved to the area in 1993.

Proof that I found my true love: in Fall 2000, during our tasting tour of Northern California, when we were in Sonoma County, I asked Kathy whether she wanted to check out any of the wineries. She replied, "No -- we're here to drink beer."

So without further ado, here are a few beers that are among my favorites, either for their taste or for their significance to me:

Once upon a time, I didn't like beer. But that was because I thought of beer as Budweiser and its ilk. That changed, first with Michelob Dark, the first beer I could tolerate. And later, in the summer of 1989, with Ballard Bitter. Ballard Bitter was my first microbrewed beer, and I absolutely loved it. It had real bitterness, and was ripe with flavor.

I wanted to have more, but for years it was only available on the west coast. Not for 6 1/2 years did I get the opportunity to try it again, and by that time I'd begun to wonder if I would like it as much, having in the meantime been exposed to many good beers. Suffice it to say I liked it a lot, though in part for the nostalgia it brought.

Ballard Bitter has since become Red Hook IPA, so look for it under that name if you're interested.

This is the seasonal beer I look forward to every year. It becomes available in late November or early December, and is rarely to be found after New Year's. It's very hoppy, and it ages exceptionally well. The only problem is, I always drink all of mine way before it's had a chance to age properly.

Each year's batch is a bit different from the previous one, and some of them lack a rounded taste. But when it's on, look out, because it truly is the best beer out there. When people ask me what my favorite beer is, I tell them that it's the 1993 Celebration Ale.

When this beer came out, all I could think of was how hoppy it was, and that the hoppiness left the beer without balance. That problem was rectified, so that now this award-winning (GABF) well-rounded beer is among my favorites. It's still got loads of hops, but now there's so much more.

A new favorite of mine is the amazing Ellezelloise Hercule Stout. This is the only Belgian Imperial
Stout I know of, and it's a tremendous treat. The aroma is complex and malty -- dark chocolate,
toffee, coffee, and roasty. The flavor is even better -- chocolate, coffee, ginger, roastiness, and
slight alcohol (an insufficient reminder of its 9% abv). By all means, if you ever come across this excellent beer, try it!

My first perfect score, and with good reason -- this is an amazing beer!
Pitch black body with small brown head. Aroma is rich, plum/raisin,
malty, moderately sweet, some anise. Taste is BIG! Dark fruit, sweet,
rich, chococoffee. WOW! Finish is chococoffee, dark fruity with alcohol
warming.

It’s a black hole of a beer, allowing a seemingly infinite amount of flavor
to fit within its edges. You may pray that you’ll win the lottery, but I
pray that Three Floyds will make Dark Lord again this year, and that it
will be available in the DC area.

This is the original Budweiser, and it's a magnificent example of a pilsner. For years, the American Budweiser has prevented its sale in the United States. In 2001, however, Budvar decided to market the beer as Czechvar, thereby sidestepping a legal fight. Even though it's no longer necessary to travel to the Czech Republic to try it, between it and Prague (along with a tour of the Prazdroj Brewery, makers of Pilsner Urquell), you can't go wrong visiting that wonderful country.

I've tried beers from these states:

And from these countries:

Updated April 1, 2005