I am grateful for every beer that the twitter #beerclub has introduced me to. Even the gross ones (hey! that could be another blog post!). I am partial to an IPA, but I really enjoy tasting all kinds of beer. Here is a list of my favorite beers that we have done so far in the #beerclub- in no particular order. So I’m not numbering them. (And I am sure I am leaving some out).
Ale Asylum Bedlam IPA
Ale Asylum Bedlam
From their website:
“ALE ASYLUM is unfiltered and all natural. We use no additives, preservatives, fruit, horse hooves, fish guts, or extracts. Our ingredient list: water, malt, hops, and yeast. This is what we mean when we say our beer is FERMENTED IN SANITY. You know who makes it, you know what it’s made with. You know after having one you’ll want another.”
So, in other words, this brewery in Madison, Wisconsin kicks ass. I am a lover of (almost) all IPAs and this beer is described as a Belgian style IPA. It is a seasonal beer and was perfect for the season we drank it in- Spring. It was fruity, hoppy, delicious.
Victory V-12
Victory V 12
Admittedly, I don’t remember the exact taste of this beer that well. But I know it tasted really good. This is called a strong ale and I was told that if I enjoyed an IPA, I would enjoy this. And I did. Very much. This beer has a very high alcohol content, 12%, and the alcohol content was cleverly disguised by a great tasting beer. Resulting in me drinking enough of it not to remember exactly how it tasted. I know it had a hoppiness I enjoyed and it came in a really cool corked bottle.
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
An IPA (go figure) made with 18% rye malt. This gold medal winning beer has the super hoppy flavor that I just cannot get enough of. It was the first time I had tried a rye malt beer and I am glad I did! This brewery also produces another favorite IPA of mine, Racer 5- which was not a beer club pick, but has become a staple in my refrigerator.
Three Floyds Gumballhead
Three Floyds Gumballhead
Here is a shocker- this one is not an IPA! It is actually a wheat beer, and I have to say, I do not enjoy many wheat beers. But this is a wheat beer that has made a permanent home in my refrigerator. It is not an easy beer to describe, but it is an extremely easy and enjoyable beer to drink, with big flavor. This brewery also makes another favorite of mine that was not a beer club pick, and is also not an IPA- Alpha King is a pale ale and it is awesome.
Honorable mentions:
Left Hand Brewing Chainsaw Ale a “connoisseur version of our award winning Sawtooth Ale” Yum
Sprecher Belgian Dubbel a 25th anniversary brew and a classic. Brewed locally here in Wisconsin!
Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard Ale A strong ale and very enjoyable
Thank you Mitch for letting me use your photos! It should be noted that Mitch is classy and drinks out of fancy glasses. I drink from the bottle.
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Another great post Gen. If I was going to put together a list of my favorite beers from #beerclub I’m pretty sure my list would look very similar, and for the same reasons.
Bedlam was fantastic, and I can’t wait till it comes out again this year. I will be getting as much of it as I can find when I see it on shelves.
The Victory V12 rates up there as one of my favorite nights of #beerclub. It was the highest alcohol beer we’ve done, and we were all feeling good by the end of that night. I’m tempted to make V12 night an annual thing just so we can do it all again with all the new comers to #beerclub since we did it last year.
Hop Rod, wow. That’s about all I can say about that one. It is every bit as good as Racer 5 but the Rye adds an interesting flavor that you don’t get in most IPAs.
Gumballhead, I like wheat beers, but this is the cream of the crop as far as wheat beers are concerned.
It was a good year of #beerclub, and as we come up on the one year anniversary of this experiment I can only hope we continue to find more great beers and great people as we go forward.
You did a fantastic job with the post!