1. Revolution Straight Jacket (5.0) 2. FiftyFifty 2010 Eclipse Rittenhouse Rye (4.5) Westbrook Mexican Cake Red Wine Barrel Aged Deschutes The Abyss 2011/2012 Reserve 5. Alesmith The Shit Speedway Stout (4.4) Stone 17th Gotterdamerung IPA 7. Thirsty Dog Coffee Infused Dry Irish Stout (4.3) The Bruery Cuir (100%) Barrel Aged Cigar City Marshall Zhukovs Imperial Stout 10. Oskar Blues Gubna (4.2) De Molen Kope Loewak Alesmith Yulesmith Summer Stone Espresso RIS Thirsty Dog Wulver Fat Heads IBUsive Columbus Steel Dawn Westbrook Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Triple 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze Golden Blend Gouden Carolus Noel FiftyFifty 2012 Imperial Eclipse Old Fitzgerald *seeing how I hung up my rating hat again not too long ago this may be my last list of these sorts..... ~Cheers!

I enjoyed reflecting on the beers I reviewed in 2013. Below, in no meaningful order, are my 14 best samples: Firestone Abacus Firestone Wookey Jack Firestone Double Jack Roughtail Split Decision (review pending and overdue) Roughtail Imperial Black Rye Ale Prairie Artisan Ales Okie Prairie Artisan Ales Pirate Bomb Williamsburg Aleworks Cafe Royale Ballast Point Victory at Sea Terrapin Oaked Big Hoppy Monster Dogfish Head My Antonia Choc Bourbon Barrel OPA (review pending and overdue) Brewdog Tokyo Knee Deep Simtra Triple IPA

quote: Originally posted by FoamDome Or maybe, the beers are just getting better?

quote: Originally posted by FoamDomeFWIW, my first Orval was May 1997, at the Monastery. It was a Nirvana-like experience. But I tend to prefer Imperial Stouts and Porters these days.

Prairie Bomb! on tap at the Choc tap room was my best of 2013.

Nice! That beer is so ridiculously good...

quote: Originally posted by Brett Prairie Bomb! on tap at the Choc tap room was my best of 2013.

quote: Originally posted by slowrunner77 Nice! That beer is so ridiculously good... quote: quote: Originally posted by Brett Prairie Bomb! on tap at the Choc tap room was my best of 2013.

Still ever changing for me. Two new entries on my list since this was posted. I'll just wait til the 31st [:)]

I had some fantastic brews this year, many thanks to some great trades and an awesome trek to Boston and Vermont for a wedding. I didn't review everything I've had, so this is based on what I reviewed here. Dark horse bourbon barrel plead the fifth Cantillon vignerrone Voodoo laird's apple brandy grand met Voodoo pappy van winkle big black voodoo daddy Hill farmstead Vera Mae North coast old Rasputin XV Hill farmstead abner Cantillon fou foune Olde hickory the event horizon Bruery melange #3 Bruery white chocolate I still have a few to crack over the holidays that are promising - barrel aged speedway, Vietnamese speedway, and the bourbon county variants.

Curious to see how Vietnamese Speedway comes through in the bottle (only had draft). LOVE the BA version. Heavy handed barrel but the beer and coffee are strong enough to come through. Kinda like BCS, but those beers end up very different.

quote: Originally posted by ggrumet I had some fantastic brews this year, many thanks to some great trades and an awesome trek to Boston and Vermont for a wedding. I didn't review everything I've had, so this is based on what I reviewed here. Dark horse bourbon barrel plead the fifth Cantillon vignerrone Voodoo laird's apple brandy grand met Voodoo pappy van winkle big black voodoo daddy Hill farmstead Vera Mae North coast old Rasputin XV Hill farmstead abner Cantillon fou foune Olde hickory the event horizon Bruery melange #3 Bruery white chocolate I still have a few to crack over the holidays that are promising - barrel aged speedway, Vietnamese speedway, and the bourbon county variants.

BEST & WORST of 2013. Definitely more great beers than crap [:D] 1. Cascade Diesel 4.7 2. Bell’s Black Note 4.7 3. Epic Big Bad Baptist 4.7 4. Prairie Bomb! 4.6 5. Green Flash Sleepin With Shaggy 4.6 6. North Coast Old Rasputin XV 4.6 7. Firestone Walker XVII 4.5 8. Alesmith Barrel Aged Old Numbskull 4.5 9. Stone w00tstout 4.5 10. Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin 4.5 11. Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Maple Stout 4.5 12. Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal 4.5 13. Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin 4.5 14. The Bruery White Chocolate 4.5 15. Goose Island Cherry Bourbon County Stout 4.5 16. Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout 4.5 17. Great Divide Oatmeal Yeti 4.5 18. Cascade Noyaux 4.4 19. Upright Fantasia 4.4 20. Port Brewing Sauvecito 4.4 21. Alesmith Decadence 2012 4.4 22. Alesmith Decadence 2013 4.4 23. New Glarus Serendipity 4.4 24. Almanac Heirloom Pumpkin Barlwywine 4.4 25. Deschutes Green Monster 4.4 26. Russian River Propitiation 4.4 27. Great Divide Barrel Aged Hibernation 4.4 28. Odell Doug’s Bombshell 4.4 29. Cascade Cerise Noveau 4.4 30. Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine 4.4 31. Russian River Shadow of a Doubt 4.4 32. Crooked Stave Hop Savant 4.4 33. Stone Dark Oak Double Bastard 4.4 34. Port Brewing Deeez Nuts 4.4 35. Epic Imperial Stout 4.4 36. Nebraska Chrdonnay BA Hop God 4.4 37. Ballast Point Mole Victory At Sea 4.4 38. Nebraska Black Betty 4.4 39. COOP Territorial Reserve Oak Aged Imperial Stout 4.4 40. Stone Dayman 4.4 41. AC Golden Ctyat 4.4 42. Alpine Pure Hoppiness 4.4 43. 8Wired iStout 4.4 44. Victory Oak Horizontal 4.4 45. Odell Mothman Saison 4.4 46. Alesmith Rye BA Old Numbskull 4.4 47. Stone Jeff Chuck Mitch Hwy 78 4.4 48. Mikkeller Spontancherry Frederiksal 4.4 49. Amager Hr Frederiksen 4.4 50. Sam Adams Cherry Chocolate Bock 4.4 1. Busch NA 1.5 2. Rainier 1.6 3. Pike 2012 Vintage Space Needle IPA 1.7 4. Steel Reserve 211 High Gravity 1.7 5. Redd’s Strawberry Ale 1.9 6. Beck’s Sapphire 2.0 7. Odoul’s Amber 2.0 8. Leinenkugel Orange Shandy 2.1 9. Budweiser Black Crown 2.1 10. Blue Moon Spring Blonde 2.2 11. 33 Export 2.2 12. Wild Black 2.3 13. Bard’s Tale Gold 2.3 14. Wyder’s Dry Raspberry Cider 2.3 15. Sapporo Light 2.4 16. Tyskie Gronie 2.4 17. Blue Moon Valencia Amber 2.4 18. Redd’s Apple Ale 2.4 19. Stoneyhead Stoney Red Carmel Irish Ale 2.4