Given that I already did my annual review of the year, it may seem strange to go over some of the same ground again, but then the questions being asked not only look back but also look forward to the rest of this year, not to mention the fact that there is a "worst of" angle as well, which I didn't touch on during the Fuggled Review of the Year posts.
Without further ado, let's get started:
Best and Worst Beer of 2009
In my review of the year, I gave a "best of" for various beer categories without choosing one particular highlight of the year. Making that decision is practically impossible, but I am of the opinion that the beer which most deserves the title 2009's best of is that beer which I wanted to drink time and again, rather than the one off which was interesting to taste and a worthwhile experience, but not one I would drink plenty of. Using that criteria the best beer I had in 2009 was the magnificent Kout na Šumavě 10° golden lager, a beer more flavourful and delicious than many other stronger, more complex beers and the driving force of many a session before I left Prague for the US.
As for the worst beer of 2009 there are several contenders - Bud Light (Butt Wipe), Miller Lite and Pabst Blue Ribbon (Pap Smear) all spring to mind, for some reason my friends think it is hilarious to see my reaction to the big industrial brews in the US. However, the worst beer in 2009 came from a craft brewer, and the only redeeming feature was the fact that I could re-use the bottle for my home brew, the beer in question was Ybor Gold Light - if a worse beer in the US exists then thank goodness I am yet to try it.
Beer Resolution for 2010
I try not to be a beer snob, the kind of person who sneers at anything made by the big brewers - you know the kind of thing, people who refuse to drink Blue Moon because it is a Coors product. The important thing for me is not what is on the label, but what is in the bottle - and that is something I want to remember more in the coming year.
Beer Regrets and Embarrassments
I generally don't do regret, but I wish I had made more of the month I had free in the Czech Republic to get out and about visiting more of breweries. I really can't think of anything embarrassing to do with beer this year, other than my initial wittering about Gambrinus Excelent, and 11° lager which I wrote off without tasting it purely based on its makers, only to discover that while it is in no way an earth shattering beer, it isn't awful either.
Beer Changes Hoped for in 2010
That really is a simple one, I want to make my homebrew better than it is. I like to think, and given the positive feedback I have already had, that I brew reasonably well, I want to be better and eventually this year start all grain brewing.
I am very much looking forward to this year, and as I said in an earlier post today, here's to 2010, God bless her and all who sail in her!
Here's to improving homebrew, the world over!
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Mmm... that was one atrocious beer. My worst of the year was Bud Light Chelada, though I feel like that's cheating. My worst non-macro beer of the year was also Ybor Gold Light.
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