Oz 'n' Mike's Top Beer of the Year

It's been (just over) a year since the birth of our beer blog. I know the title promises beer AND music, we just happen to play music together so when we beer, we music too. Don't think about that one too much. Anyway- here are our top picks for the year (in this list only Oz & Mike's scores count.)

Average Score:
1. Bell's Hopslam - 9.90
2. Dogfish Head Sah'tea - 8.95
3. Jolly Pumpkin Ordo de Calabaza - 8.90
4. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA - 8.75
5. Unibroue Trois Pistoles - 8.55
6. Heavy Seas (Clipper City) Winter Storm - 8.45
7. Brooklyn Brookyler-Schneider Hopfen Weisse - 8.40
8. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout - 8.30
Stoudts Winter Ale - 8.30
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve - 8.30
11. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - 8.25
12. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA - 8.15
13. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - 8.00
14. Lagunitas Brown Shugga - 7.95
15. Great Lakes Christmas Ale - 7.90
Stoudt Double IPA - 7.90
Dogfish Head Immort Ale - 7.90
18. Rogue Dry Hopped St Rogue Red Ale - 7.85
19. Dogfish Head Punkin - 7.70
20. Troegs Mad Elf Ale - 7.65
21. Great Lakes Oktoberfest - 7.55
Bell's Christmas Ale - 7.55
23. Weyerbacher Zotten - 7.25
Corsendonk Christmas Ale - 7.25
25. Founders Centennial IPA - 7.20
Sierra Nevada Torpedo - 7.20
27. Jolly Pumpkin Lucienrnaga - 7.15
28. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière - 7.05
29. Founders Old Carmudgeon - 6.90
30. Great Lakes Glockenspiel - 6.90
Magic Hat Roxy Rolles - 6.90
32. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale - 6.85
33. Bell's Expedition Stout - 6.75
34. Heavy Seas (Clipper City) Holy Sheet - 6.70
Blue Moon Full Moon - 6.70
35. Bell's Sparkling Ale - 6.50
36. Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner - 6.40
37. Summit Winter Ale - 6.35
38. Three Floyds Brian Boru - 6.25
39. Dogfish Head Midas Touch - 6.15
Dogfish Head Theobroma - 6.15
41. Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale - 5.8
42. Avery Old Jubilation - 5.65
43. Weyerbacher Winter Ale - 5.60
44. Sam Adams Winter Ale - 5.55
45. Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale - 5.50
46. Abita Christmas Ale - 5.40
47. Michelob Winter Cask Ale - 5.35
48. New Holland The Poet - 5.15
49. Breckenridge Christmas Ale - 4.95

Black & Tan Recipe - N/A
Old Milwaukee Beer - N/A
Atwater Block - Atwater Hell - N/A

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Hi, Mike here. Oz and I have taken back the blog from those blasted good ol' boys. However, today we have a special brew so I decide to roll solo for a one time, one night only review:

Oh, Ohio and your pointless laws! Two of my least favorite Ohio laws are the limit to what percentage of alcohol beer can not be over (12%) and the illegalization of intoxicating ducks with alcohol. Why do you have ruin all the fun? I had to put my ducks in a row and lined up a beer trade with JoeyBeerBelly on Beeradvocate.com to trade for Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. Weighing in at 18% ABV, this brew is not for the novice and definately not for the faint of heart. A single 12 oz bottle retails for more than most craft six packs and around the same price as a 30 pack of Old Milwaukee. Being a dollar an once, this is liquid gold (only if gold meant an insane amount of barley.)

The brew pours a thick black solid color with a brown foamy head. Smells of alcohol, raisins and smoke let you know you are about to be taken for a ride. First sip reminds me of a strong rum & coke with chocolate swirled in. WWS is as full bodied as expected but nowhere near as syrupy or thick as I was anticipating. The imperial stout flows surprisingly smooth down the throat as it leaves alcohol on the tongue. As I continue operation 'Move Beer from Glass to Stomach,' the brew becomes more drinkable and more sweet.

This is nowhere near a session beer and I had to clear out a night in my schedule to fully appreciate something so high in alcohol. I would not reccomend this to pregnant women or everyday Guinness drinkers. There is so much barley and an incredible completity to the brew that I would not dare share a brew with someone who would not appreciate. Dogfish Head is known for their creativity in craft beer and maybe it's the alcohol talking, but this beer is fucking sweet.

Mike Scale: 8.3

New Holland The Poet

Raven on the bottle. The Poet. Sounds like New Holland styled their bottle to the likings of a drunk who married his thirteen year old first cousin. "Art in Fermented Form" the bottle claims. Hmm. We think they might be missing a 'F' somewhere but not at the end. Lame as that joke may be, the beer equals this.

The beer has the slightest kick and trails off into what a Guiness Light would taste like. The oats and chocolate charicteristics are hidden behind a creamy watery mess. In the bottle holds all things that make an oatmeal stout great but in our opinion, New Holland's Poet has the taste most Michigan fans have had lately. Shitty. We wear our Tressel vests.

Weak front to finish

A ligheter version of Guinness

Stumbles on its face

In someone else's cooler is its place

More lame than FDR's legs
A better beer, our lips do beg

Something that's flavor is heroic

Something that is not New Holland's The Poet

Nevermore will we drink this again.

Oz Scale: 5.1
Mike Scale: 5.2

Founder's Old Curmudgeon

How does one finish a great weekend?... One gets too drunk to even attempt at beer blogging. While this may be the first sign of a problem, we promise to humbly deliver our Sunday beer blog on this Monday. I guess we could say that we gave the Lord a rest. However, on a goodwill mission to a local bar, Oz craftily arranged for an outside opinion for a future review. A*is*n and B**ky (the names have been edited to protect the innocent until we can take away their beverage innocence) have promised to give their American commercial brew opinion on our page. We pretentiously add in advance that their opinion doesn't matter... Just kidding. We value everything a woman has to say. No, we aren't bitter. However, we like our beer that way.

Today, we knew we were in for a challenging beer. Old Curmudgeon... wow, the name even sounds tough. Curmudgeon is another word for a stubborn asshole... hmm... how could we ever relate to this beer? The bottle only warns of a 9.3% ABV and a drinking during pregnancy. Please reference the video below of our first tasting to get an idea of the true power of this beast.

The brew starts strong like a low Db power chord and ends in a tremolo picking blaze. Nick, where are you at when when we need you? Flavors similar to brown sugar, molasses, plum and Noni juice hit the pallet harder than if Mike Tyson fronted a Henry Rollins tribute band. There is a TV Party in my mouth. This is not a gateway beer, it is for full blown drunks, I mean... connoisseurs.

We were challenged and we conquered. We might have lost a battle or two but we won the war of two beers apiece. There were a couple taste bud casualties along the way but in the end, General Lee surrendered. It was not easy to finish all four beers, we could have took the King Edward Van Halen way and whammy ourselves out but we did the Jimi thing and just bent the note until it was right. We scored higher for originality over personal preference on this brew due to the complex uniqueness of the flavor.

Oz Scale: 7.0

Mike Scale: 6.8