What Was Your Beer of the Year for 2012?

So after working through every beer we tried in 2012, we chose our Beer of the Year. There were plenty of great options in 2012, with new breweries popping up left and right, as well as new, old, rare, and common selections filling liquor store shelves throughout Indiana. You may have filled out our readers survey, but we didn't break it down to a beer-by-beer level. So now we'd like to hear from you. What was your favorite beer in 2012? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page, and have a happy New Year.

The 2012 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner

Every December since 2008, we've looked back at all the beers we reviewed during the year so we can pick our top beer of the year. This year, we used the same basic ranking system that we've used in previous years, under which we've ranked our top five beers with the option of also listing beers under "honorable mention." To decide our beer of the year, we awarded 5 points to a first place vote, 4 points for a second, 3 for a third, 4 for a fourth, 1 for a fifth, and 0.5 for an honorable mention.

But this year, we changed the system a bit by opening up our rankings to beers that we didn't review. So as you might expect, the result was quite unscientific and a bit chaotic. Indeed, because we have very different tastes, only seven beers received multiple votes.

And what was the beer that ended up in the top spot? Well, we initially jumped the gun and forgot to include Chris's rankings, so our first result was Goose Island's King Henry Barleywine. Because this is an InBev beer, we expected some eye rolling, gnashing of teeth, and airing of grievances.

But with the inclusion of Chris's rankings, King Henry now moves down to number two on our list. This means that we have a new winner, and a local winner to boot:

Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner

We reviewed Workingman's Pilsner when we visited the brewery back in October. Most of us had tried Workingman's Pilsner before the roundtable, so we knew what we were in for. Not surprisingly, the beer won accolades from us:

"Everything about this beer rings true to the Pilsner style. The light, lightly toasted malt aroma. The slightly sweet flavor that can't be reproduced with corn. The crisp body and soft mouthfeel that make it simultaneously easy to drink and refreshing. It is a beer that evokes thoughts of fresh Helles or Pilsner in Europe. This is the Pilsner that I compare all other American Pilsners to."

"I can honestly say this is one of my favorite beers brewed here in Indianapolis. It is well brewed, really delicious, and very conducive to conversation with friends. I can't think of much more that I'm looking for out of a beer."

"[Workingman's Pilsner] is crisp, with a touch of bready sweetness and finished with a classic bite of noble hops.... In a city where far too many breweries select their year-round beers from a stock set of ales, it's great to see Fountain Square focus their attention on a first-class lager that Indy can be proud of. They've got a hit with Workingman's Pilsner, a beer that's tailor-made for this brewery's neighborhood but one that will satisfy any time and any place."

This is the first year that we've picked a Fountain Square beer as our beer of the year, and we're guessing that it may happen again in the future based on our experiences with their beers. Our congratulations go out to Skip and the Fountain Square crew!

Other beers from Indiana received votes from us. Specifically, beers from Black Acre, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Brugge Brasserie, Flat12, Sun King, Three Floyds, Triton, and Upland also pleased our palates this year.

So without further ado, here's our (admittedly messy) list of all beers that received votes, ranked in order of points received.

1. Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner
2. Goose Island King Henry Barleywine
3. Brasserie des Franche-Montagne Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien (2011)
4. Flat12 Walkabout Pale Ale
5. Schlafly Tasmanian IPA
8. (tie) New Albanian Naughty Claus, Sun King Velvet Fog (Batch 333), Three Floyds Alpha King
11. (tie) The Bruery Oud Tart, Perennial Blueberry Flanders, Triton Fieldhouse Wheat
18. (tie) Black Acre Oktoberfest, Boulevard Love Child #2, Oskar Blues Deviant Dale's IPA, Perennial Abraxas, Sun King Bitchin' Camero, Three Floyds Alpha Klaus, Upland Batch 2 Sour Reserve American Wild Ale
25. (tie) Black Acre Chai Guy Chai Tea Milk Stout, Black Acre Hop Pun, Broad Ripple Brewpub Wobbly Bob, He'Brew Jewbelation 15, Logsdon Farmhouse Seizoen Bretta, Sun King Cream Dream V: I Thought We Were Buddies, Three Floyds Lawless ESB
26. Brugge Brasserie Pooka
29. (tie) Against the Grain/De Molen Bo & Luke, Founders Better Half, Trader Joe's Mission Street Pale Ale (brewed by Firestone Walker)
37. (tie) Amnesia Copacetic IPA, Cascade Barrel House, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Grumpy Troll Smoky Troll Gratzer, Hilliard Saison, Sun King Java Mac, Three Floyds Gumballhead, Three Floyds Zombie Dust

Here are the votes from each Knight of the Beer Roundtable:

Matt

What a great year for beer. My list could probably be filled with just beers that I had at Great Taste of the Midwest. We have so many amazing breweries that have opened or have been operating for a number of years that are producing some amazing beers for our enjoyment.

I'm also cautious with these lists as well. Does my top beer mean that I scored it the highest or should the beer that I consumed the most of this year probably be on this list? In that case it would Alpha King from Three Floyds followed by Gumballhead from Three Floyds. Those have been staples for me for a very long time, but Alpha is easier to get your hands on. I'm going to stick with that reasoning for my rankings.

1. Alpha King
2. Perennial Blueberry Flanders
3. Upland Batch 2 Sour Reserve American Wild
4. Perennial Abraxas
5. Goose Island King Henry

Honorable mention: A Polish Gratzer beer from Grumpy Troll Brewpub in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. It was called Smoky Troll. For the Great Taste their version of Replicale was a near dead beer style from Poland. It is a smoked wheat beer. I love smoke beers and I tried every single one I could get my hands on that weekend, but none matched how good this one was. One of those moments I won't ever have again most likely.

Jim

1. BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien '11. For me, there's no parallel for a well-crafted sour beer, and Brasserie des Franche-Montagne's Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien is among the best sours in the world. Bon-Chien's sour cherry and oak notes rest on a sweet, malty foundation, making this beer extraordinary. Bon-Chien is admittedly pricey, but anyone who is fond of sours will find it worth the cost.

2. Flat12 Walkabout Pale Ale. The single-hop pale ale has become one of my favorite beer styles. For last year's Beer of the Year, I picked Three Floyds' Zombie Dust, which is a single-hop pale. This year, I've ranked Flat12's Walkabout Pale Ale at number 2. Walkabout is an exemplary single-hop beer, brewed with Galaxy hops from Australia. At 5.3% ABV, this beer is one that I reach for as often as I can to experience its citrusy aroma and flavor. Many would agree that Walkabout is one of Indianapolis' best craft beers. It's definitely my favorite regular beer from Flat12. Please put this one in bottles, Flat12.

3. Schlafly Tasmanian IPA. Another single-hop beer brewed with the hop from Down Under slots in at number 3. Tasmanian IPA was on cask at Schlafly's tap takeover at the Beer Sellar in October, and its hoppy, mouth-numbing flavor (in a weird, good way) was unforgettable to me.

4. Sun King Cream Dream V: I Thought We Were Buddies. The best way I can describe Sun King's Cream Dream V is that it's the sweeter cousin of Three Floyds' Alpha King Pale Ale. Because I prefer the pairing of sweet and hoppy flavors, I made several trips this summer to Bluebeard to get Cream Dream V while it was on tap there.

5. He'Brew Jewbelation 15. A beer brewed with as many hop and malt varieties as He'Brew's Jewbelation beers are should turn out to be a huge mess. But the brewers at Shmaltz always manage to make Jewbelation work. I like to put a year of age on Jewbelation before I drink it, and 2011's Jewbelation 15 turned out to be a beauty of a beer this year. Loaded with notes that range from raisins to cherries to sweet caramel to roasted malt, Jewbelation 15 is a fitting choice for the holiday season. I look forward to seeing how Jewbelation 16 tastes during Hanukkah/Christmas 2013.

Megan

1. Velvet Fog (Batch 333) - Belgian Quad, Sun King Brewing
2. Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien - Sour, Brasserie des Franche-Montagne
3. Deviant Dale's - IPA, Oskar Blues
4. Lawless - ESB, Three Floyds
5. Pooka - Sour/Wild Ale, Brugge Brasserie

Rod

1. Goose Island King Henry - I didn't have incredibly high expectations of this beer. American barleywines tend to be pretty formulaic - I like them, but they usually don't wow me. Toss that in a bourbon barrel and I'm incredibly skeptical that it's going to be one-dimensional. That was my impression going in to King Henry, but I couldn't have been more wrong. One of the best bourbon barrel beers I have ever had, this was a beautiful example of the style and further verified the incredible barrel program at Goose Island.

2. The Bruery Oude Tart - Perhaps following a similar situation as King Henry, I was ready to be extremely judgmental of this beer. The Bruery sours are kind of hit and miss for me, usually good but not typically deserving of the high price point. Oude Tart was the king of them all, commanding $20-25 a bottle. The first taste made me a believer, with a depth of flavor to the malt and a sourness more reminiscent of Belgian sours than some of the vinegar I've had from a few American breweries. I would buy this one again, despite the high price.

3. Three Floyds Alpha Klaus - After a few years of this beer being hard to find, Indianapolis was hit with a flood of bombers this year, plus many encore experiences on draft. This one is probably my favorite Christmas beer, with a wonderful spicyness, accented by hops, and a big heavy stout body. It's not super sweet as you might expect from a 10% Three Floyds beer, but it certainly drinks like it's 5%. Merry Christmas indeed.

4. Logsdon Farmhouse Seizoen Bretta - Not available in Indiana (unless you order it online), this was one of the best saisons I have tried, and certainly the best of the year. Dry and spicy from the brett, but not harsh from added spices. A bit of wine-like sweetness balances it out into an incredibly drinkable saison. Sort of like Boulevard's but with a better balance. Also it foamed all over my kitchen but I still have nice things to say about it.

5. Founders Better Half - Following suit with King Henry, Founders did a nice job with the barreling on this one. Old Curmudgeon is already one of my preferred barleywines (or I guess it's an Old Ale), but the addition of maple was not only complementary, but actually improved what I already liked about the beer. Unlike CBS, which I have my complaints about, I thought this one was good enough to be produced in much larger batches.

Honorable Mention - Cascade Barrel House. Pretty much every sour I tried there was awesome, but that was in Portland and it's not really fair for me to unload praise on it when it's not readily available in this state (without expensive shipping fees).

Jason

In a year where I could have used many, many, MANY drinks, I didn't drink as much as I would have liked. My New Year's resolution for 2013: drink more beer.

But I did have a few new beers that keep coming back into my mind. Beers that I think to myself "damn, I'd like to have another"...

1. Goose Island King Henry: I'm a fan of barleywines and bourbon barrel aged beers. So I figured it would be good. I don't remember what I paid for the bottle, but I do remember hesitating at the price. But I bought it, drank it, and bought another. The quality of this beer rocked the credit card right out of my wallet. Please sir, may I have another?

2. Flat12 Walkabout Pale Ale: I do not keep a regular beer in my fridge. There are too many options out there. Too many beers to try. But if I did, Walkabout would likely be one (if it were available in bottles). Citrusy hops make me happy.

3.) Black Acre Oktoberfest: My German heritage requires that I mention an Oktoberfest. Okay, that's not true, but I do love Oktoberfest beers and Black Acre nailed it with a big, malty version.

4.) Black Acre Chai Guy Chai Tea Milk Stout: Can you tell where I did most of my drinking this year? The guys at Black Acre are having fun with beer and the Chai Guy Chai Tea Milk Stout was late fall/early winter in a glass.

5.) He'Brew Jewbelation 15: Only circumcised drinkers allowed. This big beer was like a religious experience. I almost gave up bacon cheeseburgers. Almost.

Honorable Mention: Every other Indiana beer out there. I didn't get to hit as many breweries in Indiana as I have in previous years. I'm hoping to change that in 2013. I know that there are a lot of great Hoosier brews that didn't make any of our lists. I pour out a 40 in their honor.

Gina

My favorite 5, plus a few others:

1. Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner - I love the lightness and balance of flavors. I think this beer is simply delicious.

2. Schlafly Tasmanian IPA - I absolutely love the citrusy hops in this beer. It's bold and bitter, with some sweetness. I love this series and I am looking forward to the upcoming AIPA release from them.

3. Boulevard Love Child #2 - I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this beer. Yet, I still can't bring myself to pull the trigger on the price tag again.

4. Black Acre Hop Pun - Black Acre is kicking all kinds of ass with their lineup. I think about the Hop Pun a lot.

5. Perennial Abraxas - How I feel about this beer can best be summed up the last time I was in St. Louis and I asked the bartender what was on draft. She named off a few and then said the name of this beer. Before I even knew it the words "Holy shit, I want that please" came out of my mouth. Any immediately strong reaction like that is worth note.

Honorable Mentions:

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - No matter what, I am always glad to see this beer. It is nice that it is easier to get now than the past few years, and I'm especially glad to see it on tap around town here and there. I look forward to this beer every year and I haven't been disappointed by it yet.

Sun King Java Mac - One of my favorites. I look forward to every time it comes out.

Three Floyds Zombie Dust / Gumballhead - Ok, so I cheated a little bit here, but I wanted to list them both. I get both of these at about the same frequency (read: not very) so I thought it may be appropriate to put them together.

Chris

2012 was the year that I finally, seriously gave up on looking out for crazy, rare, exotic beer.  Not that I didn't buy any, mind you, I just gave up all the extra effort.  If I walked into a liquor store and something was there, I bought it.  Otherwise, I was in an out-of-sight-out-of-mind fog.  I'm sure I missed some interesting things, but I drank plenty of great beer too.  In 2012, my fridge was mostly stocked with bottles and growlers I drink a lot of, so in that spirit, here is my best-of list:

1. Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner - A growler of this wonderfully balanced pilsner is rarely missing from my fridge these days.  Perfect in the summer and equally perfect for the fall football season.

2. Triton Fieldhouse Wheat - Is it just me, or does Indy have a dearth of year-round wheat beers?  Luckily we've got a great one in Fieldhouse Wheat, with crisp balance and a subtle apricot note that lingers in the aftertaste.

3. Founders Centennial IPA - An old friend that saw significant playing time this year.

4. Flat 12 Pogue's Run Porter - Too often, I think dark beers get pigeon-holed as only appropriate for cold weather.  Do you shun chocolate ice cream during the summer because it has a dark color?  Of course not!  So why deny yourself a cold glass of porter while sitting on your porch during the summer?  Trust me, Pogue's Run Porter is perfect for any season.

5. Mission St. Pale Ale - This Trader Joe's exclusive (reportedly brewed by Firestone Walker) might seem like an odd addition to my list.  I include it because it's my default last beer of the night and it carries a lean price tag of $6.99 per six-pack.  At 4.7%, you can pretty easily tack it onto the end of a session and they definitely don't skimp on the citrus hops.

Kristin

1. Naughty Claus from New Albanian. The cinnamon, nutmeg and orange flavors in this beer totally brought on the holiday cheer without being completely overwhelming.

2. Workingman's Pilsner from Fountain Square. This beer is fantastic, and I'm not even a huge pilsner fan. So well balanced - great flavor - it's hard for me not to order this beer.

3. Bitchin' Camaro from Sun King. Danger, danger...this was definitely my favorite danger beer of the year. 8.7% Imperial Rye IPA that went down crazy smooth.

4. Wobbly Bob from Broad Ripple Brewpub. This is a great go-to beer - always great flavor. It's one of my favorites in the summer, but I have no problem enjoying this APA during any season.

5. Bo & Luke from Against the Grain & De Molen. So I realize these aren't Indiana breweries, but ATG is so stinking close. This Russian Imperial Stout was aged in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels, and it was incredible. Cheers to this bourbon and beer collaboration!

Honorable mentions...

Saison from Hilliard's Beer in Seattle. It was a Saison in a can, and it was delicious. And I loved the can design...bonus.

Pooka from Brugge. A great, simple sour that always hits the spot. I enjoyed quite a few Pookas in 2012, and I look forward to doing the same in 2013. And a hat tip to the Black, which I always enjoy.

Copacetic IPA from Amnesia Brewing in Portland, Oregon. Stellar IPA. Easy drinking, clean flavors, and the brewery is the perfect place to hang out when it's raining cats and dogs.

Past winners of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year Award:

2011: Three Floyds Zombie Dust
2010: Brugge Brasserie's Spider
2009: Broad Ripple Brewpub's Monon Porter (on cask)
2008: Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper (2007)

Open Thread: What was your Beer of the Year?

So after working through every beer we tried in 2011, we made our choice. There were plenty of great options in 2011, with new breweries popping up left and right, as well as new, old, rare, and common selections filling liquor store shelves throughout Indiana. You may have filled out our survey, but we didn't break it down to a beer-by-beer level.

So now we'd like to hear from you. What was your favorite beer in 2011? Leave a comment, and have a happy New Year.

The 2011 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Three Floyds Zombie Dust

Every December since 2008, we have looked back at all the beers reviewed during our roundtables over the past year so we can pick our favorites. In some cases, not all the Knights attended a roundtable. So admittedly, our ranking method is far from scientific.

This year's field was made up of 37 competitors from seven states and four countries. The vast majority of the candidates were from Indiana - this is Hoosier Beer Geek, after all - but we feel confident that the beers receiving votes this year are as good as any beers you'll find anywhere.

Because our method isn't scientific, it's possible that we may have decided that we like a beer more or less since the roundtable in which we reviewed the beer happened. In any case, looking back, we've decided that the beers listed below left us with the fondest of memories.

And our fondest memory of them all?

Three Floyds Zombie Dust


We reviewed the beer that began its life as Cenotaph when we visited Twenty Tap during its opening week for a roundtable. Most of us had tried Zombie Dust before the Twenty Tap roundtable, so we knew what we were in for. Not surprisingly, the beer won near-unanimous acclaim from us:

"This single-hop (Citra) pale ale has the classic attributes of a Three Floyds pale ale: aggressive pineapple, mango, and grapefruit notes. It's also backed with a nice, somewhat caramel-like maltiness. . . . [I]f Zombie Dust tastes like this when I have it in the future, it will officially become my favorite Three Floyds beer. The best of the bunch."

"The orange-pineapple nose was bright and very enticing. The similar flavor gives a sweet, sticky kiss on the lips rather than a punch in the mouth, but don’t tell Floyds that. They have a punch-in-the-mouth image to uphold. Not only would I order this without question, I would go out of my way to find it."

This is the first year that we picked a Three Floyds beer as our beer of the year, but it was only a matter of time before that occurred. Perhaps it's appropriate that Three Floyds won beer of the year honors from us on the year of their 15th anniversary. Our congratulations go out to the Three Floyds crew!

And now for an explanation of our ranking system...

We ranked our top five beers with the option of listing beers under "honorable mention." We awarded 3 points to a first place vote, 2 points for a second, 1 for a third, 0.5 for a fourth, 0.25 for a fifth, and 0.1 for an honorable mention.

As you'll see, Three Floyds is well-represented in the rankings; the brewery also won second place for Three Kings Pale Ale, a beer it brewed in collaboration with Sun King. And in addition to local brewery Sun King, locals Brugge, Flat 12, Ram, and Upland are represented in our rankings.

Here are the votes from each Knight of the Beer Roundtable:

Jason

I had a lot of great beers this year. Some of them were consumed but not reviewed, which is a shame. Beers like Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Rare, which I often crave. Or beers like Brugge Diamond Kings of Heaven (the world is coming to an end folks when I start enjoying sours).

But there was only one reviewed beer that I could remember off of the top of my head without looking at a list. And I find myself craving it. My number 1 beer of the year is Ram's Anaheim IPA.

2. Pizza Port Carlsbad Barrel Aged Barleywine
3. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings Pale Ale
4. Pizza Port Carlsbad Barrel Aged Night Rider Imperial Stout
5. Founders Nemesis 2010

Honorable mention: Upland Bourbon Barrel Ard Ri, Paulaner Salvator, Flat 12 Pogue's Run Porter, Three Floyds Zombie Dust.

Jim

1. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
2. Trinity Old Growth Flemish-Inspired Wild Sour
3. Three Floyds/Dogfish Head Poppaskull
4. The Alchemist Heady Topper
5. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings Pale Ale

Mike

1. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings
2. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
3. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 3.edition
4. Pizza Port Carlsbad Night Rider Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
5. Three Floyds/Dogfish Head Poppaskull

Honorable mention: Brugge Black (still), Ram Anaheim Chili IPA

Gina

1. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
2. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings
3. The Alchemist Heady Topper
4. Ram Black Widow Stout
5. Trinity Old Growth

Rod

1. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 3.edition
2. Trinity Old Growth
3. The Alchemist Heady Topper
4. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
5. Three Floyds/Mikkeller/Surly/De Struise Baller Imperial Stout

Honorable mention:

6. Trinity Double Rainbow Saison
7. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings

Matt

1. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 3.edition
2. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings
3. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
4. Trinity Old Growth
5. Ram B-Java Disorder Porter

Chris

1. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
2. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings
3. Trinity Old Growth
4. Flat 12 Pogue's Run Porter
5. Ram Black Widow Stout

I'll do an honorable mention for Flat 12 Tangerine Porter, which I thought was amazing but we didn't review this year.

The Master List of 2011 Rankings. Here's our list of all beers that received votes, ranked in order of points received.

1. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
2. Three Floyds/Sun King Three Kings Pale Ale
3. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 3.edition
4. Trinity Old Growth Flemish-Inspired Wild Sour
5. Ram Anaheim IPA
6. The Alchemist Heady Topper
7. Pizza Port Carlsbad Barrel Aged Barleywine
8. Three Floyds/Dogfish Head Poppaskull
9. Pizza Port Carlsbad Night Rider Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
10. Ram Black Widow Stout
11. Flat 12 Pogue’s Run Porter
14. (tie) Founders Nemesis 2010, Ram B-Java Disorder Porter, Three Floyds/Mikkeller/Surly/De Struise Baller Imperial Stout
19. (tie) Brugge Black (2011), Flat 12 Tangerine Porter (not reviewed), Paulaner Salvator Doppelbock, Trinity Double Rainbow Saison, Upland Bourbon Barrel Ard Ri.

Past winners of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year Award:

2010: Brugge Brasserie's Spider
2009: Broad Ripple Brewpub's Monon Porter (on cask)
2008: Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper (2007)

The 2010 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Brugge Brasserie's Spider

To arrive at our candidates for the 2010 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year, we took a look back at all the beers reviewed during our roundtables over the past year. In some cases, not all the Knights attended, but their familiarity with a reviewed beer allowed them to place it in their rankings.

This year's field was made up of 68 competitors from 11 states and three countries. The vast majority of the candidates were from Indiana - this is Hoosier Beer Geek, after all - but we feel confident that the beers receiving votes are as good as any beers you'll find anywhere.

This isn't science; this is Hoosier Beer Geek. And it's possible that we may have decided that we like a beer more or less since the original roundtable has happened. In any case, looking back, we've decided that these beers left us with the fondest of memories.

And our fondest memory of them all?



Brugge Brasserie's Spider

When we stopped in at Brugge in May for their fifth anniversary, it wasn't to try Spider - it was because we knew Diamond Kings would be on tap. Needless to say we were equally impressed by the newcomer.

"Spider offers up an enjoyable pairing of sour yeast, Belgian fruits and chocolate undertones. "

"Ted calls Spider 'one of the three best beers I've ever made', and from my three plus years of Brugge experience, I'd agree."

"I mean this in the nicest way possible - the boys at Brugge have somehow combined Nestle's Nesquik and Lemonade into a Belgian taste experience that leaves me craving more."

Our congratulations go out to Brugge's Ted Miller, who continues to surprise and amaze us.


* * * * *
And here's how the vote came together. We awarded 3 points for a first place vote, 2 points for second, 1 for third, and 0.5 points for an honorable mention:

GINA
3 points - People's Hopkilla - A boat load of hops, addictive

2 points - Brugge Spider - Super sour, tart, mouth-watering goodness.

1 point - Rock Bottom College Park - Simcoe IPA - Clean, delicious, hoppy.

Honorable mentions to : Oaken Barrel Apple Buzz, Great Divide Hercules DIPA, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

JIM
3 points - Brugge Spider - Oaky and tart awesomeness. Up there with the best Flanders sours.

2 points - Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - The perfect pumpkin ale. No one else is even close.

1 point - Founders Porter - On draft, this is the best porter I've ever had.

Honorable mention: People's Hopkilla, He'Brew Vertical Jewbelation, Sun King Osiris Pale Ale, Great Divide Hercules DIPA

JESS
3 points - Brugge Spider - Chocolate lemonade that kind of reminds me of purplesaurus rex in a good way.

2 points - BRBP's 2001 A Stout Odyssey - This chocolaty delight stands out in my mind as being a top pick from this year.

1 point - Schlafly Pumpkin - I like pumpkin anything.

Honorable Mention - Sun King Osiris Pale Ale, Founders Porter, People's Procrastinator Helles, New Belgium Ranger IPA

MATT
3 points - Founders Porter - Founders says it right. Rich. Dark. Sexy. Damn straight.

2 points - People's Hopkilla - I still don't think it is a DIPA, but it tastes great and I want seconds on it, and that is unusual for me with a DIPA.

1 point - New Albanian Beak's Best - This is a drinking man's beer. Not too heavy, and loaded with flavor.

MIKE
3 points - New Albanian Beak's Best - 2010 seemed to be the year that craft beer fans came back to sessionable (easy-to-drink, lower ABV) beer, and at 5.3% ABV, Beak's Best certainly fits that bill. I wrote, "The beer features a sweet malty front that's immediately chased off by a bitter bite. The nose is malty grainy goodness, and the beer tastes like a good brewery smells. It's a beer that's bitter in the best way." What I didn't know then was that I'd never be able to pass up the beer again; if I'm in a bar and it's on tap, I'm going to end up with a glass of Beak's in my hand.

2 points - Brugge Spider - Every year Ted Miller rolls out a few barrel-aged surprises, and Spider surely ranks among the best of them. Chocolate and sour aren't supposed to go together - it doesn't even sound good - but somehow Spider combines them both in a beer unlike any I've ever come across. In an industry that thrives on consistency, it's Ted's one-offs that always please the most.

1 point - Upland Teddy Bear Kisses - There are plenty of beers out there that have chocolate elements, and even a lot of them with chocolate in the name, but none of them seem to have the complete chocolate package like Upland's Teddy Bear Kisses. If you're lucky enough to stumble across a barrel-aged version, you're in for something even better. In any variety, this beer stood out in 2010.

0.5 points - (Honorable Mention and a beer we actually roundtabled but never posted) Dogfish/Three Floyds Poppaskull - Since my first taste I've not be able to pass up this beer. Maybe not a year-round kind of beer, but definitely perfect for the holiday season. I even drank a bomber at home by myself.

0.5 points - (Honorable Mention) Sun King Oktoberfest - In a year where I'm pretty sure I've had every beer Sun King has released (and some they haven't), it's their Oktoberfest that sets a standard by which I'll now compare all others. And believe me when I say I know what an Oktoberfest tastes like.

CHRIS
3pt - Brugge Spider - Nothing else we tasted this year remotely sparks my memory as well as this beer. Unfortunately seen too rarely, this rich, tart beer is a gem in the local beer market.

2pt - Sun King Osiris - From day one, this was a very good pale ale. In 2010, Dave Colt and company dialed in this beer's recipe to hoppy perfection and went on to can one of the best pale ales on the market. I'd put a fresh growler of Osiris up against any pale ale on the market -- that's saying something given the crowded field.

1pt - Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - It's a familiar refrain: no one makes a Pumpkin Ale as delicious as Schlafly.

0.5 pts - New Albanian Beak's Best, Founders Porter

RODNEY
3 points - Brugge Spider - Haven't had too many dark sours, but the depth of flavor certainly made it more enjoyable. Had this later in the year and it wasn't quite as good, so this may have some batch-to-batch variation - but the first one was incredible.

2 points - Founder's Black Biscuit - Black IPAs are the "in" thing right now, but something about this one just really stands out. I wish they would bottle this; it's one of their best beers.

1 point - People's Hopkilla IPA - Heard lots of hype about this on Twitter and was kind of apprehensive, but this is a really solid IPA. I wouldn't say it's a DIPA, but it's certainly on the upper end of IPA. Great hops and great balance. Would order again.

0.5 points - New Belgium Ranger IPA, Founders Porter, New Albanian Beak's Best - Session beers are coming back strong, and these three are some of the best I've had all year. Won't break the bank and are all great go-to beers.

JASON
What a wonderful problem to have... I am having trouble picking from all of the wonderful beers that 2010 had to offer. There were plenty of beers we didn't get around to reviewing. If we had, we'd all be in a hospital waiting for liver transplants. I went through the list of 2010 KOTBR beers and nine (or 16, depending on how you do the math) stood out. And picking out my favorites from there was not easy. But here we go...

Honorable Mentions:
-Schlafly Pumpkin Ale: Full body, full flavor, year after year the best pumpkin beer around.
-Sun King Osiris: This has become the new standard at my tailgate parties. Hoppy enough for hop heads, balanced for those who are not, all in all a great beer.
-Crown IPA: Despite not being over the top in hops, a very tasty beer with a balance of malt to boot.
-He'Brew Jewbilation Vertical: With some verticals, the beer is supposedly the same year after year. He'Brew's recipes changed, and their gift pack was extremely fun.
-Broad Ripple Brewpub 2001 A Stout Odyssey: It wasn't a huge stout, but it was an enjoyable and fulfilling stout. Looking forward to its sequel 2010.

It came down to four beers for me this year. After going around and around, here are my results:

-2nd place - three way tie (1 pt. per beer) - Upland Teddy Bear Kisses, Sun King Oktoberfest, New Albanian Beak's Best. These beers have very little in common, but I enjoyed them for a multitude of reasons. TBK ended up being my big beer pick of the year. Chocolate and stout in a beautiful combination. O'fest from Sun King may be my favorite all time Oktoberfest beer; I will have to drink some more to make sure. And Beak's Best, which is my sessionable beer pick of the year.

-1st place - People's Hopkilla - Not surprising that a big hoppy beer won me over. People's may be a Lafayette brewery, but they have been making their way across the state. I'm a fan of their pilsner and their helles, but the Hopkilla knocked me out. Super hoppy but not overly sweet. I'd like to see this beer more often.


* * * * *
MATH
Spider 16.0 pts.
Hopkilla 9.5
Beak's Best 7.5
Sch. Pumpkin 4.5
Osiris 3.5
Founder's Porter 3.0
2001 2.5
TBK 2.0
Black Biscuit 2.0
SK O'fest 1.5
Ranger 1.0
Simcoe 1.0
Jewbilation Vertical 1.0
Great Divide .5
Procrastinator .5
Crown IPA .5
Poppaskull .5

The 2009 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Broad Ripple Brewpub's Monon Porter

To arrive at our candidates for the 2009 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year, we took a look back at all the beers reviewed during our roundtables over the past year. In some cases, not all the Knights attended, but their familiarity with a reviewed beer allowed them to place it in their rankings.

This isn't science; this is Hoosier Beer Geek. And it's possible that we may have decided that we like a beer more or less since the roundtable has happened. In any case, looking back, we've decided that these beers left us with the fondest of memories.

And our fondest memory of them all?

Broad Ripple Brewpub Monon Porter (on cask)


When we stopped in at the brewpub back in January 2009, we figured for an evening of smooth, sessionable pints and good conversation. We sat down with brewer Kevin Matalucci, stuck our noses into the beer, and immediately knew that we had something quite a bit better than that on our hands.

"A perfectly balanced mix of nose, flavor and mouthfeel."

"If there were a way to make a milk chocolate cookie, I imagine that it would taste like the Monon Porter. Heavenly..."

"This beer was made for cask conditioning. Its smooth, creamy mouthfeel coats your tongue with coffee, chocolate and toffee notes. It leaves you with just a hint of nuttiness on the finish and makes you wish you had just one more."

"[A] beer that you could drink the rest of your life and be perfectly happy."

Our congratulations to Kevin Matalucci and the folks at the Broad Ripple Brewpub for a their continued commitment to great beer.

* * * * *
And here's how the vote came together. We awarded 3 points for a first place vote, 2 points for second, 1 for third, and 0.5 points for an honorable mention:

MIKE:

1. Brugge Bad Kitty (3 pts.) - You can make a sour, but can you make me want to drink pint after pint of it? Because I could to that with Bad Kitty. I think it lives perfectly on the line of sour and repeatably drinkable (mistake or not).

2. Broad Ripple Brewpub Cask Monon Porter (2 pts.) - If this beer always tasted like it did when we reviewed it, it might be my favorite beer ever. But every time I've had it since, it's just been really good, but not amazingly great. So...

3. Lafayette Brewing Tippecanoe Common (1 pt.) - Because when I reached for a beer out of the fridge at home (which is actually a pretty rare occurrence), this was the one that never disappointed me.

I could have voted for the New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart, but I feel like those beers are always gonna be what they are and that giving them an award is like giving the Cubs a medal for being bad--everyone knows it already. So that was my logic.

JIM:

I agree somewhat with Mike about the New Glarus beers, but that doesn't mean I won't vote for either of them. I'm a lemming following others off the cliff when it comes to Wisconsin Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart.

My top three:

1. Broad Ripple Brewpub Monon Porter (3 pts.) - I agree with Mike on the batch variation (sometimes it's drier and smokier and sometimes it's sweeter and creamier), though I had it two weeks ago and it was pretty close to the cask version that we all raved about back in January. It's my go-to beer whenever I'm at the pub. I could drink it until I exploded.

2. New Glarus Raspberry Tart (2 pts.) - Yes, this is an unoriginal pick, but I am nutzo-crazy for this beer. I want to cry every time I think about the fact that it's not available in Indiana.

3. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2009) (1 pt.) - Best bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout I've ever had. That's saying a lot.

Honorable mention: Brugge Bad Kitty, for exactly the same reasons that Mike mentioned. If there ever was a sessionable sour beer, Bad Kitty has to be it.

JESS:

1. Broad Ripple Brew Pub Monon Porter (3 pts.). This was the one beer from Indiana that totally knocked my socks off this year. I could drink this all the time because it wasn't too heavy and had a nice chocolate sweetness that went well with lots of food pairings.

2. Firestone Walker Double Barrel Pale Ale (2 pts.). This was at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival and is my favorite pale ale of all time. It is well balanced and sessionable. It also has loads of hop flavor and goes well with spicy foods.

3. Boulevard Smokestack Series Double Wide IPA (1 pt.). I'm a hop-head and it takes a quality IPA to wow me anymore. This one blew me away and made me fall in love with this ode to the trailer park.

RODNEY:

1. Broad Ripple Brewpub Monon Porter (3 pts.) - When beers are cask conditioned they change every day. They can improve or degrade or create new flavors entirely. We happened to try the Monon Porter at what I would consider the peak of its development. I've had it since and it's still good, but not as great as that magical night. And I wasn't even drunk.

2. Tyranena The Devil Made Me Do It Imperial Stout (2 pts.)- This was my first beer from Tyranena and I really enjoyed it. Great coffee and chocolate notes without being imbalanced or overly boozy. A really great first impression.

3. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2008 (1 pt.) - We reviewed this in 2009 so it counts. Every time I had this I thought it had an incredible balance of flavors and was deceivingly drinkable. 2009 is running a tad hot right now but in time it will definitely live up to its brother. If I can't do a 2008 beer then I'll go with Three Floyds 2009 Dark Lord which is deserving of the exact same praises.

GINA:

1. Three Floyds Alpha King (3 pts.) - I am never disappointed by this beer and as long as this is on tap I will always have something to go to. Extremely hoppy, yet easily drinkable.

2. Sun King Java Mac (2 pts.)- Another beer I could drink anywhere, anytime. I love when the rich coffee flavor dominates the malty Scottish brown base.

3. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2009 (1 pt.)- This beer completely blew me away. I'll be honest when I say that I wasn't expecting the beer to be so damned delicious, but it was! There were layers of chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon. Like drinking an incredibly rich and decadent cake. My biggest surprise, and one of my favorites of the year.

Honorable mentions to BRBP Cask Monon Porter, Brugge Bad Kitty, and Three Floyds Dark Lord.

Man, Indiana beer was was awesome this year!

CHRIS:

1. Bell's Two Hearted Ale (3 pts.) - My desert island beer. A perfect balance of malt and citrusy hops.

2. Founders Double Trouble (2 pts.) - A rare, highly drinkable double IPA.

3. Upland Wheat (1 pt.) - As shocking as it sounds, I don't think I had EVER tried Upland Wheat until this year. I fell head-over-heels in love with this witbier over the summer and regularly had a six pack in my fridge. Light and crisp with a refreshing zip of lemon, I could drink this beer all night.

Honorable Mention - Sun King Java Mac and Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (give me any aged bottle as my "last beer before I die")

JASON:

1. BRBP's Cask Anything (3 pts.): Whether it be the highly rated Monon Porter or the recently lusted after 2001-A Stout Odyssey, I can blindly order from BRBP's hand pulls and know that I will be extremely happy. Honorable mentions in hand pulls: Anything from Lafayette Brewing Company's hand pull, including the Weeping Hog IPA.

2. Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout (2 pts.): I could have filled my top beers list with nothing but barrel-aged beers. But the top barrel-aged beer of the year for me was GI's BC Stout. Plenty of bourbon without being too hot, this beer had a beautiful balance of flavors. Honorable mentions in barrel-aged beers: Barley Island Oak Aged Barfly ($3.50 for a goblet makes this one of the very best values), Founders KBS, and Founders Backwoods Bastard.

3. Sun King Osiris Pale Ale (1 pt.): This newcomer has quickly become a favorite go-to beer for me. You will find a growler of this in my beer fridge on most weekends. It's wonderfully tasty, beautifully hopped, and on Fridays, $5 refills. I'm looking forward to seeing Osiris in tall boys this summer. Honorable mentions in sessionable beers: Upland Preservation Pilsner (an extremely underrated beer...more places should be putting this on instead of Miller or Coors) and Three Floyd's Gumballhead (it is a wheat and, therefore, very sessionable in my mind).

4. Brugge Thunder Monkey (0.5 pts.): This spiced Belgian has become a quick favorite of mine. This oddly named seasonal beer comes around just in time to satisfy my seasonal beer needs. Honorable mentions in seasonal beers: Bell's Hopslam (when I'm tired of winter, this gives tastebuds a hoppy wakeup call), Schlafly Irish Stout, and Schlafly Pumpkin Ale.

MATT

1. Founders Imperial Stout (3 pts.) - I love this beer for several reasons beyond the flavor of the beer. I like that Founders is still bucking the rest of the beer world by selling a big beer in 12 oz. bottles. This is also one of the imperial stouts that I've had that is ready-to-go fresh from the brewery into my snifter, but it also improves with age. I like my malty beers but this one has a great balance between roasted grain, coffee, dark chocolate, and a nice alcohol twinge as well.

2. Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow (2 pts.) - I love Dreadnaught from 3F and this beer tasted like Dreadnaught with a thick and full body on it that helped accentuate those great mango and passion fruit flavors. I hope they make this an annual release.

3. Brugge Diamond Kings of Heaven (1 pt.) - I wasn't in the DKoH Mafia from years past who have all told me what an amazing beer I've missed out on, so my bar was set pretty high when I finally was able to try this beer and it did not disappoint. I normally think that sours are not very good after about 8 ounces, but I could drink many pints of this and still keep wanting more.

Final Standings:

1. Broad Ripple Brewpub Monon Porter 11.5
2. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 5.5
3. Brugge Bad Kitty 3.5
Bell's Two Hearted Ale 3
Broad Ripple Brewpub Cask Anything 3
Founders Imperial Stout 3
Three Floyds Alpha King 3
Sun King Java Mac 2.5
Firestone Walker Double Barrel Pale Ale 2
Founders Double Trouble 2
New Glarus Raspberry Tart 2
Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow 2
Tyranena The Devil Made Me Do It Imperial Stout 2
Boulevard Smokestack Series Double Wide IPA 1
Brugge Diamond Kings of Heaven 1
Lafayette Brewing Company Tippecanoe Common 1
Sun King Osiris Pale Ale 1
Upland Wheat 1
Bell's Hopslam 0.5
Brugge Thunder Monkey 0.5
Schlafly Irish Stout 0.5
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale 0.5
Three Floyds Dark Lord (2009) 0.5