HOLIDAY BEER OVERDOSE - 12/9/06

I said I wanted to "go big" on the holiday beers this year, and this event last Saturday at the PACIFIC COAST BREWING CO. in Oakland, CA was the best way that I knew how. Kudos to the planners & staff at this establishment for putting on such a well-mannered and knockout-beer affair. All participants, after plunking down $40, were seated at numbered tables and given their own individual server, who thusly hauled out a grand total of 14 beers for our tasting pleasure, along with a bevy of fine roasts and meats. While I did see one gentleman squire lose his lunch in the restroom (and this only 7-8 beers in), the crowd in general was orderly, tidy, and predisposed to a good beer-drinking afternoon out. Me and my pal CM were a little taken aback by the inflated alcohol content on the beers presented to us on our "scoresheet" (yes! a scoresheet! These are my hombres!) - the lowest was 5.6%, while most tended to the double digits, all the way up to 12%. It was to be an afternoon of much mirth and merrymaking, with some fantastic holiday beers lighting the fuse. Let me continue.

Our scoresheets allowed for a highest possible score of 20, but coached us judges into generally higher scores than the vaunted Hedonist Beer Jive scales, which only go to 10 and like to grade around a mean of 5, with 5 being the "average" beer available in supermarkets and bars. At this event, "ordinary beer" was recommended to be a 7 out of 10 in terms of mouthfeel and taste, so I judged accordingly. Most of these were far, far above ordinary. Here were the results, ranked on my scoresheet, shoved into my backpocket after the day was done:

1. MOONLIGHT SANTA'S TIPPLE - a strong, dark, and wonderfully full-bodied beer - 19/20
1. NORTH COAST OLD STOCK 2004 - 19/20
3. PAUL'S DIRTY SCARECROW - a homebrew spiced ale from one of the bartenders!! - 18/20
4. BIG SKY POWDER HOUND - Loved it this time, as opposed to a few weeks ago - 17/20
5. GOUDEN CAROLUS NOEL - 16.5/20
6. ANCHOR STEAM "OUR SPECIAL ALE" 2006 - 16/20
6. NORTH COAST OLD STOCK 2006 - 16/20
6. N'ICE CHOUFFE - 16/20
6. PACIFIC COAST HOLIDAY DOUBLE IPA - 16/20
6. LAGUNITAS BROWN SHUGGA - 16/20
11. DRAKE'S JOLLY ROGER 2006 - 15/20
12. He'BREW MONUMENTAL JEWBELATION - 14.5/20
13. SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION - strange and annoying aftertaste - 14/20
14. FULL SAIL VESUVIOUS - nearly a "pour-out" - 12/20

At the close of the drink-off, our fetching barmaiden was dispatched forthwith to secure us yet another tall glass of the Moonlight Santa's Tipple, which she did with a smile. I then pronounced the afternoon a success. Strongly recommend you try and find some of the first five on this list, particularly the big two up top, and remember there are only 12 more drinking days left until Xmas.

Check out this post from William Brand for another take on the event, and make sure to bookmark his excellent beer blog while you're at it.