One Year Later - Reflections on QFTB1
Posted by: Muskoxen Brendan on Apr 22, 2010 10:00:00 am EDT
It's been a little more than a year since the original Quest for the Best 1: Muskoxtoberfest in Spring: Feats of Beer '09, the Brew-tastic Challenge, and in that year, it seems like the more beer I drink, the more I learn about myself. So here's what I've learned over the past year, after my eyes were opened in the original QFTB:
I'm (mostly) a lager drinker. This has the notable exceptions of porters and stouts, which are my favorites, and are actually ales (see below). In my everyday drinking, though, I tend to prefer lagers. I prefer their smoother taste and flavor. Some may argue that ales have more flavor, but I think a proper lager has plenty. And I'm not talking about pilsner-type Miller or Budweiser or anything like that. I'm talking about proper lagers like Dominion or any number of German beers.
Porters and Stouts are still my favorites. The notable exceptions to the lager rule above. While technically ales, porters and stouts are by far my favorite types of beers. I love dark beers and bitter/almost burned flavors. Guinness Extra Stout is still my all time favorite beer. Generally, the darker the beer, the more I like it.
Too much hoppy flavor is a bad thing. While I like bitter dark beers, IPAs and other high-level hop beers displease me. I'm not against them once-in-a-while, I just can't stomach too much in one beer.
I try new beers all the time. A great result of QFTB1 is that my eyes are open to all kinds of different beers and I want to try everything. Just about every time I go to buy beer I get something I've never had before. That's not to say there aren't some times where I just want to get a six of Rolling Rock or Dominion, but in general, I'm constantly trying new beers.
Sierra Nevada is one of my favorite breweries. Yes, it's probably because of all the nice swag they sent us, but almost every beer I get of theirs, I like. Except for the IPAs, of course. Generally, they're just a cool company with a sense of humor, and they make good beer on top of it.
So there you have it. I just thought it would be nice to go over how I was enlightened by the first QFTB and how much I'm looking forward to another one.
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written by Muskoxen Geoff, April 23, 2010
My problem is that I always end up with a fridge full of Miller Lite because we always get a case when people are coming, but then only a handful get drank and the rest fall to me... It probably won't be as big of a deal moving forward since Val can drink again now, but do you guys think it's fair to make a "If-you-drink-lite-beer-you-have-to-bring-it-yourself" rule? I'm not trying to be a beer snob, but it comes down to me buying beer I don't like and then drinking it. That's just not right.
written by Muskoxen Geoff, April 23, 2010
written by Muskoxen Brendan, April 24, 2010
Geoff, I think if you let people know what kind of beer you have, you may be able to avoid an awkward situation. So, if people are asking what to bring, just tell them what beers you have and if they want anything else, they can bring it. That being said, there's a place for Miller Lite sometimes.
written by Keith, April 25, 2010
Geoff, as far as beer buying goes, Brandan hit the nail on the head above. I quit buying shit beer for gatherings a while ago, it's just not worth it in the end.
I'm not a fan of Miller Lite, but if it's all that's there I'll drink it. But if you only buy good beer I won't have to.
written by Muskoxen Geoff, April 25, 2010
Either way, yes, there's a place for Miller Lite. When I'm hammered at 2:30 in the morning and , or at 1pm on a Saturday when I know I'm going to be drinking all day and don't want to get sloppy, or if I let myself get talked into playing flip cup or beer pong and there's going to be chugging involved, Miller Lite can't be beat.
I don't know if it's because of QFTB or what, but I too am constantly trying new beers. Luckily for me I have The Perfect Pour to help me in this endeavor, but even in bars and especially when traveling I go out of my way to try something new.
With regards to my beer drinking habits I'm now out of my Heineken box. There was a time that when you came to my house you would always find it in my fridge. I still like Heineken (who doesn’t?), and it'll always be a fall back option, but a nice black and tan is MOL-NEY. My fridge is still constantly stocked with beer, but nowadays it's usually comprised of sampler 12 packs from a microbrewery that I'm trying for the first time.
And with all of these new beers having been tasted by us, QFTB2 will be miles ahead of the first one in terms of the beers involved. Speaking of which, when is QFTB2?
And on a semi-related note, one year after the first QFTB, I put on the commemorative t-shirt, and you cannot believe how snug it is! Maybe I've been drinking more beer than I thought in this last year?