The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry.
For this week's Session we were asked (in the spirit if tax season!) to undertake a "Beer Audit". Basically, to take stock of and reflect upon our beer stash.
So, I went digging into the beer closet and started pulling out bottles. Same from the keggerator, and one -a lone Black Diamond Winter Ale- from the refrigerator. Here's what I came up with:
1 Anchor Steam 2012 Christmas beer magnum
1 Allagash Tripel Reserve
1 Omer blond ale
1 Ovila blond ale
1 Brother Thelonius
1 Rogue Imperial Pilsner
4 2012 Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (brewed by Unibrue)
2 2011 Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (brewed by Unibrue)
2 2010 Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (brewed by Unibrue)
1 2009 Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (brewed by Unibrue)
1 Ommegang Rare Vos amber ale
1 Ommegang Three Philosphers quadrupel ale
1 Crispin hard apple cider
1 Black Diamond Winter Ale
The most obvious thing is that I favor Belgian style brews and big beers -dubbels, tripels, quadrupels. The other thing, which might not be so obvious, is that lately my beer purchasing has taken place largely at Costco, which has started carrying microbrews and specialty beers.
It is also evident that I am not overly fond of Black Diamond's Winter Brew as I still have it -and, now that I come to think of it, several more in the shed- left from a case I won at a homebrew club drawing two Christmases ago.
I am particularly pleased with small collection of Trader Joe's Vintage ale that I have managed to put together.
It is a beer that I enjoy and whose release I look forward to each year, so having the ability to at some time -in the not too distant future- to be able to pour and share a 5- or 6-year vertical flight of it will be a real treat for me.
