The Top 10 Beers from 2013

As the year draws to a close, it's time for a recap of what has really mattered over the last 12 months. Exactly which truly awesome beers have we encountered?!? Here is my list, folks...your opinion may vary, but I'm pretty sure mine is better!

2013 was an absolutely amazing year for me: I took on a new role at Amzn, and learned all sorts of amazing things; I started brewing beer in my kitchen, and learned all sorts of amazing things about all sorts of even more amazing things; I saw some great shows and remembered that nothing beats great live music; I had some wonderful times with old friends, and realized nothing can compare to sharing a joke that wore out its welcome after 3 weeks with the folks who keep laughing 30 years later; I had some wonderful times with much newer friends, and remembered that true friends are worth more than I could ever imagine; I met some amazing folk who have become good friends, and realized there is no finer reward to a life lived well.

After that pollyanna spew, I should note my criteria for inclusion in my Best Beers of 2013 list: I had to give the beer a perfect 5 rating on Untappd, and it had to be deserved (yes, there was an exclusion based on that particular criterion.) Pretty simple, but not very common.


First up on my list of the Best Beers of 2013:

Ommegang Abbey Ale

This was introduction to Ommegang, and what a lovely introduction to a fantastic brewery. My only comment at the time was "Wow"  This is a lovely, huge dubbel--fruity, just a bit boozy, knock you down tasty! Absolutely outstanding!

Second, another brew from Ommegang: Three Philosophers

As a philosophy major, y'all know I'm especially inclined towards this Belgian quadrupel and its 9.8% ABV.

This may be the very best beer I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. Incredible brown sugar/molasses/burnt raisins and lovely sorta cherry brandy finish. Freaking awesome!

Third: Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter (Country Boy Brewing)

Exactly what you'd think it would be--Stiff, Bitter and Boozy 

Country Boy Brewing is ambitious, adventurous, and extremely talented. They know their stuff, and they aren't afraid to step outside a few comfort zones. So far, their attitude has had nothing but amazing results. Far and away the best brewers in Kentucky. Enjoy and support them.

Fourth: Moloko Milk Stout from Three Floyds Brewing

I always luv a milk stout, and this is a fantastic one. Very sweet, malted milkiness up front, with some malty hot chocolatey...almost soy-saucey taste towards the back. (yeah, that's about as technical as my taste descriptions get.)

Fifth: Milk Stout Nitro from Left Hand

One of my favorite beers of all time, not just this past year. Rich, creamy, chocolate and malt. And don't we just love those nitro bubbles falling down?

Sixth: 35K stout from Against the Grain brewer (no pic)

Fantastic brew from a fantastic brewerey. These folk know what they're doing, and they're doing it well! Forget finding yourself in Louisville...make the effort to find this brewery.

Seventh: Evocator (Lore Brewing) (no pic)

Lovely doppelbock. Malty, just enough boozy, just enough hops. I'd have another anytime.

Eighth: Rubaeus (Founders)

Probably the best fruit beer I've ever encountered. Magic Hat's Elder Betty being a close second... Tart, but not sour, sweet but not cloying

Ninth: Old Chub  Oskar BluesBrewery

Amazing Scotch Ale! Absolutely one of the very best brews I have ever had. And it comes in a can, so perfectly acceptable as a shower-beer! Woot!

And the final brew in my list of the absolutely most fantastic brews I encountered in 2013:

B) Endarkenment from J.Lee's Brewhouse and BBQ Emporium

Black as sin and twice as bitter...

It's been sweetening up with age, but still bitter, hateful, and resentful. A brew to make your soul regret ... and there are only 17 bottles left!

So there you have it folks--the very best beers available to folks in Lexington, KY in 2013.

Leave a comment if you disagree with my choices...

Opening Comments

What better way to open this bucket of brewful rambles than with a brief rundown of some of some of my favorite bottle openers? And unless you’re a collector of said utensils, could I pick a less engaging topic with which to drive away casual readers?

The actual inspiration for this topic was an item I came across at work the other night. We’ve all heard the expression “Gonna hammer a few brews this weekend.” Well, why not take it a little bit more literally? Get Hammered! 

The Beer Hammer!

Is there someone on your Christmas list that doesn't need one of these?

If you’re like me, you like carrying your keys around tacked to a belt loop with a carabiner. No bulky mess of metal crap jingling around in your pockets, easy access and you always know where those keys are, right? Can you say the same thing about your bottle opener? Well, yes, now you can!
S-Biner Ahhh

The S-biner Ahhh is a solid little keychain carabiner and will always be handy when you need it most. Except for that time you lock the keys in the house...and you really wish you had a beer while waiting for Pop-a-Lock. (If it’s any consolation, you’re beers will likely be inside with your keys and ALL the can openers you own.)


Everyone has keys, but too few folks today have churchkeys.

Brutally simple, clean and lovely. Few uses other than opening crown-capped bottles or punching openings in flat-top cans. Purity of purpose in a bent piece of metal. Truth and beauty, for less than a dollar, even with a magnet glued to the back so you can slap it at the fridge and never misplace it. Seriously, simplicity of purpose, design, creation AND use. Design cannot surpass this.

A slight variation on the churchkey opener was the paint can opener/bottle opener:
Nobody was ever going to keep a “paint can opener” around...they’d just use whatever pry tool was handy. But if the paint can opener would open a beer? Who wouldn’t leave one of those in the garage "just in case?"

Again, beauty revealed in the simple truth of it's design.

If you favor hidden beauty to revealed truths, perhaps an attached opener might be more to your preference. It's function concealed while its body is fully revealed, the mounted "wall" opener will always meet your opening needs as unobtrusively as possible. Misplace things after you've opened a few bottles? You can’t get more difficult to misplace than “permanently attached.” The standard wall-mount bottle opener (or fridge-mount, etc.) looks something like this:



A tin box directly below the opener and you’re right in line with the kind of bottle opening technology Checker’s Lounge was on top of 30 years ago! Along with every bar since the crown cap became popular.

Perfectly Simple. Simply Perfect.

Screw it into the side of your beer fridge, your workbench, or just the wall out in the garage. It'll do it's job.

Oooh, a new one! (Well, new for me and this post anyhow!) Certainly not for the anti-gun crowd, this .50 caliber opener is definitely ready to help you out with a shot and a beer. :-P