Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.

We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.

Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!

top 10 beers you tried for the first time in 2013

Discuss beer or anything else that comes to mind in here.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

User avatar
FEUO
Posts: 267
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:32 pm
Location: dirty south

Post by FEUO »

I could name 10 right now, and change my mind tomorrow on a few of them.
I also have a nice lineup planned for NYE... so I should probably just wait.

Great lists from everyone else so far.
Cheers!

User avatar
El Pinguino
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1451
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 6:02 pm
Location: Downtown TO / Galapagos Islands
Contact:

Post by El Pinguino »

I'll have to take a look at what I've had and post later.....such great variety here.
Surprised somewhat by how few local beers or even Canadian beers are on many people's lists considering how many new beers have come out this year.
Also surprised by just how many people are getting their Hill Farmstead fix!

kevinlater
Posts: 124
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:44 pm
Location: Mississauga

Post by kevinlater »

in no order:

red racer ipa
schneider aventinus
rochefort 8
chimay blue
deschutes black butte
cameron's rpa
founders porter
affligem blond
st-ambroise oatmeal stout
fuller's london porter

(only started drinking this year)

User avatar
Kish84
Bar Fly
Posts: 602
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 7:41 pm
Location: Kitchener

Post by Kish84 »

In no particular order,

3F Tomme and Armand
Grassroots Brother Soigne
Tilquin Quetsche
Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone
Alchemist Heady Topper
Hill Farmstead Everett
Hill Farmstead Double Citra
Crooked Stave Vieille Artisanal Saison
Crooked Stave St. Bretta (Summer)
Cantillon Cuvée Saint-Gilloise

Honorable mentions:
Russian River Consecration
New England Gandhi-Bot
New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb
New Glarus Raspberry Tart

This could change tomorrow, if so, I'll edit.
"There's always money in the banana stand."

User avatar
FEUO
Posts: 267
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:32 pm
Location: dirty south

Post by FEUO »

As of 12/20 and using my downloaded untappd check-in ratings...

In no particular order:
Permanent Funeral - Three Floyds
Abrasive - Surly
Heady Topper - Alchemist
Rye on Rye - Boulevard
Raspberry Eisbock - Kuhnhenn
Delusion - Greenbush
Simtra - Knee Deep
Black Note - Bell's
BB Night fury on Vanilla - Witch's Hat
Supplication - Russian River

A
Bar Fly
Posts: 591
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2001 8:00 pm

Post by A »

Can't name 10 but Brooklyn Black Ops would probably be on top.

User avatar
Torontoblue
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2136
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2004 6:12 pm
Location: Edmonton via Toronto via The Wirral

Post by Torontoblue »

OK, so as I'm more active on Untappd, my Top scoring new beers never drank before in 2013, are:

Otto From The Wood, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Ron And The Red Ryan, Evil Twin Brewing
Oude Geuze (Armand & Tomme Blend), Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Black Imperial IPA, Moab Brewery
Kentucky Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged, Fremont Brewing
Sanctification, Russian River Brewing Company
Sahalie, The Ale Apothecary
Fou' Foune, Brasserie Cantillon
Lustrum Wild Sour Anniversary Ale, Driftwood Brewery
Topcutter IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing

instantkamera
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:45 pm
Location: Browntown

Post by instantkamera »

Kish84 wrote:In no particular order,

3F Tomme and Armand
Grassroots Brother Soigne
Tilquin Quetsche
Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone
Alchemist Heady Topper
Hill Farmstead Everett
Hill Farmstead Double Citra
Crooked Stave Vieille Artisanal Saison
Crooked Stave St. Bretta (Summer)
Cantillon Cuvée Saint-Gilloise

Honorable mentions:
Russian River Consecration
New England Gandhi-Bot
New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb
New Glarus Raspberry Tart

This could change tomorrow, if so, I'll edit.
I think I have you on Untappd, and that's a sick fucking list. Cheers.

User avatar
boney
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1209
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 4:49 pm
Location: Hamilton

Post by boney »

No Order

Alchemist Heady Topper
Maine Lunch
A la Fut La Tripe e 3 brett
Le Cheval Blanc Ponette Cerise
Birra Baladin Xyauyu (2009)
Cantillon Mamouche
Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien Spirit (2009)
GLB Robohop
Hopfenstark Berlin Alexanderplatz Epilogue
Le Saint Bock Apocalypse
Birra del Borgo Equilibrista

Edit: Oops. Twas 11, there.

jprime
Posts: 299
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 8:44 am
Location: Cambridge

Post by jprime »

Hill Farmstead Life Without Principle #3
Hill Farmstead Walden
Firestone Walker Parabola
3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze (Armand & Tommy)
Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale
The Bruery Sour in the Rye
Alpine Beer Company Pure Hoppiness
Cambridge Me, My Spelt, and Rye collab with Crooked Stave and DDC
Lawsons Finest Double Sunshine IPA
Hill Farmstead What Is Enlightenment?

TheBeeraholic
Bar Fly
Posts: 627
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:58 am
Location: Whitby, ON

Post by TheBeeraholic »

2013 was the best year I've had yet. A few new friends helped secure a bunch of great trades.

Narrowed down US/European from twenty two to twelve in no particular order.

Bourbon County Brand Stout - Goose Island
Dark Lord (2013) - Three Floyds Brewing Company
Eclipse - Evan Williams (2012) - FiftyFifty Brewing Co
Oude Geuze Armand & Tomme - 3 Fonteinen
Black Label (1882) - Girardin
Fruet - The Bruery
Tart of Darkness - The Bruery
Sour In The Rye - The Bruery
Mash - The Bruery
Mash & Grind - The Bruery
Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio - Brasserie Cantillon
Stone Enjoy By 11.12.13 IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

Top 10 Canadian: No particular order.

Singularity (2012) - Driftwood
Moralité - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel
Péché Mortel Réserve Spéciale (fût Bourbon) - Dieu du Ciel
Witchshark - Bellwoods
3 Minutes To Midnight - Bellwoods
Bring Out Your Dead - Bellwoods
Omertà - Bellwoods
Apocalypse Later - Great Lakes
Barrel Aged Double Tempest - Amsterdam
Immodest Imperial IPA - Nickelbrook

A few other Bellwoods/Great Lake IPA could have been added there.

A few others that are in the fridge to be drank before the New Year:

White Chocolate - The Bruery
Black Tuesday - The Bruery
Mother Funker - The Bruery
A Stein's Throw - The Bruery

JB84
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 7:34 pm
Location: K-W Ontario
Contact:

Post by JB84 »

No order in particular

Jester King - Petite Prince
Alchemist - Heady Topper
Hill Farmstead - Everett
Anchorage - Bitter Monk
3 Fonteinen - Oude Geuze (Armand & Tommy)
Lagunitas - Sucks
Grassroots - Brother Soigne
Tilquin - Quetsche
Hill Farmstead - Double Citra
Any homebrew minus Durian saison J343MY brewed and shared

User avatar
Cale
Bar Fly
Posts: 556
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 1:17 pm
Location: Hamilton, ON

Post by Cale »

In no order, off the top of my head:

Bellwoods Monogamy (Nelson Sauvin)
Evil Twin Femme Fatale Yuzu
Stone Enjoy By 04.01.13
Maine Lunch
Against the Grain An Ale Pleasure
Amsterdam El Jaguar
Community Beer Works The DIPA
Brasserie Dunham Saison Reserve
Russian River Supplication
Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin

Had some big heavy hitters, like Dark Lord, BCBS, Surly D, and all the FW barrel-aged beers - but couldn't quite crack the top 10 for my tastes. Pretty sure I had Heady for the first time last year, otherwise that would be in there.
A shark on whisky is mighty risky. A shark on beer is a beer engineer.

jrenihan
Posts: 175
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:36 am

Post by jrenihan »

Based on ratings, looks like my top 10 of the year would be:

Drie Fonteinen Armand'4 Lente (best beer I have ever tried- holy shit).
Heady Topper
Lawson's Double Sunshine
Oude Quetsch Tilquin a L'Ancienne
Bellwoods 3 Minutes to Midnight
Deschutes The Abyss
Anchorage Bitter Monk
Anchorage Love Buzz
Rodenbach Caractere Rouge
De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva/Drie Fonteinen Armand & Tommy (tie)

Great year! Runners up appear to be Hill Farmstead Susan, Logsdon Seizoen Bretta, Sofie Paradisi, some more HF.
Ren

Bar_Hop
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:45 pm
Location: 391 King St. West

Post by Bar_Hop »

FFF- Zombie Dust
Alchemist- Heady Topper
3 Fontenein- Armand & Tommy
Amsterdam- Double Tempest
GLB X Bellwoods- Brettallica
Evil Twin- Femme Fatale
FFF X Pig Destroyer- Permanent Funeral
New Glarus- Serendipity
Dieu Du Ciel!- Bourbon Barrel Aged Solstice d'Hiver
Le Castor- Yakima IPA
New Glarus- Berliner Weisse

This was way too hard, so I stopped narrowing at 11 instead of 10.

Matt

Post Reply