Top three beers of 2008

But first...

the birthday boy

the art of beer tasting is an exact science

beer maids for the night - the tips weren't so good

this is what Greyson does when we have company

So last night we had a party in honor of Ryan's 3oth. It was a gathering of the beer tasting variety and what a good time it was.

There was, of course, beer. Lots and lots of it. I think we had 13 brews, ranging from the predictable (Red Hook IPA) to the unexpected (did you know beer can taste like smoked salmon? Honestly). And then there was the backwash pitcher, which reporters from the field noted was not as bad as one might expect.

There were also the people. All of them our favorites, some of them new friends. Others old.

Then there was the The Happy Holiday Hearth - A Virtual Fireplace for all Occassions. It warmed the place up until it fried our DVD player. That was the end of that.

We served food. I'm talking honey roasted ham with rolls, havarti cheese, and grainy mustard. There was also baked brie. And vegetables, because even just the sight of vegetables makes one feel healthier instantly. And snackie snacks. And cake.

I used this site here, which links to others, to get us rolling on the planning process. We basically ate first, and then tasted one beer at a time, blindly, and voted on it before moving on to the next sample. If we did this again I would simplify the multiple score cards we used into a single-page spreadsheet for each person. That would help with the tallying process.

And finally, I present to you the best beers of 2008, or at least of December 13, 2008:
First place: Sam Adams Winter Lager (Ryan's selection)
Second place: Deschutes, The Abyss
Third place: Deschutes, Green Lakes