Day 67 – On A Roll

For a while there, I was concerned about being able to find enough beers to finish my quest. And, to be sure, I still have a long, long way to go. But I have been on a roll lately.

To refresh your memory, my weekly visits to Shangri-La, otherwise known as my local Total Wine store, had me visiting the Import section because I was having difficulty finding American Craft Beers I might like and hadn't sampled (I don't do bitter). Since I hadn't even hit the century mark at that time, I was worried that I would be able to find 524 beers to sample.

The last two visits, however, have been really good. I've found no less than thirty beers in the ACB section I wanted to try that were not duplicates. Once sampled, I will easily be beyond the one quarter mark of 131. In fact, I'll be around 140 beers tasted and logged. Since I haven't had too many porters and stouts - which I like, but not love - I think I can hit the one third mark (175) without too much trouble before moving on to the imports.

Okay, granted, that still leaves a lot of beer to find and sample. Like 349, to be precise. But I think I can find enough imports to get me the second third of the way, so the last third will be the one where I will face the most difficulty. As it should be.

I still have some plans of attack, however, so I'm still hopeful that I can achieve this wacky and worthwhile goal.

Ratebeer.com, where I record my progression, offered me another funny video yesterday. At the century mark, I was favored with a Homer Simpson video. Yesterday, as I recorded my 123rd beer, they played a Sesame Street video of counting to 3. Clever guys, these ratebeerians. It makes me wonder what else is out there for me to discover.

Okay, so what have I had that's good lately? Well, I did have a fruit beer that was actually pretty good called Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale from Sea Dog Brewing that was NOT a wheat ale with added fruit juice, like some fruit beers are. Like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, they actually include real fruit in the brewing process, so the taste is there, but subtle. I also had some Sam Adams' products, including their Boston Ale (not their flagship lager; their ale) which was really good and their Irish Red, which is also really good.

The one thing about this quest, however, is the search for the "really good or great that surprises you." Sam Adams LongShot Lemon Pepper Saison is one such product. Didn't sound all that great, but it was. There was a hint of pepper in the drink, but it complimented the citrus and hops so well, it was fantastic. I highly recommend this if you can find it.

I read a story today online today about great American breweries and Boston Beer was one of them. Amen, Brother. You can't beat Boston Beer, can you?

So, I'm below 400 beers and 300 days, both significant milestones, in my book. It's been a fun ride so far and I still have a lot of momentum going for me. I am on a roll!

Budmo! That's Ukrainian for "shall we live forever." We shall.

Goal...............524.....365
Progress.........125.......67
Remaining.....399.....298