If my statistics from Untappd are to be believed, I tasted no less than 606 unique beers in 2014. This annihilates my number from last year, which was a paltry 207 unique brews. I began using Untappd midway through 2014 because it was utilitarian and allows me to catalogue my alcoholic explorations with a greater degree of detail and efficiency. I also joined Beer Advocate and began to do some trading and also some tourism, visiting breweries in New York City, Tampa, and Orange County. Midway through the year I began a biweekly beer night with a number of friends in San Diego. Now it has essentially has become a glorious bottle share that happens twice a month. On the horizon? Hopefully hosting a beer podcast. I just need to buckle down and DO IT.






Since listing them all here would be a fool’s errand, resulting in a very long post, I will simply break down some of my favorite brews from the most popular categories I imbibed.
India Pale Ales (IPAs) – tasted 76 unique
- Treehouse Green
- Russian River Blind Pig
- Alpine Nelson
- Noble Ale Works Waimea Showers
- Kern River Just Outstanding
- Alpine Duet
- Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin
- Societe The Pupil
- Alpine Bine & Vine 3rd Anniversary
- Acoustic Ales Back N The GSSR
- Rip Current Lupulin Lust
- Bells Two Hearted
- Culture Mosaic IPA
- Modern Times Aurora
- Cigar City Experimental Hop #291
- Modern Times Phalanx
- Cigar City Jai Alai
- Fat Heads Head Hunter
- Mother Earth Sinister Prime Minister
- Cismontane Coulter IPA
Imperial India Pale Ales (IIPAs, DIPAs, TIPAs) – tasted 71 unique
- Belching Beaver Poundtown
- Columbus Bodhi
- Brick Wall Brewing Pliny the Tagger (PtE recipe home-brew)
- Russian River Pliny the Elder
- Alpine Pure Hoppiness
- Stone Enjoy By 4.20.14
- Alpine / New Belgium Super IPA
- Lagunitas Sucks
- Knee Deep Hoparillo
- Pizza Port 5th Gear Pinned
- Founders Double Trouble
- Bells Hopslam
- Lagunitas Waldo’s Special (Waldo’s 420)
- 3 Floyds Dreadnaught
- Green Flash West Coast IPA
- 3 Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf
- Fat Head’s Hop JuJu
Imperial Stouts / Double Stouts / Russian Imperial Stouts – tasted 44 unique
- Modern Times Monsters Park 2014 – 12%
- The Lost Abbey Serpents Stout 2014 – 11%
- The Bruery So Happens It’s Tuesday (with Coconut) – 11.5%
- Southern Tier Mokah – 10%
- Port Santa’s Little Helper – 12%
- Avery The Czar – 8.5%
- Stone Stochasticity Master of Disguise – 9.7%
- Prairie Bomb! – 14%
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts (subset)
- The Bruery Black Tuesday 2014 – 19.2%
- The Lost Abbey Track #10 Bat Out of Hell – 13.5%
- Against the Grain Bo & Luke – 13%
- Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) – 11.2%
- Avery Tweak – 16%
- Avery Mephistopheles Stout – 16.8%
- Hanger 24 Barrel Roll No. 3 – Pugachev’s Cobra 2013 – 13.8%
- Stone W00tstout 2.0 – 13.5%
- Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout 2013 – 15%
- Praire Pirate Bomb! – 14%
- The Bruery Grey Monday – 18%
- Port Older Viscosity – 12%
- Great Divide Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti – 9.5%
American Strong Ales – tasted 25 unique
- Stone Double Bastard 2008 – 11.2%
- Stone Double Bastard 2009 – 11.2%
- The Lost Abbey Deliverance – 12.5%
- The Lost Abbey Angel’s Share Grand Cru – 12%
- Stone Double Bastard 2010 Aged in Bourbon Barrels – 11.2%
- Stone Lukcy Basartd – 8.5%
- Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ – 9.9%
- The Bruery Mélange No. 3 – 15.5%
- Stone Bastard in the Rye – 10%
- Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down – 9.7%
American Pale Ales (APAs) – tasted 25 unique
- AleSmith Pale Ale .394 – 6%
- Alpine Ale – 5.5%
- Mike Hess Hartley – 6.3%
- New Glarus Moon Man – 5%
- Modern Times Oneida – 5.8%
- Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale – 6.5%
- Brooklyn Scorcher #366 – 4.5%
- 3 Floyds Man-O-Awe – 6%
- 3 Floyds Zombie Dust – 6.4%
So, what do you think I should set as a goal for 2015? Is it cool to have a goal of tasting a butt-load of beers? Should I stick to hunting down everything on the Top 250 from Beer Advocate? Yes to all? OK. See what’s on deck in my beer cellar.