It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet it’s not. The endless variety of styles and moods makes an answer meaningless. The best possible beer when I have pizza is not necessarily the best possible beer when I have seafood, or when I am camped out in my reading chair late at night, or when I’m in the sun.
I can, however, select a personal Beer of the Year. It is a highly subjective choice, and I expect to hear some scoffing. No matter what I pick, I will hear from someone defending a big bold brew from some West Coast brewery that doesn’t sell beer in Ohio, or from someone who thinks the brew of my choice is scarcely fit for baiting a trap for garden slugs.
Nonetheless, the turning of the calendar compels me to reward some hard-working brewers out there for their efforts by declaring theirs to be the very best beer I consumed in 2012.
How do I boil down such a choice, considering I drink numerous beer styles and try at least one new beer almost every week? It isn’t easy — but I sure don’t mind trying.
And so, with a smooth Buddy Rich drum roll and a blare of heraldic trumpets, I declare my Beer of the Year for 2012 to be ... Art of Darkness from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Yes, I know it is a limited edition beer. Yes, I know I may never see it again. It’s still the brew I would most like to revisit. I like Belgian-style strong ales, I like complex malt mixtures, I like a brew with a flavor that shifts around a bit. Art of Darkness is all of that and a bag of hops.
Quoting from the brewery: Art of Darkness is “deep, dark and magical, with champagne-like carbonation and rich maltiness from a complex recipe of multiple barley and wheat malts, as well as flaked oats.
“Using no spices or flavorings, Art of Darkness gains all its rich aromas, tastes and apparent spiciness from the malts and Ommegang’s proprietary house yeast.
“There are no secret ingredients or magical incantations. There is only Ommegang brewers creating the finest quality dark, strong ale of complex and deep character.”
I have learned to tune out most brewery hype, but I can’t really disagree with that assessment. So, here’s to you, Brewery Ommegang. I’d toast you with a glass of your Art of Darkness, but I’m all out. If you brew more ...
My runner-up?
Hop Rod Rye, an India pale ale brewed with a solid dose of rye malts, resulting in a turbocharged flavor and a sprint of hops at the finish. It is brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company in California. It has been around a while, but I just got around to it this year. I still feel bad about that.
I get phone calls
The phone rang the other day. I answered: “Newsroom, Steve Goble, how can I help you?” I’m supposed to call it an “information center,” but I’m old and I can be stubborn about some things.
“Hey, finally, the beer guy?”
“Yes, that’s me. What can I do for you?”
“Man, you sure are obsessed with dark beers.” I am paraphrasing this, of course. I wasn’t taking notes at the time.
“Yeah, I like them dark, I guess.”
“I don’t like dark beers. I like a nice blonde. Dark beers, to me, you might as well be drinking pancake syrup.”
I laughed. “Well, not all dark beers are the same, but a good blonde is nice, too. That’s why they make a billion styles of beer.” I pointed out that I review lots of styles, including some you can actually see through, but admitted he had a point. I do tend to wax poetic about stouts and porters and other black-or-brown ales.
“That’s all I wanted to say,” he said, “just that you sure are obsessed with dark beers.” I learned later he’d called for me a couple of times while I was out of the newsroom. By the time he got me on the phone, he sounded like maybe he’d been obsessed with a blonde beer or two just before calling.
“I like Warsteiner,” he said. “I like Warsteiner, too,” I answered.
“OK, well, I just wanted to say that. Nice talking to you.”
“You, too.”
I never got his name, but I enjoyed the friendly conversation nonetheless. I always enjoy talking beer. So, if you’ve got a beer recommendation, go ahead and give me an email or a tweet. Got a question? I’ll answer. If I can’t, I’ll track down someone who can.
In the meantime, pick something nice for New Year’s Eve — and please drink responsibly.
