Top 5 Beer Experiences in 2018

September 23, 2019

The best part of the new year is that you get to rank what you did last year.  Drinking beer is more than just having a great tasting beer.  It’s where you drank it, when you drank it, who you drank it with and sometimes why you drank it.  And sometimes it’s just having a great tasting beer.

Here are the ground rules:

  1. This is based on the quality of beer and/or the atmosphere where it was imbibed.  I might rank a good atmosphere over a great beer or vice versa.  Ideally it’s a combination of both.
  2. The beer must be drank at a bar, restaurant, or brewery and not at home or apartment. I’ll make a separate list for that.
  3. This is my list and it’s subjective
  4. Remember rule #3

So, with that in mind, here are my favorite beer experiences of 2018:

1. Trillium Galaxy Dry Hopped Pale Ale; Boston

Drank this bad boy at the Trillium Beer Garden in downtown Boston.  The beer was just fantastic and cemented my love for New England IPAs.   Loved the outdoor scene right in the heart of Boston and I was there with just my two brothers.

2. Gweilo IPA; Hong Kong

Gweilo is the Cantonese term for a white person in Hong Kong.  So, I was a Gweilo drinking a Gweilo.  Hong Kong’s beer scene is new, but they got pretty good really fast.  I drank this one at the Globe on Hong Kong Island.  A British pub that’s lasted the test of time in a crazy city.

3. Altbier; Dusseldorf, Germany

You can and will find Altbier everywhere in Dusseldorf.  It’s their specialty and it’s a darker version of German beer that you won’t find anywhere else.  It’s tasty (though I prefer a good Bavarian Marzen).  But, the way they serve it is unique.  You get it in little 7oz glasses and they will just keep bringing you more until you put the coaster on top of your glass to signal you’re done.  I drank this one at Uerige which occupied an entire alley leading up towards the Rhine river.  And I “forgot” to put my coaster over my glass until after more than a few alts arrived.

4. Bloodtusk Pils; Burial Beer Co; Asheville, NC


Asheville is the capital of beer in the South.  I did a walking tour while my family took an afternoon nap and hit 5 breweries in about 3 hours. This was my second stop and I loved the light, crisp beer served in a mason jar out on the patio. And while this wasn’t the best beer I had in Asheville, it was still my favorite experience.

5. St Stefanus Belgian Ale; Mondello, Sicily

This is an odd one to throw on here, but I just loved the story.  We were staying in Mondello just outside of Palermo in Sicily and went out for pizza at Poldo 2 which was just a block away from our apartment.  I drank mostly wine in Sicily, but that night I wanted a beer.  And for some reason (probably the wine) I decided to order a $15 beer.  The server brought it out and presented it just like it was a bottle of wine, filled up my glass and then put the bottle on ice.  I’m not sure I’ve ever had a beer put on ice for me.  It was a nice touch.  Unnecessary, but a nice touch.  And the beer was fantastic and the pistachio cream pizza I ordered was one of best things I’ve ever eaten.  So, it was just a great fucking night.  And did i mention that they put my beer on ice?

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