Top Ten Foreign Beers of 2011

Ok I guess it's time for this.

I have been drinking a fair amount during 2011. I have been fortunate to visit a few gatherings where copious amounts of small quantities of beer has been thrusted onto my eager hands.

1 Ballast Point Sculpin.

2 Alvinne Beer Geek Wedding in London City.

3. De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch).

The aroma is loads of candi sugar; fudge, marzepan, hey and toffee and caramel. Taste is burnt toast; caramel, toffee, fudge cake, some bubblegum, really nice balance

4. De Molen Hemel & Aarde (Heaven & Earth) Bruichladdich Barrel.

Pitch black opaque on appearance with a nice mocha lacing, a little patchy but very nice. Aroma is pure whiskey; smoke, peat, wood, oak, some moderate grains, chocolate and coffee. Taste is rich dark raw chocolate; cream, vanilla, oak, single malt whiskey, coffee, stunning blending, stunning biterness, roasted malts, extremely balanced and drinkable.

5 De Struise Black Messy - 39% and drinkable.

6 Mikkeller 黑 / Black (Whisky Edition) (White wax).

Taste is a rich big bad malty affair; maybe not the best balance but definitely rich, bold, aggressive, intimidating, well pumped of booze, whiskey, smoke, wood, oak, lots of wood chip, slight grainial element, leather, earthyness, bitterness is fantastic, so so mourish and drinkability is not bad for something this potent!

7 Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel).

FULL on candi sugar; marzepan, barely, black currents, figgs, raisins, chocolate, oak, leathery goodness and some citrus hidden gently. Taste is striking; exhaustingly complicated, the senses lit up devinely. I am knocked out. Thick velvet; rich Belgian truffle chocolate, marzepan, candi-sugar, treacle oozes down my throat like a juggernaut, STUNNING blending, balance is superb. The malt is stunning, loads of nice booze and whiskey but the descent stuff, wood, oak, cherries, soy source, leather, could really do with some coffee.

8 Stoudts Fat Dog Stout (Vintages 2004 and later).

I love the oatmeal aroma. Pure stunning. Held up incredibly well after a year’s worth of aging. Loads of chocolate and cream and oatmeal and rye on aroma. Some coffee too. Taste is oatmeal; cream, chocolate, good bitterness, stunning blending, balanced soo well, really great beer.

9 Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Stout.

Aroma is espresso; vanilla, oak, burnt toast, marzepan and chocolate. Taste is chocolate, Belgian truffles, Devonshire cream, sharp penetrating velvet, big bourbon, oak, wood chips, roasted malts, sticky toffee pudding and big booze but so well measured and balanced. Damn this is a world class beer!

10 Founders' Breakfast Stout

Chocolate; coffee, roasted malts, vanilla, leather, bitterness is really strong but such a fantastic bitterness I am reeling, why can’t other beers have this kind of bitterness? Wow. This is an extreme shot of coffee; like a double of your favourite Americana coffee in one glass, some smoke, some really tough complex Swiss dark chocolate, some Devonshire cream and a full whack of character which is balanced, poised and extreme.

Honourable mentions:

Mikkeller Black Tie
Alesmith Speedway
Alesmith Speedway Barrel Aged