Toasting the New Year
December 31, 2007
Homer: “Here’s to alcohol, the cause of—and solution to—all life’s problems”
As I approach 2008 I realize that most people like to toast the New Year with champagne. I am not one of those people. I am a beer drinker and will, of course, toast the New Year with beer. However, it can’t just be any beer. Tonight we will be serving a smoked porter that we brewed during the snow storm a few weeks ago and named, ”When It Snows It Porters.” However, I am not confident about this beer because I feel I rushed it since I wanted it ready for New Years Eve. Although I did recieve a sign from the heavens when it started to snow as I kegged it. Maybe the beer gods enjoyed their “Angel’s Share.” I know that technically that only applies to barrel aged alcohol but I don’t believe in beer gods anyway. And, in case this beer god is a false god, I will have a back-up ready.  Right now in our cellar we have a bottle of Chimay Trappist Ale and a bottle of Meantime Porter. I think I’ll pick one of these as my toasting beer. The Meantime Porter was ranked by Beer Advocate as number nineteen of the top twenty five British and Irish beers.Â
What beers will you be toasting the New Year with?
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December 31st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I have a bottle of Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René waiting for me tonight. I figure a Gueuze is the most Champagne-like beer, regardless of certain claims by Miller High Life.
Happy New Year!
December 31st, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Hey Kevin,
It was good seeing you again my man, you and your lovely wife! Good luck with the porter, I hope it turned out fantastic! That Meantime Porter is a great back-up though, that one is probably one of the best porters I’ve ever had aside from Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald. Myself, I will be cracking open a 750ml of New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red and perhaps a Rochefort 10 I’ve had aging for a few years. It should be a good beer night!
Happy new year!
Dustin
December 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I’ll be sticking with a Michigan beer for my new year’s toast - Bell’s Sparkling Ale (their version of bubbly if you’re unfamiliar). Never had this one until the other day but damn is it tasty. Also I second the New Glarus Belgian Red for tonight some time as well. I picked up a bottle of this when I was in Green Bay over the weekend.
January 1st, 2008 at 1:00 pm
We should have tested it at stew’s party.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:40 am
We toasted with champagne. Decided to go with tradition and the crowd this time.
I broke out a bottle of my two year old barleywine shortly thereafter for those of us who appreciate it.
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I rang in the new year with champagne but quickly followed it with a Fort Collins Chocolate Stout chaser. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, chocolate champagne.
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Thanks Dustin, it was great seeing you again and yes the London Meantime was a great back-up. My “When It Snows It Porters” turned out good but I decided to drink something special for the toast.
Todd, i should have brought some to Stew’s but one the porter wasn’t ready and I’m not sure some were ready for the porter.
Adam, great site on brewing by the way, I was almost pressured with champagne but i luckily had another beer drinker there. Yes, a 2 year old barleywine does mean something to me. I am always talking about brewing one. I need to get busy and just do it.
Everyone had great choices for toasting. I didn’t think about Bell’s Sparkling Ale for N.Y.E. and I’ve never tried Lindeman’s Gueze Cuvee Rene but I’ll look for it next year.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
i would like to sample some of your creations. i tried wheisenhausen wheat pilsner, have you had it /