New Years Eve is a time to reflect on those days behind us and the ones we’ve yet to meet. It’s a time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished in the year prior and make resolutions for ourselves about changes we want to make to become better versions of ourselves. If this year was great, you get to hit the next one with a full head of steam. If the year blew, you get to say good riddance at midnight and start fresh. And if you’re lucky, you get a kiss when the ball drops. It’s a pretty great time of year.
New Years can be a lot of fun for beer drinkers. In looking back on the year, we get to think about all the awesome festivals we went to, the crazy collaborations and one-offs we got to try, and all the new breweries that opened up around us. Here at Indiana On Tap, though, we’re choosing to look forward at what new beers 2016 hopefully has in store for us. We can only drink so much beer in a year (though I certainly push my liver to uncomfortable places trying to disprove that…), and because of that, poor luck, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, we miss out on a lot of beers. And I mean A LOT. At a bottle share before Bo & Luke Day this year, I saw beers I had never even heard of from breweries I didn’t know existed. Think about how often that happens to all of us?
So, I asked a few of our writers the simple question: what beer are you vowing to try for the first time in 2016? Below are their answers. Happy New Year from us at Indiana On Tap. Cheers to a great 2016.
Adam: Ever since I stumbled upon Arctic Panzer Wolf by 3 Floyds at Fort Wayne’s Brass Rail on a snowy night in 2012 I’ve been hooked on hops. Belgians are delicious, and I love seeing what people do with the dark roast flavors of stouts and porters, but for me, the hoppier the better. When it comes to hopped up beers, Russian River’s Pliny the Elder is one of the Holy Grails and it’s a beer that has eluded me thus far. Citrusy, bitter, high ABV? It has everything I love. So whether I pay someone to bring one to me or I travel to Santa Rosa, CA myself to drink from the source, I will drink a Pliny the Elder in 2016.
Drew: Bourbon barrel-aged beers are something I’ve just started to get into. One of my favorites so far was The Forks Awakens by Triton. It was aged in Basil Hayden’s barrels (one of my favorite bourbons) and had a particularly pleasant aftertaste. Since it was 15% ABV it wasn’t the type that I would be pounding down on a Saturday night. It’s more of a “relax and enjoy a good buzz” kind of beer. I’m excited to see more of these types of beers at tasting events.
Cory: Personally, I’d like to explore the world of Belgians. I am looking to expand my hypocrisy.
Laura:
My New Beers Resolution (ha, see what I did there?) is to try more sours. For a long time after my first taste, I thought I hated sours and that they weren’t for me. I recently gave them another try, and while they still aren’t my favorite type of beer I’m learning to appreciate them on their own merits. My goal is to hit the Sour+Wild+Funk Fest this spring with a new appreciation for the funkier side of beer.Steve: I know I’m a hop head, but this winter has introduced me to stouts and barrel-aged stouts. So I’m looking forward to trying more stouts but especially more porters. Two Brothers’ Peppermint Porter is a beer that really turned me, so I’m looking forward to that rabbit hole and trying more beers on the dark side.
Tyler: I want to get my freaking hands on Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Dark Lord. I don’t know how, I don’t know where, but I will get my hands on it in 2016.
Rick: Rather than a certain beer, this year I’m going to focus on obtaining beer from two particular breweries, Toppling Goliath and Maine Beer Company. I also want to broaden my reach in trying more Belgium and German beers.
Kristina: I might be late on this bandwagon, but I’m all about Dark Lord 2016. Dark Lord Day is one of the best events I’ve been to. People from all over the country show up with coolers, backpacks, growlers, and anything else you can think of filled with beers from all over the world. Not to mention all of the Three Floyd’s wonders on tap. You’d never guess that the best party and beer is found in Munster’s industrial park.
There you have it: the beers we (some us) HAVE to try in 2016. Is there a beer that’s been on your mind lately? Let us know in the comments!
Cory
Spent today at Taxman! I’m ahead of this game, yo.