Success!

I've done it! An entire month of beer, 31 straight days of something different, and many of these brand new to me. But what have learned from this? I like beer, but not all beers. Here is some quick overview.

Porters and stouts are the real winners here. I knew I liked porters, but I got to drink a bunch of really, really good porters this month. Some IPAs actually won me over, too. Some fruity beers didn't impress me as much as I had hoped. Lighter beers lack taste, and in the case of Mexican beers, have no taste at all. All beers taste better on draft, and some absolutely need to be on draft.

Plus, anything you put your mind to, you can do it. Especially when it comes to drinking beer for an entire month.

And I know I've been asked throughout the month which beer was my favorite. Well, here it is, the list of winners:

1. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
2. Anchor Porter
3. Sierra Nevada Porter
4. New Holland's The Poet
5. Short's Bellaire Brown Ale

Honorable Mention:
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Yuengling
Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

What else is there to say? Keep going? Beer-a-Day June? Beer-a-Day 2012? All are quite ambitious, but I will pass. This was a month long adventure, and that's where this blog will end.

I want to thank all of my readers for their strong encouragement, for their recommendations, and their random picks that made this go by a little easier, because I really spent way too much time staring down that selection at Meijer...

May 31 - Short's Soft Parade

This was not the regularly scheduled last beer, but I went out after work with friends and they insisted that they buy me a drink for the finale of Beer-a-Day May (either that or because it was my birthday).

So after pointing out the beers that I have had, Short's Soft Parade was the chosen one. I was told it tasted "fruity," and I was a bit intrigued. So I took the first sip and waited for the fruity taste. And waited. And waited. And maybe tasted a little bit of it. Then it was gone.

It was a bit sad that it wasn't full of the fruity flavor, but it was still very light and drinkable. It may taste better on a warm, sunny day. You never know.

That's it, 31 days of beer...

May 30 - Sierra Nevada Porter

Remember how delicious the Anchor Porter was? This was just as delicious.

The Sierra Nevada Porter is the third Sierra Nevada beer I've had, following the Pale Ale and the Tumbler. This one is the best. Medium-bodied, smooth, creamy. Again, everything I wish for in a good beer. Porters are superb.

There is one day left. This beer would have been a fantastic way to end the month, but I do not have any doubts I will enjoy the next one...

May 29 - Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

That first sip was definitely not what I expected.

I was thinking this would be something dark. Something heavy. Something full. Instead, it was really only black in color.

It tasted surprisingly light, was pretty smooth, and had no bitterness or dryness to it. The Shiner Bock is a much darker beer than the Shiner Black lager. This isn't saying I didn't like; I much enjoyed it. It just wasn't what I expected. It had a very similar smell/taste as a Yuengling Black and Tan.

Mmmmm... Yuengling...

May 28 - Coors Light

You must be thinking, "Tim, you are really going downhill at the end of this month..." Well, maybe I am, or maybe I am just drinking what's in the fridge at the moment.

It was another beer and bocce day, and today was a tall Coors Light. Here's a little anecdote about my victory lap in college:

When I went to the bars downtown with my friends, and they would sell dollar bottles before 10 p.m., we would order multiple beers at a time to avoid having to go back and forth to the bar. I would favor ordering Coors Light over others (namely Budweiser, Bud Light, etc.) because, to me, if I am holding onto multiple beers at once, they are going to get warmer, and Coors Light was easier to drink when it was warm. But not as easy as it is to drink when it is "super cold."

This picture does not show the beer as "super cold," but it does show a cute little tugboat toy, so be happy about that.

Also, be happy about this video I found about the most ridiculous, dangerous, and manly ways to open a beer.

May 27 - Labatt Blue

Admire the artsy picture I took of my Detroit Tigers-themed can while playing bocce in with my brother in the backyard.

Remember the first beer post about Labatt Blue Light? Well, go with everything about that, but this is a little tastier because it's a little fuller.

I'm not quite sure how the whole Labatt Blue/Labatt Blue Light difference goes as far as a different beer everyday. It's kind of a cheap maneuver, yet they are different beers. Actually, as I think about it, it's good that I did do both, and at least distinguish that there is a difference between them.

May 26 - Brewery Vivant Solitude

Brewery Vivant is located in Grand Rapids, but sadly I did not have this beer on draft. Instead, it is the second appearance of a can this month! Brewery Vivant's website will tell you why they chose the can.

This pick comes from a coworker, who in a previous job sat down and interviewed the man who founded Brewery Vivant, so I trusted this pick from the start. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at first, and he kept telling me about the "complexities" of the beer.

In fact, it really was complex. I would try to describe this beer by relating it to another, but I cannot. The brewery says the unique tastes do not come from spices (there are no spices in this beer) but instead from the special yeast they use. As always, I would love to try this, and many of Brewery Vivant's other beers, on draft.

May 25 - Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

I had the night off from work, so I just kind of decided to go to the West Michigan Whitecaps game. We weren't even close to being in the first 1,000 fans there, so we missed out on the Alex Avila bobblehead, but I did catch a random stuffed egg from one of those kooky minor league game forms of entertainment, met the Fox Sports Detroit girls, and drank a Summer Shandy.

Shandy is so good when it's on draft, and it's even better at the ballgame. It tastes less sweet on draft, and that makes it a bit easier to drink, and just look at the color of it when it's in the sun.

May 24 - Roscoe's Hop House Pale Ale

I know I get a variety of beers so I can sample a variety of beers, but these pale ales are really nothing special to me. There really wasn't a whole lot of complexity to the tastes of Roscoe's Pale Ale. I think the most interesting thing about it is the name Roscoe.

Not saying this was bad; I don't think I would really call any of these beers "bad," but this beer tasted like a beer and didn't wow me at all.*

*Still better than Miller Lite.

May 23 - Left Hand Sawtooth Ale

A left-handed friend of mine got this beer back in the fall, so when I saw this on the shelf I decided to try this for myself. I, however, am right-handed.

I really didn't know what to expect with the Sawtooth Ale. I anticipated something a litter more bitter, but this was not bitter. It wasn't not bitter either. Somewhere in the middle. Pretty refreshing, nothing outstanding, and maybe it would have been more delicious had I been left-handed. But I am not. I am right-handed.

I did drink this beer with my left hand, though.

May 22 - Great Lakes Commodore Perry

"Don't go down with the sip!"

So says the bottle. The Commodore Perry is one of the few (if any, actually) IPAs that I've had this month. At my most recent Meijer excursion I went with a few more IPA-type choices to help diversify the field, yet stuck with a bunch of Porters, too.

This IPA was actually less bitter than I was excepting. In fact, it was pretty smooth until about a two second delay where the bitter aftertaste kicks in, and even then it's not so bad. Overall, IPAs aren't really my thing, but really the Commodore Perry was fairly enjoyable.

May 21 - Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

Wow, for a stout, this goes down very smooth. The bottle says "dark and dreamy," and it certainly does taste both those things. On the opposite side it says "smooth in character," and I certainly won't disputer that.

But the Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout is not heavy. At all. It is very drinkable, and I could easily hand this to somebody who doesn't really drink dark beers and I think they would enjoy it, because I certainly enjoy this.

May 20 - Anchor Porter

Yum. This may be the best bottled beer of the month so far.

I never quite know what tastes to expect from some beers. After I open the bottle, I like to take a quick sniff of the beer to see what it smells like, and then take to first sip. The Anchor Porter is quite malty, and that took me by surprise. Obviously a good surprise.

It was smooth, and had just the right body to it. There was no bitter aftertaste. If you asked what kind of beers I most prefer, well, I most prefer beers like this. The Anchor Porter.

May 19 - Yuengling

I didn't take any pictures of my actual beer for today, so I present you the spoils that my brother and I brought home with us two summers ago.

It was my brother who heroically provided the Yuengling at my cousin's fiance's bachelor party. It had been far too long since I've had a Yuengling, and it tasted far greater than I remembered. (It may have tasted better because of the juxtaposition it was up against, such as the Red Dogs, Miller Lights and Coors Lights.)

The news is that Yuengling can be found in Ohio these days, so that means it may not be long before it finds its way a further bit north into Michigan.

May 18 - Arcadia Black IPA and New Holland's The Poet

Sorry, no pictures. Two really dark beers in a really dark bar.

But they were delicious.

It's such a treat getting beers like this on draft, and this little hole-in-the-wall bar by my office had these two wonderful beers on draft.

The first order was the Arcadia Black IPA. A great look, a great feel, a great taste. Despite being labeled an IPA, it was not at all bitter. It was smooth, creamy, had a medium body and went down real nice.

Next up was The Poet, which came as a recommendation (both were recommendations, actually). This was even better than the IPA; smoother, creamier, more delicious. A very wonderful oatmeal stout. And as you should be well-aware of by now, I love stouts.

May 17 - Stella Artois

If there is one thing Stella does absolutely right, it's presentation. I have a friend who orders this at bars not just because it's good, but because of the glass it comes in. Er, excuse me, chalice.

I mean, even the can looks sweet.

Stella is a Belgian lager, and has a pretty simple taste. The bottle doesn't really do this beer much justice (but when an option is the chalice, it's not even fair). That's common, though, I would much rather have these beers on draft than from a bottle.

May 16 - Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

Oh my, if this is not the darkest beer I've ever had. The Victory Storm King Imperial Stout is just about the heaviest beer I have ever had. Just take a look at the label, and that screams darkness.

This is the second beer I've had from Victory, the first being the HopDevil, which was also quite tasty. Sometimes a beer can be too dark or too hoppy or too malty for me, but the stout was amazing. Almost overpowering, but this was a great save after the two preceding beers.

If I ever find this on draft, I absolutely need to try it.

May 15 - Tecate

This is the final beer from that Mexican variety pack, and Tecate tastes like... well it tastes like beer. I found nothing special about this one, too. It's really upsetting that I hope for different tastes in all of these beers, but I've encountered some that really have no taste at all.

If I were to rank those Mexican beers from the variety pack, it would go:
1. Dos Equis Amber
2. Dos Equis
3. Tecate
4. Sol

So the positive about Tecate is that it actually has more taste than the Sol. But not by much. Tomorrow is going to need something really good to pick me up after these past two days.

May 14 - Abita Purple Haze

This was a really interesting choice. Abita Purple Haze a wheat beer, with raspberry flavors. Wait, not just raspberry flavors, but raspberry puree, and there is still pulp in the beer. I was thinking what the hell, I'll give it a try.

And it was a little bit disappointing. It was sweet, but I think I was hoping for sweeter, and maybe a more prominent raspberry taste. I was not deterred at all by the pulp in the beer, in fact it's not even noticeable when drinking it.

This is the second beer I've had from Abita. Last year I had the Turbodog, which I really liked (it's a dark brown ale). Seeing that the Purple Haze was from the same brewery, it was more encouraging to give this one a try.

Plus, this makes it two full weeks!

May 13 - Goose Island Honker's Ale

Two reasons I bought this beer: 1) I really liked the wheat ale from Goose Island, and 2) it's called Honker's Ale. Skeeter Valentine would want me to try this beer. Honk-honk.

It's an English-style ale, so to me it was nothing special, but still good. It's very drinkable, and I am sure with two winners from the same brewery I'll go back for another beer by them next time I run to Meijer.

May 12 - Northern Night Owl and Bellaire Brown Ale

Sorry, another poor quality image, and I cannot seem to find this beer online, so I cannot link you to what it actually is or what it looks like. From what I remember the menu saying, this comes from Traverse City. (I will update this post and amend it after I frequent the Winchester again.) I can, however, tell you what it tastes like. Think of Newcastle. It's a darker coloring, tastes light, but this is a little dryer than Newcastle. It's pretty smooth.

Also, bonus beer!

Since we went to the Winchester after work last night, I found it impossible not to have another Short's Bellaire Brown Ale. This is absolutely delicious. It's what I got the first time I was at the Winchester, and technically I haven't had it this month. It's another beer that looks darker than it tastes. It is also the second beer I've had from Short's before; the first being Pandemonium Pale Ale.

May 11 - Arcadia Angler's Ale

A friend was in town for few hours, and I took him out to dinner to celebrate his recent graduation from my alma mater. We went to Bagger Dave's which has a decent selection of Michigan brews, so without thinking too hard about it, I ordered the beer at the top of the list, Arcadia Angler's Ale.

I've had only one other Arcadia before, and that was the Sky High Rye, which if I remember correctly, I found very, very bitter. But the Angler's Ale was not so; it was hoppy and bitter and paired damn-well with the burger I had for dinner. Again, it's one of those beers that tastes better at the end.

May 10 - Dos Equis Amber

The amber! The tastier companion to the regular Dos Equis, and another bottle from the Mexican variety pack of last week. Do not fret, my friends, there is one more in that variety pack that I have never drank before, and odds are that will be tomorrow's brew.

May 9 - Bell's Third Coast Beer

Another Bell's appears! This time it's their Third Coast Beer; nothing that I find particularly special. It's a hoppy light beer, and I wouldn't go out of my way to drink it, but at the same time I wouldn't turn it down. It paired pretty decently with the nachos that I had for dinner, though.

A new trip to the Meijer is in the near-future, and I really look forward to this next round of picks.

May 8 - Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Went downtown after work with some friends and was very excited to see the giant menu of beers that Hopcat presents. I shot down to the porters and stouts, and after seeing a coworker order the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, I found it difficult not to order it myself.

I was not disappointed.

This beer was soooooo full of flavor. It was heavy and it was delicious. Of course, I had to think about my dad when I drank this beer, because it sort of reminded me of the Sam Adam's Chocolate Bock, which he absolutely loves.

And sorry about the picture quality, but bars are dark.

May 7 - Bell's Porter

We've done it! We've completely finished the first week!

Today's beer was Bell's Porter. I was pretty excited to try this one. However, the first sip proved that this was maltier than I expected. Not what I was expecting, so it was more of a feeling of surprise than disappointment. I'm very curious to see how this tastes on draft as opposed to in a bottle; I feel that that may yield a better taste.

May 6 - Dos Equis y Sol

I carried over the Cinco de Mayo beers over into today. No, I didn't drink any Corona. No, I didn't get plastered drunk. I had to work. Dos Equis was the first beer of the day. Nothing special, folks.

This beer was in the same variety pack as the Dos Equis (there are still two more different beers in that box). What does Sol taste like? Nothing. Water, maybe. What does Sol taste like with a line wedge? Nothing. Water, with lime, maybe.

May 5 - Thirsty Dog Hoppus Maximus

I picked this one out because of the name. Seriously. Hoppus Maximus. Reminded me of some Terrapin brews, such as Hopsecutioner.

Normally I don't do a hole lot of hoppy drinks, but I need to try them to at least know what I like and don't like. The result? I actually kinda liked this beer. I thought it was really dry at first, but by the end of the bottle I was actually pretty happy with this decision.

May 4 - Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

This was another pick from my roommate. I wasn't quite sure what to expect before the first sip, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's not as sweet as other wheat ales, which I found to be a big plus, and it was very refreshing. I was generally very happy with this beer, especially after back-to-back nights of pale ales.

May 3 - Bass Pale Ale

Second pale ale in a row. This was also part of the variety I picked out the other night, mostly because I have seen it at a lot of places but have never tried it before. My impression? It's a pale ale. That's about it. I would say the Bell's was better.

May 2 - Bell's Pale Ale

My roommate and I took our first trip to Meijer during this adventure. We spent a whole lot of time staring at the beer selection. In fact, it was a little intimidating, but very exciting.

Lots of thoughts went through my mind, and I was drawn to beers that I had had before and was exciting to have again. But that isn't what this is about. I need to try new beers in this mix, too. So I let my roommate pick out a few beers for me.

Tonight's beer was Bell's Pale Ale. A good 'ole Michigan beer. Expect to see plenty more Michigan beers this month, and there will be some more Bell's beer later this week, too.

May 1 - Labatt Blue Light

Why? It was in my fridge. Why not? Exactly. It's the first day, let's not go too overboard on this one.

Introduction

A quick introduction to those who happen across this site:

For the entire month of May, I shall drink one beer of a different variety each day.

Each day on this site, I will showcase the beer drank that day. Please do not be upset or discouraging of any choices, but accept the challenge and respect the game. I do encourage you to comment on any and every post, and I will welcome drink suggestions from any medium.

I plan on taking full advantage of the Meijer down the street, which sells individual bottles of beer and allows customers to make their own six pack. This way I can guarantee that a new beer is drank each day. I fully expect to take advantage of the wide variety and cater to different styles and tastes.

Also, Grand Rapids is a fantastic city for beers. I fully expect to venture to various establishments around the area and sample beverages brewed locally. The larger selection of drafts on tap, the better.

So please, sit down, relax, and let's enjoy a cold one together.

-Tim