The Big Year

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by 1000lbgrizzly, Nov 17, 2015.

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  1. twizzard

    twizzard Pooh-Bah (2,080) May 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Sounds kinda like what Forrest Gump did...running across country:slight_smile:
     
    #61 twizzard, Nov 21, 2015
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  2. twizzard

    twizzard Pooh-Bah (2,080) May 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    147. I feel like a third grade girl compared to most of you lunatics. Probably because I only drink the styles that I love...mostly IPA,IIPA,APA and Stouts.
     
    #62 twizzard, Nov 21, 2015
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  3. 1000lbgrizzly

    1000lbgrizzly Maven (1,497) Jul 16, 2013 Illinois

    You are totally right, I never use the term so I forgot about it. Maybe there's room for a synonym.
     
    #63 1000lbgrizzly, Nov 23, 2015
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  4. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    And birders in the UK use the term ticking for their activity as well. Extreme birders are called 'twitchers'.
     
    #64 jmw, Nov 25, 2015
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  5. krome

    krome Pooh-Bah (1,973) Aug 1, 2009 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    About 350 per year on average (2130 over 6 years on BA). And that does include the beer fest sized portions for a fair number of fests.
     
    #65 krome, Nov 25, 2015
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  6. 1000lbgrizzly

    1000lbgrizzly Maven (1,497) Jul 16, 2013 Illinois

    It was a lot of looking like a tool with a little notepad and pen at every brewery, bar, and restaurant I entered this past year, but I have tracked every single drop of suds I drank in 2016 and my official Big Beer Year number is... 579!

    I still have a lot more analyzing to do for my own enjoyment, but here are the big numbers:
    -530 were domestic, and (duh) 49 were from overseas/over the north or south border.
    -97 styles, 198 breweries, 223 new beer reviews.
    -Most consumed beer, by far, was good ol' Sierra Nevada Pale ale, with 1164 ounces (that's 97 12-ounce beers, just over 9 gallons). Second place was, also from SN, their Torpedo Extra IPA, with 666 ounces (55.5 bottles), and Bud Light took third with 408 (34 bottles/cans). There were a few others that hit 20+, some in the teens, but by far and away most were just one-offs.
    -Best beer of the year (and all time, beating Weihenstephaner Hefeweissen by .02) was a new one for me: Mother of All Storms, at 4.71
    -Strongest beer was Barrel Aged Uber Mountain, by Jagged Mountain Brewing Co, at 14.8%.

    While this was revealing and will provide a lot fun to analyze, it was also a lot of work and at times could even make drinking a beer feel like a chore. I remember once declining a taste of my girlfriend's beer just because I didn't want to have to remember it, and then immediately questioning if it was worth it. The answer is yes, but just once. It'll be strange transitioning back to a non-record keeping frame of mind, which I know sounds insane, but it's a fun trophy and a reward to finish a project like this.

    It also showed me how I can link certain beers to times in my life. That Mother of All Storms is when I went on vacation to Oregon to see my brother graduate with his Ph. D. Xocoveza was from my first trade back in January, the week I started training for my first marathon in seven years. That Uber Mountain? When I went to Denver to have a job interview where I will hopefully soon be working. Going back even further, La Fin Du Monde will always bring me back to the summer of 2013, reviewing beers on my back porch at midnight with aphids flying all around in the heat after working double shifts almost every day of the month and wondering if my now-ex-girlfriend and I would make it and thinking damn I love this beer. Not to get weepy or glorify alcoholic beverages, but it woke me up to how much a part of my life beer is. It's a neat realization.

    Cheers to all, I wish you a happy, healthy, beer-filled 2017!
     
    #66 1000lbgrizzly, Jan 2, 2017
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  7. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    About 200 unique beers this past year that I counted, a few that I didn't. At first I wanted to do a new beer each day for one whole year. I fell just short. Then I wanted to hit 1000. Once I hit that number I stopped trying to do that. As you begin tasting 100 , 200 is not enough especially if you really want to explore all the styles. before you know it 500, 600 then you may as well hit 1000. Lately I do one or two new beers a week. That will put me at about 100 total for next year.
     
    #67 utopiajane, Jan 2, 2017
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  8. -N8

    -N8 Initiate (0) Feb 7, 2014 Germany

    How about beers in unique places? Ergo, drinking at home counts as 1 as would drinking at your fav biergarten etc...
     
    #68 -N8, Jan 2, 2017
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  9. colts9016

    colts9016 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,391) Jul 2, 2007 Idaho
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I have drank a few unique beers within the past year, however, this year I will try to consume more. I have been doing more cellaring than drinking this past year. I have wrestled a few whales into my hands. The last 3 years I have been kinda idle, I have worked way too much to enjoy drinking. This coming year I plan to put up at least 300 beers and hopefully 25 percent is something unique.
     
    #69 colts9016, Jan 2, 2017
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  10. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,927) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    If I go back to the first of last year, the number is 1162; but I revisited some, so probably more like actual 1130 new beers for the year. My 5000th will be in a few weeks.
     
    #70 superspak, Jan 2, 2017
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  11. Immortale25

    Immortale25 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,775) May 13, 2011 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Official number for me this past year was 438 but this was the first year I've been more lax with not rating a beer once I try it so the actual number is most likely over 500
     
    #71 Immortale25, Jan 2, 2017
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  12. Wasatch

    Wasatch Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,050) Jun 8, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Not sure of the real number, but it's got to be a few hundred last year.

    Cheers!
     
    #72 Wasatch, Jan 2, 2017
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  13. jvgoor3786

    jvgoor3786 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,222) May 28, 2015 Arkansas
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Great post. I always love seeing people post their beer stats. I'd love to see more breakdown once you do it.
     
    #73 jvgoor3786, Jan 2, 2017
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  14. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

    Me too, I figure about that many, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's way off high or low
     
    #74 cavedave, Jan 2, 2017
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  15. Wasatch

    Wasatch Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,050) Jun 8, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Same with me, 8 oz. or more. Not into samples, really.

    Cheers!
     
    #75 Wasatch, Jan 2, 2017
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  16. aquabears

    aquabears Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2016 Connecticut

    You inspire me. I love statistics, so I may take this on for 2017.

    I think I tasted about 700 beers in 2016, but some of that is from beer festivals. Over the past 3-4 months, though, I have made an effort to buy pints and skip out on tasters. I would rather have the "full" experience. I find that the flavor of the beer will evolve as I drink... and I enjoy that.
     
    #76 aquabears, Jan 2, 2017
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