Top Breweries in the World

Much of this was written from memory, so please, go easy on me if you find any factual errors. After all, I was probably a little lit while reading these labels ;) I've debated writing this piece for some time now, I didn't want people to think I'm some kind of booze-hound. Many kudos to fellow hubber t.keeley: http://hubpages.com/profile/t.keeley for giving me the courage to write about one of my favorite subjects. His article: http://hubpages.com/hub/Ways-to-select-your-beer should also be checked out by any of you interested in information on the subject of beer selection.

Goose Island

http://www.gooseisland.com/AgePage.asp?URLPage=/index.asp

From sweet home Chicago, I recommended this brewery / restaurant in my top ten places to to take the kids to eat, (excellent place to meet the single buddies when you have the kids in tow,) and while their food is pretty fantastic, let's get serious here, this is really a place to get loaded. (Responsibly, of course. And certainly without the kids.) Some of my favorite beers made at the brewery are the "special batches." Limited edition beers, these generally come out labeled with the year they're brewed printed on the label around the neck of the bottle.

One of my particular favorites is the product called: Bourbon County Stout. I'll refer to it as BCS from here on out. After the usual fermentation process it is stored in barrels that were used for whiskey aging, giving it the unique flavor it is known for. After drinking a couple out of the four-pack BCS is a beer that can be aged in a cool, dark and dry place, much like a wine. I've had a couple in the "cellar" (my closet,) for a year now, and haven't managed to pop the tops off them yet, but I am told they actually improve in flavor over time. The alcohol content for BCS comes in at a whopping %13 ABV, bringing it *just* short of the barley wine variety. It looks much like an oil slick when poured into a glass and the texture is much the same. The first half of a BCS goes down pretty rough if you are not a whiskey drinker. I recommend caution while drinking it, it's a sipping beer. After the first half, though you become acclimated to it's (have a mentioned before?,) unique flavor and if you are a dark beer aficionado, nothing seems quite deep enough after you've tried a BCS.

Another one of my favorites, (which seems to be around all the time, even though it was brought out as a yearly small batch limited edition beer,) is called Matilda. Weighing in a %7 percent ABV, it is not nearly as boozy as the BCS, but don't be deceived by the numbers. In the immortal words of Dave Chappelle playing Samuel L. Jackson promoting his new beer: "It'll get you drunk!" In other words, it's easy for this one to sneak up on you, regardless of it's ABV content, so be careful! Matilda has a toasty, (very slightly,) fruity taste and is mildly sweet. Very hoppy, Maltida boasts the addition of a rare yeast which gives it the spicy flavor which outweighs the other attributes of ingredients; (sweetness, fruitiness, hoppiness,) making it a very drinkable beer for those of you like myself who aren't necessarily into the sweet beer thing. Like many of the Goose Island brews there is a story on the bottle that goes along with the brew and while I'm usually not "taken in" by this kind of advertising I actually found the story that went along with this brew to be quite cute. I'm not going to ruin it for anyone however, so you'll just have to pick up a four-pack for yourselves to find out!

Three Floyds

http://www.threefloyds.com/

Disclaimer: I know a couple of people who work here. I'm not advertising their product based on that, however, I was a Three Floyds lover long before I met anyone who worked for the company. I'm not playing favorites, here, Three Floyd's, hands down, is one of the best, if not the best brewery in the world. If you've been living under a rock and have never tried one of their beers, I highly and humbly recommend you go out and pick up a six pack.

Now onto the facts... Three Floyds originally opened it's doors in 1996 in Hammond, Indiana, USA. Eventually, needing more space to grow after their beers took off, the brewery moved to Munster, Indiana and is only available at bars in Indiana and Illinois. Don't fret, my pet, if you're not living there however, Sam's Wines and Spirits ships to several US states and even overseas as well: http://www.samswine.com/ as well as another Chicago liquor store, http://web.mac.com/archerliquors/ArcherLiquors/Home.html ... Availability will differ from state to state, country to country depending on issues of legality so you'll have to check with them to find out if it can be shipped to you. Now onwards to the fun stuff, my favorite offerings from this brewing company.

The first beer, Robert the Bruce is available throughout the year and is one of my all-time favorite beers. The ABV comes in at %6.5 and the taste is simply divine. It's advertised as a Scottish style ale, (which I've tried a few varieties of over the years,) it is my favorite for two reasons: a lot of the "Scottish style" ales are low on carbonation, leaving me feeling like I'm drinking a flat beer... the second reason I love Robert the Bruce so much is the flavor. To me, the flavor defies description, so I'll repeat what is said on the website about it and then add my own two cents... "A full bodied Scottish-style ale with a well rounded malty profile of roasted and caramel notes." Personally, I don't think this description does it justice, to call it full-bodied is like saying Angelina Jolie is good looking. You get the idea, but the nuance is lost.

The second beer I'd like to mention is the Black Sun Stout. Where I got it from and how I would get my hands on another is beyond me. Actually, I got it from a specialty wine shop, (go figure,) called The Tasting Room at 1415 W. Randolph in Chicago. (I have a collection of business cards in my desk drawer that defies logic.) I got it around this time of the year last year and just called to find out that they currently do not have it in stock. It's a seasonal brew, so it's one of those you'll have to just keep an eye out for. Considered a winter brew, hopefully it'll be coming around again soon. An Irish dry stout, Black Sun Stout has an ABV of %5.25 and comes in the "big boy" bottles, 22 ounces of pure heaven with tones of coffee, caramel, chocolate, vanilla and piney hops. For those of you who say, "But, Nicole, I don't like chocolate beers!," I'd like to reassure you that chocolate is not all that Black Sun Stout has going for it! It's an incredibly dark and dry black stout, (hence the name,) with so many intensely co-mingled / well balanced flavors that calling it a chocolate or coffee stout would be a crime.

The last beer I'll mention from the Three Floyds brewery is their flagship beer, Alpha King. Unlike many of the other beers on my favorites list, Alpha King is a pale ale, (surprise!,) that boasts a supreme drink ability. At %6 ABV, bringing this beer to a party will earn you the reputation of being that buddy with good taste in beer. While personally this isn't my favorite Three Floyds brew, (Robert the Bruce is,) it is the one beer almost all my beer drinking friends can agree on, which pleases me since many of them are not into the dark beer thing as much as I am. In fact, Alpha king is an excellent counter-point to Robert the Bruce, many times that I have picked up a six pack of one I'll often come home with a six pack of the other. Alpha King makes your mouth tingle, a citrus / hoppy aroma, without the extreme bitterness I usually associate with APA. Many people agree that it reminds them more of an IPA than an American pale ale and while there is a sweet edge to this beer, it isn't over-powering.

Unibroue

http://www.unibroue.com/index_eng.html

There's no blaming Canada when it comes to this brewery's fine selection of beers. Hailing from Chambly, Quebec, this is one of the few breweries on my list that resides outside of the USA. Since it is A. an import, and B. mostly brewed using the refermentation process which is more involved and takes longer than most straight off the shelf beers the price of these brews is a little higher than the rest on this list. It's not insane, or anything, though. They say on their site that if you leave their beers to age for 10+ years they'll turn into something akin to a port wine. However, with the way their beers taste I don't see how anyone could leave one lying around for that long!

One of my favorite Unibroue beers is the Chambly Noire. A dark, dry beer with a roasted malt finish this beer boasts an ABV of %6.2, but it feels more like a %7 beer. A black ale, Chambly Noire looks like a stout but instead of being poured into a traditional pint glass it should be served in a goblet or chalice style glass. This allows the beer to mix more fully, since there is a yeast settlement at the bottom of Unibroue beers, due to the refermentation process. It's pretty highly carbonated and one of the interesting things about this beer is that it burns the tip of your tongue when you drink it. It's rarely the first beer I have right out of the gates when I'm out at the pub, but it makes an excellent last beer of the night brew.

Another beer from Unibroue that I love is the Maudite. Like most Unibroue selections it is also refermented in the bottle and should be poured into a chalice or goblet style mug. A strong red ale, Maudite boasts an ABV of %8, so you probably don't want to have more than a couple if you're planning on leaving the pub under the power of your own two legs. Despite the high alcohol content, I've found that Maudite doesn't burn your tongue quite as badly as the Chambly Noire for some reason. (Perhaps it isn't as heavily carbonated?) Spicy citrus with a nice malty finish, I'm always careful about what else I drink during the night when Maudite is around, getting a little buzzed is one thing, having to have your friends pour you into a cab half-way through the night is another!

Bell's Brewery

http://www.bellsbeer.com/

I've never had a Bell's beer I didn't like. During the last couple years there were issues with distribution and Bells was unavailable in IL. See this Chicago Reader article for more information: http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/bells/ ... Chicago yuppies everywhere suddenly decided it was the best thing since sliced bread. Since they don't ship beer to consumers, Chicagoans were even going as far as to cross the border into Michigan where the brewery is located and stocking up. Sales went up quite a bit and eventually some kind of agreement was reached between the local distribution companies and the brewery. And 'lo and behold, Bells is back! Hallelujah! Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan Bells has been around since 1985 growing substantially from a small time microbrewery making their first batches out of a soup kettle into a multi-city production in 2003. (Comstock, Michigan.) But enough about them, let's talk about my favorites they produce.

The Bells Amber Ale is their flagship ale, it has a very cool picture of a heron's head on the bottle. I'm not particularly sure what a heron has to do with Amber Ale, but hey, like I said, it looks cool. Like the Alpha King, one of the reasons I love this beer is because most my friends can agree on it. Even though it's ABV at %5.50 is a tiny bit higher than usually accepted for a session beer, Bells is a great beer to stick with through the night if you have to get up early the next morning.

My favorite beer from Bells Brewery frequently gets mixed reviews. The beer is called "Hell Hath No Fury," (HHNF,) a fantastic dark Belgian-style ale. Knocking you over at a %7.5 ABV I've found from personal experience that HHNF is a great last beer of the night for two reasons. First, this beer tastes a little bit better when it's warm, versus straight from the fridge. (You drink more slowly as the night goes on.) Second, it's just so darn strong. This is the beer that hits you right behind the eyes on the cab ride home. And believe me, you'd rather have it hit there than at the pub in full view of God, strangers and Mike the bartender, who'll ban you if you break one more pint glass. Party foul! (Especially if it's full of HHNF!)

Pivovar Herold Breznice

http://www.heroldbeer.com/index.php

Now discontinued, this Czech company brews my all-time favorite beer. Please, please bring back Herold's Midnight Wheat. (HMW.) It's an incredible beer, which is funny, because I generally prefer something other than a wheat beer, HMW is one of the tastiest beers I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. At %5.20 ABV I couldn't recommend it as a session beer because the taste is just too over-powering to drink a few in one sitting. I've never had the opportunity to try any of the other beers this company offers and as soon as funds are more liquid I look forward to going on a Pivovar Herold Breznice quest to find something that can wean me off this amazing Dunkelweizen brew.

If I had to recommend one beer off this list I'd recommend them all. Happy hunting ... and drink responsibly. :)