#questforbeer1000

Recently two best friends of mine from high school and I got together for what became the #questforbeer1000. It all started on a Friday night of frolic in downtown Rochester at Lost Borough Brewing Co. and Three Heads Brewing Co., a rendezvous to sketchy Park Bench Pub on Monroe Ave. for darts and pool and a ginormous plate at Mark's Hots. The next day it continued as we toured the countryside and Keuka Lake, hitting up Abandon Brewing Co. near Pen Yan and Nedloh Brewing Co. in Bloomfield on the way back. Finally, two more days and two more nights of a dash to the finish line all in the #questforbeer1000.

What is #questforbeer1000 all about? He's not really giving the readers much to go on yet, you might descry...
It's like this. I love the app Untappd. None of my friends use it, but they marvel at how I religiously tracked each and every beer I've even tasted for the past two years. Ok, maybe marvel, maybe roll their eyes. But still, imo it's quite a feat! Anyway, at Nedloh, I was putting in my tasting notes and rating my flights thanks to a brewery that cares about providing a WIFI connection (you suck Abandon), and my friends Matt and Tim [and his Mary] asked how many unique beers I had logged. A quick count revealed that after our adventures at Nedloh I would have 959. Only 41 to go.
Sounds like a challenge? Challenge accepted!

So, a determinedly quick 15 minute trip to AJ's Beer Warehouse in Henrietta (Seriously I've never been in and out of that store so quick with that many people at one time let alone myself buying that much beer!) gave us the remaining 41 beers that I'd never tried before. Everyone checked their selections with me, we basically grabbed anything good (isn't it all good?) off the shelves in our efforts to be fast and left with one goal in mind. Before Matt left to return to Hawaii Monday night, where he now resides, they would enable me to reach my goal of 1000 beers. #questforbeer1000

I won't trouble you with every beer we tried together the entire weekend, but I will point out some highlights and even some serious highlights. The coincidental part being that beer 1000 was THE BEST of the bunch (all agreed!) and will be remembered forever.

Friday highlights:
Three Heads Brewing Sip Hop Hooray - juicy, citrus, cat pea, biscuity malt base, love me some IPL. 7.4% ABV. I gave this a 3.25/5

Saturday highlights:
Nedloh Brewing Co. Collings - I don't think I gave any of Nedloh's beers less than 3/5 rating, but this stood out as a take on I assume a tom collins, sweet but balanced, citrus peel, seltzer notes. Did I mention it's gin barrel aged? 5.3% ABV, super drinkable. I gave it a 3.5/5.
Nedloh Brewing Co. Ryder's Rye Porter - I love rye porters, so naturally a brown sugar, molasses, anise, spicy rye deep brown draught is for me. 6.5% ABV. I gave this 3.25/5.
AleSmith Lil' Devil - lovely bright citrus zest nose, bubble gum, grapefruit peel, peppercorn, herbal, spicy, floral, dry with spicy malt, not bad for my first AleSmith. 5.75% ABV. I gave this 3/5. More info here.
Bell's Brewery Oatsmobile Ale - seen this for a while, never pulled the trigger, glad I've had it now, citrus, reminds me of citra, herbal, floral, orange gold color, cereal malt, bubbly mouthfeel, just an all around modern hop pale ale that is packed with flavor. 4.3% ABV. I gave it 3.25/5. More here.
Embark Craft Ciderworks Peach Apricot Saison - see a bottle of this get it! tart, slight funk, spicy, tonic water, semi-dry, full mouthfeel, this is a nice cider and I'm more and more impressed with Embark the more I have them. I gave this 3.25/5.
Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout - love me some oatmeal stout, rich, coffee, roasty, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, slight barnyard that adds nice complexity. 5.8% ABV. I gave this 3.5/5. More info here.
Jack's Abby Sunny Ridge Pilsner - Jack's Abby blew on to my radar with Calyptra, now I'm ready to try everything they have. citrus, honey, fluffy white foam, bready malt. An april-july release pleaser. 5.1% ABV. I gave this 3.5/5. More info here.
Jack's Abby Copper Legend - an oktoberfest of exception, spices, citrus, honey/orange blossom, vanilla, peach, tangerine, gold color, and caramel malt. 5.9% ABV. I gave this 3.5/5. More here.
Stone Brewing Co. Mocha IPA - we've all seen the trend towards coffee and chocolate in IPAs, but have you had this? Worth it. roasty hoppy nose, marshmellow, dark cocoa, pine, amber color, tastes like a black IPA, drippy legs. 9% ABV. I gave this 4/5. More here.

Sunday highlights:
Embark Craft Ciderworks Crab Series Vol. 1 - a cider with crab apples, like old apples fallen on the ground, applesauce, straw, dry, great legs. 7.2% ABV. I gave this 3.5/5. More here. Get it while it lasts!
Bell's Brewery Java Stout - holy cow this is a great beer! coffee, marshmellow, vanilla, seriously roasty, really dark chocolate. 7.5% ABV. I gave this 4/5. More here.
Founders Breakfast Stout - most people would consider this the holy grail of coffee beers without going seriously heavy or expensive, coffee, chewy mouthfeel, marshmellow, vanilla, smores, roasty, more like iced coffee than anything really. 8.3% ABV. I gave this 3.5/5. More here.
Left Hand Milk Stout - one of Matt's favorites, had this and the nitro and loved this way more, smoky, campfire, whipped cream, balanced roasty finish, deep brown color.6% ABV. I gave this 3.75/5. More here.
Victory Brewing Co. Storm King - on a stout kick, but we had so many good ones to choose from, mineral, molasses, espresso, dark chocolate, nutty, mocha, very slow drippy legs. 9.1% ABV. I gave this 3.75/5. More here.
Lord Hobo Brewing Co. Hobo Life - a citra hopped session IPA, I'd heard good things about Boom Sauce (to come) and am glad I tried this too, pineapple, mango, citrus zest, green, grassy, melon, hazy yellow color. 4.5% ABV. I gave this 3.75/5.
Lagunitas Brewing Co. Aunt Sally - a sour with IPA sensibilities, lemon tart, drop hopped, citrus. 5.7% ABV. I gave this 3.5/5. More here.

Monday super highlights:
Great Divide Brewing Co. Espresso Oak Aged Yeti - wow. rich, oak, cocoa, espresso, figs, dark fruit, dark chocolate, molasses, powdery mouthfeel, dark brown color, drippy legs, vanilla, tan head. 9.5% ABV. I gave this 4.75/5. More here.
Lord Hobo Brewing Co. Boom Sauce - a whopper of a double IPA, mango, pineapple, resin, cat pee, juicy but nice bitter dry finish, tropical, melon, grapefruit, very nicely balanced, sugar. 7.8% ABV. I gave this 4/5. More here.
B. Nektar Meadery The Mutant Killer Zombie Manhattan Project Thingy - a mead, cherry, deliciously sweet but finishes semi-dry and tart, rose colored, wine, honey, tad warming, champagne. 10% ABV. I gave this 4/5. More here.

#questforbeer1000
The 1000th Beer
Omnipollo Symzonia - an imperial stout of 13% ABV. cinnamon, vanilla, roasty, coffee, you can only experience this, not describe it. As Matt put it, "it tastes of tan". an extra sensory mind blowing beer. 5/5. More here.

Go Get Symzonia!