A colleague, known to some as multimedia editor Mary, sent me a missive about a beer game she and her friends played recently. I call it "name that beer." Here, in her words, was how it was played.
"My boyfriend and I met up with some new friends, who were holding a beer tasting at their house. The rules: Bring a 6-pack to share, taste all the beers, and rate them and match the tastes with the labels.
The person who brought the highest rated beer would get a 6-pack of their choice of bottles, and same prize for the person who matched the most right.
I was tied for first for matches until the very end, when I mixed up a HopDevil and something else. (The HopDevil was less hoppy than the other! Who'd have thunk it?)
The beer that got the highest overall rating: Blue Moon's Full Moon. It tastes somewhat interesting, but I think it was more so generally agreeable, as was the Stella that came in a close second. It got all 6's and 7's -- it's good, but not that interesting, and thus had such a good score.
The ones most debated were Harpoon IPA and Fin Du Monde. People were in camps over those, though I liked both. I liked the IPA better, though; IPAs are my favorite.
My Rogue Dead Guy Ale did OK, and my boyfriend's Jever did terribly. It tasted like diesel.
But here's the most interesting thing about the whole night, to me: I was really surprised at how much I liked Red Stripe. I know, I know, it's a very strange and cheap beer. But it was kind of ... all right! I think I gave it a 6.
Boddington's Pub Ale was generally panned."
Anybody play this game, or a version of it?
I am sometimes surprised at "blind" beer tastings by my picks. You ever been surprised by your "blind" beer picks?
