Heathen's Beer Awards Part 1

I thought it was a little late to be doing awards for last year's beers, but with the Academy Awards happening tonight, I thought, "what the hell." Here are the top 13 beer beers I tried for the first time in 2008.

• 13. Southern Tier Jahva- A really nice coffee imperial stout that tasted like coffee, but still had an imperial stout profile. I would have never guessed this was 12% ABV until the slight heat in my chest.
• 12. De Dolle Stille Nacht- It didn't really say "Christmas" to me, but it was a true Christmas gift. An incredible beer that I have to try to age.
• 11. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye- I looked at it. I smelled it. And at that point it was perfect. I knew it wouldn't last. The flavor was a nice change of pace, but not perfect. I don't know exactly what the rye did for this beer, but it seemed to make it a better double IPA. It seemed to lesson the harshness of the bitterness of the hops without taking away the flavor of them.
• 10. Founders Breakfast Stout- Not the best imperial stout, but a great beer. A little one sided, but it was a great side. More coffee flavor than beer flavor, really. But that was fine with me.
• 9. Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout- A great beer. One of the darkest I've ever had. Not super complex, but who cares when simplicity is this good.
• 8. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron- Hid alcohol incredibly well. There was chocolate malt, maybe some vanilla, some dark fruit, slight wood and some roasted coffee.
• 7. Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza Special Ale- It reminded me of Rodenbach, but with a touch of spice. The flavor and aroma changed so much as it warmed. It took me nearly two hours to drink a bottle, because I just kept wanting to see how much it would change. It was sweet, sour and acidic all rolled up together.
• 6. Great Divide Yeti Oak Aged Imperial Stout- A little more hops than I prefer in an imperial stout, but there was enough malt backbone to balance it. The oak aging didn't dominate flavor or aroma, but I think it just tamed the original version (which is also a great beer), helping to balance the hops and malt.
• 5. Mikkeller Black Hole- This was great and dangerous. It hid it's 13.1% ABV incredibly well. Not a hoppy imperial stout. It had some coffee flavor to give it bitterness, but not too much coffee. There was just enough to give it some flavor without the overall flavor straying too far from what an imperial stout should taste like. Brilliant.
• 4. Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout- Very nice. The hops weren't overpowering, they just balanced the flavor so that it wasn't sickeningly sweet. It went great with Hershey's chocolate. If you like imperial stouts, find this and drink it.
• 3. Fantôme de Noël- An incredible beer. It was like a sour porter. It wasn't all that Christmasy, but for a saison I guess it was. Before this I didn't even know there could be dark saisons.
• 2. Weyerbacher Thirteen- A really nice beer that will probably be off the charts after a little aging. It was a little harsh, but I didn't mind. There was a nice burn in the belly and chest. I already have one put aside to try in a year or two. At 13.6% ABV the bomber is a little hard to finish by yourself. A perfect beer to share.
• 1. Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper 2007- This was just incredible. It had everything I love in a beer. It was sort of like an old ale, a dubbel, a foreign stout, a Belgian strong ale and a Baltic porter had a baby. It always seems like these beers that defy style are my favorites. It will be hard to find because it is retired, but if you find it buy it.

Part 2 of Heathen's Beer Awards should be coming soon.