The Judges:
Myself, Ryan Turner, Dan Weiser (@badger_alum1) and Chad Meindl (@ChadMeindl)
The Competitors:
Firestone Walker Sucaba, Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, Revolution Straight Jacket, and Arcadia Barrel Aged Cereal Killer
The Rules:
The beers will be blinded so none of the judges know which beer is in each glass. Each of the judges will be asked to pick their favorite brew based solely on personal preference. Each judge will rank the beers in order 1-4 and then points will be tallied, lowest score is crowned the champion. Here are the results of the first round:
The Results – Round 1:
1. Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine – 8 points
1. Revolution Straight Jacket – 8 points
3. Firestone Walker Sucaba – 12 points
3. Arcadia Barrel Aged Cereal Killer – 12 points
We were definitely a bit let down that we were unable to crown a champion. After the first tasting we thought a couple factors might have skewed the results. First off, we were using 4 different glasses. Secondly, we started the first sampling when the beers still were a little colder than ideal. So we decided to re-randomize and try the sampling again.
The Results – Round 2:
1. Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine – 5 points
2. Revolution Straight Jacket – 9 points
3. Firestone Walker Sucaba – 13 points
3. Arcadia Barrel Aged Cereal Killer – 13 points
Personal Reaction:
I believe my ballots were the same on both rounds, though I will say I was not confidant of that fact until I found out which beers were which after the second tasting. I was the biggest fan of Sucaba, rating it as my second favorite beer. It was balanced and smooth, which are two characteristics I look for in a complex beer. The problem was it was too mild, which is interesting since I recently got to drink Parabola for a second time and I couldn’t believe how mild that beer was. My hands down favorite was from Central Waters, which is much more harsh, yet so complex and full of flavor. I was actually shocked at the layers this beer had compared to the other competitors. I had a hard time choosing between Sucaba and Central Waters on the first tasting, but by the time they warmed, I enjoyed Central Waters a lot more. I was the only one that wasn’t a fan of Straight Jacket. It tasted very different from the other 3 beers, which must have come from the malt bill. The different flavor I just wasn’t a fan of, but everyone else really enjoyed it. Not much to say about Arcadia other than it was out of its league.