My Favorite Beer

It never fails that when the topic of my beer database comes up, someone will ask what my favorite beer is. It is usually put to me in a question like "if I put a gun to your head and said you had to pick one favorite, what would it be?". I usually say "I can't think with a gun to my head". The fact is, out of the 1299 different beers I have had, 176 are A's.  Now my grading system is: A's are beer that I can't wait to buy again. B's are beers that I would buy again but only if I couldn't find an A. C's are beers that I would not buy again but would drink at a friends house, if it was all he had. D's are beers that I would only drink if I was about to die of dehydration. And F's, well, I'd go ahead and die of dehydration. Fortunately, there have only been 3 F's and, I believe, they had gone bad. I'll try them again someday, maybe.  So, back to my favorites. My favorite would depend on what I am doing, where I am and what the temperature is. For example, sitting around a bonfire at night, listening to music or to nothing but the night, it would hard to beat a Samuel Adams Utopias. It may be the most complex beer ever made. It's 26% alcohol so you just kick back, relax and sip an ounce or two. It's also $200 a bottle, so I don't drink it often! Sitting around inside the house and reading, I may reach for a Belhaven Scottish Ale or an Avery's Ellie's Brown Ale. On a hot summer day, sitting out on the deck, I may reach for an Erdinger Hefe-Weizen or a Weihenstephaner Original. On a cold winter's day, inside, I may grab a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout or Taddy Porter.  So, you see, I could never pick a single favorite anymore that you could pick your favorite child, assuming you have more than one! I actually change up the beers I drink by changing with the seasons. That may be a good topic for next time.  Cheers!