BEER OF THE YEAR 2009 Rock Ice Limon (Costa Rica)

Of all the beers I have had this year, this by far was one of the best drinking experiences of my life. In addition to all of the criteria by which I judge beers (taste, flavor profile complexities, drinkability, easy by which the beer goes with food) one tool of measurement by which I personally use for how good a beer is comes from what I was doing as I was enjoying the beer. Beer is not just taste alone; it is at least for me emotional as well. The events, people, places and smells are all important parts of what makes drinking a beer so special or so miserable, and for me this was an exceptional example of that. I can go back to that moment in time with just the thought of the experience. There that night with my wife and parents in-law at the el Refugio Grill. The air fat with moisture, exotic animals of the Costa Rican jungle calling out from high atop trees in the far off hills. The smells of fresh food of the earth never tainted by packaging, all cooking on a small home stove top just on the other side of a thin wall, all of the small infinitesimal parts that made up the whole of that moment in time. The refreshing lime salt flavor mixing with the fish mixing with the plantain mixing with the everything else, all coming together to make that moment a perfect one. I urge you to take a moment to think of your favorite beer and examine what you were doing the first time you had that beer and see if that has any validity as to why you enjoy that beer so much. Perhaps it was the first time you shared a beer with your Father, or it was your Grandfathers beer of choice. Whatever the reason you like it I am willing to bet that on some level there is a positive emotional aspect involved with it, however small it might be. Drinking should always be a positive experience, one which congers happy memories. However, in a world of stress and overindulgence it is all too easy to fall into drinking for the sake of being drunk. My wish to all of you out there on this Christmas Eve is that you find yourself surrounded by good food, good friends, loving family members and phenomenal beer, whatever it may be. So in conclusion I thank all of you, and remember that Santa Claus is coming to town tonight so don’t hit him. Think right. Drink right, good night.