Beers #29 & #30: Evolution Amber Ale and Budweiser

First off, I know that Orval was supposed to be beer #29, but frankly I’ve been looking forward to finishing this “project” and getting on with drinking beer for fun. Today while I was skiing, Wasatch Brewery Evolution Amber Ale was available on tap, so I figured I’d call that beer #29, have the Budweiser when I got home, and drink the Orval later.

I’d read a review of Evolution before I tried it, and the reviews weren’t super favorable. It wasn’t a spectacular beer. In fact, it wasn’t even the best amber ale I’ve had in the last few days, but it was still quite good. Good enough that I would order it again. I’ve discovered that I quite like ambers, and while there may be better amber ales available, I’d take this beer on tap over quite a few of the bottled beers I’ve tried. Next time I go to the beer store, I’ll probably grab a few bottles to see what the bottled version is like.

After I got home from skiing, I popped open the double can of Budweiser. I was thirsty and tired, and I figured if ever there was a time beer would taste good, it would be then. So the verdict? I like Budweiser. I’m almost embarrassed to say how much I liked it. It’s not my favorite beer. It’s not even top ten. It’s not even something I would seek out. But I wouldn’t turn one down either. Like the PBR, it’s a quantity over quality beer, and it goes down really easy, probably because there’s not much to it. I definitely liked it better than Heineken. I can see why it’s so popular, too. While there’s nothing compelling about it, there’s not really anything not to like either.

Summary thoughts: the project has been an unequivocal success. I like beer. Not all of them, but I know which beers I like. And which varieties of beer I’ll probably like. Not only could I drink beer in social settings, I would choose beer over alternatives in a number of situations. Going out for Mexican? Negra Modelo. Need something to put in the cooler for after skiing? Chasing Tail. Out for a casual dinner? Dead Horse Amber Ale. Meeting friends on a Friday after work? Bohemian Vienna Lager. Relaxing in front of the TV? Sam Adams Light. Of course these are just some of the many choices, but you get the idea.

So where does this project go from here? Well as I mentioned, I’m looking forward to drinking beer for fun. I’ve got an Orval waiting for me to drink it, so I’ll probably do a writeup of that. I still want to give Chimay a try. I also want to revisit the Sam Adams Boston Ale and Boston Lager since those were the first two beers I tried, and I’d like to see how my attitude towards them has changed, as I’m sure it has. Wine is yummy too, and so I’ll write about those wines I consider worth mentioning. So stay tuned. Those five or six of you that have stuck with it, add me to your reader. It won’t be a daily thing, but I’m not going away either.