A Major Milestone

What is in a number? I’ve been going to Mahar’s for over eleven years and have been keeping track of each beer that I’ve ever had there. It is the basis for my beer list. I had hoped to hit 5000 by the end of last year, but after the Advent Shebeen there weren’t any new beers coming into the bar so I had to wait until 2009 for that feat. If you conservatively estimate that each beer is $5, then I’ve now spent over $25K at my favorite beer bar, roughly over $2K a year. And although the budget Jenn and I had pulled together for this year doesn’t include the finances for that kind of rate, now that I’ve reached this milestone perhaps I can slow down a bit. Or perhaps not.

My friend Roger met me at Mahar’s, and I started with a Belgian Christmas ale, Floreffe Prima Melior, a beer that was flavored with star anise and orange peel. Very smooth, very mellow. I next tried an Otter Creek Otter’s Dubbel and although I normally like their World Beer tour, I would say that they should have tried a little harder in providing their version of this style. Finally I had to choose what beer I would have for my milestone, and since there was only one beer left on my sheet, I chose to split that beer with Roger. Number 5000 was a Belgian beer from Abbay D’Alune Triple Brune Ale. The beer was awesome, although I wasn’t used to having a combination of a Triple and a Brown Ale.

It was worth the wait, and I appreciated being able to share the experience with a friend. My budget for Mahar’s this year is $25/week, and $200 for the Advent. And although that results in less than 300 beers at Mahar’s this year, I’ll need to remember it is about the beer quality and not the quantity. – 5000

"40 dollars!? This better be the best damn beer ever. [drinks beer] You got lucky." - Simpsons