Michael Fumento

The Washington Post has kicked off its annual "Beer Madness" tournament. Be sure to view all the sections. It starts with 64 beers in four categories and then they're played off of each other like it's NCAA basketball. This year for the first time they've opened it to foreign suds."Sudden death was never so sweet!

My comments:

I've had most of the lagers and Tsing Tao is definitely my favorite of them. Curiously I haven't had the Black Raven one, though Baltimore being just up the road you'd think it would be readily found around here.

I had no idea there was such a variety of pale ales. I normally associate pale malt with bitterness and am adverse to bitter. (I'm told I have "chick taste buds.") I actually like Kolsch, but that may reflect the fact that I first had it in its home city of Cologne (Koln) and it just brings back good memories. That's one nice thing about beer and wine as opposed to soft drinks. They can acquire special meaning to you.

Under freestyle, I had no idea the Japanese made a white beer! I've only had Schneider in Germany but it's excellent. I think it's the most popular Weißbier in that country. And I adore lambics, including Framboise. It is very much like dessert but it's not like a desert wine where you can only have a little bit. One time in Belgian I lined up I believe five lambics made by Mort Subite (I've never seen it in this country, and the name, incidentally means "Sudden Death!"). Four fruits and one straight lambic. Drank them all; loved them all. "Lambic" refers to a type of yeast that so far as I know is only grown in one part of Belgium. It imparts something of a pleasant sour taste.

Can't weigh in on the dark beers. Not my style.

I feel like pouring one back now, but insofar as its about 10:30 in the morning . . .