Coopers Sparkling Ale

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Beer No: 30/1001
Page No: 351
Category: Blond

Today I have seen a couple of people passing around this list of "50 Beers to Try Right Now."  Since it's an annoying GQ.com slide show, I figured I'd just list them out here and see how many are in the 1001 Beers book as well.  A star (*) will denote that it is NOT in the 1001 Beers book.

  1. Allagash White*
  2. Anchor Christmas Ale*
  3. Anchor Steam
  4. BrewDog Smokehead*
  5. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
  6. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron*
  7. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse*
  8. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
  9. Hitachino Lacto Stout*
  10. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout*
  11. Leelanau Whaleback White*
  12. Lion Stout*
  13. Ommegang Hennepin*
  14. Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale
  15. Oskar Blues Old Club*
  16. Picobrouwerij Alvinne Melchior*
  17. Pretty Things Jack D'Or*
  18. Rodenback Grand Cru
  19. Rogue Dead Guy Ale
  20. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout*
  21. Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale
  22. Sixpoint Sweet Action*
  23. Smuttynose Barleywine*
  24. Stone Imperial Russian Stout*
  25. Stone Old Guardian*
  26. Trumer Pils
  27. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
  28. AleSmith Speedway Stout
  29. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
  30. The Bruery Saison Rue
  31. Cantillon Iris
  32. De Struise Pannepot
  33. Dieu du Ciel Route des Epices*
  34. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA*
  35. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
  36. Marin Brewing Company IPA*
  37. Orval
  38. Port Brewing Shark Attack Red*
  39. Russian River Pliny the Elder
  40. Saison Dupont
  41. Schneider Aventinus
  42. Westvleteren Abt 12
  43. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
  44. Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
  45. Double Mountain Black Irish Stout*
  46. Samuel Adams Utopias
  47. Founders KBS
  48. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
  49. Russian River Beatification*
  50. Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

And then they have "Five easy-to-find brews that beer geeks and the everyman can (pretty much) agree on:"

  1. Budweiser
  2. Tecate*
  3. Magic Hat #9
  4. Red Stripe
  5. Yuengling*

So there you have it.  24 of the 50 are not in the 1001 Beers book and it seems like with some of their picks they intentionally stayed away from picks from the book.  Like the two Dogfish Head picks - 120 Minute and Palo Santo Marron - I'm sure they're two great beers, but why not the 90 Minute, World Wide Stout, Midas Touch, or Raison D'Etre that are in the book?  Either way, an interesting list and I'll be sure to keep working my way through the 1001 and maybe when I'm done, I'll circle back around to these 26 beers that are not included (yes, I'll even rate Tecate and Yuengling).  Trivia note: Yuengling is the oldest operating brewery in the United States.  We had that question during a Bruery trivia session and guessed wrong.  But now you know.

Oh, did I mention I had a beer from the book as well today?  Cooper's Sparkling Ale hails from Australia (my 2nd Australian beer in 3 days) and doesn't really sparkle as much as the name would imply.  I also clearly did not read the label well enough to figure out that it was bottle conditioned as I emptied the whole bottle into my glass, yeast and all (which was fine, it didn't impart any off flavors nor make the beer chunky and hard to drink).  I think I was just expecting something different, something more from this beer.  When all was said and done, it was just pretty plain, just a standard ale; nothing special, nothing outrageous.  It was good, but not great, so, in all, a let down, but still refreshing with my freshly made pizza.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Coopers Sparkling Ale from Coopers Brewery

Aroma: 5/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Total Wine. I was expecting something completely different. I guess when you call it a sparkling ale, I was expecting something with a bit more carbonation, a bit more sparkle, when all this is is your standard ale. Bottle conditioned, it pours a golden orange with your standard carbonation, a slight head, and good lacing. I poured the whole bottle in the glass, so I got the yeast and all, but it didn’t impart any unwelcome flavors or textures. Your standard ale with malty aromas and flavors, hints of hops, bread, and a bit of fruit throughout. Very drinkable, but nothing out of the ordinary.