I started up BeerCrank.ca (formerly known as The Cranky Beer Blog) back in 2009 but didn't really start posting until the beginning of 2011. Since then, this blog has received well over a million hits and it led to a beer column over at the Brandon Sun that lasted for five and a half years.
Today I'm showcasing the ten most popular reviews/posts from the 2010s. Hope you enjoy!
10) Crown Royal BBQ sauce recipe - My awesome buddy Russ over at N2DS2W.com made a guest post showcasing his Crown Royal BBQ sauce recipe. Back then, I was hoping to do a beer/spirits recipe portion of the website but unfortunately it didn't end up being overly popular.. plus I'm not really a fan of cooking to begin with, so it didn't last long. I haven't made the BBQ sauce yet, but I hope to one day, I'd probably use Crown Royal's maple whisky if I do to get that hint of maple in it.
9) John H. R. Molson & Bros 1908 Historic Pale Ale - Back in 2016 Molson sent me a care package featuring a new beer they were about to release, a Pale Ale inspired by the beers that Molson was brewing over a century ago. Not only did I enjoy the Historic Pale Ale, but the short time it was available in Manitoba, I bought it frequently because it was incredibly affordable, with a 625mL bottle costing only $3.50 or so. I felt that this beer would lead to a series of historic-style beers, such as classic stouts and the like but unfortunately they discontinued this beer about six months later with no follow-up releases afterwards.
8) Glutenberg Non-Alcoholic Gluten-free beer - Over the years, I've gotten many requests from people asking me to review gluten-free beers as I know a few people who want to enjoy a beer but can't due to their health. Generally my Glutenberg reviews faired decently but their Non-Alcoholic Gluten-free beer review was by far the most popular review I've ever written. Considering it was gluten-free, it was one of the better NA beers I've had so far.
7) Winnipeg Brew Werks Pils - WBW's Darren Wanless has been one of BeerCrank's biggest fans ever since the very beginning. Many years ago when he was planning on opening up Portage Avenue Brew Werks, he told me that once his brewery got up and running that I'd be the first person to get a sample of the brewery's product. Fast forward less than five years later, Winnipeg Brew Werks releases their first beer, a German-style Pilsner and sure enough, the day it was canned he had a courier specially go from Winnipeg to Brandon just so I could get it fresh off the line. The beer was actually still a bit chilly by the time it got to my place. I'm typically not a fan of lagers or pilsners but this one is a great example of why we will be seeing a craft lager trend in the next couple years. This is also my most popular Manitoban beer review of all time, in fact - it's been consistently one of my top five reviews each and every day since I wrote the review back in August, 2018.
6) Fernie Eldorado Single Hop IPA - I'm a bit surprised how popular this review was but this was easily the best beer I've ever had by Fernie Brewing. Nice easy drinking India Pale Ale with a bit of tropical notes, pine, floral and worthy of sampling on the patio. If they re-release this again for the Manitoba market (especially in cans), I'll definitely get it again.
5) Coors Edge Non Alcoholic Beer (0.5) - At the time of writing, this review is my current most popular non-alcoholic beer review. With the trend of non-alcoholic beer happening in the beer industry, I was honestly surprised that breweries are able to somewhat replicate their most popular products and make it into a non-alcoholic version. Definitely something recommended for those who want a macro lager but without any of the booze to it.
4) Brasserie Dunham Berliner Melon Weisse - I'm not sure how this one became one of my fourth most popular review of all time. That said, Brasserie Dunham is also one of the best breweries that I've not only sampled, but also visited. So then again, I'm not surprised that so many people were searching out for Dunham beer reviews. Mighty fine brewery!
3) Microbrasserie du Lac St-Jean Gros Mollet Strong Brown Ale - I reallllllllllllly don't know how this Microbrasserie du Lac St-Jean review has become one of my most popular reviews of all time. Perhaps it's that I reviewed it both in English and French so that people in Quebec could read it? Maybe, but my French is horrible to the point that nearly every job interview I've ever had that even mentions French in it.. I did horrible at. I reviewed this back in March 2013 and for every month until December 2016, I only got one to three hits per month, but then in December 2016, I received 1000 hits just that month alone, and since then it has been one of my most popular reviews each and every day.
2) Three non-alcoholic beers worth checking out - It was this non-alcoholic review I did that made me realize that people want to know more about non-alcoholic beer, they wanted to know what were the best ones to try but they didn't want to spend their own money to review something that they might not enjoy in the end.. so that's where I come in! I'm (almost) always willing to try something new and interesting, especially if others are on the fence about said beers. The Krombacher Radler Alkoholfrei really popped out at me.. but unfortunately I don't think it's available in Manitoba anymore. One of these days I'll go try President's Choice's non-alcoholic beers but since they're only available in twelve-packs, I'm not going to anytime soon.
1) Budweiser Prohibition - At over 32,000 hits since 2016, my review of Budweiser Prohibition is my most popular review of all time. When I first wrote the review, I was only the second or third person to ever write about the beer.. and this was before they ever did any marketing for the beer. Today, there's not really any interest in the review.. which is why I said that Coors Edge is my current most popular non-alcoholic beer review. I think this was one of the very first non-alcoholic beers I've ever had that made me think "wow, this actually tastes on par with their actual product", which to a beer geek would be generally saying "this is piss" but I meant it in a way that if someone who likes Bud/Bud Light but doesn't want to drink something with alcohol in it, they'd certainly enjoy this. This created-in-Canada Budweiser product is apparently available in the US now. It's definitely very easy to find, just about every grocery store, bar and restaurant has this available now days. Oh.. and they heavily advertise on Hockey Night in Canada.
Cheers et Santé! I hope your '20s end up being great and I hope to keep writing as long as people are interested, even though I've said many times "eff this, I quit!" But.. I'm still here, for now.
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