Let’s get straight to the main data points that I track. Column A being Ounces Drunk – The goal was 175 per week and I finished with 167.81. 7.19 clear! That year average was 21.86 lower than its 2017 counterpart and 36.50 from 2016.
It is probably the last large double drop though as I get closer to the two pints over 5 drinking days in a week (160 magic number). Speaking of, I have now completed 2 full years of having 2 non-drinking days each week. Not to throw shade at the Dry-uary crowd because health is important no matter how you do it, I have 3 months off from beer in 2017 and 2018 just not consecutively.
ABV is an important control column but it didn’t budge from the 6.6 to 6.7% range. With a low of 5.73% and a high of 8.90%. The average dollars spent per week is still too high at $42.87. That may be the number that needs the most attention in 2019.
Now onto the beers and breweries: zooming in from the macro view. I had 350 beers that did not fall into the “Big 3” of IPA, Sour and Barrel-Aged and 438 that fell into that grouping with most being IPA. 788 beers that I had at least 4oz of.
I was a bit surprised to see that Sierra Nevada claimed the top spot in number of beers drunk but then took a look to see Celebration Christmas, Bigfoot and Resilience leading the way. What was weirder still in this shrinking regional world was that New Belgium was # 3 (an only non California Brewery in the top 10), Stone # 5 and Firestone Walker at # 9. My usual suspects are in that 10 as well with Eagle Rock, Smog City, Highland Park and El Segundo, joined by newcomer L.A. Ale Works.
On the other side was 94 beers that were my only taste of a brewery and 6 of those were as half of a collaboration beer.
I am pondering if I should break out IPA as a separate counted category or 16oz cans to be even more specific in 2019. Because there are always more ways to parse the data.