TOPIC:

I'm making an early start on the 2014 awards, so if anyone has made up their minds on their top three beers of 2013, they can vote now.

The rules are the same as last year's and are as follows:
Eligible beers are any which are both:
1. Brewed in Ireland (including Northern Ireland), and were
2. Commercially available in Ireland (including NI) during 2013.

This includes one-offs, seasonals, festival specials, limited editions and any other beer so long as the brewer is asking people for money for it. It does not include ciders, meads or other non-beer brews.

The competition is dispense-neutral: each candidate is only eligible once, regardless of the number of different ways it is packaged and served. Rebadges, inasmuch as they can be identified with any degree of certainty, count as the same beer.

Voting is open to all Beoir subscribers.

[b:36eglioz]To vote[/b:36eglioz]: On or before 31 January 2014, e-mail the names of your top three favourite Irish beers, ranked in order, to <!-- e --><a href="This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (the usual voting adress doesn't seem to be working, but no matter). The competition will work best, I think, if you choose beers you actually drank during the year, but we won't be holding anyone to that. Remember, they must have been available to purchase during 2013, however. And please include your username in the e-mail.

In order for the vote to be fair you must name and rank three. Votes with fewer nominations won't be counted.

After the deadline, votes will be counted using a positional voting system (numerical weighting, like the Eurovision) and the top three will be awarded prizes. In the event of a tie, the most first preferences wins, and if we're still tied after that... we'll figure something out.

Please post any questions to this thread, but kindly refrain from discussing individual beers, to help ensure a fair vote. I'll send out an e-mail reminder closer to the deadline.

And I may as well say now that I'm not planning to attempt a list of eligible beers as in previous years. Though if anyone else wants a go, last year's list is here[/url:36eglioz]. I'd say there's a good few to take off and a [i:36eglioz]lot[/i:36eglioz] to add <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Is voting open to lowly forum members like me that haven't paid up?

And is there any consideration given to different styles? i.e. best stout, best pale ale etc?
Or is it just each voters personal preference as the best beer they've drank this year?

Sorry Drum, it's subscribers only. And no, we don't give style-specific awards but the best in each style can be determined from the final result.

Anyone gonna try put a list together?

2012-2013 list. Feel free to add. There's going to be a fair few more this year.

3 Wells Organic Wheat Beer (Brook Lodge, brewed @ White Gypsy)
Alpha Dawg (Franciscan Well)
Alternator (Metalman)
Amber (White Gypsy)
American Pale Ale (White Gypsy)
Amstel (Heineken)
Ballyblack (Ards)
Barefoot (Eight Degrees)
Barney's Brew (Hilden)
Barrelhead Pale Ale (Barrelhead, brewed @ Franciscan Well)
Bay Ale (Galway Bay)
Bay Lager (Galway Bay)
Beal Bán (Beoir Choca Duibhne)
Beamish Stout (Heineken)
Belfast Ale (Whitewater)
Belfast Black (Whitewater)
Belfast Blonde (Hilden)
Belfast Lager (Whitewater)
Belgian Dubbel (White Gypsy)
Bell Ringer (Franciscan Well)
Bitter Pig (Ards)
Black Rock (Dungarvan)
Blarney Blonde (Franciscan Well)
Blond (White Gypsy)
Bo Bristle IPA (Bo Bristle)
Bock (Messrs Maguire)
Bohemia (Porterhouse)
Bonaparte (Hooker)
Brainblásta (Porterhouse)
Bruin (White Gypsy)
Buckley's (FXB, brewed @ Carlow)
Bud Light (A-B InBev, brewed @ Diageo)
Budweiser (A-B InBev, brewed @ Diageo)
Buried At Sea (Galway Bay)
Burren Black (Burren)
Burren Gold (Burren)
Burren Red (Burren)
Carlsberg (Carlsberg, brewed @ Diageo)
Carlsberg Mid-Strength (Carlsberg, brewed @ Diageo)
Carraig Dubh (Beoir Chorca Duibhne)
Carrig Lager (Carrig, brewed @ Bo Bristle)
Carysfort Organic Lager (Brook Lodge, brewed @ White Gypsy)
Cathedral Quarter (Hilden)
Celebration Stout (Porterhouse)
Celebration Stout [whiskey barrel aged] (Porterhouse)
Chameleon [specify version] (Metalman)
Chiller (Porterhouse)
Chocolate Stout (Dungarvan)
Chocolate Truffle Stout (Porterhouse)
Clotworthy Dobbin (Whitewater)
Coffee & Oatmeal Stout (Dungarvan)
Comeragh Challenger (Dungarvan)
Coors Light (MolsonCoors, brewed @ Heineken)
Copper Coast (Dungarvan)
Copperhead (Whitewater)
Crean's (Dingle)
Crown & Glory (Whitewater)
Cúl Dorcha (Beoir Chorca Duibhne)
Curim Gold (Carlow)
Dark Arts (Trouble)
Devil's Backbone (Kinnegar)
Donegal Blonde (Donegal)
Doppelbock (White Gypsy)
Down Pilgrim (Whitewater)
Dr Rudi (Brown Paper Bag Project, brewed @ Eight Degrees)
Dubliner (Sólas, brewery unknown)
Emerald (White Gypsy)
Fermanagh Beer (Inishmacsaint)
Five Lamps Lager (Five Lamps, brewed @ Eight Degrees)
Fosters (SABMiller, brewed @ Heineken)
Friar Weisse (Franciscan Well)
Full Sail (Galway Bay)
Galway Hooker (Hooker)
Galway Hooker Pils (Hooker)
Guinness (Diageo)
Guinness Foreign Extra (Diageo)
Guinness Mid-Strength (Diageo)
Guinness Special Export (Diageo)
Halt (Hilden)
Harp (Diageo)
Haus (Messrs Maguire)
Headless Dog (Hilden)
Heineken (Heineken)
Helvick Gold (Dungarvan)
Hersbrucker (Porterhouse)
Hersbrucker Oktoberfest (Porterhouse)
Hilden (Hilden)
Hop Head (Porterhouse)
Hoppelhammer (Whitewater)
Hoppy Dark Ale (Dungarvan)
Howling Gale (Eight Degrees)
Imperial Stout (White Gypsy)
IPA (Dungarvan)
Jameson Stout (Fransican Well)
Jul Ól (White Gypsy)
Kilkenny (Diageo)
Knockmealdown Porter (Eight Degrees)
Limeburner (Kinnegar)
M&S Irish Stout (Marks & Spencer, brewed @ Carlow)
Macardle's (Diageo)
Max (UCC Pilot Brewery)
McGrath's Black (Clanconnel)
McGrath's Blonde (Clanconnel)
McGrath's Pale (Clanconnel)
McGrath's Red (Clanconnel)
McHugh's 300 (Whitewater)
Messrs Maguire Pale Ale (Messrs Maguire)
Metalman Pale Ale (Metalman)
Mi Daza (Benny McCabe, brewed @ Franciscan Well)
Molly's Chocolate Stout (Hilden)
Moonbeam (Metalman)
Moritz (UCC Pilot Brewery)
Mourne Oyster Stout (Mourne Seafood, brewed @ Whitewater)
Murphy's Stout (Heineken)
Nectar (Galway Hooker)
O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale (Carlow)
O'Hara's Leann Folláin (Carlow)
O'Hara's Natural Blonde (Carlow)
O'Hara's Red (Carlow)
O'Hara's Stout (Carlow)
O'Hara's Winter Star (Carlow)
O'Shea's Irish Ale (Carlow)
O'Shea's Irish Pale Ale (Carlow)
O'Shea's Irish Stout (Carlow)
Ochtoberfest (Eight Degrees)
Olympic Gold (Messrs Maguire)
Opus II (Hooker)
Ór (Trouble)
Oyster Stout (Porterhouse)
Perfect Storm (Carlow)
PHD (Porterhouse)
Pig Island (Ards)
Pils (White Gypsy)
Plain MM (Messrs Maguire, brewed @ White Gypsy?)
Plain PH (Porterhouse)
Porterhouse Red (Porterhouse)
Preachers Best Bitter (Franciscan Well)
Pumpkin Brew (Trouble)
Purgatory (Franciscan Well)
Rebel Lager (Franciscan Well)
Rebel Red (Franciscan Well)
Red Oak (White Gypsy)
Revolution (Big Hand, brewed @ Trouble)
Rowers Red (Carrig, brewed @ Bo Bristle)
Ruby [MM Rusty] (White Gypsy)
RyePA (Dungarvan)
Sanity Claus (Whitewater)
Satzenbrau (Diageo)
Scraggy Bay (Kinnegar)
Scullion's Ale (Hilden)
Scullion's Porter (Hilden)
Shandon Stout (Franciscan Well)
Smithwick's (Diageo)
Smithwick's Pale Ale (Diageo)
Smoked Ale No. 1 (Carlow)
Spelt Saison (Trouble)
Stormy Port (Galway Bay)
Strange Brew (Galway Bay)
Sunburnt Red (Eight Degrees)
Temple Brau (Porterhouse)
Titanic Quarter (Hilden)
TSB (Porterhouse)
Tuborg (Carlsberg, brewed @ Diageo)
Twisted Hop (Hilden)
Weiss (Messrs Maguire)
Windjammer (Metalman)
Winter's Ale (Eight Degrees)
Wrassler's XXXX (Porterhouse)

I don't think the spelt saison was available in 2013.

Edit: Mores the pity!