It seems like every two years I make this list of "best beers" of the past year. I had a lot of reall fuckng good beers last year, but I refused to make a best of list. Mainly, because it takes a long time to filter through checkins that I've rated high (going back on some of them, I probably over rated a few) and then all the ones I never rated, that I wish I had more of right this second. After a freezing cold 2 hour wait in line for this can of Funk Haze (003) that will get me through this list, and a short trip to Double Decker Records where I lucked out and picked up Degenerics - Generica which will be a nice start to this list, I feel I am ready. Here goes nothing!
Twin Elephant Brewing - Shimmy Ye / Lil Shimmy Ye
A boss at work told my wife that we should check this brewery out months ago. I've wanted to go, and unfortunately never got around to it until a little over a month ago. All it took was a few sips of these beers to win me over. While big Shimmy has the body and abv I'd prefer, the Lil Shimmy Ye completely stole my heart. A cloudy double dry hopped pale ale. If I could drink this regularly, I'd be a very happy human. Unfortunately, I kicked the last keg of it last week. Here's to hoping it comes back soon... and AHEM, more cans please!
Sole Artisan Ales - Citra Nerd / Pineapple Smoosh
I ordered my initial Citra Nerd on a whim, not knowing much about breweries from PA aside form what we've had in our distribution here in NJ. One sniff of that pint glass and I was HOOKED. Such a perfect balance of floral/citrus aromas, perfectly balanced bitterness with citrus. Totally (and dangerously) easy drinking and absolutely delicious. Another beer that I ended up kicking the keg of (at the bar).
Pineapple Smoosh gets a mention, mainly because I only had the one sip while standing in line today at Funk, but HOLY SHIT, it's a delicious pineapple juice bomb. WISH I had more of that. Hell, even a single can. Moral of the story here, is this brewery is JUST getting started and already has blown up. Here's hoping to get to try more of their stuff!
Trillium - DDH Fort Point Pale Ale
Over the last year/year and a half, I've been spoiled with SEVERAL Trillium cans, and even been able to score some on tap at Torst. Although, they've honestly all been out of this world good, this one sticks out the most. Nice balance of juicyness and hops, with slight bitterness. AKA, perfectly crushable.
Other Half - DDH All Citra Everything / Like Whoa / Mylar Bags / Topical Depression
I'm very grateful for having friends that actually enjoy standing in line for a beer. Thanks to them (and an accidental arrival at a full tap takeover at Ambulance Brew House) I got to try these (as well as a ton of others). These guys know what they're doing with hops. Every other beer style, not so much, but when you're pulling off this quality for ipa's and dipa's, you've already got your guaranteed crowd.
Magnify - Maine Event / Peak of Ripeness
The Magnify hate needs to just stop. They're making some damn good pale ales and ipa's, and don't deserve the rage train that follows them. Maine Event, which I was able to get on tap at a takeover nearby, is one of the best juicy ipa's i've had this year. Peak of ripeness, which I was expecting to be a juice bomb, surprised me with a nice amount of balance.
Bonn Place - Pop's Pers-INAMON Sour / I Ain't Afraid of No Gose
Popped into this brewery and was quite wowed by the gose. Went to pay my tab, and it ends up the brewer/owner was my old bartender from Pony Bar in Hell's Kitchen! Went back a few months later and again, more excellent beer was available, including this tart Persi-namon sour, which was basically like eating a nice tart apple pie, in liquid form! Looking forward to more quality beer from Sam and his wife at Bonn!
Two Rivers - Mammy Morgan's Key Lime Brett IPA
I'm a sucker for Brett saisons and ipa's as it is. These guys came up with this key lime brett concoction and it is one of the best showcases of the way Brett can accent a beer (for the better). Aside from this beer being excellent, the rest of the beer at the brewery is pretty damn good as well, and they offer crowlers! Oh, and the food is pretty damn good too!
Conclave Brewing - Gravitational Waves / Mexican Morning
The hype is real, Gravitational Waves was fucking SOLID. I got a sample and growler to go, which didn't last the night. Mexican Morning is what sold me on this place though, because I'm a sucker for spiced stouts. Think sessionable Mexican Cake.
Stillwater - SuperHop
These guys are great at making sours and saisons, but I was very skeptical to pick this beer up. I got a 4pk after Vic talked it up a bunch and was not let down. VERY similar to Sole's Citra Nerd as far as drinkability/aromas but missing something. However, the fact that I don't have to go all the way into PA and HOPE that some bar out there has Sole on tap, and can just walk into a liquor store fridge and grab a 4pk of this makes up for whatever it is (body, I believe) that this beer is missing in comparison.
Carton - EGOIPA / To Wong Brew / Cosmonaut / Cafe y Churro
Appealing to just about every mass out there, Carton does it again. EGOIPA which is the heavier version of IDIPA, a dank but crushable IPA. To Wong Brew was this year's Swayze Day beer, which was an awesome sour porter (though, they had an alternate version at the brewery too, which I didn't find as tasty as the one they ended up canning). Cosmonaut made it to cans, and I finally got to try it! Neapolitan space ice cream in an imperial stout! And last, but not least.. Cafe Y Churro! A cinnamon adventure version of Regular coffee. Did I mention I LOVE cinnamon?
Angry Chair Brewing - Fionn Porter Hazelnut Coffee
LIQUID FUCKING NUTELLA. This beer was absolutely fantastic.
Westbrook - Mexican Cake
This has become a birthday tradition, and this year I didn't have to leave the state or trade to acquire it! Cheers to 12% distributing in NJ!
Tree House - Doppelganger / Green / Alter Ego
This is a brewery i LOVE to hate. Tree House in a nutshell is THE brewery where you WILL drive 3+ hours to stand in a line where you have absolutely no idea what beers they'll have canned that day, how many you will get, IF you even get any. But you take that ride anyway, and you deal with that fucking line because the beer is THAT good. By far, the best "hoppy" beers I've had.
Tired Hands - Only Void (Single Origin Ethiopian Coffee)
This beer was ridiculous. Carbonated coffee, oh.. wait there was alcohol in it?? You can't even taste it! Quality coffee in a quality beer. Tired Hands is that brewery people WANT to hate on, but it's absolutely impossible (in my eyes). I've had maybe 20-30 beers of theirs in the last few years, and all absolutely different styles. No matter what I've had, it's always been top notch. Sour saisons and hazy ipa's are obviously their strong point, but I do believe that this was the best thing they released last year.. that I was able to get my hands on at least (cough cough, milkshakes cough).
Hermit Thrush - Gin Barrel Saison
Hi, we went to Vermont. This was absolutely a wonderful beer. Sour saison aged on Gin. It just doesn't get better than this.
Burlington Beer Company - Chunky / It's Complicated Being a Wizard
My personal favorite brewery in VT, which I unfortunately didn't make in time to visit (next time!). For all the bottle releases, they include the full recipe on the label, which is just AWESOME for homebrewers. Chunky is an imperial peanut butter porter, but doesn't taste overly sweet or fake. It's fucking wonderful. I have no idea what is in Wizard, but i tasted gin/juniper berries... it was an awesome experience!
RAR Brewing - 1st Meal
I absolutely know nothing at all about this brewery or beer. It was given to me in a sample cup at work, and was by far the most outstanding sample I have had working there (and we've had plenty of whalez, bro). All I can remember was lots of coffee, maple, awesomeness. And wanting more. And I still want more.
Hill Farmstead - Society & Solitude 6
I feel like these guys are the originators of the hazy IPA style, but I'll shut my fucking mouth before I start getting threats from neckbeards. Another pretentious as fuck brewery you were born to hate, but then you drink their beer and you realize you're a fucking idiot. After all, do we not go to breweries to consume/acquire beers? ANYWAY, I brought home (and drank there) a bunch of stuff, and this one stood out as the best. A beautiful DIPA in every aspect.
Fiddlehead - Second Fiddle
My favorite DIPA from VT used to be Sip of Sunshine, until I had this. Quite different in flavor, but after tasting it, I almost feel it's not worth wasting my time trying to hunt down a 4pk of sip, when I can just go to Fiddlehead and walk out with a case of this deliciousness.
Zero Gravity - Bernie Weisse (Woodruff Syrup)
Hands down, the best berliner I have had, period. Not just last year, but ever. They had a few different syrups at the brewery. I had all of them, and though the blueberry one was real nice, this woodruff syrup gave it an awesome apple pie flavor that I will never get out of my head. Also, BERNIE MOTHERFUCKING SANDERS.
Long Trail - Space Juice
Welcome to VT, let's pull over at a frozen lake, I gotta piss. I mean... I may as well crack open my first beer here, even if it is a LONG TRAIL shelf turd... WAIT WHAT???? WHAT IS THIS??? An amazing DIPA, total sleeper, totally crushable for the abv as well. Super stoked to see it in NJ here and there. If you come across these cans - do not pass it up.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
De Dolle Brouwers - Evil Arabier
WHAT THE FUCK. This beer was all over the fucking place. Plastic, aspirin, fruity, herbal, super fucking weird. I dig it. A lot.
Evil Twin - Molotov Cocktail Heavy
Ugh. Who's idea was it to keg this fucking thing? I really enjoyed it in the bomber. It was the perfect... eh well even then, maybe a little too much.. portion. A few months later, I played my last show at some bar in Brooklyn that had this on tap. I used up my drink tickets, and then bought a bunch more glasses of this. Needless to say, it ended up being one of the worst fucking nights. But hey, at least it's a delicious blackout!
Funk Brewing - Haze
I feel biased including this, but honestly this beer is great. I don't remember if the first batch came out this year or last, but it was excellent, as was the second. I feel like the beer has gotten even hazier in color on this third batch, and has some of those nice peach over tones that you get from tree house stuff like alter ego. I guess it was worth waiting for this one :)
Well, it was hard narrowing it down, but there it is. My list for 2016. Tomorrow's NYE, and I'm sure I'll have more to add because I have a few special things saved.. but you won't be seeing about them here. Feel free to follow me on untappd @facundocnb to see what I end up drinking!
Friday, December 30, 2016
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
2014 - A Year in Beer (My 53 top picks and a homebrew)
As I sit here drinking yet another new (to me - Brooklyn Hand & Seal) beer, I come to the realization that 2014 was a breakthrough in both drinking and brewing beer for me. I stopped doing full reviews on BeerAdvocate after figuring out that I was looking far too into beers, and just not enjoying the quality I would have picked up on earlier in life. I took other reviews and hypes with a grain of salt, and just went big. After a LOOOOOONG night of looking through all my 2014 checkins on untappd, I've compiled the following list. It's really in no order, and I tried to trim it down to an honorable number (though that did not work). I hope you enjoy reading about these beers as much as I did drinking them.
Toppling Goliath - Assassin
First off, a GIANT thanks to Matt from Wisconsin.. you rule for many reasons, and acquiring this beer for me just throws icing on top of all those reasons. This beer was .. well, more of a subtle make out session with a chocolate bar, cup of coffee, and whiskey. Sure, I really like bourbon barrel aged beers, but the way everything comes together in this beer is just completely out of this world.
Odd Side Ales - Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Mayan Mocha
Another amazing barrel aged beer. The great thing about this one, hot peppers go GREAT with cinnamon and chocolate. This was a fantastically sweet cake-like treat that completely took me by surprise. My first thoughts reading such a long dragged out name was... ehhhhh if it was good, they would've came up with a shorter more clever name. NOPE, FUCK YOU BRAIN. Thanks Nick, for blowing my mind with this one.
Sierra Nevada - Narwhal Bourbon Barel Aged
Not a surprising one here, ANOTHER BBA Stout.. If you know anything about me, though, you would remember that I know nothing about spirits, nor do I drink them. I just happen to think the barrel qualities on heavier beers help them. A beer like Narhwal, I feel was truly meant for bourbon barrels... such a charred, bitter profile. Add some vanilla notes and a subtle, yet present, bourbon flavor and this beer becomes absolutely perfect.
Bolero Snort - Bulleitude
Alright, I'm starting to think I'm a dick now. Another barrel aged beer.. but wait, hold up, a barrel aged amber lager???? WHAT? Yeah.. it was awesome. Hands down the best thing I've had from them, though they make some perfect session beers at a more than affordable price. This was just, again, a fluffy pillow fight between the base beer, some fall spices, and bourbon. Like a 90's late night Skinemax movie, in and around my mouth.
Neshaminy Creek - The Shape of Hops to Come
This bourbon barrel aged double ip..... wait.. a non barrel aged beer? Am I drunk? .. Hmm.... WELL BAM. This motherfucker is absolutely completely all about aggression. In your fucking face with a variety of hops that I've barely even heard of up until I drank it.. Such an awesome balance between malt and then finding such a weird variety of hops that blend so god damn well together. These guys got their shit together. Now, how about finding more of these golden nugs that you used to create this and release it more often?? ;)
Forgotten Boardwalk - Funnel Cake
If I want a bunch of sessionable beers, but I also don't want to drink a pale ale, don't want to drink a stout, and don't want to really drink.. a beer that tastes like a beer... this is it. Sure, I know that sounds stupid. Unless you've had this. It tastes like those creme soda dum dums.. but then, if you consume enough of it, it makes you power up in this weird awesome kid-like feeling. I've had a few of their other offerings, but this one is just beautiful. Time to start canning this one, guys!
De Molen - Kopi Loweak
This one, although an Imperial Stout, needs absolutely no barrel aging to catch my eye. This "poop coffee" infused beer is just absolutely mind numbingly good. It's expensive as heck for such a small "serving", but if any of us have learned anything... pay good money, get better beer. This is by far one of the best examples of that motto. Such strong coffee flavors, paired with what De Molen is best known for - imperial stout. If you see this, pick it the fuck up.
Armadillo Ale Works - Brunch Money
I signed up for the Halloween Reddit Beertrade thing this year.. and I got a bunch of stuff I'd honestly never even heard of. I opened this one up expecting a syrupy stout. What I got instead was one of the best fucking beers I've ever had. A golden/imperial cream ale.. sweet as honey with a roasty coffee like flavor, notes of chocolate... just fucking amazing. A totally random beer experience, which I had absolutely no expectations for completely blew my fucking mind that night.
To Ol - Yeastus Christus
I have to admit, I mostly got this for the label art, it reminded me a lot of some Crass Records stuff... Anyway, what I got was a completely fantastic Brett Brux based beer. Funky fresh, tons of weird off flavors, like drinking a jasmine infused malt heavy ipa. If only I didn't have to travel into NYC to get their beers, life would be a bit more ...dare I say it? Well, it's not everyday I make a blog post... WILD
De Struisse - Cuvee Delphine
Yep.. Barrel Aged Black Albert.... do I really need to get more detailed? As if it weren't enough, I was able to get it on Torst's magical pouring system, the Flux Capacitor. A fantastic beer on its own, poured like the glue splashing down on a bowl of frosted flakes in tv commercials... except it wasn't on tv, and it wasn't fake milk aka glue.
Cantillon - Zwanze Cuvee Florian
Well, I'll be damned if I can actually tell you what this beer tasted like now. It was an amazing day, where I met a lot of new friends. This is the reason we all gathered around that day, and splurged and bought each other a ton of drinks, and brought bottles to share with one another etc... This is what life should be like every single day. A happy celebration of... life. Party on and be awesome to one another.
Trillium - Fort Point Pale Ale
Got this one in a trade, and drank it as soon as I could.. as I was told to do. Well, this was a pleasant, VERY pleasant surprise. A nice super hoppy pale ale, with enough of a malty backbone to tell you that you're still drinking beer and not sucking a pine tree's cone shaped dick.
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Alright, half of this 750 of hand & seal to the dome is proving to make me a terrible speller. Taking a few minutes to stop staring at this screen.. maybe eat a sandwich, drink some water, etc...
Scarf'd down half a sandwich from QC, threw some music on, and poured the rest of the bottle
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Homebrew - Spontaneous Suicide
It's no surprise at all that someone would rate their own beer as the best thing they've ever had. No, this is different. This was a collaboration effort. Matt sent me two bottles of unfermented beer from Wisconsin. Matt from Cranford also gave me a 2 liter bottle of their stout. I couldn't get around to brewing my end of this collaborative stout "in time"... whatever that means, right? Well, apparently unfermented wort starts to naturally ferment. Screw top bottlecaps on the water and soda bottles blew off like rockets in the night, creating some crazy spontaneous fermentation... This beer was pretty much everything I set out to brew 2 years ago when I made my first wild beer. I know it's a cop out to put this up here since you most likely haven't tasted it, but it's on my top list of beers I've consumed, so deal with it. COOL.
Cigar City - El Monstruo Lupulo
Holy Shit. This beer brings back flavor memories. Tons of grapefruit blended so damn well with cedar. By far the best hoppy beer Cigar City made (thatI've gotten a chance to try here in NJ). Grapefruit, pine, citrusy, tropical, CEDAR. yum.
Jester King - Atrial Rubicite
Mother of all the raspberry jellies. There was a time in m life where I told Matt (Wisconsin) to not bother trading for Jester King's stuff. This was before they started getting creative and bottling stuff like this. Such an amazing beer. Who'd think an angry motherfucker in his 30's would go apeshit for a fruit beer?
Cascade - Apricot Ale
Psh, what a boner this guy must be.. this is such a shelf turd, right guys? Cool. No, not in NJ it isn't. The only other thing I had by them was Tangerine Dream, and that was even better.. but that wasn't 2014. Anyway, this beer is fucking fantastic. Subtle apricot flavors, MASSIVE lacto acidity. Almost like sour orange tic tacs mixed in with bayers childrens aspirin. Wait, is this still a beer??
Westbrook - Mexican Cake
Poured by Kim while she was still at Torst. An amazing mindfuck of a dessert beer. Honestly, I get it. I get the fucking name. If I were to describe this to anyone, it's just liquid chocolate cake batter. Maybe I didn't get much of the peppers at the time, but the cinnamon was up front, as the vanilla, and chocolate. Poured by my favorite bartender, at my favorite bar.. and this is easily at the very top of my list. Cheers.
Highwater Brewing - Campfire Stout
Got this in a r/beertrade ... didn't really expect much from this one at all considering the last beer I had from this brewer was pretty subpar. Well shit on my chest, this beer was fucking great. Nope, not the "rauch-stout" I expected from the name AT ALL. Toasted marshmallow, vanilla, and tons of chocolate. Got to share this one with the one and only friend I've had since I started elementary school here in America. Lance, we have a relationship that goes stronger than blood brothers. I don't know where I'd be in this world without you.
Boulevard - Love Child No.3
Thanks to Niki for this one! Surprise, you sent me a long time want! It makes sense that they finally made their way into NJ, just like you did! Tons of funk, tons of sour, tons of delicious awesomeness. Glad to have finally met you and Justin, the true king of beers. This was a mindblowing experience, but all I can say is that the back label makes perfect sense of everything that went through my mind when drinking this.
Evil Twin - Bozo Beer
Such a RIDICULOUS beer... right up my alley. a bit of pretty much absolutely fucking everything was inserted into this magical concoction and it shows. A very sweet black nectar of the gods. A terrible idea, yet great idea to drink by yourself. There were MANY Evil Twin Beers that should probably be up on this list, but alas, I have to limit things to keep it fair... but this and Molotov take the cake for the best two Evil Twin beers I had this year.
Carton - Rickey
In the words of my brother in law "This tastes like drinking a clown's monkey's ballsack's vomit". Sour, acidic, in your face... let it warm up and you get a very acidic, but flavorful sweet cherry with a lot of lime. Why put this one up on the list, when I've had more acceptable tastier beers? Because there's still hope for a NJ Brewery to keep giving absolutely zero fucks about the public and keep brewing what they want to consume. Also, I absolutely loved this beer.... but then again, I also liked Intermezzo and the general public was a rusty trombone about that one.
Prairie/Evil Twin - Bible Belt
Ok another barrel aged beer. Give it up facundo.. it's gettin' old. no. no it's not. this beer was fantastic. fuck off. I gave up a bottle of Darkness that Matt sent me for two bottles of this. I sent him one. The other, I drank, and it was absolutely delicious. People nitpick that it's no "bomb". Suck a dick, this beer is fantastic and you will never make anything as good.
Other Half - All Green Everything
My good god. Had this one thanks to Matt (Wisconsin) while we visited Torst... one of the best IPA style beers we could ask for on the east coast... but then again, just as good as Green Diamonds in the Sky... but the memories are there for the other one so it wins.. right? RIGHT. But anyway, I need to get the fuck to this brewery and sample the hell out of everything. Everything I've had by them so far makes my IPA's look like a salt covered slug at a dick competition... that doesnt even make sense but you know where i'm going with this.
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Kane - Morning Bell w/ Cinnamon and Maple
Well, Aside from a solid memory of Matt visiting, this was a fantastic beer. I know it's a completely different animal than ANTEAD, but if this were bottled, I'd lose my shit. Hands down one of my top 5 of the year. So much sweetness, so much coffee notes, so much GOD DAMN GOOD.
Bruery - Chocolate Rain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HewMaWU6wQ (that sums it up)
Modern Times - Blazing World
Pretty much every single time I think amber ale, I think this. And it ruins whatever the fuck I'm drinking at the time.. unless it's Nugget Nectar or Red Wheelbarrow, because let's face it, this is the TRIFECTA of good.
Knee Deep - Simtra
Hands down the best, sweetest, most juiciest IPA I've ever stuck my tongue on. A wonderful nectar of the beer lords, beard gods, and hop whores. A sweet arrangement of malts you have to wonder if rice or cereal was involved at some point... but it wasn't (right?).. and then the hops. THE HOPS. holy fuck. what a beer. Please, fair warning... they started bottle dating. it's tiny, but it's on there. do not get an old bottle, this fucker is the best thing in the world when it's fresh.
Surly/3 Floyds/Real Ale - Blakkr
A Black metal themed black ipa, juicy as all fucks, and made by three of the best breweries in america? is there really much more to say about this one? sure. drink it fresh. again, like every other hopped up beer, drink it fresh. otherwise, deal with a stale sometimes vegetal tasting beer... this one probably tasted like a regular stout if you got it past its prime. luckily, i got it like a week after release and it was absolutely phenomenal.
Founders - KBS
Every.Fucking.Time.
Solemn Oath - Butterfly Flashmob
Ok, so everything I've had from them has been great. Honestly, better than great.. Good enough to warrant a trip to visit them. This is their belgian ale... belgian ale? it's like if a saison dupont was gangbanged by a clusterfuck of hops. aka... awesome.
Mikkeller - Betelgeuze
What a fucking WEIRD lambic style beer... just super strange malt profile.. lots of old faded hops.. and then one of the funkiest kinda weirdishly freaky brett profiles i've ever tasted. It's like having beersex, for the first time, but like on a thursday mid day.
Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot
Every single year this beer proves amongst the top. Fresh or aged, it doesn't matter. This beer will always be fantastic. Goes to show you don't need anything fancy.. just make a solid brew and you could win my fucking shitty heart.
Revolution - Anti Hero
Remember that time I said Steel Toe Size 7 was my favorite IPA? This is officially right up there with that. FRESH. Its already more leaning towards that amber maltyness, but hop damn, this beer fresh is just the bees knees.. and that bee is getting it ONNNNNNN
Cigar City - Marshal Zhukov
I had Huna this year, but it didn't leave as great of an impression as this. Charred roastyness, black coffee, dark chocolate, slick oil pour. This beer was fucking intense. Not talking crap on Hunapuh's, but this is probably a lot easier to get, a lot cheaper, and a lot more in the face of a happy drinker.
Jolly Pumpkin - Fuego del Otonio
Fall beers? Meh.... Fall Beers fermented in barrels and spiked with Brett? ME!!!! ME!!! ME!!!!
Such an awesome beer. Darkish flavors with appley fruit notes. Such a weird mix, but taught me so much about flavors.
Evil Twin - Molotov Cocktail
It's like pineapple juice with alcohol. Lots of alcohol.
Dark Horse - Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th
Awesome. Smokey, dark malts, tar-ish charred flavors... with nutty/vanilla bourbon notes. fucking fantastic.
Jackie O's - BBA Dark Apparition
Yup.... another one. tons of bourbon... beer was a bit thin-ish like coca cola. higher carbonation... easier to drink. weirdly amazingly awesome.
Carton - Regular Coffee
Wait, so I already tackled Carton earlier? Oh Yeah! ... well it wasn't enough. As if this brewer werent busy churning out some of the hoppiest fucking things in all of new jersey, it just want enough.. something more needed to be done. What do assholes in NJ love more than hops? Coffee and how do they take their coffee? REGULAR. If you don't get it, just move here already. A fantastically pulled off beer. Everything I expected, but then so much more. PLEASE BE IN CANS SOON!!!
Ok, I'm sleepy, a bit buzzed, and full from the sandwich. I believe this list of beers is done. Can't wait to see what's in store for 2015 (please less bourbon barrels guys!!!)
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New Glarus - Cranbic
Ok, so I was a lucky duck and received a full four pack of these from (you guessed it) Matt in LaCrosse. I have done a good job at limiting myself to only drinking one so far. A VERY good job. This beer is everything I loved about Enigma (which is apparently back YEAH MOTHERFATHERS!), but with a tartness only cranberries can bring to the table. funky, fruity, awesome.
White Pony - Dying Within
Such a hardcore name for what turned out to be one hell of a beer. I'm just going to cut to the chase - quoted by myself from my untappd checkin "Sweet jesus. This is fantastic. Subtle sour bourbon notes, tons of coffee, wet pecans, chocolate. Sex"... i think that sums it up for this one, but I do have to admit it was difficult choosing just one beer from this brewery. Seriously, I need to start accepting donations to order beer from Europe more often.
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Toppling Goliath - Assassin
First off, a GIANT thanks to Matt from Wisconsin.. you rule for many reasons, and acquiring this beer for me just throws icing on top of all those reasons. This beer was .. well, more of a subtle make out session with a chocolate bar, cup of coffee, and whiskey. Sure, I really like bourbon barrel aged beers, but the way everything comes together in this beer is just completely out of this world.
Odd Side Ales - Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Mayan Mocha
Another amazing barrel aged beer. The great thing about this one, hot peppers go GREAT with cinnamon and chocolate. This was a fantastically sweet cake-like treat that completely took me by surprise. My first thoughts reading such a long dragged out name was... ehhhhh if it was good, they would've came up with a shorter more clever name. NOPE, FUCK YOU BRAIN. Thanks Nick, for blowing my mind with this one.
Sierra Nevada - Narwhal Bourbon Barel Aged
Not a surprising one here, ANOTHER BBA Stout.. If you know anything about me, though, you would remember that I know nothing about spirits, nor do I drink them. I just happen to think the barrel qualities on heavier beers help them. A beer like Narhwal, I feel was truly meant for bourbon barrels... such a charred, bitter profile. Add some vanilla notes and a subtle, yet present, bourbon flavor and this beer becomes absolutely perfect.
Bolero Snort - Bulleitude
Alright, I'm starting to think I'm a dick now. Another barrel aged beer.. but wait, hold up, a barrel aged amber lager???? WHAT? Yeah.. it was awesome. Hands down the best thing I've had from them, though they make some perfect session beers at a more than affordable price. This was just, again, a fluffy pillow fight between the base beer, some fall spices, and bourbon. Like a 90's late night Skinemax movie, in and around my mouth.
Neshaminy Creek - The Shape of Hops to Come
This bourbon barrel aged double ip..... wait.. a non barrel aged beer? Am I drunk? .. Hmm.... WELL BAM. This motherfucker is absolutely completely all about aggression. In your fucking face with a variety of hops that I've barely even heard of up until I drank it.. Such an awesome balance between malt and then finding such a weird variety of hops that blend so god damn well together. These guys got their shit together. Now, how about finding more of these golden nugs that you used to create this and release it more often?? ;)
Forgotten Boardwalk - Funnel Cake
If I want a bunch of sessionable beers, but I also don't want to drink a pale ale, don't want to drink a stout, and don't want to really drink.. a beer that tastes like a beer... this is it. Sure, I know that sounds stupid. Unless you've had this. It tastes like those creme soda dum dums.. but then, if you consume enough of it, it makes you power up in this weird awesome kid-like feeling. I've had a few of their other offerings, but this one is just beautiful. Time to start canning this one, guys!
De Molen - Kopi Loweak
This one, although an Imperial Stout, needs absolutely no barrel aging to catch my eye. This "poop coffee" infused beer is just absolutely mind numbingly good. It's expensive as heck for such a small "serving", but if any of us have learned anything... pay good money, get better beer. This is by far one of the best examples of that motto. Such strong coffee flavors, paired with what De Molen is best known for - imperial stout. If you see this, pick it the fuck up.
Armadillo Ale Works - Brunch Money
I signed up for the Halloween Reddit Beertrade thing this year.. and I got a bunch of stuff I'd honestly never even heard of. I opened this one up expecting a syrupy stout. What I got instead was one of the best fucking beers I've ever had. A golden/imperial cream ale.. sweet as honey with a roasty coffee like flavor, notes of chocolate... just fucking amazing. A totally random beer experience, which I had absolutely no expectations for completely blew my fucking mind that night.
To Ol - Yeastus Christus
I have to admit, I mostly got this for the label art, it reminded me a lot of some Crass Records stuff... Anyway, what I got was a completely fantastic Brett Brux based beer. Funky fresh, tons of weird off flavors, like drinking a jasmine infused malt heavy ipa. If only I didn't have to travel into NYC to get their beers, life would be a bit more ...dare I say it? Well, it's not everyday I make a blog post... WILD
De Struisse - Cuvee Delphine
Yep.. Barrel Aged Black Albert.... do I really need to get more detailed? As if it weren't enough, I was able to get it on Torst's magical pouring system, the Flux Capacitor. A fantastic beer on its own, poured like the glue splashing down on a bowl of frosted flakes in tv commercials... except it wasn't on tv, and it wasn't fake milk aka glue.
Cantillon - Zwanze Cuvee Florian
Well, I'll be damned if I can actually tell you what this beer tasted like now. It was an amazing day, where I met a lot of new friends. This is the reason we all gathered around that day, and splurged and bought each other a ton of drinks, and brought bottles to share with one another etc... This is what life should be like every single day. A happy celebration of... life. Party on and be awesome to one another.
Trillium - Fort Point Pale Ale
Got this one in a trade, and drank it as soon as I could.. as I was told to do. Well, this was a pleasant, VERY pleasant surprise. A nice super hoppy pale ale, with enough of a malty backbone to tell you that you're still drinking beer and not sucking a pine tree's cone shaped dick.
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Alright, half of this 750 of hand & seal to the dome is proving to make me a terrible speller. Taking a few minutes to stop staring at this screen.. maybe eat a sandwich, drink some water, etc...
Scarf'd down half a sandwich from QC, threw some music on, and poured the rest of the bottle
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Homebrew - Spontaneous Suicide
It's no surprise at all that someone would rate their own beer as the best thing they've ever had. No, this is different. This was a collaboration effort. Matt sent me two bottles of unfermented beer from Wisconsin. Matt from Cranford also gave me a 2 liter bottle of their stout. I couldn't get around to brewing my end of this collaborative stout "in time"... whatever that means, right? Well, apparently unfermented wort starts to naturally ferment. Screw top bottlecaps on the water and soda bottles blew off like rockets in the night, creating some crazy spontaneous fermentation... This beer was pretty much everything I set out to brew 2 years ago when I made my first wild beer. I know it's a cop out to put this up here since you most likely haven't tasted it, but it's on my top list of beers I've consumed, so deal with it. COOL.
Cigar City - El Monstruo Lupulo
Holy Shit. This beer brings back flavor memories. Tons of grapefruit blended so damn well with cedar. By far the best hoppy beer Cigar City made (thatI've gotten a chance to try here in NJ). Grapefruit, pine, citrusy, tropical, CEDAR. yum.
Jester King - Atrial Rubicite
Mother of all the raspberry jellies. There was a time in m life where I told Matt (Wisconsin) to not bother trading for Jester King's stuff. This was before they started getting creative and bottling stuff like this. Such an amazing beer. Who'd think an angry motherfucker in his 30's would go apeshit for a fruit beer?
Cascade - Apricot Ale
Psh, what a boner this guy must be.. this is such a shelf turd, right guys? Cool. No, not in NJ it isn't. The only other thing I had by them was Tangerine Dream, and that was even better.. but that wasn't 2014. Anyway, this beer is fucking fantastic. Subtle apricot flavors, MASSIVE lacto acidity. Almost like sour orange tic tacs mixed in with bayers childrens aspirin. Wait, is this still a beer??
Westbrook - Mexican Cake
Poured by Kim while she was still at Torst. An amazing mindfuck of a dessert beer. Honestly, I get it. I get the fucking name. If I were to describe this to anyone, it's just liquid chocolate cake batter. Maybe I didn't get much of the peppers at the time, but the cinnamon was up front, as the vanilla, and chocolate. Poured by my favorite bartender, at my favorite bar.. and this is easily at the very top of my list. Cheers.
Highwater Brewing - Campfire Stout
Got this in a r/beertrade ... didn't really expect much from this one at all considering the last beer I had from this brewer was pretty subpar. Well shit on my chest, this beer was fucking great. Nope, not the "rauch-stout" I expected from the name AT ALL. Toasted marshmallow, vanilla, and tons of chocolate. Got to share this one with the one and only friend I've had since I started elementary school here in America. Lance, we have a relationship that goes stronger than blood brothers. I don't know where I'd be in this world without you.
Boulevard - Love Child No.3
Thanks to Niki for this one! Surprise, you sent me a long time want! It makes sense that they finally made their way into NJ, just like you did! Tons of funk, tons of sour, tons of delicious awesomeness. Glad to have finally met you and Justin, the true king of beers. This was a mindblowing experience, but all I can say is that the back label makes perfect sense of everything that went through my mind when drinking this.
Evil Twin - Bozo Beer
Such a RIDICULOUS beer... right up my alley. a bit of pretty much absolutely fucking everything was inserted into this magical concoction and it shows. A very sweet black nectar of the gods. A terrible idea, yet great idea to drink by yourself. There were MANY Evil Twin Beers that should probably be up on this list, but alas, I have to limit things to keep it fair... but this and Molotov take the cake for the best two Evil Twin beers I had this year.
Carton - Rickey
In the words of my brother in law "This tastes like drinking a clown's monkey's ballsack's vomit". Sour, acidic, in your face... let it warm up and you get a very acidic, but flavorful sweet cherry with a lot of lime. Why put this one up on the list, when I've had more acceptable tastier beers? Because there's still hope for a NJ Brewery to keep giving absolutely zero fucks about the public and keep brewing what they want to consume. Also, I absolutely loved this beer.... but then again, I also liked Intermezzo and the general public was a rusty trombone about that one.
Prairie/Evil Twin - Bible Belt
Ok another barrel aged beer. Give it up facundo.. it's gettin' old. no. no it's not. this beer was fantastic. fuck off. I gave up a bottle of Darkness that Matt sent me for two bottles of this. I sent him one. The other, I drank, and it was absolutely delicious. People nitpick that it's no "bomb". Suck a dick, this beer is fantastic and you will never make anything as good.
Other Half - All Green Everything
My good god. Had this one thanks to Matt (Wisconsin) while we visited Torst... one of the best IPA style beers we could ask for on the east coast... but then again, just as good as Green Diamonds in the Sky... but the memories are there for the other one so it wins.. right? RIGHT. But anyway, I need to get the fuck to this brewery and sample the hell out of everything. Everything I've had by them so far makes my IPA's look like a salt covered slug at a dick competition... that doesnt even make sense but you know where i'm going with this.
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Kane - Morning Bell w/ Cinnamon and Maple
Well, Aside from a solid memory of Matt visiting, this was a fantastic beer. I know it's a completely different animal than ANTEAD, but if this were bottled, I'd lose my shit. Hands down one of my top 5 of the year. So much sweetness, so much coffee notes, so much GOD DAMN GOOD.
Bruery - Chocolate Rain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HewMaWU6wQ (that sums it up)
Modern Times - Blazing World
Pretty much every single time I think amber ale, I think this. And it ruins whatever the fuck I'm drinking at the time.. unless it's Nugget Nectar or Red Wheelbarrow, because let's face it, this is the TRIFECTA of good.
Knee Deep - Simtra
Hands down the best, sweetest, most juiciest IPA I've ever stuck my tongue on. A wonderful nectar of the beer lords, beard gods, and hop whores. A sweet arrangement of malts you have to wonder if rice or cereal was involved at some point... but it wasn't (right?).. and then the hops. THE HOPS. holy fuck. what a beer. Please, fair warning... they started bottle dating. it's tiny, but it's on there. do not get an old bottle, this fucker is the best thing in the world when it's fresh.
Surly/3 Floyds/Real Ale - Blakkr
A Black metal themed black ipa, juicy as all fucks, and made by three of the best breweries in america? is there really much more to say about this one? sure. drink it fresh. again, like every other hopped up beer, drink it fresh. otherwise, deal with a stale sometimes vegetal tasting beer... this one probably tasted like a regular stout if you got it past its prime. luckily, i got it like a week after release and it was absolutely phenomenal.
Founders - KBS
Every.Fucking.Time.
Solemn Oath - Butterfly Flashmob
Ok, so everything I've had from them has been great. Honestly, better than great.. Good enough to warrant a trip to visit them. This is their belgian ale... belgian ale? it's like if a saison dupont was gangbanged by a clusterfuck of hops. aka... awesome.
Mikkeller - Betelgeuze
What a fucking WEIRD lambic style beer... just super strange malt profile.. lots of old faded hops.. and then one of the funkiest kinda weirdishly freaky brett profiles i've ever tasted. It's like having beersex, for the first time, but like on a thursday mid day.
Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot
Every single year this beer proves amongst the top. Fresh or aged, it doesn't matter. This beer will always be fantastic. Goes to show you don't need anything fancy.. just make a solid brew and you could win my fucking shitty heart.
Revolution - Anti Hero
Remember that time I said Steel Toe Size 7 was my favorite IPA? This is officially right up there with that. FRESH. Its already more leaning towards that amber maltyness, but hop damn, this beer fresh is just the bees knees.. and that bee is getting it ONNNNNNN
Cigar City - Marshal Zhukov
I had Huna this year, but it didn't leave as great of an impression as this. Charred roastyness, black coffee, dark chocolate, slick oil pour. This beer was fucking intense. Not talking crap on Hunapuh's, but this is probably a lot easier to get, a lot cheaper, and a lot more in the face of a happy drinker.
Jolly Pumpkin - Fuego del Otonio
Fall beers? Meh.... Fall Beers fermented in barrels and spiked with Brett? ME!!!! ME!!! ME!!!!
Such an awesome beer. Darkish flavors with appley fruit notes. Such a weird mix, but taught me so much about flavors.
Evil Twin - Molotov Cocktail
It's like pineapple juice with alcohol. Lots of alcohol.
Dark Horse - Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th
Awesome. Smokey, dark malts, tar-ish charred flavors... with nutty/vanilla bourbon notes. fucking fantastic.
Jackie O's - BBA Dark Apparition
Yup.... another one. tons of bourbon... beer was a bit thin-ish like coca cola. higher carbonation... easier to drink. weirdly amazingly awesome.
Carton - Regular Coffee
Wait, so I already tackled Carton earlier? Oh Yeah! ... well it wasn't enough. As if this brewer werent busy churning out some of the hoppiest fucking things in all of new jersey, it just want enough.. something more needed to be done. What do assholes in NJ love more than hops? Coffee and how do they take their coffee? REGULAR. If you don't get it, just move here already. A fantastically pulled off beer. Everything I expected, but then so much more. PLEASE BE IN CANS SOON!!!
Ok, I'm sleepy, a bit buzzed, and full from the sandwich. I believe this list of beers is done. Can't wait to see what's in store for 2015 (please less bourbon barrels guys!!!)
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New Glarus - Cranbic
Ok, so I was a lucky duck and received a full four pack of these from (you guessed it) Matt in LaCrosse. I have done a good job at limiting myself to only drinking one so far. A VERY good job. This beer is everything I loved about Enigma (which is apparently back YEAH MOTHERFATHERS!), but with a tartness only cranberries can bring to the table. funky, fruity, awesome.
White Pony - Dying Within
Such a hardcore name for what turned out to be one hell of a beer. I'm just going to cut to the chase - quoted by myself from my untappd checkin "Sweet jesus. This is fantastic. Subtle sour bourbon notes, tons of coffee, wet pecans, chocolate. Sex"... i think that sums it up for this one, but I do have to admit it was difficult choosing just one beer from this brewery. Seriously, I need to start accepting donations to order beer from Europe more often.
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Bruery - Smokey and the Bois
This was a phenomenal beer. I don't normally like quads because, well, they taste like prunes and raisins and burn pretty hard for the most part. Unless, the majority of the stuff I had is poorly crafted, but I doubt it because even westy12 didn't have that huge of an impact on the style and it's like the best thing the good ol lord farted into a glass right? nope.. this motherfucker blends quad and stout together to form this monstrous attack on your sobriety. sweet chocolate, sweet molasses, honey, malty goodness, mixed with huge bourbon profile and a 16% 750ml bottle? BAD GOOD IDEA.
Black Husky - Howler
One of my very favorite existing breweries (these guys are pretty much the Carton of Wisconsin, as far as my likingness goes). An imperial pale ale brewed with honey? Hmmmmm.. i wonder if it's gonna be sweet?! So damn sweet I had to recap and visit the next day.. yeah i had a dream about it, and woke up in the middle of the night to finish it off. THAT is how awesome this one was.
Kuhnhenn - Raspberry Eisbock
This is a brewery that has never fallen short. Their fluffer and that java creme brulee stout I had previously already put them in my top brewery list, and then I had 4D .. well.. the I was lucky enough to score this son of a bitch. The church next door decided to have their carnival next door... so I invited enzo over because, if I'm gonna do something stupid, he has to be involved. So we drank about a million (yeah yeah) beers and then we're all like.. uh hey man im not drunk yet.. and im all like hey man, i have this stuff that's probably like cough syrup.. you wanna go on the zipper? he responded with a no. I drank this, and shared it - i mean sheesh i'm not iron man - with him and some girl he brought over. it was our zipper motivation. she drank up, i drank up.. it was like a match made in carnival ride heaven. we stumbled over next door and the spanish dude operating the ride was all like WELL I MAY AS WELL GIVE THEM A 10 MINUTE HELLRIDE... and so this "beer" will always be connected with gravitational pull for me.
Evil Twin - Biscotti Break Bourbon Barrel Aged
This apparently happened after the zipper. One of my favorite beers of all time, bourbon barrel aged? What the hell are you expecting, brain?
FUCK YOU ENZO
Black Husky - Headbutter
Grapefruit blast in my mouth ala fruitbursts. Oh hey whats up you're a barleywine when you warm up? Jeez man, you're like one of those unsmelly hippy type mood rings in beer form.. i love you.
Prairie - Eliza5beth
Tart brett funky awesome saison with cats. CATS.
Pipeworks - Blood of the Unicorn
Ok, I favor this brewery most of the time for the names of the beers and the artwork on the labels. But come on, this beer is fucking fantastic, and if you don't agree - there's a very easy way to stop talking to me it's called STOP TALKING TO ME. A deep amber red, this fucker is hoppy enough to be an IPA but also malty enough to be better than your average amber. I get it, it's strong as unicorns.. i'm drunk enough to believe in them at this point... and red as blood. YUM EAT ALL DA BLOODZ (no homo)
Westbrook - Mr Chipper
Looking back at it - I know nothing about this beer other than THANKS KIM for letting me try it. I believe this is the one Lance said tasted like brandy, but then again, I believe, at this point.. you had us all wrecked out of our minds. Happy second anniversary favorite bar in the world.
Bruery - Grey Monday
So should i link that video again? Except like add a candy bar commercial to it? fuck, this beer was amazing. Like nutella via insulin to the mouth. Super cloyingly sweet with tons of hazelnut. UARGH i long for more.
Hill Farmstead - Fear and Trembling
No, not fear and loathing. nope. a Smoky delicious beer perfectly executed by the masterminds of beer itself. no, i'm not nuthugging, i don't have the time nor energy for that. This was a legit awesome beer and deserves its recognition. Fucl, i think it's one of their least sought after beers too... sure they're known for their saisons, but god damn they made a nice smoke dark ale.
Birra del Borgo - Duchessic
So you're thinking about taking Cantillon geuze and blending it with your beer? WIN. Come on now, what the hell did you expect ? a sub par beer? HA! Blueberries and funk. I can only hope this is a fluffer for blabaer... someone PLEASE get on that for me.
Founders - Sweet Repute
SWEET SWEET WHEAT WINE. Like drinking carbonated honey. fuck this was fantastic. probably the only memorable backstage series this year. Sweet, honelike, sugary awesomeness in some sort of barrel i could care less about because it tasted like a priest just came in my mouth and made beer out of it.
DC Brau - On the Wings of Armageddon
Last beer of 2014. One of the juiciest IPAs i've ever had. bitter, yes, grapefruit, of course. A bit of spicy up front almost reminiscent of heady (only up front).. and then mellowed out to something i feel maine brewing would be involved in. definitely did not expect this much awesomeness (even if i was ISO for 2 years now) from something this brewery made... BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST IPAS OF 2014.
Ok, that's all of it fuckers.. enjoy / drink up! I suppose I'll leave you all with some sort of music video that got me through this year or some shit like that. (also, i'm like a real life charicature of their drummer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZLfJj5LQLs
Saturday, December 29, 2012
2012 - The year in beer
Best Beers I've had all year? Hard to say, that I can even count there's been at LEAST 500 that I actually sat down to enjoy and review at home. Then there's homebrews, beers I've sampled at brew fests, bars, shows, and people's homes which I never bothered writing down. Anywho, according to my BeerAdvocate profile (which I pretty much just use as my beer journal) here's the (I'll keep it at 25 to not make it TOO boring) best beers I've had this year with a short synopsis of each beer. You may find these reviews interesting because, although i follow most beer related news/releases/etc, i'm not one to jerk off to a picture of a fucking beer bottle. i don't go for hyped up beers, although if i happen to drink one that i know is hyped, i set all that bullshit aside and give it an honest review.
I rated this one a 4.6. I remember this being a wonderful experience. The bourbon was there in the smell but not as harsh in the flavor, unlike BCBS.
I rated this one a 4.6 as well. One of the best tasting porters I have ever had, as well as the ONLY coconut flavored beer I've ever hard - so yes, this may be a bit one sided.
4.63 rating. Lots of spices, nutty, and sweet. This old ale was fantastic. I'd eventually like to hunt down the barrel aged version, though it almost feels barrel aged as is.
Another 4.63 rating. I remember this one being awesome. Nicely balanced sweet nutty flavors with earthy bitterness. I love beers like this, throw-ins on trades, beers you've never heard of. Pop the cap and you're blown away.
4.63 again. This one seems to have lost all the hype it was getting back around the time I had it. Good, it's beer - just fucking drink it! Anyway, this was one of the tastiest IPA's i've had this year.
Another 4.63. Had this on tap (growler) and bottle (a few times this year) and it was fantastic. Definitely one of my go-to's when I don't see anything new that catches my eye.
4.65 rating. I drank a 2011 bottle, and it was a fantastic barleywine. Usually barleywines include such a hefty grain bill that you don't taste anything specifically aside from the sugars and hops. This one was very bready and barley-based. Loved it.
4.65 and another Kuhnhenn beer on my list! I was extremely lucky to get a wrong growler fill at a new place that opened up in NYC. Emailed them and they told me to go back in for a free refill since they screwed up. Well, they were all out of Stone's Belgo Anise Stout, so I got this instead and my life was changed forever.
4.68 rating. I remember this having a really awesome design on the can, being a hot august night and drinking it on the front stairs outside. Drank pretty much like a milk stout, which was definitely nice.
4.68 rating. One of the best Belgian style IPA's I've ever had. I remember this had a nice spicy yeast overtone with the wonderful hop profile, making it pretty damn epic.
4.68 rating. A definite go-to and probably an IPA I've recommended and shipped to mostly everyone that isn't from here or is just starting out on IPA's. Reading back, I amaze myself with some of the shit I say.. "like watching an HD movie but drinking a beer" ??? What the fuck man, I guess it must be pretty strong huh?
4.68 rating. Another favorite IPA of mine, but unfortunately they don't bottle it! Small brewery opened up in Cape May in 2011 I believe, and my wife and I have been visiting every time we go down that way.
4.68 rating again. I think I've had pretty much everything these guys have put out, aside from their lager, and this is one of the best canned beers they make. Hops that are spicy almost like a curry feel to it.
4.7 rating. I remember I got this as a "local throw-in" from a trade I did. I was shocked at how good it was. Another great hoppy IPA.
4.72 rating. Well this is a coincidence, I actually had this one again tonight. Had this both on tap and in bottle and was in love with it both times. If you are a human being who enjoys both coffee and beer, please do yourself a favor and pick this up.
4.73 rating. Got this one in a growler originally and LOVED it. Fresh hop taste and I needed more! Found out they canned it and completed a different trade for the cans, and was just as good. If you have any friends in Texas, ask them for some of this.
Rated this a 4.73 as well. I was lucky to get this 10 days before the "enjoy by date". So sweet, with a blast of floral, piney, citrusy hops. Everything you could ask for in an IPA from Stone.
4.73 rating. Not a surprise that this one made it to the top of my list. 3F puts out a LOT of really good beer, but this was my favorite IPA I've gotten a chance to try from them.
4.78 rating! I absolutely loved every taste of this one. It's like sucking on a red jolly rancher, never had anything like it.
4.8 rating. Saisons have grown to be one of my favorite beer styles, and this combines an almost pickle flavor with that spicy belgian style farmhouse yeast.. it's so damn good, I want another taste!
4.83 rating. As if the Metallica reference and absolutely bad ass artwork weren't enough, the sweetness of the rye combined with the floral and citrusy hops made this into a fantastic drinking experience.
4.85 rating. The first time I had this, was as a throw-in from my buddy Matt in WI. I opened it up not knowing what to expect and it was just pure hop juice! to top it off, it was bottled with a hop cone! Mind = blown! I immediately brewed my own double ipa and bottle hopped it - best ipa I made.
Another 4.85. I picked this up on a whim in Brooklyn, knowing nothing about it nor the brewer. Saw it had good trade value and almost traded it but changed my mind. Glad that trade never happened because this was THE best stout I had all year.
4.93 rating. I absolutely loved this one. Tasted like a spruce tree, no doubt. Combine that with hoppy flavors and it's one of the best thing you can give to an IPA lover. Popped this one open when I found out my dad made it through his surgery alive, not knowing what to even expect from this beer - and BOY was it a good call for a celebration!
Another 4.93 rating. I guess this one is a tie for 1st huh? Well, whatever, this was my favorite IPA and beer this past year. I've never had an IPA so fresh tasting from another part of the country. It literally felt like it was bottled the night before it arrived at my door. Also, for $5 +/- a bottle, I would never think twice about it. Not sure if they sell outside of MN, but it's worth the hassle of beer trading or buying online in the least.
Well, there it is. 25 beers I'd never even heard of before this year. And they all changed my life one beer at a time. I like to find pretty much every positive aspect from every beer I drink so that I can learn from it. I brew as a hobby, but I'd probably stop if all my beer tasted like my few shitty first batches. I learn from what I drink, and I incorporate it into my beer. Well, cheers for the new year. Thanks for reading this!
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