The Top 10 Beers of 2016

It's time for the 3rd installment of the Top 10 Beers list and 2016 was a pretty darn good year (pardon my French).

Admittedly, I did not review as many beers as I wanted, but I guess my resolution for 2017 would be to buckle down and produce more content. In spite of that, I still have put together a top-notch Top 10 and have had fun going back and reminiscing about so many good beers.

As with the years past, I did set some parameters for compiling this list...

• The beer had to be reviewed on the blog in 2016. If I had it at a bar, a bottle share, fest, etc, then it doesn't qualify.
• No re-reviews. I typically don't re-review beers, but sometimes an occasion calls for it. So sorry, Trillium Headroom, you do not qualify for the list.
• Multiple beers from one brewery are allowed. Frankly, if the brewery makes that many good beers (in my opinion) then I'm not going to fault them for it.

 As with last year, I will do Class-B categories before counting down the 10 best of the year. Thank you for your continued support and I hope to entertain you more in 2017.

Let's Go!

Most Disappointing Beers of 2016

Like last year, the following entries weren't necessarily bad, but to me, they fell below my expectations. We won't get into a philosophical argument over whether or not I (or anyone else) am entitled to expect nothing less than a great beer, but we all have those moments where you buy a beer and say "Oh, this sounds good", but then it doesn't knock your socks off. Again, not bad, but not what I personally expected.

3. Other Half 2nd Anniversary IPA

Other Half Brewing and I don't have a solid relationship. I have found almost all of their offerings to be middle-of-the-road, but I have remained hopeful. When I landed a can of their 2nd Anniversary IPA way back in February, I was hoping this would be the one to change my mind, but it didn't.

Like most of the others I have tried, this had a strong West Coast taste that leaned heavily on spicy, onion hops. The East Coast has built a reputation for hazy, juice bombs, but Other Half doesn't follow that lead. Granted, there's nothing wrong with trying to pay homage to classic West coast IPA's, but OH doesn't seem to please either side of the country.


2. Kern River Citra

 I got serious about craft beer about five years ago and one of the most sought-after DIPA's on the planet was Kern River Citra. I may be remembering this incorrectly, but back then (2012), this was a Top 10 beer on Beer Advocate (if not that, then a Top 20). Today the rating still holds steady thanks to years of high scores, but in a world today where everyone is producing hazy juice nukes, this West Coast offering doesn't stand out.

Those classic garlic and onion notes dominate throughout. I think with this all Citra DIPA, I was expecting pure juice, but this stayed true to its roots, which caught me off guard. It wasn't a bad beer, but its reputation preceded itself.

1. Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Sunshine

Now here's one I did not like (but not enough to get on the "Worst of" list).

I had this beer for the first time years and years ago and loved it...LOVED it. It was years ahead of a lot of the current Massachusetts breweries that have defined the typical "New England IPA". When I got my latest bottle this year, I was severely let down.

Gone were the tropical fruits and instead they were replaced with an odd assortment of butterscotch and burnt popcorn to go with dirty, grassy hops. The bottle I got was only a couple of weeks old, so freshness was not the issue. I don't know if the recipe had changed or something, but this was not the beer I once loved. It cost an arm and a leg to trade for, but I think I would have given them my other appendages (including "Death Proof") to take it back.

The Worst Beers of 2016

I've said it before, but I usually don't go out of my way to purposely review "bad" beers. I buy what I want and hope for the best with each beer review. Sadly, not everything goes as planned.

3. Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin

I love me the standard Sculpin (though I've never reviewed it). The variations out there on the market are all okay for the most part. I enjoy the Grapefruit Sculpin, and the Habanero, while not my ideal flavor, was okay. Pineapple on the other hand was a different story.

As opposed to the others, this one tasted particularly artificial. More reminiscent of a pineapple shandy with a metallic aftertaste, Pineapple Sculpin was easily the least favorite of the series.



2. Samuel Adams Nitro White Ale

Earlier this year, Sam Adams released a series of Nitro beers. I reviewed all three and found their Coffee Stout to be a decent offering, but the other two were nearly undrinkable.

The Nitro White, while bad, still had touches of familiar macro brews like Miller Lite, which still helped the beer maintain some form of drinkability. This one at least started off with subtle (VERY subtle) orange and lemon, but they still disappeared in a flash. This was basically Nitro Same Summer, and that's not something I'd dive back into.


1. Samuel Adams Nitro IPA

As opposed to it's Nitro White brother, the Nitro IPA had no redeeming qualities.

I think a forest fire had burned inside the can because the taste was heavy on roasted everything. Caramelized malts, wet tree bark, metal, and dirty dishwater were the best adjectives I could bestow upon this.

Leave it to Sam Adam to try and get in on a trend and just produce something most people don't want to drink.

Honorable Mentions

Compiling these lists is never easy and some unfortunate (but deserving) souls must be left behind. So, here are a few that JUST missed the cut for the Top 10 list.

3. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Scaled

Trillium seems to be a sure bet to produce a fantastic IPA and this was no different.

A one-two punch of El Dorado (a personal favorite) and Citra hops made for an explosion of peaches, oranges, sherbet, and even some dank hops. Trillium likes to put out DDH versions of all their IPA's and it wouldn't suck if they brewed this one more often.

2. Monkish Relax Your Mind

If you're heavy into the craft beer world, then you know Monkish has become as sought-after as Tree House beers. I was lucky enough to get a variety of Monkish beers in a trade, and they did not let me down.

Relax Your Mind was a near perfect combo of both juice and hop nuke with tropical goodness and hop flavors joining forces to combat evil. The creamy mouthfeel and familiar milkshake appearance were all gravy on this mound of mashed potatoes. I really hope I get to try more Monkish beers in 2017.


1. Bissell Brothers Swish

Much like the previously mentioned Relax Your Mind, BB Swish was another sublime combo of dankness and tropical fruits.

Swish is hard to come by in trade. As a MA resident, anything I usually have to trade is something that people from Maine buying the Swish have already had. So, I personally had to make the trip up North to wait in line and get this. It was actually a nice time talking beer with the other people and in the end I got a world class DIPA.

So, does that mean that personal touch elevated this above the Monkish beer? Maybe so, but those intangibles are what push it over the edge.

Now for the big show...

No, not that one!

As you read over the Top 10 list, you may find that they aren't necessarily ranked by overall rating. Beer A might be rated lower than Beer B, but Beer A is ranked higher on the list. When I went back and looked through all of my reviews, I had to not only take into account rating, but also whether or not the beer was memorable. Scrolling through page after page, some beers had me going "Oh, that one was good" and other outbursts of joy. So while some beers may have scored higher at the time, the lasting impression they left on me was also a huge factor. But hey, they were all great and that's why we're here.

Now here is what we've all been waiting for...The Top 10 Best Beers of 2016. Thank you for visiting the blog, the Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and Untappd and showing your support (FYI...please like and share all of these!). Here's to a 2017 full of great beer. Cheers!

10. Small Town Not Your Father's Root Beer (10.7%)

Ok, Ok, Ok, OKAY!!!! I can hear all of you screaming at your computer screens right now. What would a good list be without a little controversy? Yes, I get it. It's not technically a beer, but you need to hear me out.

While NYFRB isn't a beer in  your typical sense and might as well be lumped in with your Smirnoff Ice and Twisted Tea, the fact is I can't deny how delicious this really is.

I've ranted about this before, but in short, everyone loved NYFRB before it hit nation-wide distribution. Only when you were able to find it at every store that sold PBR, people revolted. Well, motherf***ers, I don't care because the 10.7% bigger brother is an accomplishment. With such a high gravity beverage being able to make the alcohol smell and taste and tasting exactly like god damn root beer, this was as pleasant to drink as it was impressively made. You can lie to yourself when you say you don't like the series, but I know the truth.

9. Cigar City Hunahpu

It seems like everyone is getting on this Mexican Hot Chocolate or Mole craze. Chances are, even the casual consumer has come across a stout on their local shelves that was brewed with chili peppers, cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao. Hunahpu was one of the first and it has not gone out of style just yet.

I used to never like the style, but this vintage was delicious in all aspects. Hot chocolate, fudge, cinnamon, and a lot of chili flavor (without the heat) all blended perfectly to add a kick in the pants to an already superb imperial stout.

It's hyped for a reason. If only I could get my hands on the barrel aged variants.

8. Carton Regular Coffee

I'll be the first to admit that I am in no way, shape, or form an expert on beer. When it comes to Cream Ales, I am even more clueless as it is not a particular type of beer that I have regularly had in my fridge. When it comes to the Cream Ales, Carton Brewing seems to have dialed it in and Regular Coffee is easily the best I've had of the style.

While not only a great coffee beer, this also had unexpected notes of vanilla, cream, and chocolate to make for a complex offering from a style not known for its world class library. At an unbelievable 12%, this is dangerously drinkable and it's really just a fun beer to experience.

7. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Congress Street

Congress St is already a Galaxy hop overload and one my favorite Trillium IPA's. The DDH version is beloved by fans and tends to sell out quickly. So quickly in fact that the most recent release last month saw Trillium put a limit on 4-packs just to make sure they could spread it around and frankly, I can see the hype.

I keep saying that I prefer my IPA's to have a balance between the tropical juices and dank hops. Some of the other beers mentioned had that great combo, but DDH did it slightly better with the marriage of pure hop juice and wave after wave of peaches, lemons, apricots, and grapefruit. It truly is one of the best uses of Galaxy hops that I have ever experienced.

6. Barrel House Z Sunny & 79 (Tequila Barrel Aged)

Pilsner? Barely knew her!

Still here? Thank you.

Have I ever reviewed a pilsner before this? I'm too lazy to check, but my gut feeling is a big, fat no. BHZ is a new brewery to Massachusetts and they barrel age everything. A truly unique operation, but I don't think I could have expected to be blown away by their very first offering.

A pilsner aged in tequila barrels? Yes, it works, and does so masterfully. The crisp pilsner base followed by some awesome lime, salt, and oak from the barrel, but without any heat, made for a truly memorable beer. I actually pounded two full crowlers in one night it was so good. I paid for it the next morning at work, but it was worth it.

5. Stone Enjoy By Unfiltered 2/14/16

I think I say this every year, but I'm not a big fan of Stone IPA's. Their generic West Coast style has been a constant in their hoppy beers and I didn't think I'd see them attempt to change. Now with the "New England IPA" taking the country by storm, even Stone had to give it a shot by releasing an unfiltered version of their Enjoy By series. Again, I was not a big fan of that series and couldn't expect leaving the beer unfiltered to have that big of an effect. I was pleasantly disappointed.

Tangerines and peaches swimming in pure hop juice made for an orgasm in a glass (which I'll never try again). Some nice dank qualities and incredible drinkability for a near Triple IPA, and this was easily my favorite IPA made by Stone.

4. Alchemist Heady Topper

As I said in my review: What else needs to be said about Heady Topper?

A can full of hop juice, pine needles, grapefruit, and it's all encased in this wonderful bitter, dank quality. So many IPA's try to be either juice bombs or hop bombs, but Heady is an example of perfectly balancing out the two worlds. It's influence on the beer scene is undeniable and it still holds up to every new brewery that tries to imitate it.




3. Fremont Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star

Easily the best BA Imperial Stout I had in 2016, Fremont BA Dark Star had everything you know and love about the style, but was also ahead of the competition.

Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, marshmallow, creme brulee, and the list goes on and on. Barrel complexity plus all of the dessert-like flavors made for a massive sipper that was a pleasure to imbibe on for hours and hours.

I recently reviewed the coffee version, but the straight BA Dark Star wins out big time and does so without needing any further flavors.


2. Tree House Very Hazy

I celebrated my birthday in 2016 with a trip to Tree House Brewing. Standing outside in line in the cold, February winter, I think the world imploded into itself when the employees announced that Very Hazy would be on the menu. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time to enjoy what is considered one of the best beers on the planet.

Taking the original Haze and cranking everything up 12 notches, Very Hazy is essentially a glass of orange juice and sherbet with a perfect bitter hop finish and no resinous aftertaste. Everything from the look, aroma, and taste was almost worthy of perfection. I'm not one to buy into hype, but one sip in and I understood why it had the reputation it did.

1. Castle Island Swipe Ripe

You can call it a homer pick all you want, but to that I will kindly say "Merry Christmas to all and to all shut the f**k up".

Beer trends come and go and 2016 saw an emergence of IPA's aged on or brewed with fruit. Seriously, I don't think a week goes by where you won't see a brewery's Facebook post that says something along the lines of: "Brewed with Galaxy, Citra (etc)...and a heapin' shitload of peaches, mangoes, apricots, etc etc etc" Instead of letting the hops do their work, we are seeing so many IPA's infused with tropical or stone fruits. A lot of the time the beer ends up more of a shandy than an IPA, but holy crap, when a beer comes along that uses the fruit to enhance rather than overpower, then you have found a gem. Swipe Ripe did it the best in 2016, and may stand alone for the foreseeable future.

One of my biggest factors in a great beer is: Would I buy it again? In this case, I bought my 4-pack, destroyed it, and went back to the brewery on three different occasions to get more. The sheer amount of apricots in this can was ludicrous, but not to be outdone, the overload of juicy and dank hops just added to the complexity. Swipe Ripe was part of Castle Island's rotating Imperial IPA series which produced so many complex DIPA's, but swipe Ripe was the clear winner for me not just for Castle Island beers, but for the best beer of 2016.

See you next time. Thank you for your support.

Memory Lane

2014 Top 10
2015 Top 10

Bissell Brothers Swish

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.0%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.54/5 (Top 250: #70)
- RateBeer: 4.07/5

Now for the next installment in my Bissell Brothers journey. On a recent trip to Maine for the Swish release, I grabbed my allotment of their highly-coveted DIPA that is giving the rest of New England a run for its money in the IPA world. This part of the country is currently home to some of the highest-rated beers on the planet and Bissell Bros. will need to fire on all cylinders if it wants to be mentioned in the same breath as Tree House, Trillium, Hill Farmstead, Lawson's, and many, many more.

Pours a murky, unfiltered light orange with no light getting through this thing at all. Almost no head to speak of as an aggressive pour generated less than a finger's worth.

The aroma reminds me a lot of Trillium IPA's with touches of grass, but an overpowering presence of tropical juices and orange sherbet.

Tangy orange juice up front on the taste which is quickly kicked to the curb in favor of bitter, grassy hops. Then boys and girls, it switches back to the fruit juices with peaches and mango. There's even a dry, wheaty taste to this which adds some lighter flavors to allow the beer to ease up on the explosion of tropical goodness. On the transition to the finish, dank, weed-like hops cover the back of the tongue and leave a sublime aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is medium and exactly what you'd expect from the style. As a DIPA, it is refreshing with no indication that it is syrupy. Another plus is the absence of any alcohol sting, but it does come up a little flat as carbonation is hard to come by.

Swish is an excellent entry into the repertoire of New England IPA's and is another example of why Maine is starting to become a force in the craft beer world. It has the drinkability of a single IPA, but packs in an explosion of citrus and dankness which will have you comparing it to the best beers available in the Northeast. Speaking from experience, if you are willing to make the drive to Maine to get Swish, it is worth it as the wait is still relatively reasonable when compared to the likes of Tree House. You can show up an hour early and still see a small line gathered outside and Swish seems to last all day. As one of the most sought-after DIPA's in New England, it is still easy to obtain if you want to make the trip and not deal with an absurd crowd.

Rating
9.4/10

Bissell Brothers Reciprocal

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.3%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.45/5
- RateBeer: 3.62/5 (8 ratings)

Let me set the scene for you...

INT. MY BEDROOM - 7:00AM ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 23RD 2016
ThrewRedButter is a little hungover (again) and knows there is a can release at Bissell Brothers Brewing in Portland, ME. He contemplates sleeping in, or making the trip which will no doubt take the entire day. Feeling conflicted, he beings to weigh his options...

ME (talking to myself)

Can release is at Noon and it's a two-hour drive. I'd have to get there ahead of time and wait in line and I don't know how long it will be. To be safe I'd need to get there at least 90 mins before open, so I have to leave here no later than 8:00/8:30, which means I have to pull myself together in less than an hour. Whatever. It's not like they'll never make these beers again. I can go another time. I'll just get up now, go poop, and go back to sleep.

VOICE IN MY HEAD

Come on...

ME (talking to myself)

You always know the right thing to say

ThrewRedButter puts on a dirty t-shirt, pants, and jacket and leaves for Maine.

FADE OUT

I hate how easily I buckle to peer pressure.

Ok, so this past weekend I made the trip to Portland, Maine for the release of two beers by Bissell Brothers. It was actually a pleasant experience as the line wasn't bad and I actually met some cool people. It was a rare occasion where it wasn't a dick-measuring contest to see who had had the best beer, but instead it was just people hanging out and sharing experiences. Not to mention, Bissell Brothers provided free coffee and donuts on the cold morning. Pretty cool.

The only beer I've had from BB is their Substance Ale, so picking up two new ones (new to me) was a treat and a half. Today's review is Reciprocal which is an American IPA brewed with all Australian hops including Vic Secret (the popular hop of the moment), Ella, and Summer hops.

Calling this beer unfiltered is a gross understatement. It sits in the glass as a dirty, hazy, polluted light orange which reminds me of pineapple puree. I got a little more than a finger of frothy white head.

Aroma is juicy with grapefruit and orange juice pulp with even a hint of bready malts.

The taste reminds me of juicy fruit gum. A little odd, but Australian hops seem to have that taste. In addition, there's acidic grapefruit and a lighter fruit taste like mango. At the middle of the mouth, some bigger, resinous notes come into play as do herbal and grassy hops. It's actually fruity up front with bitterness in the back as opposed to most other IPA's which have those reversed. Some light, bready malts and even hints of wheat finish the taste off.

Mouthfeel is creamy with somewhat of a flour/dough dryness. Although, even with that, this is still easy to drink and that full, creamy feeling is a nice, unique addition to the body. A big American IPA at 7.3%, the feel is still relatively calm, but also big at the same time. No alcohol warmth and sting either.

Reciprocal had many things in common with other Australian-hopped beers like Tree House Green with it's creamy feel and grapefruit presence. A lot of IPA's with hops from that region tend to lean more on the tropical juices, but this had equal parts juice, bitterness, and malts. While pretty dry, it had enough of those juicy flavors to make it easy to put away. It may not be as juice-forward as other New England IPA's, but it seemed to hit the checklist of many of the requirements set forth by many other IPA's from the area.

Rating
8.6/10

Bissell Brothers The Substance Ale

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.60%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.35/5
- RateBeer: 3.77/5

New England is home to some of the best beers in the country. Sure, Vermont might be at the top of a lot of people's lists, but there are some big things happening in The Pine Tree State. 1 Industrial Way in Portland, ME is currently housing some of the best up-and-coming breweries in New England and Bissell Brothers is one of them. The Substance Ale is Bissell Bros flagship beer - an American IPA brewed with Falconer's Flight, Centennial, Apollo, Summit, and Chinook hops.

Pours a pale orange with lots of carbonation coming from the bottom of the glass. It produced about two fingers of a white, foamy head.

The aroma is spicy hops with lemon zest and some garlic/onion notes.

If you're looking for a juicy IPA, then you've come to the wrong place. For a 6.60% IPA, this has quite the hop bite to it. It is noticeably bitter up front with characteristics of hop resin with garlic and onion. A big pine tree presence announces itself in the middle of my mouth along with those spicy Summit hops. While it isn't juice-forward, the lemony aroma is here on the taste to with a little orange juice concentrate/pulp flavor. It actually all balances out pretty well.

Mouthfeel is medium with the aforementioned carbonation bubbles making themselves known. Considering the hop variety and bitterness, I am easily pounding this one down since it is quite refreshing with some lingering pine and spicy hops.

I went into the Substance Ale thinking it would follow the way of a lot of New England IPA's and go with a dominant juicy hop profile. I got something different, but it was just as enjoyable. This is a hop-lovers American IPA as it's bursting with bitterness and it is very "New England" with it's pine aroma and taste. An excellent flagship beer from Bissell Brothers and I can't wait to try more of their offerings.

Rating
9.0/10