The Top 10 Beers of 2017

Once again I find myself looking back at my last 365 days and I am in awe of some of the great beverages I have had the privilege to enjoy. This will mark my 4th installment of my Top 10 Beers list and it has been fun to go back and select only a choice 10 beers that I consider the best of 2017.

I am never satisfied with the number of reviews I do as I always wish to do more, but this was a pretty solid year for me and as with all of my Top 10's, some great beers had to be left off the list. As with every year, I adhere to some ground rules...

• The beer had to be reviewed on the blog in 2017. If I had it at a bar, a bottle share, fest, etc, then it doesn't qualify.
• No re-reviews...they had their chance!
• 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.

In addition to the 10 best, I also want to toss in some other categories  just to make things a bit more fun. As always, thank you for the continued support of the blog, but let's get to the fun stuff!

Most Disappointing Beers of 2017

While I understand that I am in no way, shape, or form allowed the right to expect a brewery to satisfy my needs, I will still say that we are all guilty of having lofty expectations which are inevitably shot down in glorious fashion. We've all been there: You read about the beer, you buy it, you drink it, and you are left slightly empty inside. Hey, it happens, we're all human, This is not to say the beer still isn't good in it's own right, but these are a few that just didn't quite scratch the itch I had.

Stone/Abnormal/Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez Neapolitan Dynamite

I have a hit and miss relationship with Stone. Some of their beers leave me wanting more while others have gotten the highest of praise from me. In this case with their ice cream inspired stout, I was a jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece that was eaten by Curious George. Only this time, there was no Man in the Yellow Hat to take me to the hospital.

VOICE IN MY HEAD: What?

I applaud the fluffy milk chocolate taste, but all other Neapolitan flavors were either too subtle or too artificial. I thought it was a solid effort, but it did not execute as well as it could have.

Barreled Souls Bourbon Barrel Aged Stay Puft

I want to preface this with my full endorsement for Barreled Souls Brewing out of Saco, ME. It is one of my go-to stops when I am up in The Pine Tree State and I have enjoyed all of their offerings. Stay Puft is an Imperial Stout brewed with marshmallow and graham crackers, which sounds amazing. Throw it in a bourbon barrel? Hell yes! The result? Meh.

At the time of the review, I theorized that the barrel had killed off the flavors of the base stout as I barely got any marshmallow or graham crackers. Some alcohol was left from the bourbon, but the flavors just weren't there.

I can now personally say that after a visit to Barreled Souls last month for their Stay Puft beers and variants, I am patting myself on the back after having the base beer as it was an AMAZING beer without the barrel aging. So, while I hate being right (pfff, no I don't), it turns out my instincts were correct about the BA version.

Worst Beers of 2017

As I disclaim each year, I don't purposely seek out bad beers nor do I try and purposely be cynical in a review. I'm also not putting breweries on blast or trying to be mean for the sake of being mean. If I highlight the good, I'm going to highlight the bad. It's my opinion and mine alone. So, let's read some hate!

Other Half & The Veil Coir Boiz

 Both Other Half and The Veil have made some tasty beers, but this collaboration was a disaster.

I've found coconut to work best in porters and stouts, but not so much in IPA's. Coir Boiz was not an exception to the rule as this was not only an affirmation of my beliefs, but just a bad-tasting beer.

The coconut was overly sweet, metallic, and tasted like sun tan lotion. The creamy mouthfeel and moments of citra juice couldn't resuscitate this IPA from certain death.


Peak Organic Ripe

One of the last beers I reviewed in 2017 turned out to be the worst beer of 2017. While it pains me to dub this the worst beer of the year from a brewery that I love, the numbers simply do not lie.

A double IPA with no genuine hop flavor, but did have plenty of vegetable juice, seltzer water, and burnt popcorn to go around. I really hope this was just a bad can or bad batch because this beer is not indicative of what this brewery is capable of doing.

The Best Comeback of 2017: Other Half Brewing

If you have read my Top 10 of 2015 and 2016 lists, then you saw Other Half Brewing make multiple appearances in my "Disappointing" category. I have found their offerings to range from mediocre to ok at best, but never really got the hype. The year 2017 finally opened my eyes to Other Half as I reviewed eight of their beers (their own and collaborations). With the exception of their aforementioned Coir Boiz, OH really seemed to nail it as I rated five of their beers a 9.0 or higher.

Check out the links below to my 2017 OH reviews and I hope they keep churning out some great stuff in 2018. If you live in the area, go check them out, and if you don't, then work out a trade for these guys.

Twice Baked Potato
Fully Loaded Baked Potato
Two Hundred Thousand Trillion
DDH Double Mosaic Dream
DDH Mylar Bags
DDH Double Mosaic Daydream

Honorable Mentions

When compiling the best of the best, some worthy beers are unfortunately left behind. Here are a few that JUST missed making the Top 10.

Monkish Foggier Window

Citra, Nelson, and Galaxy hops blended beautifully as this Double IPA shined with the white wine and grapefruit from the Nelson and the juice/dank bomb from the Galaxy.

Monkish beers are very hard to come by, so I am glad to have been able to try a few this year. The price is getting steep to acquire these, but hopefully I can bring you some more Monkish reviews in 2018 because they are churning out some of the absolute best IPA's on the planet.



Firestone Walker Bravo

The craft beer world has exploded in the past decade and hundreds of new breweries are opening every year. It's easy to forget that Firestone Walker's barrel aged beers were held in the highest regard. It's a testament to the brewery that they still produce some of the best BA beers you will ever taste and Bravo was another home run.

It's a barrel-aged Brown Ale, but it didn't taste like anything standard for the style. I didn't care since the final product tasted so good anyways. Loads of sweet, sticky bourbon, dark fruits, and plenty of barrel character made Bravo worthy of high praise and proved why this was always part of their anniversary beers.

Other Half Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Dream

Other Half really impressed me in 2017 and
DDH Double Mosaic Dream was arguably the highlight.

It was a complex DIPA with juicy hops, but also dankness, and lots of spicy, herbaceous qualities. To top it off, I even got some Saison barnyard funk out of this. This one fired on all cylinders and was an example of OH killing it last year.





Shakesbeer The Tempest

A small contract brewing operation out of Hingham, MA, Shakebeer only has two beers to their name, but hot damn if the one I had wasn't a panty dropper.

A lot of IPA's I had in 2017 did not match the complexity that The Tempest had as it provided juicy mangoes, oranges, black pepper, mint, tree sap, and dankness all in one can. It one was of my favorites and definitely one of the biggest surprises of last year.




AAAAAANNNNNDDDDD Drumroll please.........

We have reached the time where I unveil the absolute best of the best of 2017. I hope you have enjoyed reading about them as much as I have had drinking them. As always, I want to thank everyone who follows the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages and chooses to like and comment on each post. I truly do appreciate all feedback I receive and am humbled by all contributions by all readers. Here is to another great year of beer in 2018. Cheers!

The Top 10 Beers of 2017

10. Barrel House Z & Vitamin Sea House Call

Cream Ales usually aren't my thing, but even I can't deny how great this collaboration was. Carton's Regular Coffee was once my favorite Cream Ale, but House Call officially took the title in 2017.

A rum barrel aged ale with raisins and vanilla imparted big marshmallow and whipped cream dessert flavors with some quad-like dark fruits all while masking the 9%+ abv and actually making for a highly drinkable experience.

BHZ is a unique operation worth visiting and hopefully you can also check out Vitamin Sea later in 2018.

9. New Holland Dragon's Milk

I get it. I am immersed deep enough in today's scene to know which breweries and beers are the most sought after and what it will cost you to acquire such rare brews. The problem with obsessing over small batch beers that are harder to find than Waldo in a field of candy canes is that you will miss out on greatness right in front of your face.

Dragon's Milk nails all of the requirements of a big, bourbon barrel aged stout and is just as good as any hard-to-get, special release from a smaller operation, but the great thing is that it is sitting on your local shelf right now and nobody cares.

Cherry, vanilla, roasted malts, sweet bourbon, dark fruits, and the list goes on. This beer might be one of the more unappreciated stouts I have ever come across.

8. Trillium and Prairie TRILLBOMB!

You might require a shot of insulin to go along with this imperial stout, but those willing to ride out the sugar overdose will find an incredible stout at the end of the rainbow.

The thick feel and chocolate overload made for a mouthful of brownie batter on each sip with a heaping dose of vanilla and coffee to go along with it.

This was basically a Trillium coffee stout being given the Prairie Bomb treatment, but hey, it was clearly a match made in heaven.


7. Baxter Wicked Dark

Flavored and barrel aged stouts get most of the attention, but when a standard, unflavored stout comes along and knocks your socks off, then you know you have something special.

An abundance of dark chocolate, coffee, cherries, and black licorice flooded the mouth at every turn and produced a stout packed with intense flavor and a thick, unforgiving mouthfeel that coated everything in sight.

Baxter's Wicked Dark outdid many BA stouts I had this year and that alone is worth a hearty pat on the back.

6. Angry Chair Woke

Hey, speaking of flavored stouts (great segue). Maple is now the new big thing when it comes to stouts and Angry Chair Woke is a superb example of how it is done right.

Maple syrup, coffee, vanilla, marshmallow, lactose sugar, and everything else that is part of a balanced breakfast made me wish it was socially acceptable to throw back a 10% stout each morning.

Angry Chair has a lot of hype, and with beers like this, it is easy to see why.


5. Austin Street Anniversary DIPA

On a trip to Maine I stopped by good ole Industrial Way to hit up all of the breweries. Almost as an afterthought, I stopped into Austin St and was immediately enamored with their 2nd Anniversary Double IPA. When I opened my growler at home and sipped on this sweet, sweet nectar, I fell in love all over again.

Mounds of pure hop juice, delicious bitterness, and a bounty of tropical fruits hit all the right notes and made for one of the most complex and delicious Double IPA's I had in 2017. Up until this beer, Austin Street was merely ok in my book, but this converted me to a believer.

4. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Stillings Street

Part of one of my "Versus" series, DDH Stillings absolutely obliterated it's non-DDH kid sister in aroma, taste, body, and anything else you can possibly think of.

A Nelson nuke if I've ever seen one, DDH Stillings brought forth an overwhelming amount of white wine, grapefruit, and orange sherbet. Not to be forgotten, the palate was also flooded with an appetizing bitterness that made for a complex, and nearly perfectly balanced IPA.



3. Exhibit "A" Swordfish

Here's another from the files of "I went to the brewery the day after the anniversary party". My initial experience with Swordfish was lukewarm at best when I had my sample at the brewery. Still, I took a growler home and let it sit for two weeks. The result? Just a pure whiskey orgasm.

Vanilla, toffee, caramel, and an uncanny amount of coconut from the barrels were only some, SOME of the flavors that came off of this intense Barleywine. The whiskey had no alcohol burn and it was just pure taste from the spirit and some hefty rye spice. This is one that NEEDS to be brought back.

*EDIT*: I have been informed that this is in fact on draft right now. SO GO GET IT!!!!!

2. New England Brewing Imperial Stout Trooper

Coming in just before closing time, IST was one of my last reviews of the year, but that only made me kick myself for sitting on this one for so long.

It's an unflavored stout, but the taste offers up so much more than just standard stout qualities of roasted malts as this was a dessert beer for the ages with tons of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. The flavors and body were so fluffy and comfortable on the tongue it made you never want to stop drinking despite the 9.5% abv. Again, this is an unflavored stout.

Get your hands on this beer you must.

1. Dogfish Head Oak-Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout

In today's world, the latest stout from the most trendy brewery will bring people in droves to a 10 A.M. release with people lining up at 4 A.M. two days before with their three beer mules in tow just hoping to get their hands on their one bottle allocation to trade away immediately. So, why do we do this when perfectly similar, or even better options are available on your local shelf? Who can explain our behavior these days? That being said, if you are looking for a mind-blowing, automatic, systematic, hydromatic Imperial Stout, then Dogfish Head's take on their classic World Wide Stout is one you simply cannot miss.

The standard WWS was a bit too hot for my liking despite still producing rich stout qualities. This version however left me nearly speechless and was an easy choice for the best beer of 2017.

A complex aroma and taste of chocolate, coffee, tobacco, char, massive amounts of vanilla, smoke, and smooth, refined alcohol made it more complex than any beer I had last year. It's a 15% stout great for dessert, or just for sipping on for hours during the colder nights. Dogfish Head has been an innovator for years with their high abv beers, and now they have given me the best beer of 2017.

I'll see you in 2018. Cheers!

Hop in the Delorean, time circuits on, rev it up to 88mph, and relive the past "Best of" lists...

Top 10 Beers of 2014
Top 10 Beers of 2015
Top 10 Beers of 2016

Monkish Babbleship

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.64/5
- Untappd: 4.49/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"BABBLESHIP is a DOUBLE DRY-HOPPED DIPA saturated with Mosaic and Galaxy hops! That's right, DDH La Schmoove!"

Pours a hazy, golden orange with a murky body and a finger of white head.

I definitely get tons of acidic citrus and dank hops on the nose. Lemon and grapefruit follow closely as does a tiny herbal quality. More mint and green tea in the back with some spices and even more citrus.

It's a bit sweeter than I expected on the taste. That's not a negative, but I thought it was worth mentioning. It's less acidic citrus and more sweet fruits like berries and tangerine. There's a small influence from oranges and lemon, but again, it leans on the sweeter side. More dank Galaxy hops as it transitions to the middle and some pine and mint come through as this warms up. Near the back, a dessert-like orange creamsicle flavor starts to pop which just adds to the sweetness and is quite delectable. The aftertaste is lots of Galaxy and a small portion of bready malts.

Mouthfeel is medium with a creamy texture. No alcohol presence and it is super smooth from beginning to end.

Babbleship was another great DIPA from Monkish. I really enjoyed the orange cream and sherbet qualities as I let this sit longer and longer. That, combined with the Galaxy hops, was quite the tag team that gave quite the Dudley Death Drop to my palate. No good? Ok, how about a Meltzer Driver? If I want to get obscure, then we can go with a Shaker Heights Spike. In any case, this was a great addition to an already stellar Monkish library.

Rating
9.0/10

Monkish Foggier Window

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.1%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.56/5
- Untappd: 4.51/5
- RateBeer: 4.03/5

"Foggier Window is our Double Dry-Hopped DIPA taking our double IPA, Foggy Window, which is dry hopped with loads of Citra, Nelson, Galaxy, and hit it again with a second dry hop round of the same amount of hops to make it super saturated! SO MUCH HOPS!"

Pours golden orange with a milkshake body and less than a finger of white head.

The aroma is a lovely bouquet of bitter hop acidity and citrus acidity. A sharp dankness, lots of grapefruit, and white wine go with some orange juice and sherbet. A little bit of pine and lime finish things off. Great stuff.

A delicious, dank bite hits me first on the taste. Based on the nose, I was expecting more tropical fruits, but I am elated at what has transpired right off the bat. After that it is an all-out attack by the oranges, mangoes, grapefruit, and that dessert-like sherbet. That Nelson is flexing its muscles with those white grapes and white wine, but it is leaving the proverbial door open for the bitter hop juice and acidic orange juice. A small bit of doughy malts are able to be picked out of the crowd like the literary Waldo, but they are in no way a major player. Then again, the end product is so good that I don't even care.

Mouthfeel is perfect. It's full, creamy, and as soft as a cloud. No alcohol presence and it is super drinkable.

My Monkish experience is not as good as a lot of people and having access to some amazing Massachusetts beer has spoiled me, but hot damn if this isn't just as good, if not better than what the East Coast has to offer. Foggier Window excels at providing your juice and hop nukes into one glass while making them drinker friendly.

Dear Monkish:
If I may quote Full Metal Jacket...
"Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and fuck my sister"

Rating
9.4/10

Trillium & Monkish Dial Up the Seven Digits

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.35/5
- RateBeer: 4/5
- Untappd: 4.39/5

"1-800-COLLABO! We've teamed up with Monkish to bring you Dial Up the Seven Digits, a juicy Double IPA brewed with muscat grape juice. Combining the recipes for Dialed In (our Double IPA brewed with various wine grape juices) and Monkish's Dial the Seven Digits Double IPA, DUT7D is a harmonious marriage of dank hop flavors and smooth, subtle muscat juice. Papaya, grape, peach, and fresh woody pine tease the nose. The palate conjures powerful flavors of papaya juice and tropical fruit with a creamy mouthfeel and wheat finish."

Pours dark yellow in color to an exceptionally murky body and a finger of white head.

On these Trillium beers with grape juice, I always feel like the grape juice overpowers everything else, and it is no different here. There is still room for lemon and lime as well as a touch of dank bitterness. Herbaceous qualities and some spice add some layers to the aroma.

Again, the grape juice is unrelenting and I feel like I am drinking straight from a carton of grapefruit juice. The good news is that it isn't the only lasting impression. After the initial surge of grape juice, a musty, farmhouse duty quality packs a mean right hook. It's akin to wood from a barrel and I like this unexpected surprise. Back from the aroma is more lemon and lime for a refreshing kick and then it transitions to delicious, bitter hop juice. The back end is dank for days and as infested as the front end was with grape juice, the bitter influence is just as big in the second half. I even get some classic Trillium orange sherbet which makes for a delicious dessert beer.

Mouthfeel is full, creamy, and soft (much like me). The alcohol is well hidden and drinkability is high. It has dry moments, but nothing too bad.

Dial Up the Seven Digits was reminiscent of Trillium's Dialed In series with it's abundance of grape juice, but this one left room for other flavors to shine. It has a nice blending of the added grape juice with a delicious bitter bite at the end. I will say I'd prefer that the grape juice be left out, but I can live with it.

Rating
8.6/10

Other Half/Monkish/Trillium Fully Loaded Baked Potato

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA/Triple IPA
ABV: 10%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.42/5
- RateBeer: 3.8/5
- Untappd: 4.45/5

"Fully Loaded Baked Potato Imperial IPA(10%) comes with all the fixin's like Mosaic, Galaxy, Denali and Kohatu hops plus plenty of oats and wheat. Then it gets extra fixin's in the form of triple dry hopping."

Pours a gorgeous glowing orange with a murky body and a finger of white head.

The aroma has an inviting mix of tropical fruits and citrus. Lemon peel, sherbet, grapefruit, melon, stone fruit, orange rind, and the list goes on. A small hop bite on the back end caps it off.

Lots of acidic citrus up front. Tangy orange and grapefruit juice come to me first. Immediately after is a sweeter side with orange creme and sherbet taking over the middle part of the mouth. Before I can get comfortable, a blast of bitter hop juice makes its presence known. Mixed in with the bitter hops are peaches and apricots, but then it goes back to more acidic citrus. The flavors change on this one frequently and it always keeps you guessing. Near the end, some lemon zest kicks in as does more hop oils and juices.

Mouthfeel is full, but relatively calm. Considering it is a 10% Triple IPA, drinkability is ridiculously high on this one. There's no real alcohol presence, but a warming sensation on each sip is felt.

Fully Loaded Baked Potato seemed to represent each respective brewery. I loved the constantly changing flavors that kept me guessing and it was shockingly easy to drink. Three big name breweries came together to make beautiful music and it did not disappoint.

Rating
9.0/10

Other Half & Monkish Twice Baked Potato

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.39/5
- RateBeer: 3.81/5
- Untappd: 4.43/5

"Twice Baked Potato Imperial IPA(8%) is our Monkish Brewing collab with Vic Secret, Simcoe, Citra, Riwaka and Galaxy. We double dry hop this beer with all those lovely hops."

Pours a beautiful, murky yellow with just over a finger of white head.

Orange sherbet, lemon peel, and melon on the nose. Citrus acidity and even some lime are here too. Noticeable doughy malts bring some balance to the aroma, but it goes back to the fruitier side with grapefruit and then a touch of dank hops.

The taste starts off with the sherbet and orange creme from the aroma. Lots of lemon and lime zest with grapefruit peel and a big dose of those doughy/bready malts really pack a punch. Towards the middle of the mouth, the dank hop flavor and pure hop juice kick in and this becomes a totally different beer. An appetizing bitter character takes control and the citrus notes have no choice but to relinquish the throne. That bitterness carries through to the back end and on the finish, but a resurgence of the lemon and sherbet on each sip make each swallow a delight...giggity.

Mouthfeel is creamy and fluffy. This does not feel like an 8% DIPA at all as it drinks far too easily. The citrus notes make it refreshing at times and despite the bitter takeover in the middle, this is easy to slug down.

What a great collaboration between Monkish and Other Half. This was a complex and flavorful Double IPA with insane drinkability. The body was fluffy and it drank like a single IPA. You could also taste the influence of all the hops used. That, combined with a big malt presence, made for a delicious and well-balanced DIPA.

Rating
9.2/10

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

Monkish Relax Your Mind

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.6/10
- RateBeer: N/A

As has been the custom with these Monkish beers, there is no brewery description for this Double IPA, but all I know is that it is brewed with Galaxy, Nelson, and Simcoe.

Pours like a dark yellow milkshake. Completely hazy, murky body and a finger of white head.

Dank pineapple juice on the aroma. It's really just a hop juice explosion out of the glass with a good amount of pine hidden behind everything else.

Some IPAs are hop bombs. Some IPAs are juice bombs. Every once and a while, you get one that combines both and Relax Your Mind has hit the ball out of the proverbial park (Gotta get those World Series references in while I still can).

It was pineapple on the aroma and that is the first flavor that jumps out on the first sip. Then it's a rush of oranges, peaches, creamy sherbet. Not to be outdone, then the deliciously bitter hop juices kick in along with the dank Galaxy, and tons of pine and spruce. Grapefruit acidity, white grapes, and just an overall assault of tropical goodness keep the party going. That creamy sherbet comes back for an encore near the end, but now it carries with it this pop of bitterness that lingers for a while on each sip. This is truly the best of both worlds.

Mouthfeel is creamy with perfect carbonation. It drinks as big as it should for 8.5%, but it never weighs you down and has no trace of alcohol. The amount of tropical juice goodness makes this highly drinkable.

Out of all of my Monkish beers I recently received, this one is far and away the best. It's a dangerously drinkable hop & juice overload for the tastebuds which might be the best IPA I've ever had out of the West Coast. Hell, Monkish is doing New England IPAs better than some New England breweries, so those East Coast brewers may want to watch their back. But yeah, Relax Your Mind delivered as a world class DIPA and Monkish is just killing it out in California.

Rating
9.4/10

Monkish My First Canning Line DIPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.48/5
- RateBeer: N/A

Not a lot of info available on this one. From what I've seen, Monkish Brewing doesn't tend to give lengthy descriptions of their beers. In short, this is a Double IPA brewed with Citra and Amarillo.

Pours a hazy, golden orange with a finger of white head.

An explosion of orange juice and pineapple come forth from the glass. I get some grapefruit acidity too and it has a nice, doughy malt base as well. A nice balance

The taste is surprisingly more bitter than anticipated, but fortunately the juicy qualities help counteract it. Really, it's the front that has the initial pop of hop bitterness, but it is washed away by the orange juice (with tome tangy qualities). The transition has something I've never quite experienced before, and that is something I would call "carbonated doughy malts". There's a big bready quality to it with a small amount of lemon zest and a sprinkling of pine for good measure. The finish goes back to the acidic grapefruit with a sweet, dessert-like taste.

Mouthfeel is perfect. You'd never guess it is an 8% DIPA and the carbonation is spot-on. Drinkability is through the roof as I am crushing my 16oz can.

My First Canning Line DIPA made great use of the Citra hops and the final product was a highly drinkable Imperial IPA with lots of complexity. I am two cans into my Monkish beers and so far they have been impressive with their highly hopped, juice bomb IPAs. More please!

Rating
9.0/10

Monkish My First Canning Line IPA

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.56/5
- RateBeer: 4.07/5

So, Monkish Brewing out of Torrance, CA has become the new "it" brewery over the past year. Very slowly, but surely, their name began taking over the trade forums (and demanding quite the asking price). Even for someone who has (pretty much) constant access to Trillium, it is still nearly impossible to find someone who will trade their Monkish cans with you. I've read stories where people will line up at Midnight for a release the next day just to get one 4-pack. It is this type of hype that has made Monkish into a "must have" brewery.

What makes them so special? Well, they have apparently adopted the New England style of IPA, which is a radical (borderline sacrilegious) move being on the West Coast. I was able to finally land some Monkish cans (thanks, Edward!), so I am ready to see what the excitement is all about.

Pours a murky, hazy golden yellow with a finger of white head.

I'm immediately hit with lemon and dank hops on the aroma with a touch of grass. Citrus is the big player here and it has nice, bitter ending.

The taste is dank all the way, but it is combined with enough citrus to not be too overpowering. Lemon and orange zest dominate all, but without acidity. The dankness of the hops also covers everything in its wake like a tornado of bitterness. As it moves through the middle of the mouth, this surge of pure hop juice comes into play, but again, it isn't an overbearing, bitter bite, and is really just all hop flavor. However, it does get bitter on the finish, but that refreshing citrus zest helps push it through.

Mouthfeel is relatively calm, but has good carbonation. The body is what it should be for 6% and the drinkability is high. I will admit that it got noticeably dry, but everything else is so good, I can let it slide.

My first Monkish beer was a success. From the moment I poured it into the glass and had my first sip, it drew immediate comparisons to Trillium beers. In this case, this was like a clone of Congress St IPA with the high levels of Galaxy hops. My obvious first observation is that this is not the typical "West Coast IPA" as Monkish has gotten the New England style perfected. Thumbs up from me on this one and I can't wait to dive into my other cans.

Rating
9.1/10