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

Trillium/Monkish/Cloudwater/Other Half/The Veil Fireplace Bananas

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.92/5
- Untappd: 4.21/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"Friends who grill bananas together stay together: Monkish, Cloudwater, The Veil, and Other Half came for a visit and together we made a banana-rific beer!

Naturally, when friends have sleepovers and drinks, ideas flow… especially around a roaring fire. What do you roast in your fireplace? Bananas, obviously! And so the idea for Fireplace Bananas was born.

Since bananas add a relatively light flavor, every advanced banana product we could get our hands on (flame grilled, dehydrated chips, puree, dried & ground dried) went into this unique American Stout. The equivalent of 30,000 bananas generated about 25% of the fermentable sugars for this beer. That's about four bananas for every 750ml bottle!  A nose of subtle smoke, ripe banana, and a hint of dark cacao lead into a palate of caramelized sugar, banana bread, molasses, and a charred chocolate flavor. Finishes with a rich sweetness and full mouthfeel, underpinned by a subtle bitterness."


This doesn't pour pitch black like a standard imperial stout, but it's actually dark brown and muddy with a finger of tan head.

I've read early reviews of this not being big on the bananas, but the aroma sure as hell has a lot of them. There's also a lot of smoke and char, but it still comes back to overly ripe bananas with lots of sweetness. It kind of smells like a loaf of banana bread.

Again, I don't know why people said this was lacking bananas because even the taste is chock full of them. Don't think of the banana esters of a Hefeweizen, but this is actual banana puree. The bananas taste green and ripe, but the burnt char from the aroma is influential on the palate. I'd say the bananas have a small salty or spicy quality which mixes things up a bit. The imperial stout itself contains classic notes of subtle chocolate and just the smallest amount of black coffee with a lot of roasted malt. The charred bananas in this combined with the roasty malt presence work well together. I mean, it's bananas in a stout, and that's all I can say.

That mouthfeel though is exceptional by all accounts. It is sublimely thick (also the name of my favorite movie), velvety, and smooth. The beer has a fair amount of sweetness, but it isn't sticky or cloying at all. The 10.4% is nowhere to be found.

Fireplace Bananas delivered what it promised. Depending on how much you like bananas will determine your level of love and or hate for this beer. Personally, I enjoyed this one and liked how the several different types of banana products used were distinguishable in the final beer itself. It is going to be an acquired taste for sure, but call me a fan.

Rating
8.4/10

Other Half Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Daydream

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.57/5
- Untappd: 4.56/5
- RateBeer: 4.1/5

"Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Daydream is an Oat Cream Imperial IPA similar to Double Mosaic Dream, but brewed with oats and lactose sugar. Mosaic at it's juiciest and creamiest."

Pours a dark yellow color with a murky body and two fingers of white head.

The aroma is an enticing bouquet of tangerines, blueberries, and Juicy Fruit gum. A dessert-like sherbet aroma adds serious sweetness. In the back there is grassy bitterness and some black pepper.

A lot more bitterness on the taste and it retains that grassy hop flavor from the aroma. Light orange peel and more tangerine contribute to the fruity notes and it tastes light and even refreshing at times. More chewing gum or bubble gum like the aroma and a bit of that aforementioned black pepper is here as well. The orange creme and sherbet is dialed down from the nose, but while here it still makes for an orange candy taste. A wheat or oat malty flavor starts to come into play near the back end, but the finish goes back to some more sweet citrus.

Mouthfeel is creamy, but not as full as I'd expected. It has a lighter body that other big DIPA's, but the soft body is top notch.

DDH Double Mosaic Daydream was packed to the brim with flavors and this one was a celebration of the Mosaic hop in every sense. The lighter-than-normal body was a minor gripe, but everything else about this was stellar.

Rating
9.0/10

Other Half Double Dry Hopped Mylar Bags

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.57/5 (Top 250: #154)
- Untappd: 4.5/10
- RateBeer: 3.95/5

"Our standard Mylar Bags which is hopped with Amarillo, Galaxy, Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado and crushes it with Citra and Mosaic lupulin powders and more Galaxy."

Pours a darker golden orange with a decent haze to the body and a finger of white head.

The smell encompasses the characteristics of pretty much every hop used. Lots of sweet citrus with good dankness and even some cedar and black pepper.

Like the aroma, the taste has a big influence from sweet fruits like blood oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit. I'm getting lemon, but it's in the form of lemon candy or lemon Jolly Rancher and not a lemon peel or zesty flavor. A bit of a grassy note mixes things up, but on the back end it switches back to the citrus and sweeter notes. A grainy, cereal, oat taste is felt throughout with some bready malts.

Mouthfeel is full with a creamy feel. No alcohol to be found and it is very drinkable for 8.5%.

DDH Mylar Bags delivered a diverse hop profile with tons of flavor and a smooth feel. You can taste all the hops used which led to a complex IPA that didn't rely on just strictly being a juice bomb. This DIPA has depth and high drinkability. Count me in!

Rating
8.8/10

Other Half Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Dream

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.59/5 (Top 250: #116)
- Untappd: 4.51/5
- RateBeer: 3.96/5

"Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Dream is our standard Double Mosaic dry hopped a second time with a mosaic lupulin powder. Lupulin powder is a new hop product that is similar to our standard hops but with all the extra plant filler stripped away. It’s pure hops and it’s awesome."

Pours a hazy, golden orange with a solid two fingers of white head.

The aroma is nice. Overly ripe peach, blood orange, and other sweeter fruits come through the most. A subtle dankness and herbal quality are here as is a doughy malt character.

The taste starts off with the aforementioned sweeter fruits. Peaches, pears, blood orange, cherry, and raspberry all lend a helping hand. The transition is sudden and delightful as a deliciously dank character becomes the dominant flavor. Lots of herbal notes and spices are scattered throughout with mint, tea leaves, black pepper, and even some cedar or wood. I get almost a (not quite saison) barnyard quality to this and it keeps reminding me of farmhouse ales. Maybe it's the malt or yeast strain used, but that barnyard quality won't let me escape. It has the same taste as a lot of Tree House IPA's, and that's quite the compliment.

Mouthfeel is full, but not thick or syrupy. It is easily drinkable for 8.5% with no alcohol burn. That (sorry to sound like the proverbial broken record) farmhouse quality sticks to everything, but I am not complaining.

DDH Double Mosaic Dream not only packed a ton of Mosaic into this beer, but the mouthwatering barnyard qualities added layers upon layers of complexity. This was a juicy, dank, and herbal explosion in a glass. I used to be down on Other Half beers, but their recent stuff has made me a fan and they are competing with the best in the Northeast.

Rating
9.2/10

Trillium & Other Half Two Hundred Thousand Trillion

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.38/5
- Untappd: 4.42/5
- RateBeer: 3.97/5

"What if we told you we took Hundred Thousand Trillion IPA and double-i-fied it? Like whoa... we've teamed up with Other Half again for the second act of our original Hundred Thousand Trillion IPA.
Two Hundred Thousand Trillion leads with aromas of mango, peach, pineapple, lime, and hints of a delicate floral note. The palate beckons with flavors of ripe honeydew and apricot, finishing with a slight citrus & tropical fruit. Refreshing, subtle fruit flavors from aging on peaches, apricots & guava are balanced by a drying citrus tang."

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

An incredibly juice-forward IPA on the nose is bursting with peaches and mango. Heavy on the orange juice and grapefruit, this one also has a big, dank presence.

The taste starts out with orange rind and zest rather than pure orange juice and it is swept away in a sea of lemon and lime. The influence of the Nelson hops shines through with white wine and grapefruit and is followed up with more lemon and lime. I think I'm getting more of an orange or lemon candy, which explains the sweetness, although it isn't dessert-like. Some good, doughy, bready malts contribute to the taste and gives us some balance, but it kicks back into hop mode with a decent bite of bitter hop juice. The peaches, apricot, and guava add a nice accent to the beer, but unlike a lot of fruited IPA's, this one let's the hops be the star instead of the fruit.

Mouthfeel is full enough, but not as big as I had hoped. It also feels calm with little carbonation, but it still drinks easily and has no alcohol presence.

Two Hundred Thousand Trillion did an excellent job of letting the hops go first and having the fruit follow rather than lead. It is a step up from the original Hundred Thousand Trillion and those seeking a juice bomb and a bitter bite will be pleased with this beer than combines the two beautifully.

Rating
9.2/10

Other Half & The Veil Coir Boiz

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.14/5
- RateBeer: 3.75/5
- Untappd: 4.1/5

"Brewed in collaboration with The Veil Brewing is our tribute to hops and the connection between coconuts and hop farming. Hops are trellised with coir fiber rope which is made from coconut husk fiber so we decided to make an IPA with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops aged on 400 lbs of coconut. Sing the praises of hops!!"

Pours a dark orange color with a turbid, murky body. There was a finger's-worth of white head, but it disappeared immediately like soda.

The coconut is overpoweringly sweet. Crack open a Mounds bar, take out the insides, make a line, and snort and you pretty much have the same experience. Just don't O.D. like Mia Wallace. Citra hops are hard to come by and I can pick up just a touch of the Nelson with some white wine and grapefruit. The coconut may smell artificial and sugary, but it does lend a pleasant toasted aroma to the overall experience.

The taste...well...I know this may not make sense, but this is what I uttered out loud after the first sip...
"It's not undrinkable, but I don't want to drink it"

Up front, that overly sweet coconut blasts me in the face like I'm Mia Khalifa and it leaves an aura around the entire experience. If I may go off on a tangent, I need to regale you with a tale form my childhood. As a child, my family took a trip to Florida. Needing sunscreen for our pale Irish skin, we picked up a bottle of this coconut-scented sun tan lotion. I recall the artificial, factory-made coconut agent as being especially putrid and offensive to the nostrils. As I got some on my face, I accidentally got some in my mouth. The harsh taste of this metallic, fake coconut stuck with me through the years and this beer oddly reminds me of that. Yes, the coconut tastes like sunscreen, but unlike the lotion, this probably isn't SPF 80 (I burn easily). I assure you I am not trying to be facetious for entertainment value, but this is the memory that was sparked. Now, if the beer uncovers a deeply-hidden memory of me being molested, then I will have a bigger problem on my hands other than subpar alcoholic beverages.

Anyway...to be blunt, the coconut is bad. Not only is it shockingly sweet, but it is metallic-tasting. Something just seems off and it doesn't have a very large redeeming factor. There is a small saving grace as the transition is remarkably noticeable with a second half that does manage to let the Nelson and Citra come through. Moments of white grapes, white wine, and orange sherbet are here and they almost try to pick up the save Goose Gossage style, but it was too little too late. Some more unpleasantness at the end with burnt, buttered popcorn coming out, but to the beer's credit, that inviting toasted aroma is back on the taste and it is another positive I can bestow upon this.

Mouthfeel is relatively smooth in texture, which I can attribute to the coconut. It does have lots of carbonation, which is not surprising given how it poured. The off flavors hinder the drinkability and it leaves a sticky aftertaste.

Coir Boiz didn't work for me. I got moments where I enjoyed the Nelson and Citra, but that coconut overwhelmed everything good and left destruction in its wake. These two breweries have produced good stuff on their own, but this joint venture was a swing and a miss. Sorry.

Rating
5.3/10

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

Trillium/Other Half Hundred Thousand Trillion

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.3%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.42/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"Brooklyn Stand Up...For the second year in a row we've joined forces with Other Half to bring some collaborative east coast swagger to the IPA game. Hundred Thousand Trillion is next level juicy featuring a powerful combination of aromatic hops and mid-fermentation additions of mangos, peaches & apricots. Crisp. Fruity. Citrusy. Hazy. No Exaggeration Necessary."

Time to bust out another collaboration from Trillium and Other Half Brewing. Last year the duo released two collaboration projects with one released at Trillium in Boston and the other being released at Other Half in New York. I was only able to get my hands on the former and it was one of the best beers I had in 2015. Needless to say, when word got out that the two breweries would be making another baby, the beer world took notice and immediately waited for release day. As it turns out, release day was this past Friday, June 24th and what a scene it turned out to be. I made the stop at Trillium's Canton facility which is usually pretty low-key on most days, but the place was mobbed for the anticipated release. Cans lasted only midway into Saturday at both the Boston and Canton facilities, so I am dying to see if the hype is justified on this one.

The pour is a hazy, light yellow with a murky body and a finger of white head that disappeared immediately.

It smells like mango juice with no trace of an actual hop presence. Digging deeper, I just get more fruits, particularly peaches. Aging this beer on ripe fruits had just turned this into an aromatic juice nuke.

If you imagine drinking juice straight from the carton, then that's pretty much what you get here. Lots of acidity is running rampant and I'm not sure if that is creating the bitterness, or if the actual hops (the Columbus) are finally contributing flavor to this juice overload. In addition to the juices from the fruits the beer was aged on, the Citra hops are in full force with fresh oranges and the El Dorado hops (one my personal favorite) are adding some cherry and a Jolly Rancher-like lemon or even candied peaches. The abundance of fruits are being fought off by a large acidic content, but the result of that battle is delicious on all fronts.

Mouthfeel is full-bodied and has that creamy quality most Trillium IPA's tend to have. I think at times the acid and bitterness is reminiscent of drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth, but the effect doesn't last long enough to be off-putting. Because the juices are so vibrant, the drinkability on this is incredibly high.

I must say that HTT had me on the fence at first with so much stone fruit up front, but the taste yielded some complexity that is rarely seen in a lot of mainstream IPAs. The hops utilized played their roles perfectly with the juicy hops adding fruit flavors and the bittering hops doing just that. The El Dorado hops played both roles and when I saw they were being used in this beer I was Christmas morning happy. Toss in aging this on apricots, mangos, and peaches, and the fruit overload was almost too much to comprehend. When I had my first can, I wasn't exactly blown away, but looking back I think my palate was a bit overworked. Working on a clean slate for this review, I think this is another outstanding collaboration between Trilium and Other Half. The biggest gripe people have with this was the sticker price ($20 per 4-pack), but what did you expect from a one-off collaboration at a brewery-only release? Just shut the hell up and enjoy the beer.

Rating
9.1/10