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USA 2015: Top 40 Craft Beers |
As time wore on it eventually become my 'Top 40' list. It identifies all the craft beers that uniquely stood out. Each beer had an attraction that allowed you to become that beer. Each beer had their own characteristics that hypnotised you into drinking more. Each one of these craft beers had all the qualities that made them special.
It's these beers that I eventually fell in love with. Due to this, they have reached my Top 40 list. They have achieved something great that no other beer could accomplish. From New Jersey to Seattle, New York to Minnesota, below is my take on the top 40 beers that blew my mind.
So sit back and enjoy.
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| Helles 14% |
It is pure serendipity. In the depths of the fridge lay a beer nobody seemed to want. It was all by itself, just like Macaulay Culkin's character in Home Alone. Since I'm the craft beer "nut", I had to try it. It was one of those lucky finds you get every once in a while. And what a find it was.
The Samichlaus Bier Helles has its origins in Austria. It's "brewed only once a year on December 6" and "aged for a full 10 months before bottling". The bottle I happen to come across was from 2010, some five years previous. I can assure you that this beer blew me away like dry leaves on a windy day.
Surprisingly, it was quite complex with the addition of a subtle sweetness. Combine that with its very acceptable drinkability, it was pretty awesome. Thankfully, I couldn't detect any oxidisation nor any other flaw that would suggest this beer was spoiled in any way. Its smoothness and malt-driven nature seemed to have improved over time. Gee, if I could improve with age I'd want to be reincarnated as this beer!
This Helles must be drank with caution, though. At 14% alcohol by volume it creeps up on you like a hungry tiger in tall grass stalking its prey. Treat it like a fine wine: sip it nicely and over a period of time. I'd definitely recommend enjoying this beer on a comfortable recliner, though. This is just in case you fall asleep while drinking it, like I did. Whoopsie daisy! Still, what an amazing experience this turned out to be. (My rating: 8.5/10)
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| Hop Venom 10% |
Sweet zombie Jesus! Boneyard Beer Company brewed up this monster of a beer which should clearly have the nation talking! It comes pretty close to what a true Imperial IPA should be. Hop Venom is so powerful and so beautiful that like watching Ronda Rousey play chess in the nude.
This phenomenal Imperial IPA was thanks to Seattle's Yard House. It was one of several bars that I frequented on a regular basis. This one stood out like dog's balls. It's aroma was nice, it had a solid medium-low body and was quite well-balanced. Although I'd argue this was definitely a sipping beer, ultimately the choice is yours. Either way it was winner.
In actual fact, the real winner in all this was me. The Yard House had some 100+ craft beers on tap from around the US, and a few of them were simply magnificent. The hours spent there were worth every penny. Although I was yet to find the perfect Imperial IPA in the US, this was certainly an improvement and a continuous challenge I was happy to indulge in. Top marks. (My rating: 8.5/10)
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| Mosaic Pale (EPA) 5% |
Call it fate, but after a long day's walk around Seattle my mind started to wander, saying: what beer should I have? It suddenly dawned on me. I needed a crisp, clean yet hoppy ale that would be as refreshing as icy-cold water running through an Alaskan mountainside.
And with such astute judgement, I headed off to Holy Mountain Brewery alongside Alaskan Way. They're quite notorious in changing their beer menu every few days, and so it was no surprise to me that I had the pleasure of lavishing down a Mosaic Pale (EPA).
It's brewed with Pilsner, Wheat and 2-Row malted barley with the heavy-handedness of Mosaic hops late in the boil. This may sound strange but it had similarities to that of the Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, an Australian classic. Both beers are extraordinarily easy to drink, are remarkably well-balanced, have generous hop aroma and are simply out of this world.
The Mosaic Pale's quirkiness, too, was also out of this world. I recall trying a Mosaic IPA some years ago (when Mosaic was the hot hop in the market) and had a similar experience. To me, the combination of both fruit and citrus aroma is always curious and somewhat off-centre. Still, it's a beer that drags you back for more and more. That's something no one can argue about. Top marks from Holy Mountain. (My rating: 8.5/10)
#17: Black Raven Brewing Coco Coconut Porter
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| Coconut Porter 5.6% |
And that aim finally came to fruition in July of this year while at The Sixgill, Seattle. Thanks to Black Raven Brewing, this lush, almost hypnotic-like Coconut Porter makes you consider selling your mother's soul to the Devil just for sip of it. The extreme drinkability of this beer combined with its subtle nut and coffee tones makes it a worthy entry in any top beer list.
Just another dark beer, you say? Certainly not! Although it does have a nonchalant appearance, there were several reasons why this got high on my list. Its subtlety, its softness and it's ability to keep you coming back means it's overall impression kept me guessing. The first two or three sips, it was quite okay but the more you drank the more you fell in love. Like a fine lady you have the hots for, you keep on going for more. (My rating: 8.5/10)
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| Sour. Salty. Delicious. 4% |
Okay, own up. Who'd want to drink a beer that is sour and salty? How about if I add coriander to the mix? I'd wager $100 that the average punter on the street wouldn't touch it with a bloody bargepole. Heck, even I was having second thoughts on drinking it!
But drink it I did, and I'll be the first to admit that it actually works. It just bloody-well works! Westbrook Brewing have come up with a Gose that is nothing short of magnificent. There aren't enough superlatives in the universe to describe how amazingly good this beer is.
There is sourness, there is saltiness, and you also get the subtle note of coriander. What I found interesting is that hiding such flavours in a low alcohol beer can be very difficult. Not for Westbrook Brewing, though. It's a termendous credit to themselves for this sensational beer and for achieving the unthinkable: combining sour, salt and coriander to a light, refreshing beer. It was genuinely a marvellous effort. (My rating: 8.75/10)
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| Surly Cacao Bender |
It took a while, but I had the pleasure of visiting the new Surly Brewing beer hall and restaurant back in September. Just like Bavarian beer halls (minus the girls with big boobies carrying litres of German lagers), this was an enormous place for eating and drinking with lots of friends.
And all of my friends certainly ate and drank! After managing to get my hands on the beer menu, I just had to try the Cacao Bender. It's a "Bender made with cacao nibs, vanilla beans and coffee". That description alone was enough to make me drool like a 3-year-old in a high chair.
The Bender is good, but what they did to it with this Cacao Bender is phenomenal. It's got perfect body, flavour, texture, balance and the overall impression will simply astound you. The cacao nibs, the vanilla, the coffee. it's all there. The beer is a credit to Surly and their creativity. Sure, It's nothing short of superb. (My rating: 8.5/10)
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| Smoked Porter 6.5% |
Amazing. Simply amazing. I have to give credit to Alaskan Brewing for their fantastic Limited Edition Smoked Porter. The delicate tapestry of ingredients has somehow been woven into this sublime masterpiece. With "five types of malt" and "two varieties of hops" this has all the hallmarks of a 'beer for the ages' that every single craft beer geek will love.
Mind you, it wasn't like that for me when I started brewing. I had never understood smoked beers, just like I could never understood certain women when dating. Some complexities are best left alone, me thinks. Still, the inquisitive nature in me as a home brewer gets the better of me. Smoked beers, just like a woman you fancy, need to be respected and understood in its full context.
My first smoked beer was back in 2012 from Dalgety Brewing. It was somewhat of an interesting tale, actually. I opened the bottle up and took a whiff, all the while slipping some expletives. I then poured the beer into my glass and then took a sip. Even more expletives leaped forward. What on planet Earth was I drinking? I had very much mixed emotions, just like watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your newly-purchased $100,000 Mercedes Benz.
Suffice to say that drinking a smoked beer is an experience you'll never forget. I fell in love with this Alaskan Smoked Porter and understood its complexities and ambiance. Its divine nature tempted you to places never thought possible. But that is its allure. It was a world away from the normality of craft beer. It simply gets my huge nod of approval. (My rating: 8.75/10)
I was introduced to the Coney Island IPA at the ultra cool Jiggs McAllisters in New "Joyzee". Ken and Heidi were giving me the grand tour, and this beer just popped out of nowhere. Off tap, this beer is pretty freakin' awesome. I was even lucky enough to have a freshly delivered batch straight from the brewery itself.
The fact I love things 'straight from the brewery' makes this even more special. But what surprised me was its similarity to one of our own Australian craft beers: Akasha Brewing Hopsmith IPA. Both beers aren't too dissimilar. The Coney Island IPA is an extraordinarily smooth drinking, thirst-quenching beer that makes you come back for more.
It has fine citrus aroma, a light-medium body with a very malty background. All this while showcasing its amazingly awesome hops and sensationally well-balanced ingredients. They have managed to master this IPA with such aplomb that it ranks highly. Other IPA beers don't have this fantastic combination, of which makes this a dead-set winner in my eyes. I could drink this beer all day long, and I think I did! (My rating: 8.75/10)
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| The Oracle DIPA 10% |
When I think of Oracle, I think of annoying Database Administrators. Thank goodness this isn't the Oracle I'm referring to. What I am referring to is The Oracle Double IPA by Bell's Brewery. The beast of beasts. The King of all things living. The epitome of Double IPA and what it stands for.
And what this Double IPA stands for is style, leadership and coolness. It has more style than Pierce Brosnan, more leadership than Richard Branson and has more cool than Steve McQueen. It had intense hop aroma, flavour, was light to light-medium bodied and was perfectly balanced. Mind you, at 10% it could knock you out more quickly than a Holly Holm bout with Ronda Rousey!
That knockout feeling came from a multiple of sources. This Double IPA lured you into its lair, seduced you with its aroma, caressed you with its flavour and touch you with it's body and balance. The overall experience was nothing short of fantastic. Could there be something out there that was better, though? Possibly, but this beer shouldn't be underestimated. What a beer! (My rating: 8.75/10)
And what this Double IPA stands for is style, leadership and coolness. It has more style than Pierce Brosnan, more leadership than Richard Branson and has more cool than Steve McQueen. It had intense hop aroma, flavour, was light to light-medium bodied and was perfectly balanced. Mind you, at 10% it could knock you out more quickly than a Holly Holm bout with Ronda Rousey!
That knockout feeling came from a multiple of sources. This Double IPA lured you into its lair, seduced you with its aroma, caressed you with its flavour and touch you with it's body and balance. The overall experience was nothing short of fantastic. Could there be something out there that was better, though? Possibly, but this beer shouldn't be underestimated. What a beer! (My rating: 8.75/10)
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| Darkness Barrel Aged 10.3% |
Fuck a duck! If you were to look up the word 'awesomeness' in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of this beer: Surly Brewing Darkness Russian Imperial Stout. This was available exclusively at the Surly tap takeover at Lone Oak Grill in Eagan, Minnesota.
That exclusivity really did mean I felt special, said in a Bruce McAvaney way. A fellow craft beer enthusiast even stated that Darkness in this form was a rarity. Who am I to argue with a Minnesotan that loves Surly? Its rich flavours of "chocolate, cherries, raisins, coffee and toffee" came through strong. The barrel-aging process had blended this beer to utter perfection.
And if perfection can be defined in a beer, this has it in spades. I was blown away by everything about it; texture, body, alcohol content, richness, smoothness. The beer made me feel I had just been invited on an all expenses paid week-long trip to the Playboy mansion. This beer made you drool before, during and after consumption. This was a remarkable beer that amazed every person that had the pleasure in drinking it. (My rating: 8.9/10)
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