Dec 29, 2017

Favorite Beers of 2017

2017 is just about over and it’s about time for the annual list (in no particular order) of my favorite brews that I enjoyed this year. There’s been a slew of good stouts, sours, IPAs and more the last 365 years, but these are the ones that really stood out from the pack.

Long Trail Ales Space Juice
This imperial IPA was picked up at random back in January and subsequently purchased each and every time I crossed paths with its array of dynamic flavors that embraced everything that I personally love in the style.

Flying Dog Experimental Pepper IPA
I love a good IPA. I’m also a huge fan of chili peppers — the hotter, the better. This was the best of the bunch from Flying Dog’s Heat Series that blends IPAs with fiery, peppery love.

Cascade Brewing Elderberry
Cascade is well known for their sour ales. The reason why this one stood out from the crowd was that it didn’t come across with a palate-wrecking level of sour tartness. The elderberry flavors were allowed to shine in this well-rounded and effervescent brew.

Foothills Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout
This bucket-list beer finally made its way into my embrace and it lived up to expectations wonderfully.

Oskar Blues Barred Aged Ten Fiddy
I don’t always love the outcome when a brewery decides to barrel-age one of their flagship brews, but with Oskar Blues’ Ten Fiddy variant, the end result showed that the company still has the best stout to be found in cans.

Allagash Mattina Rossa
My fan-boy love for Allagash was only further buoyed by this incredible treat of a beer. Fruity, lively and gently tart, Allagash Mattina Rossa provided an outstanding drinking experience.

Blackberry Farm Classic Saison
To put it simply, this was a beer that simply impressed from start to finish. Classic and worldly, this saison should be a must try for any fan of the style.

Powers Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Achilles Yarrow Porter
This local brewery has only been open a short while, but everything that I have enjoyed from them has been solid.
From the farmhouse-style ale brewed with spelt to this wonderfully smooth drinking bourbon barrel porter (only 5% ABV).

Surly Darkness
This was the second bucket list stout to be checked off the list this year thanks to the kind folks behind this iconic brew. Just a mind-blowing beer.

Ommegang 20th Anniversary Ale
As great as it was to experience many of the beers above, none of them matched the flavors and craftsmanship expressed in this celebratory Belgian-style ale from a household favorite brewer.

Alewerks Lover’s Greed
Another excellent limited release from this Virginia brewery that continues to impress through the years.

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