The Best Breweries of 2019

Brewery of the Year: pFriem Family Brewers

Two World Class Beers & One Exceptional Beer

Total Score: 287

Highest-scoring beers:

Oude Kriek – 96

Brouwer's 14th Anniversary – 96

Golden Coffee Pale – 95

pFriem Family Brewers is our Brewery of the Year for the third time in four years, an absolutely stunning accomplishment that’s perfectly representative of the brewery’s devotion to producing incredible liquid achievements on a regular basis. Just as they did in 2018, pFriem submitted two beers that earned a score of at least 96, giving the brewery a whopping six beers in its history that have been named world-class in the pages of The Beer Connoisseur.

Beyond the two world-class brews, pFriem submitted eight other beers that scored 91 or above, good for yet another incredible year of beer as the best brewery of 2019.

pFriem is making this accolade something of a habit for them, which merits the question: Is pFriem Family Brewers the best brewery in the world? The beers they create are not particularly flashy, nor does the brewery itself chase trends when they are planning their next brew. Instead, they simply focus on classic German- and Belgian-inspired stylesdelivered with high-quality local ingredients. Though elegant in their minimalism, pFriem’s bottle and label designs feature few bells and whistles, and the brewery’s beer names simply describe the beer’s style – nothing more.

While that low-key style might go against the brash and bold nature of craft beer itself, in the end, quality of product is always going to win out when it comes to beer, and, as has been the case for three of the past four years, pFriem produced the best beers our judges reviewed in 2019.

Josh Pfriem, Brewmaster and Co-Founder, was inspired by a bike trip through Belgium, in which he met some of Europe’s greatest brewers, to open pFriem Family Brewers in the summer of 2012. His “ambition to meld European and Pacific Northwestern brewing traditions to create his own signature brand” shines through in each and every one of his brewery’s fantastic beers.

With incredible consistency and a sparkling stable of terrific beers brewed with minute attention to detail, pFriem Family Brewers once again earns the right to be called BC’s Brewery of the Year. Just as we wrote last year, pFriem is truly a beer connoisseur’s paradise and we encourage you, the reader, to visit the brewery and experience world-class for yourself.

pFriem Family Brewers
707 Portway Ave.
Suite 101
Hood River, OR 97031

Tel.: (541) 321-0490
www.pfriembeer.com

pFriem Family Brewers submitted an impressive eight beers in the 2019 Official Review that scored in the exceptional category. The brewery’s two top-scoring world-class beers were both Fruit Lambics: Oude Kriek and Brouwer’s 14th Anniversary.

The brewery’s take on the famous kriek style (or lambic with cherries) was a zesty, tangy affair that was beautifully brewed. This hazy, funky and puckeringly tart brew is a near-perfect example of the kriek style, fully showcasing the pFriem brewers’ mastery of their craft.

Brouwer’s 14th Anniversary is another Fruit Lambic brewed with a far rarer ingredient: huckleberries! While the tartness and tangy, crisp mouthfeel remain, the sweetness of the unusual adjunct helps to cut into that sour element perfectly, leading to a world-class example of the style.

pFriem’s Golden Coffee Pale impressed our judge with its wide, light malt structure, hop crispness and scrumptious coffee character – all in perfect harmony with one another.

pFriem's 2019 World Class & Exceptional Reviews

Oude Kriek – 96 Rating

Brouwer’s 14th Anniversary – 96 Rating

Golden Coffee Pale – 95 Rating

Belgian-Style Blonde Ale – 95 Rating

Brett Saison – 93 Rating

Pêche – 93 Rating

Export Lager – 92 Rating

Hazy IPA – 92 Rating

La Mûre – 91 Rating

Brut IPA – 91 Rating