BREWERY AWARDS

Each year, we award the breweries that collectively produce the highest-rated beer of the year as evaluated in our Official Review. Though 2020 saw breweries worldwide grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that didn’t stop them from producing terrific beers of the highest caliber in a variety of styles – including complex, ingredient-packed pastry stouts and a bevy of hazy, juicy IPAs. Read on to explore the best of the best in craft beer with our Best Breweries of 2020.

How We Award

We look at the top three highest-scoring beers (as rated by our judging panel) for each brewery in the calendar year.

We then consider how many of the three place into the 100 to 96: World Class category and the 95 to 91: Exceptional category. For example, a brewery with two World Class beers and one Exceptional would rate higher than a brewery with a single higher-scoring World Class beer and two Exceptional beers.

The brewery with the most World Class beers followed by the most Exceptional beers is awarded the Brewery of the Year.

If two or more breweries have the same number of World Class and Exceptional beers, then the brewery with the highest point total wins.

In the event of a tie, a fourth reviewed beer is counted as a tiebreaker.

If a fourth beer was not reviewed, we look at the highest score total among the brewery’s two top-scoring beers.

Read on and raise a glass to this year’s winners!

Second Runner-Up

Monday Night Brewing
670 Trabert Ave NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
 

Tel.: (404) 352-7703
www.mondaynightbrewing.com

One World Class Beer
Two Exceptional Beers

Rated 96 – World Class
Situational Ethics Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged
Specialty Wood-Aged Beer
This decadent brew was aged in an apple brandy barrel with the delectable additions of honey and vanilla beans.
 

Rated 94 – Exceptional
7 Deadly Stouts
Specialty Wood-Aged Beer
An incredibly complex imperial stout with a vast array of ingredients aged in a whopping seven different barrels.
 

Rated 94 – Exceptional
Here Comes The Sun
Specialty IPA
This hazy New England-style IPA is just as pleasant and welcoming as the classic Beatles song it’s named after.
 

Total Score: 286 points

For the second year in a row, Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia is our second runner-up for Brewery of the Year.

The brewery’s top-scoring beer in our Official Review was Situational Ethics Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged, part of the brewery’s ongoing Situational Ethics series. The series features a base imperial stout aged in different barrels, with this year’s rendition being housed in apple brandy barrels. The barrels and the base beer provided an intoxicating mélange of aromas and flavors ranging from chocolate, vanilla and roasted malt as well as the expected apple and brandy notes – tying the entire brew together into a nearly flawless world-class creation from the Monday Night brewing team.

Monday Night’s next highest-scoring beer was 7 Deadly Stouts, a fabulously complex brew that featured a staggering list of ingredients: 666 pounds of Ugandan vanilla beans, toasted coconut bark, toasted hazelnuts, coffee, Ghirardelli milk chocolate wafers and Saigon cinnamon bark. This entire brew was then aged in a series of seven different barrels. Talk about ambitious!

Rounding out the brewery’s World Class and Exceptional reviews is Here Comes The Sun, a Specialty IPA that perfectly encapsulates the ever-popular New England IPA style with its pillowy mouthfeel and juicy hop quotient.

First Runner-Up

Pontoon Brewing
500, 8601 Dunwoody Pl
Sandy Springs, GA 30350
 

Tel.:  (770) 674-1075
www.pontoonbrewing.com

One World Class Beer
Two Exceptional Beers

Rated 98 – World Class
Barrel Aged Brownie Batter Blend #1
Specialty Wood-Aged Beer
A nearly flawless barrel-aged blended brew that notched the highest score of the year from our judges in 2020.
 

Rated 95 – Exceptional
Black Is Beautiful
Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer
Brewed with graham crackers, coffee, chocolate and pecans, this roasty imperial stout is a filling dessert treat.
 

Rated 94 – Exceptional
Barrel Aged Brownie Batter Blend #2 S’mores
Specialty Wood-Aged Beer
The fabled camping staple of s’mores was the inspiration for this delectable barrel-aged and blended stout.
 

Total Score: 287 points

Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs, Georgia is 2020’s first runner-up for Brewery of the Year.

The brewery’s top-scoring beer also happened to be our #1 beer of the year: Barrel Aged Brownie Batter Blend #1. This delightfully chocolaty brew was also one of only 16 beers in our history that has scored a 98 or above. An impressive feat!  The base beer was a fudgy, roasty, malty brew with heavy cocoa elements. The beer was then split into two batches and aged in different barrels – one bourbon and one VSOP cognac. All of that barrel-aging led to immense complexity – and the most delectable beer our reviewers sampled this year.

The brewery’s second-highest score was for Black Is Beautiful, an imperial stout with a base recipe that was created by Weathered Souls Brewing Co. in San Antonio, Texas. The beer was created “to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily,” per the brewery. Pontoon joined nearly 1,200 other breweries across all 50 states as well as 22 countries in aiding social justice.

Pontoon’s third brew was Barrel Aged Brownie Batter Blend #2 S’mores – a recreation of the popular campfire favorite s’mores. Brewed with marshmallow cream, graham cracker crumbs and cocoa nibs, Pontoon didn’t skimp on the authenticity of this pastry stout.

Brewery of the Year

Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
1709 Corbin Rd
Hammond, LA 70403
 

Tel.: (985) 318-0723
www.gnarlybeer.com

Two World Class Beers
One Exceptional Beer

Rated 97 – World Class
Barrel Aged Imperial Korova
Specialty Wood-Aged Beer
A souped-up version of the brewery’s popular flagship Korova Milk Porter, this rendition ratchets up the complexity and flavor.
 

Rated 96 – World Class
Puff Puff Pastry Stout
Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer
A pastry stout that would make for either the booziest breakfast ever or an indulgent dessert after a hearty meal.
 

Rated 95 – Exceptional
American AF
American Light Lager
Brewed with pilsner malt and Saaz hops, this ultra-crisp light lager could make one forget all about “big beer.”
 

Total Score: 288 Points

Congratulations to Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. of Hammond, Louisiana for being named The Beer Connoisseur’s 2020 Brewery of the Year!

Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. certainly earned their Brewery of the Year crown in 2020 by crafting some of the finest offerings our judges had the pleasure of sampling this year – including one beer that scored a nearly perfect rating of 97, making it one of only three beers all year that scored a 97 or above. Beyond the brewery’s two highest-scoring beers – both of which were world-class examples scoring a 97 and 96, respectively – Gnarly Barley also produced six more beers that scored a 91 or above, bringing the brewery’s total to eight World Class and Exceptional brews.

In 2020, Gnarly Barley’s brewers were able to thread the needle of crafting immensely popular styles among craft beer aficionados, such as complex and inviting barrel-aged beers or thick, dessert-ready pastry stouts while also producing difficult-to-brew styles such as American light lagers or India pale lagers. That range of brewing expertise showcases the team’s extensive knowledge of popular styles.

Founded by Zac and Cari Caramonta, Gnarly Barley got its start in a crowded garage “amongst the presence of two fat cats and a halfpipe,” according to the brewery. Zac was inspired by the great craft beer he had been sampling and wanted to emulate those brews with his own homebrewing experiments. His homebrews first debuted in 2011 at a nearby beer festival. Despite both being brewing industry professionals, Zac and Cari continue to be avid homebrewers and are members of a local homebrewing club.

In 2014, Zac quit his day job and Gnarly Barley was founded. During its relatively brief history, the brewery has established itself as one of the darlings of the craft beer scene – culminating in winning a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the Sweet Stout/Cream Stout category for its popular flagship brew Korova Milk Porter.

Now, Gnarly Barley can add a Brewery of the Year title in 2020 to its trophy case – a well-deserved honor that comes from the tremendous passion that the brewery and all its employees showcase on a day-to-day basis. Indeed, the brewery discusses its brewhouse as featuring the following ingredients: “a two-vessel 30-bbl brewhouse, one hot and one cold liquor tank, a 1,220-bbl cellar and a whole lot of passion for craft beer.”

That comes through clearly in the terrific beers they produce each and every day, which is a fitting attribute for 2020’s Brewery of the Year.

Zac Caramonta, Owner & Brewer (left) | Joey Charpentier, Head Brewer (right)

Gnarly Barley submitted an impressive eight beers to the Official Review that achieved World Class and Exceptional ratings. The brewery’s two top-scoring beers were Barrel Aged Imperial Korova and Puff Puff Pastry Stout.

Barrel Aged Imperial Korova is a beefed-up version of the brewery’s perennially popular Korova Milk Porter, which just won a silver medal at the GABF. The base beer provides notes of chocolate and coffee in the flavor and aroma, while the additional ABV adds more complexity in the form of plum, molasses and caramel notes. The barrel-aging ties it all together with sultry vanilla and wood elements.

Puff Puff Pastry Stout is the true definition of a modern pastry stout due to being brewed with ample amounts of adjuncts. In this case, this thick, sweet and boozy stout was brewed with hundreds of pounds of white chocolate bread pudding and Cocoa Puffs cereal. Yum!

Lastly, showcasing the brewers’ skills, Gnarly Barley’s next highest-scoring beer was American AF, an American light lager. Of course, for brewers, lagers are among the most exacting styles to brew, so being able to craft both adjunct-filled pastry stouts as well as light lagers showcases the tremendous talent that Gnarly Barley’s brewers possess.

Gnarly Barley’s 2020’s World Class & Exceptional Reviews
Click the links to read full reviews for each beer.

Rated 97
Barrel Aged Imperial Korova

Rated 96
Puff Puff Pastry Stout

Rated 95
American AF

Rated 94
Hypnic Jerk

Rated 94
Jucifer

Rated 93
Gnarly Barley Lager

Rated 92
Gnarly Barley Stout

Rated 91
Gnarly Barley India Pale Lager