Top 100 Beers of 2015 (Issue 22)
Story by:
Editorial Dept.
With a new year upon us, there comes a time when we must ruminate on our past. For us, that means a discussion of the best beers we reviewed in 2015.
There were a lot of changes for us in 2015, especially when it comes to our beer review. We greatly expanded the amount of beers we review for every issue – increasing the number from around 20 to upwards of 100! We gained many new judges and now have over 20 BJCP-ranked beer experts on call from all over the world ready to grade some of the best brews around.
In 2015, twelve beers we reviewed attained the level of “world-class,” ranging from obscure Belgian styles to ubiquitous American IPAs. Congratulations to all the breweries that achieved this status; your efforts have helped craft beer grow into a joyous celebration of delightful flavors and artistic experimentation, where nothing is off-limits and rules are meant to be broken.
For each beer that attained a world-class ranking, we interviewed one of the brewers that made that beer happen to discuss some of the beer’s backstory. Also, the judges have revisited the world-class beers they evaluated, discussing various topics that revolve around the best beers they reviewed in 2015.
Without further ado, here are the Top 100 Beers of 2015.
Top 100 Beers of 2015
Quick List
World Class (100 to 96)
1.
98
by Jim Koebel
Oude Geuze Boon
Brouwerij Boon
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Brewer Q & A
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Jim Koebel
I consider myself lucky to have heard about the Beer Judge Certification Program just as I began homebrewing and discovering good beer. It wasn’t long before I sat for the exam and began spending way too many Saturday mornings judging beer competitions. Since then, I haven’t looked back, which makes my personal history with beer virtually inseparable from my experience with homebrewing as well as the BJCP.
That’s probably the reason why – like a lot of folks, but maybe more than some – I have serious respect for stylistic accuracy. It’s safe to say that I have plenty of room for improvement as a homebrewer, so when I’m not drinking my own, it needs to be good. Beer fads have their place, but I’d prefer a well-brewed example of any given defined style regardless of whether it’s commercially created or homebrewed. Finding one in a particularly exacting style is icing on the cake.
Enter Oude Geuze Boon. I rated this beer a 98 out of 100 points in my review, meaning it’s a world class representation of the Gueuze style and one of the best beers available commercially. All things considered, this is a nearly perfect beer. In a few words, this beer’s most impressive qualities are its distinctiveness, balance and depth, resulting in something almost unrivaled in any other beer I have tasted in the last few years. The beer’s tangible qualities earned Oude Geuze Boon its score of 98 points, but it’s what those qualities represent that earns it the title of world-class.
Making gueuze requires an infrastructure that the overwhelming majority of homebrewers do not have. Consequently, in my experience, gueuze is one of the least entered styles in homebrew competitions, and the few that are entered often suffer from hard-to-avoid flaws. That’s not knocking homebrewers; it is simply a difficult style to make even for commercial breweries. One reason is that the lambics that are blended to make gueuze may, by themselves, be unpalatable – either too dry, too sweet or too acetic and sharp. Although the blending process will mitigate any extreme characteristics, it is still an unpredictable process relative to modern brewing. Uncorking a bottle of imported gueuze can be a game of Russian roulette of sorts; I know enough to do it over a sink in case an infection occurred during secondary fermentation or transport.
Still, they’re worth trying because they can be amazing beers. In Frank Boon’s Q & A with The Beer Connoisseur, he claimed that bottles of Oude Geuze Boon could be kept for twenty years. I’m not sure I could hang on to a bottle for that long without enjoying it, but I definitely believe him. The bottle I reviewed changed markedly while I drank it, presenting two different versions of itself. I have no idea what this beer would taste like in 20 years, but it certainly proved itself over the course of thirty minutes. Unlike the majority of other beers that would become undrinkable in that amount of time, this beer has the potential to become even better.
And that is no fluke. Oude Geuze Boon’s potential is the product of over a century of tradition, retooling and, probably, quite a few failed attempts. As Mr. Boon said, this beer has been brewed since 1899, but it was only perfected in 1975. That persistence is something any homebrewer can respect, and something every beer judge appreciates.
We can be pretty sure Mr. Boon didn’t spend the years leading up to 1975 tweaking his recipe so that Oude Geuze Boon would fit into the BJCP style guidelines (they didn’t exist then). Instead, as he put it, he was aiming for perfection. And look where it got him; it’s evident that the BJCP style guidelines for Gueuze were written around his beer. If that’s not representative of a World Class Beer, I don’t know what is.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Frank Boon
New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration. With a new year sprawled out before us, it feels like a new start – this is the year where everything will fall into place. The holiday is also rife with booziness, especially champagne. But for discerning craft beer drinkers, that super-sweet fizzy beverage can feel like the lowest common denominator so, next year, why not pop open a world-class alternative: Brouwerij Boon’s incredible Oude Geuze Boon, our highest-rated beer of 2015.
Our judge was blown away by the expert craftsmanship of this beer, saying that this Gueuze “typified both art and craft.” I spoke with the founder of Brouwerij Boon, Frank Boon, about one of his most widely acclaimed creations.
I asked Frank why he thought Oude Geuze Boon attained our highest score of 2015, and he gladly elaborated: “The use of wild yeasts, collected from the air of the Zenne River Valley in Belgium, make Oude Geuze Boon a beer that keeps for at least 20 years. To make Oude Geuze Boon we blend Lambics that are between 1-3 years old and re-ferment them in the bottle. Because of this blend, Oude Geuze Boon has the winy character of a fine white wine, the body of a good glass of beer and the phenolic and oaky qualities of a good glass of whiskey.”
The most difficult aspect of brewing Oude Geuze Boon is the aging of Lambic in oak casks. If something goes wrong during the aging process, the beer gets too vinegar-y and has to be drained. According to Frank, “To obtain a gentle, wine-like sourness, our brewers only brew in the seven cold months in Belgium, avoiding the wild yeast that can overpower the sour-making bacteria.
Many of the fine flavors found in Oude Geuze Boon are from the quality, and perfect aging process of the Lambic that go into the beer. “Well-aged Lambic will have lost its ‘young beer flaws,’ such as goatcheese and horse-sweat, which are sometimes mentioned as typical aromas and flavors for Gueuze are due to the use of too much young Lambic.”
Because Oude Geuze Boon blends young and old Lambic, it takes on the character of a good glass of champagne – the perfect accompaniment to a new year of drinking fine beer in 2016.
World Class (100 to 96)
2.
96
by Phil Farrell
Tropicália
Creature Comforts Brewing Co.
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Phil Farrell
I will never forget my first beer partly because I don’t remember it. Evidently my Dad and my Uncle Bill (his brother), future pub owners, thought the little guy needed to taste what he was so intensely curious about. As the story goes, I was given a sip, immediately turned red and spit out the Ballantine IPA, thus ensuring a lifelong grail-like quest to re-experience my first taste of a class of beverages I later embraced in adulthood. My mother, who never met a story she wouldn’t repeat, has exponentially added new details to the story every year – even though she wasn’t there. I was only 2 in one telling and as old as 4 in another, but that is what you get when it is the story of something someone doesn’t remember as recounted by someone who wasn’t there. As far as family oral history goes, three times the sum total of my living relatives at the time were all in the room when it happened. Today I simply triangulate my age to have been 3, which thankfully agrees with almost 66 percent of those relatives polled.
Beer for me has always been a tapestry of the familiar stitched together by the thread of the unique. As the years go by it is really difficult to experience uniqueness as an isolated thing. I remember my first Cascade hop rush from a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, my first Boston Lager, the oxidized sherry notes in my first Thomas Hardy, my first proper pint of cask ale, my first Weizen, my first Trappist Ale as well as my first truly intentionally wild beer. Every time I personally experienced something unique (for me), I filed it away even if I wasn’t initially taken by it. Much like the musician who gets drawn into others’ compositions the moment the first notes are strung together, I am most often treated to familiarity because let’s face it: I drink around. I enthusiastically seek unique yet don’t consider familiarity a failure. Familiarity presented in a unique manner is always welcome. Amadeus Mozart essentially worked with the same 7 notes Dee Dee Ramone did, even though Dee Dee could only find 4 of them on a good day. Both created unique from the familiar.
My Familiarity Factor is particularly relevant for IPAs, Ballantine notwithstanding. You are setting yourself up for disappointment by limiting yourself to unique IPAs, considering they are the lifeblood of craft beer. Creature Comforts Tropicália is one of those beers that is so good precisely because it is unapologetically a master of familiarity. Hops can be thought of in the same manner as spices – with some chefs working with a few favorites and others throwing in the entire rack. In this case whether they utilized one or a blend of several, the brewers at Creature Comforts emphasized the pleasant aspects of tropical hop characteristics. The aroma is an array of tropical mainstays such as mango, orange, grapefruit, and even a little Georgia Peach. There is a bit of pine resin and a generic spiciness that hits the mark perfectly. If it were a song it would be a 45-RPM single playing in the key of Hop Sharp. The malt drum set keeps the beat going with a simple one-two of toast and caramel. The palate is then cleansed by a firm bitterness that is dry and not so thin as to disappoint yet not so full as to end your evening. So delicious and drinkable, it is a Lennon-McCartney tune you can’t get out of your head rather than the overproduced Phil Spector “wall of sound” version that diminishes the original genius by too many additions. Tropicália is that tight 3-minute song that is so good you play it 3 times in a row.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Adam Beauchamp
Georgia’s craft beer scene is experiencing something of a resurgence. Despite extremely antiquated beer laws that hinder the growth and sales of many breweries, Georgia has a host of thriving and popular breweries that excel in making terrific brews.
One of the state’s hottest new breweries is Creature Comforts Brewing Company in Athens, GA, the home of the University of Georgia. Though they only currently have two year-round offerings, they make them count. The first is Athena, a flawlessly executed Berliner Weisse, and the second is their flagship IPA Tropicália.
Featuring a juicy cocktail of mango, guava and grapefruit flavors from Citra, Centennial and Galaxy hops, Tropicália is one of the hottest IPAs on the market right now, and I spoke with Creature Comforts brewmaster and co-founder Adam Beauchamp about this delectable drink.
“Tropicália features a ton of hop flavor and aroma, without the intense bitter aftertaste that many highly hopped IPA’s exhibit. We avoid adding large amounts of colored malts to this brew in an effort to allow the bright hoppy flavors to shine,” said Adam. “At Creature Comforts we have a major focus on quality and freshness, and Tropicália greatly benefits from this by typically being offered to customers within a few days of canning.”
With any hugely popular craft beer that’s created by a microbrewery, supply and demand is important. Adam discussed how the brewery is trying to keep up with the voracious appetite for Tropicália that craft beer lovers have.
According to Adam, “We’re able to keep the Athens, GA area fairly well supplied, but Atlanta has been a challenge since the beginning. We’re brewing as much beer as we can at the brewery and are planning expansions that will come online very soon. We are staying totally focused on quality during this growth period, and we will never sacrifice the integrity of our products for the sake of growth.”
“People should know that we sold about 1,800 barrels during our first year and we plan to hit close to 9,000 barrels this year,” Adam continued. “This upcoming year, with our new tanks, we should be able to do quite a bit more. We are growing extremely quickly, but from the customer’s perspective, there are often only empty shelves where Tropicália should be. We are diligently working to fix that.”
Hopefully Creature Comforts expands quickly and easily, and Tropicália gets the widespread recognition it deserves as one of our best beers of 2015.
World Class (100 to 96)
3.
96
by Phil Farrell
Cali-Belgique
Stone Brewing Co.
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Phil Farrell
Every one of my favorite songs also remind me of a place. Stone’s Cali-Belgique is an iPod shuffle of a walk down my personal Beer Memory Lane. By combining so many favorite beer flavors in such a unique progression, I am reminded of all the reasons I liked beer in the first place. If Tropicália is a hit single, Cali-Belgique is an entire Rock Opera. This beer is not someone mixing four random alcohols and having it taste like iced tea. It is more like the wonderful contradiction of smelling the ocean while you are skiing down a glacier. Stone Head Brewer Mitch Steele’s creation initially transports me to the Pacific Northwest and the thick resinous forests where there are no hop farms (or grapefruits for that matter), but work with me here for a moment. I smell the low, rain-heavy clouds engulfing the dormant volcanic mountain peaks, a hop harvest and the rugged Oregon coastline, but then, there is something more. How can my perfect Norman Rockwell hop vision of grapefruit and pine resin be clouded by a Belgian daydream of lemon zest and white pepper?
My Beer GPS is really confused by the straw, biscuit, and pear flavors in the middle of my taste that perfectly complement the spice and citrus. How did I get from Bend to Brussels in half a sip? Okay, just as I am getting comfortable finishing up on the other side of The Pond in my Belgian Cafe I am treated to Act 3, the Big Bitter. Not the palate-crushing grunge rock destruction of bitterness, but rather that perfectly timed bass drum of one that shatters the trance and says, “Hey I’m an IPA over here.” But wait, there’s more! While many IPAs would be satisfied with a bitter ending and quit while they are ahead, there is still one surprise left. Instead of rebooting the palate, the initial bitterness is a grand finale of the Tour de Belgium reprise. Earth, pepper spice, pear, and lemon zest deliciously linger in the finish. This is one beer that managed to make me think of an entire evening of beer enjoyment in one glass. More cowbell not required.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Mitch Steele
Stone Brewing Co. has never been a business that pays attention to the norm. Much of its branding, specifically the “Bastard” line of beers, focuses on how difficult it is for people to fathom how great their beers are because the palates of the masses aren’t refined enough.
Though this might not necessarily be true, it hasn’t hurt Stone’s sales, as they are the eighth-largest brewery in America according to the BA.
Cali-Belgique IPA, one of Stone’s highly acclaimed year-round beers, tells you exactly what to expect in the title: this is a perfect intermingling of American and Belgian beer flavors.
Despite its status as one of Stone’s beloved year-round brews, it didn’t start out that way. Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele told me that its creation was a “serendipitous thing.”
“We had experimented with fermenting some of our year-round beers with a Belgian yeast, just to see what would happen. This is the beer that worked the best! So much so that it’s now in the lineup of Stone year-round beers,” Mitch said.
The original creation of the beer occurred in 2008 and involved pitching wort from a batch of Stone IPA into Vertical Epic Ale 08.08.08. Mitch takes over the story: “After adding the yeast, the initial yeast propagator had leftover beer. So we tasted it, really liked it and decided to dry-hop it. We called it Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. Since then, we have brewed it using the exact same recipe as Stone IPA, except fermented with Belgian yeast and dry-hopped with Chinook.”
Mitch favors the beer’s overall flavor balance and fruit character, discussing the combination of citrus and banana from the hops and yeast, respectively. He also discussed that the Stone brewers have been “playing around with some unfiltered versions” of Cali-Belgique, furthering the Belgian character that is based on. While that beer would surely be a hit, for now, Mitch can only say, “We’ll see where it goes.”
World Class (100 to 96)
4.
96
by Jason Johnson
Todd The Axe Man
Surly Brewing Co.
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Read Review
Brewer Q & A
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Jason Johnson
When I started reflecting back on this collaboration beer between Surly Brewing Company and Denmark’s Amager Brewery, I was lucky enough to still have a stray can in my fridge – what better time to crack that last can than right now? I admit, I’m a hop head, and I really enjoy bright, hoppy beers from the IPA family. For me, it’s not so much the bitterness of IPAs that draws me in, but rather the marriage of hop aromas and flavors. This is why I tend to gravitate towards the less bitter and more hop-forward IPAs. I’ve had the likes of Sculpin, Maine Beer Company’s Lunch, Stone IPA, AleSmith IPA, Bell’s Two-Hearted and many, many other top-rated IPAs that are extremely well-balanced, bright and truly delicious. One of my local favorites here in Wisconsin is the intensely citrusy Green 19 from Titletown brewery in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Recently, I have come to appreciate the beautifully bright tropical and melon notes of the newer hop varieties. Beers like Heady Topper are a nice blend of traditional American pine and citrus flavors and the mango and pineapple notes in the newer hop varieties. Todd the Axe Man fits that bill perfectly of being on that cutting edge of bright and flavorful hoppy IPAs without that out-of-bounds bitterness. That is a very difficult act to pull off. We all know hops are bitter, but they can also be incredibly flavorful and juicy as well. It’s very impressive to not only be able to create a beer that’s chock-full of big bright hop flavors and aroma, but also avoid hop astringency and bitterness.
I also think Todd the Axe Man is proof that less can be more. This beer consists of a single grain and two varieties of hops – that’s it. There is no complicated five grain grist to get a nice malty backbone, there is no complex blend of six different hops; it’s just Golden Promise for the base malt and Mosaic and Citra for the hops. That’s it! Surly did a great job balancing the flavors well even with so few ingredients. The beer is far from boring or one-dimensional. In fact, it’s proof that simplicity can achieve results that are deserving of becoming one of the best beers of 2015.
As a homebrewer, I’m generally not fond of “cloning” beers. I feel that if I like a beer that much, I will just buy it. So while cloning beer recipes is great, often there are minute details that brewers focus on that still set the beer apart from a clone – be it water chemistry, specific fermentation temperatures or yeast selection. But in the end, as I finish this glass, it’s still a mighty fine IPA, even if it is several weeks old. The big bright tropical notes are still delicious, and it has inspired me to brew some sort of variant of this beer with the ingredients listed on Surly’s website. What better compliment can you give a brewer or brewery than telling them that their beer has inspired you to brew something similar? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Todd Haug
After we released numerous stories about the brewery and its head brewer, Todd Haug, we finally reviewed some of Surly Brewing Company’s popular IPAs in 2015. The one that received the most acclaim from our reviewer was this Todd the Axe Man, a collaboration between Denmark’s Amager Brewery and Surly.
The name is based on Haug’s rather impressive guitar playing, which rivals his brewing prowess. According to Todd, the intention for Axe Man was “to create a collaboration beer that employed raw materials that each brewery hadn’t used before. Golden Promise malt is featured in a handful of my recipes here at Surly, and Mosaic hops are a favorite at Amager and also ones that I’ve never brewed with before.”
The use of Mosaic hops turned out to be an inspired choice, as our reviewer noted the subtle interplay of malt and hops as a highlight of the beer. Todd outlined the hop profile explicitly: “We used Warrior for bittering and Mosaic and Citra for aroma.” When I asked him to elaborate on quantity, he deflected: “We use a lot. It’s a secret.” With Axe Man scoring so highly in 2015, it’s understandable that Todd didn’t want to provide any more information on the hop profile, as he wants it to be a highly sought after beer in 2016 as well.
Speaking of 2016, Surly does plan to release Todd the Axe Man this year as well, though a release date hasn’t been set. “[Axe Man] will be available in cans and on tap in our markets occasionally throughout 2016,” Todd said.
As Axe Man has edged out Surly’s year-round Furious IPA in Todd’s list of favorite Surly beers, do yourself a favor and search far and wide for the 2016 release. You won’t be disappointed.
World Class (100 to 96)
5.
96
by Josh Weikert
Blast!
Brooklyn Brewery
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Josh Weikert
I’ve got a thing about IPAs – I almost never make them. I’ll brew anything. I’ve won medals in literally every BJCP style category (and the 2015 guidelines will let me hit some new ones!) as a means of ensuring that I can confidently brew across the whole beer spectrum. But I don’t really brew IPAs. Why not?
Well, because there’s a whole world of competent IPAs out there. Why would I brew my own when I can pick up a case of just about any brewery’s IPA? The dirty secret in the beer world (which maybe isn’t so secret) is that the distance between an IPA at the 95th percentile of quality and the 5th percentile of quality isn’t all that large. Maybe the very, very best of them are much better than the very, very worst, but honestly, most of the time they’re all just somewhere between OK and pretty good.
Having said that… sometimes you get to enjoy one of those really great IPAs, like Blast!, and for me it really just makes me wonder why more breweries don’t just…. you know… STOP making theirs so that we can appreciate the really good ones. If there’s an area that is screaming for some winnowing out in the beer world, it’s in the realm of IPAs.
This one is awesome. It’s a pretty beer that smells fruity and fresh but still lets you know it’s beer (because, you know, grain). It tastes wonderful – extremely high bitterness, but not in a way that grates on the palate. It’s a smooth bitterness, if that’s not too much of an oxymoron. And it isn’t all just the bitterness: some brewer went out of his/her way to make sure that you can taste all of the other elements of the beer as well.
That’s the thing. IPAs are so popular because of two things: one, anyone can pick out their key feature (hop flavor/aroma/bitterness); and two, even mediocre brewers can make a decent one. But they can’t make a great one because they‘re using hops to paper over a sloppy or mediocre beer.
Making a great IPA like Blast! is an exercise in balance. That’s an odd sentence in a style that supports ridiculously high bitterness, but it’s true. Great brewers can have a dominant flavor, but still find ways to let the other elements contribute, and not just in a way that keeps that dominant flavor from being offensive. Yes, you can use alcohol sweetness or crystal malts to offset hop bittering – but isn’t it better to also have them contribute in a meaningful way to the overall gustatory aesthetic? So get yourself a bottle and remind yourself why big, beautiful IPAs are such a great find. For those of us who are wading through the sea of mediocre IPAs to help you find the great ones, it’s the best outcome we can hope for. Reward Brooklyn for their efforts, and your palate will thank you!
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Garrett Oliver
Another one of the biggest breweries in America, Brooklyn Brewery has a vast and varied selection of year-round and limited-release beers, but according to our reviewer the best one we reviewed this year was Brooklyn’s Blast! Double IPA.
I spoke to Garrett Oliver, founder of Brooklyn Brewery, to discuss one of his favorite brews. I first asked where the recipe of Blast! came from: “Blast! was actually the name of my first batch of homebrew in 1984, though that was a pale ale, not an IPA. We’ve produced a version of this beer for about 10 years now. I did the original recipe, but as new hops have become available, I’ve sat down with our team to make little adjustments here and there over the years. We love where Blast! is right now.”
With so many Double IPAs available on the market today, I wanted to get Garrett’s thoughts on why Blast! rose above the ranks in our 2015 ratings. “I think the structure and sense of balance set it apart. It’s not only hoppy, but it also just tastes really good. There’s a nice stone-fruit character in the center from the use of some great British hops alongside the American ones, which give the beer its ‘pop.’ The most important trait here is outright deliciousness.”
Garrett finished up by saying Blast! is indeed one of his favorite beers, which is “vaguely problematic, as it’s easy to forget that the beer is 8.4 percent ABV. He also said that while British hops tend to age better than American ones, there’s no time like the present to enjoy a cold Blast!.
Obviously, our judge had a “blast” drinking this beer, and we think you will too.
World Class (100 to 96)
6.
96
by Michael Heniff
Pinchy Jeek Barl
Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Michael Heniff
Ahhh… a revisit of Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Pinchy Jeek Barl Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale… if only there was more of this liquid inspiration to be enjoyed while writing this article. This was a beer that I had not tasted before, which in itself can be an amazing feat since I have recorded tasting notes for 23 years, amassing notes on over 5,600 commercial beers. The list could be as high as 8,000 if I chose to count brewpub beers, and maybe even as high as 10,000 if I included homebrewed beers!
On first thought, Wild Turkey Bourbon would not have been my first choice as a bourbon source for a barrel-aged beer; Wild Turkey isn’t renowned as one of the finest bourbons that Kentucky has to offer. My first recollection of Wild Turkey was on my 21st birthday, when an acquaintance bought me a shot of Wild Turkey. I wasn’t an immediate fan, and at that time I was primarily a light lager drinker as the craft beer movement was still young (and I was certainly a bourbon neophyte) so my palate was still very early in development. Since then, I have grown to appreciate bourbon, especially when beer is aged with bourbon or in bourbon barrels. With this beer, the barrel character of toasted oak and vanilla comes through strongly without being too overly bourbon-driven; the bourbon provides a complementary flavor to the base beer and spices without becoming the dominant flavor of the beer.
Second, the beer was brewed “with pumpkin and [unnamed] spices.” Personally, I dread pumpkin beer season – when seemingly every brewery releases its take on a pumpkin-pie-style beer. The season seems to start as early as August and runs until the last beers at the store gets sold. These beers typically feature nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice and many brewers are not shy to push this spicing well to the forefront. The aggressive spices typically need a hefty malt base to temper the otherwise unbearable astringency that these spices provide. For this beer, however, the spices are more subtle and complement the caramel/chocolate malt and toasted oak/vanilla barrel character beautifully.
Finally, a characteristic that I believe all great beers need to have is the element of balance. I’m not advocating that all beers need to have an equal level of malt and hops, but the best beers, regardless of style, should have complementing or contrasting characters that work together to add to the depth and complexity of the beer. For this beer, the aroma exuded toasted oak and vanilla barrel character with complementing caramel and chocolate malts and pumpkin spices. The pumpkin spices hint at pumpkin pie, but they never showcase any singular spice above others. The body was quite a bit more complex, conveying an almost even balance between the barrel character, malt and spices. The Wild Turkey Bourbon never comes to the forefront and remains complementary element, perhaps appropriately so (based on my earlier impression). The finish once again demonstrates complexity with the interplay of malt, barrel and spices with only a slightly spicy astringency. In summary: This is a complex, rich, dynamic and thoroughly enjoyable Pumpkin Beer.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Fal Allen
When autumn rolls around that means that pumpkin beers aren’t far behind (in fact, they usually debut before the season even begins). Love them or loathe them, pumpkin beers are an inevitable part of the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons.
Many pumpkin beers are construed as overly spiced, muddled messes, but Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Pinchy Jeek Barl is not only an exemplar of the Pumpkin Beer style, but also one of our finest beers of the year. I spoke with Fal Allen, Anderson Valley brewmaster, about Pinchy Jeek – his favorite pumpkin beer.
Pinchy Jeek employs nutmeg, cinnamon and clove as its spice profile, but one thing that sets it apart from other pumpkin beers (apart from its barrel-aged properties) is its lower spice profile. Allen elaborates: “We wanted the bourbon flavors to come through in the beer and create a beautiful dance of flavors with the spices – not to have the spices overpower the bourbon notes. I think Pinchy Jeek ended up as a well-balanced beer that you can certainly drink a few of if you want to.”
Our judge was a bit surprised that Wild Turkey barrels were used exclusively for the aging process, as his experience with that bourbon was far from ideal. Allen responds to the exclusive usage of Wild Turkey barrels: “Wild Turkey bourbon is a bit more assertive then some other brands, and it brings a bolder bourbon flavor to the beer. The barrel-aging process imparts notes of coconut, vanilla, and oak to complement the tang of the pumpkin pie spices and a hint of hops, all wrapped in a smooth, silky round finish.”
Despite his claim that Wild Turkey is more assertive, the aging process was perfectly executed as the balance between booziness, beer qualities and pumpkin spices makes Pinchy Jeek Barl one of the best pumpkin beers you can get your hands on.
World Class (100 to 96)
7.
96
by Joseph Formanek
Unsessionable
Revolution Brewing
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Joseph Formanek
When it comes to craft beer brewing in the US, IPA is America’s favorite beer style. Almost every brewery has their version of this ubiquitous style. As the quest for ever stronger hop character and alcohol strength causes brewers to push the envelope, the Double IPA style was developed to provide a middle ground between an IPA and a Barleywine. Of course, just like with regular IPAs, brewers of Imperial IPAs also put their own spin on the style.
Years ago, my brewing mentor ingrained in me that the best beers, no matter the style, should deliver a certain level of complexity. This complexity can be derived from using an interesting yeast strain, appropriate blends of hops and/or malt in the recipe or anything that makes a beer stand out from the rest of the pack. Of course, the brewer should also have a palate that can identify ingredient blends that work best for whatever style they wish to experiment in.
For Revolution Brewing’s Unsessionable IPA, the brewers decided to focus on hop complexity, and they truly deliver! An immediate explosion of fresh, bright pine and citrusy, woody hop aromas welcomes you even before pouring this golden-colored brew into a glass.
As you first sip this slightly hazy brew with a lingering fine bubble head, your first impression is of layer after layer of hop complexity. The depth of the hop flavor is outstanding, with massive pine, citrus and some woody hop flavors combine elegantly with a touch of dankness. Hop bitterness (advertised as 100 IBUs on the can) is also impressively assertive, though there is enough of a mild, caramel base malt backbone to deliver a solid balance. A clean alcohol note is also very evident, delivering quite a bit of warming upon the swallow. The brew has a satisfying medium body and a moderately dry finish for the style, preparing you for the next delicious sip.
It is not an easy matter to craft a Double IPA that doesn’t overwhelm the palate after a short time. Interestingly, the name of this brew is a bit of a misnomer. For a Double IPA, this one does have some sessionable qualities, though it’s probably best not to force the issue because of its powerful alcohol strength! Revolution Unsessionable is a very impressive, extremely drinkable Double IPA that will delight those not afraid of the almighty hop. Cheers and enjoy!
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Jim Cibak
One of two specialty IPA releases from Revolution Brewing we reviewed during 2015, this one scored the highest – with good reason. Head brewer Jim Cibak is quite proud of his brewery’s limited-release IPAs, and, according to him, “Unsessionable has been a very well-received new addition to Revolution’s beer lineup.”
Hops are almost always the star when it comes to American and Double IPAs, but Cibak’s favorite element of Unsessionable was its balance: “What I really like about Unsessionable is that it’s a massive Imperial IPA with an extremely high ABV bursting with floral, citrus hops and a dry crisp finish, but it’s also well-balanced.”
His favorite element of the brew, however, is the “crisp, clean finish and the punch of bitterness that seems to clean the palate after every sip, setting you up for a night [or a session] of Unsessionables.”
When asked what his favorite ingredient in Unsessionable is, Cibak was quick to respond. “The blend of American hop varieties we use in the brewhouse is my favorite ingredient in Unsessionable. It infuses these strong aromas and flavors of pine and fresh citrus zest.” Coupled with the tropical fruit aspects from the addition of Galaxy hops, Unsessionable is a Double IPA bursting with delectable hop elements.
World Class (100 to 96)
8.
96
by Joseph Formanek
Malefactor
Upland Brewing Co.
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Judge’s Second Opinion
from Joseph Formanek
Sour beers are a fascinating lot. Unlike most foods, where sourness is an indicator that something has become spoiled, sour beers achieve the defining characteristics of the style through the souring process. There was a time not so long ago when the only sour styles available were from Belgium, with their long history of brewing Lambics and Flanders Reds an Oud Bruins. These spontaneously brewed products typically develop wonderful levels of complexity from the microbiology involved in the inoculation and fermentation of these beers. It has historically been difficult to replicate those characteristics in beers brewed outside of Belgium due to the types of bacteria and yeasts in the Brussels environment and their interplay during fermentation. Being trained as a microbiologist, I personally have always found the synergy of ingredients in sour beers fascinating. Now that there is wider understanding of the fermentation process for sours, those beer styles can be brewed outside of Belgium by true artisans that are able to approach the complexity and quality of those traditional Belgian Lambics. Upland Brewing Company’s Malefactor is certainly one of those. This brew, promoted as an “Epic Flanders Style Red Ale,” delivers quite the impact to the senses in all aspects, delivering a memorable and, indeed, epic experience.
The aroma of this brew is very complex with intense cherry, lactic and acetic notes. There is a wine-like character that could be coming from the barrel-aging or perhaps from the microbiological complexity. The mouth salivates immediately upon the first whiff after popping the cork. Visually, this moderately carbonated, quite turbid, reddish brown-colored brew has a solid, rocky, cream-colored head. In overall appearance, except for the turbidity, it hits the mark quite well for a Flanders Red. The flavor comes through as a Flanders Red as well, but with impressively intense sour components of cherry and vinous aromatics married with a moderate level of tartness that complements the base beer character well. The middle and finish retains this complexity, along with a browner woody note that adds even more to the mix. This brew finishes up quite dry and spicy, with the moderate sourness cleansing the palate fully, preparing you for the next sip.
The most impressive aspect of Upland Malefactor is the intense overall fermentation complexity, which is delivered across the board from start to finish. While this might be a treat after being cellared, it is ready to experience and share with friends immediately. This brew will certainly delight any sour beer aficionado. Cheers and enjoy!
Photo Credit: Matt Tanaka
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Caleb Staton
Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington, Indiana has a line of experimental sour beers called the Sour Series. Numerous different styles are represented, but the one that scored the highest during 2015 was this “Epic Flanders-Style Red Ale.”
I spoke with Caleb Staton, Upland’s Director of Sour Operations, about Malefactor, and he provided an interesting picture of one of Upland’s finest soured beers.
The beer’s incredible complexity made it hard for me to define in terms of BJCP style guidelines, and Caleb understands the struggle: “The recipe was modeled to be a strong version of a Flanders-style Red Ale. The American spin on the classic style was to create a very strong version of it, and also to age it in previously beer-aged bourbon barrels to add a darker, charred wood character and a polite bourbon character.”
When asked what his favorite ingredients in Malefactor is, Caleb gave me a clever answer. “I would say time and patience are the most ingredients. Malefactor really gets the most complexity from long aging periods in oak barrels. We age the beer for at least 8 months before the flavor profiles we are looking for start to appear. We feel giving the numerous microorganisms involved in the fermentation a healthy amount of time is the most important ingredient in developing a complex and well-layered sour ale of this strength.”
Flaked maize and Belgian candi sugar create the relatively light body of this beer, and there are plans to release more of it in the near future with the planned expansion of Upland’s sour program in April 2016. “Of course, this means a healthy amount of Malefactor will not be ready until 2017 release, but we are looking forward to having the ability to deliver less scarcity for what we do in the future,” Caleb said. Fans of Upland’s sours will certainly be happy to hear that.
World Class (100 to 96)
9.
96
by S.J. Klein
Mocha Porter
Rogue Ales & Spirits
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from S.J. Klein
In the fall of 1994, I started taking courses at the Siebel Institute for Brewing Technology. As an aspiring craft brewer, they didn’t have a program specifically geared towards microbreweries and so I was in classes with brewers from Coors, Miller, Anheuser-Busch, Modelo, Asahi, Brown Forman (maker of Jack Daniels) and Heineken. We also had brewers from Old Dominion, Goose Island and a bunch of folks who would go on to work for breweries all over the country and world. Back then, the world of possibilities in beer were only limited by our imaginations… which, quite frankly, were very limited back then. Many of us cared more about the Reinheitsgebot and a clean flavor profile than anything else.
I had a friend from Louisiana that I fought forest fires with. While not a brewer, he loved his food and his beer, and always had a quip about either, whether he was extoling the virtues of Tobasco sauce (“It’s got just the right tang without too much twang.”) or talking about his least favorite style of beer, American Wheat Beer (“you keep your fruit out of my beer, and I won’t put no hops in your gumbo”).
To get to the point: there are lots of people out there who believe that beer should have nothing in it but yeast, hops, malt and water.
Someone squarely not part of that group is John Maier, head brewer of Rogue Ales & Spirits. While I’ve never met the guy, I’d like to think our paths have crossed somehow. He was on the staff at Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau during its early days. Despite his day job, he couldn’t stop brewing after his shift. In fact, I remember looking at a homebrew recipe that helped him win “Homebrewer of the Year” from the American Homebrewers Association in the late 80s. The man has been obsessed with pushing the envelope for a long time.
Quite frankly, not all of the results are amazing. If anyone has ever had the Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale you know what I’m talking about.
However, I discovered a real treat in 2000: Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. It became a favorite – perfectly blending sweet and bitter without being overpowering with either. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout has long been the industry standard for chocolate in beer, but with less distance to travel and hands to go through, I found the Rogue stout to be more drinkable.
I had never considered their Mocha Porter as a distinctly different beer from Chocolate Stout. If given the choice between Mocha Porter and Chocolate Stout, I found myself reaching for the Chocolate Stout every time. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the Mocha Porter, but rather that I’d never considered it after having had the Chocolate Stout first.
That all changed when my partner served the Mocha Porter to me. As an expert reviewer for The Beer Connoisseur, I never get to know what I’m drinking until after I’ve reviewed it. When drinking the Mocha Porter, I compared it favorably to the Chocolate Stout, finding it less sweet, more balanced and ultimately more drinkable. The nose is rich and interesting. The coffee and chocolate are well-considered elements of a nicely crafted beer. There’s no gimmick to it. The coffee provides a nice acidity and the chocolate gives a round, sweet back end. It’s a light-bodied porter, with a totally appropriate dry bite that leaves you wishing you had more.
You have to respect a brewery that pushes the edges of expectations in beer. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes, as is the case for Rogue Mocha Porter, you hit one right out of the park.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from John Maier
Rogue Ales & Spirits has a roguish streak. Many of their beers have off-kilter names (Yellow Snow IPA, New Crustacean Barleywineish Imperial IPA Sorta) or crazy ingredients, like a yeast strain cultivated in founder and brewmaster John Maier’s beard. One thing is certain though: Rogue is one of Oregon’s most popular and longstanding craft breweries, with numerous accolades to its name.
Adding to that laundry list of awards and commendations is the brewery’s Mocha Porter rating of 96 in our 2015 fall issue. We spoke to the man with the beard, John Maier (founder of Rogue Ales), and got a few answers about the brewery’s beautiful coffee-themed porter.
Being an American Porter, the malt bill is the star of this beer. John had a funny story regarding it as well: “The ingredients for Mocha started as an accident. We received a pallet of chocolate malt that we were milling when we discovered that a couple of odd bags got mixed in and milled by mistake. I decided to go with it and brew with this new ‘blend.’ It was this mix that created Mocha Porter – the same recipe we’ve used for the last 20 years.”
Despite what its name might suggest, Mocha Porter does not contain any coffee – its rich, roasty flavor and aroma are both born of the complex blend of malts used during brewing. The name of the beer was changed from “New Porter to Mocha Porter to reflect its ruddy brown mocha color instead of a riff on the location of our brewery’s sleepy fishing town of Newport, Oregon.”
John is quite proud of Mocha Porter, and he’s certain that the beer is an exemplar of “the Rogue way: The path to Mocha Porter was formed by innovation and rebellion. We started out by making flavorful beers, even though we were told no one would drink them. We made Mocha Porter as a way to offer a wide range of beer styles despite the common belief at the time that no one wanted variety. We take the road less traveled when we make our beers – from starting a farm to aging beer in barrels that we make ourselves – this is the Rogue way.”
Enjoy Mocha Porter with a steak covered in blue cheese crumbles and finish it off with a figgy pudding (three things that John recommends to pair with Mocha Porter). We’ll bring the beer.
World Class (100 to 96)
10.
96
by Josh Weikert
Hennepin
Brewery Ommegang
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from Josh Weikert
I first got excited about craft beer when I started learning about its impressive variety. Beer is, in many ways, the story of making the same thing in lots of different places using different ingredients and methods based on what was laying around in your particular part of the world. For example, Czech Pils turns into something else when you try to make it in Munich, and evolves into something else when you make it in Dublin, and although Pils and Octoberfest and Dry Stout are very different beers, they share a common DNA.
Saison is one of those beers that really brings it home for me, though – as a regional specialty using “found” ingredients and with a seasonal character, it’s the epitome of an authentic style.
So how, then, can a brewery in New York make a Beer of the Year-worthy example of a style that originated in Northeastern France? Simple: by painting a picture of the place with the flavors that beer produces. Hennepin creates a mental image as clear as a postcard, and the flavors of grain, pepper, lemon, and a hint of earthy funk call to mind images of the countryside at harvest time. Now, is this actually what a Wallonian field smells like? No, probably not. But it smells like what one might imagine it smells like. It’s subtle and soft, and it avoids the temptation to overreach (a common feature in beers these days, I find). Let’s not forget, these beers were, authentically and originally, very light and low-gravity affairs. Strong flavors or alcohols would be wrong, and would be more like the abbey beers from that region. Hennepin evokes a sense of scale, place, and time that we can easily use to connect to that original style, and for that reason, it’s a wonderful beer to get your hands on.
For me, beer is like traveling. It both creates and provokes memories and experiences, which adds to our enjoyment of life and appreciation of variety. Every bottle is a chance to experience a different place and time, and no two bottles are ever the same. There’s a lot of fun, learning, and wisdom in that – not that everyone will see it that way, of course. Some just want it to taste good! I want that too, of course, but I also appreciate that this is another example of how local conditions and context create something new and different but also consistent and ancient. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pop the cap on another adventure!
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Phil Leinhart
Saisons make for an effervescent and refreshing style. The sweetness and spiciness of the style serves as a fascinating and rewarding detour from the normal hop highways of modern American craft beer. This example from Brewery Ommegang epitomizes the elements that make for an intriguing and delicious brew.
Ommegang brewmaster Phil Leinhart discussed the brewery’s creative employment of standard Belgian ingredients mixed with some more traditional American craft beer elements.
Being one of Ommegang’s flagship beers, this “Belgian-inspired beer has unique spicing and the specialized Ommegang yeast strain, which create a well-blended, balanced, intriguing and endlessly drinkable beer.”
When asked about the beer’s fascinating flavor profile, Phil outlined a few specific ingredients that play a major role in the beer’s taste. “The spiciness of Hennepin comes predominantly from our yeast strain and a unique blend of spices (surprise!). The beer’s sweetness comes from residual non-fermentable sugar – we use corn as an adjunct; extract sources other than barley malt, such as wheat, oats, rye, corn are common in Saisons.”
Despite making different-strength versions of its Saison, like Glimmerglass – Ommegang’s spring seasonal brewed with pink peppercorns – Hennepin remains the brewery’s classic rendition.
World Class (100 to 96)
11.
96
by James Link
Founders Porter
Founders Brewing Co.
Judge’s Second Opinion
from James Link
This is the day of the IPA. All of the styles are packed with hops – double, session, red, white, black, brown, Belgian and, more recently, India Pale Lagers – and often have higher alcoholic levels, much to the detriment of the beer. Thankfully, Founders Brewing Co. has offered a reprieve from the barrage of hops in the modern craft beer scene, and its name is Founder Porter.
Founders Porter falls into the category of American (Robust) Porter, and it exemplifies the word “robust” to the fullest extent. The rich, aromatic combination of roasted grains is first enjoyed in the bouquet, then again in the flavor as the dark roasted dryness from the kilned grains impart a black hue to the beer and marry nicely with the malty sweetness of the pale malts. Hops make their presence felt yet are not aggressively stated, which allows the malt to balance and define the beer. The finish has a pronounced bitterness without being overly harsh while the body is full and silky smooth.
The porter style originated out of 18th century England and is historically known as the grandfather of the stout. The first renditions brewed in London were made at higher gravities, resulting in a finished product at 6.5 to 7 percent ABV. Founders has followed these earlier examples of the style when it comes to alcohol strength yet added its own unique touch to the beer as well.
There are approximately 100 breweries in the U.S. today that make porters. In comparison, there were over 12,000 IPAs being produced by U.S. breweries in 2015! Not surprisingly, good porters are hard to find. These dark brown ales took a back seat to paler beers starting in the mid-1800s and going well into the 1900s in the form of pale ales and lagers. Oddly enough, it was homebrewers who started the revival of the style in the 1970s and 80s. I remember trying my first porter at a homebrewers meeting in 1987. Not being familiar with the style, I was surprised and favorably impressed by the pleasant, malty sweetness and full body without the sharpness imparted by unmalted barley, an ingredient generally associated with dry stout. It was one of the first homebrewed beers that I had tried that didn’t taste like kerosene and gave me hope for making my own beer. Those were the days when ingredients for making beer were, in many cases, only available via mail-order. Products used by commercial brewers were not readily available to homebrewers. Fortunately, due to the craft beer movement and fine breweries such as Founders, we can now enjoy all the world’s classic beer styles brewed fresh – right here in the U.S.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Jeremy Kosmicki
Despite no longer being considered a craft brewer by the Brewers Association (due to a sale of 30 percent of the business to global macrobrewer San Miguel), Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI has been home to some of the most sought-after and recognizable brews in the US.
While some of the brewery’s harder-to-obtain beers – such as mythical whales KBS and CBS – grab all the headlines, the brewery’s core lineup of beers contain plenty of pleasures in numerous styles. We reviewed a few of the brewery’s offerings in 2015, and the beer that made the best impression on our judges was Founders Porter.
I spoke to Jeremy Kosmicki, Founders brewmaster, about the dark beer that requires no “dark penance.” According to Jeremy, “Founders had a porter in their portfolio when I joined, but it was one of the first recipes that Nate Walser and I changed when it was decided that Founders beer needed to be more ‘extreme.’ We wanted a Porter that was rich and full-bodied enough to satisfy all the dark beer lovers amongst us.”
The flavor profile is certainly dark, but the balance is flawlessly executed. Jeremy elaborated on this point: “I really appreciate the balance of this beer. It can handle the residual sweetness because there’s adequate hop bitterness and flavor. A little bit of burnt flavor from the Black Malt and Roasted Barley helps to balance that sweetness too and keep it from getting too cloying. Also, the rich chocolate flavors are the main characteristics I’m looking to get across with this beer. That comes not from actual chocolate, but rather Chocolate Malt and lots of it. Chocolate Malt is barley that is roasted just to the point where it gives off those delicious chocolate flavors, without coming across as too burnt.”
Despite many Porters tending to finish a bit thin and watery, according to Jeremy, Founders Porter is rich and thick. “There’s a pretty high proportion of specialty grains contributing to that body – lots of roasted malts, toasted malts, and crystal malts,” Jeremy said.
World Class (100 to 96)
12.
96
by Josh Weikert
Barrel Aged Old Ruffian
Great Divide Brewing Co.
Judge’s Second Opinion
from Josh Weikert
Some people tell me that my beer tastes run too much toward the simple, small, clean, and boring (hell, I’m the author of the Beer: Simple blog!): I’m a great lover of standard bitter, German pilsner and English mild styles. In spite of that, I recognize that there’s a “degree of difficulty” argument to be made for certain styles and beers. I don’t think I’ll ever exclaim, “WOW, that was an INCREDIBLE blonde ale,” but I just might when faced with a barrel-aged barleywine like this one.
This is a beer that’s like an ugly but high-performing car. It isn’t much to look at with its low head and slight haze. Truth be told, it looks a bit like a fermenter sample of a beer that isn’t quite ready for primetime yet. But the aroma quickly shows why this ended up with such a sterling rating. It’s a pleasant trip down a country lane on a snowy evening – a touch of alcohol, a bit of dark fruit, and a rich toffee background note. What’s not to love?
The flavor is set up by the aroma and is likewise very enjoyable; it manages to be lovely without overwhelming the senses – a rarity when it comes to barrel-aged beers generally and barrel-aged strong ales in particular. Maybe the best part is the way the flavor just goes on and on, changing and evolving as it does so. One of the real treats of craft beer is that it trains the palate so much more effectively than mass-produced light lagers, because those tend to be one-trick ponies (and it usually isn’t a great trick). Beers like this one just keep going: first it’s toffee, then treacle, then alcohol, then bitterness, then a touch of chocolate, then a dry finish with a lingering tannic structure from the barrel – it’s a journey.
To bring about such a rich aroma and flavor in a big beer with such a challenging method (barrel aging can go badly wrong very easily, you know) is impressive enough – to do so in such a way that I still want to drink a full glass (and another) of it is remarkable. Because remember: this isn’t really my scene. I’m happy as heck with a nice Kolsch, but I usually take a pass on the big beers.
Sometimes, though, they just get it right. Your palate wakes up and your eyes snap open, and even after thousands of beers over a number of years you’re reminded of how you felt when you first drank a beer that wasn’t just corn, a little bitterness and a little alcohol.
So by all means, keep it simple (which is practically my mantra) – but make allowance for your own limitations as well, and keep trying those big, complex beers. Yes, a great many will be overwrought and annoying and over-the-top. But once in a while they’ll also be not just big, but nuanced and impressive. We can all do with a little complexity sometimes – even those of us who love simplicity.
Brewer’s Thoughts
from Ethan Osborne
Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, CO have been telling their fans that “Great Minds Drink Alike” for 21 years. With their popular line of Yetis, which have the honor of being both extremely popular to the craft beer-drinking masses and widely acclaimed by judges and other tastemakers, Great Divide have carved out a niche in a heavily saturated craft beer market in one of America’s best craft beer destinations.
The brewery’s Old Ruffian Barleywine enjoys similar accolades, but our judge fell head over heels for the barrel-aged rendition of Great Divide’s Old Ruffian, and Great Divide head brewer Ethan Osborne answered a few questions about the barrel-aged beauty.
Of course barrel-aging fundamentally changes a beer, but Ethan outlined exactly how: “The biggest difference between Barrel Aged Old Ruffian and the original is the hop profile. Any barrel-aged beer will lose most of its hoppy taste and floral/piney/fruity aroma because the aging process oxidizes the beer. We age this beer for at least 12 months, which adds huge oak and vanilla flavors as well as subtle bourbon notes. The nose produces pleasant caramel and bourbon aromas with a hint of booziness.”
Many barleywines can have a strong alcohol heat, but our judge was struck by how mellow and balanced Barrel Aged Old Ruffian was. Ethan expounds upon this: “The mellowness and balance of the barrel-aged version is definitely intentional, as the long aging process aids in the richness and complexity of the beer. The hop profile is quite subdued compared to fresh Ruffian, and deep malty flavors and aromas have surfaced over time.”
While Ethan assures me that no other versions of Old Ruffian are in the works, he has always thought aging Ruffian in port barrels would make for an interesting and delightful beer.
All photos of brewers were provided by their respective breweries.
Exceptional (95 to 91)
13.
95
by Sean Coughlin
Devil’s Lettuce
Short’s Brewing Co.
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14.
95
by Randy Scorby
MoonJuice IPA
SanTan Brewing Co.
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15.
95
by Randy Scorby
Lil’ Devil
AleSmith Brewing Co.
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16.
95
by Jason Johnson
Unchained #20 Sticke Alt
Summit Brewing Co.
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17.
95
by Nelson Crowle
DirtWolf
Victory Brewing Co.
18.
95
by Phil Farrell
Helios Farmhouse Ale
Victory Brewing Co.
19.
95
by Tom Cannon
Silva Stout
Green Flash Brewing Co.
20.
95
by Sean Coughlin
The Greater Pumpkin
Heavy Seas Beer
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21.
95
by Rodney A. Tillinghast
Captain’s Daughter
Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island
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22.
95
by Rick Franckhauser
Funky Pumpkin
Boulevard Brewing Co.
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Exceptional (95 to 91)
23.
95
by Owen Ogletree
Hop Hunter IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
24.
95
by Phil Farrell
Hop Drop ‘N Roll
NoDa Brewing Co.
25.
95
by Tom Cannon
Grand-Am
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
26.
95
by Richard Wong
Mad Hatter
New Holland Brewing Co.
27.
95
by Nelson Crowle
Full Sail ESB
Full Sail Brewing Co.
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28.
94
by Randy Scorby
Polygamy Nitro Porter
Wasatch Brewery
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29.
94
by Michael Heniff
Ethos IPA
Tallgrass Brewing Co.
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30.
94
by Susan Ruud
Johnny’s American IPA
Moab Brewery
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31.
94
by Garrick Van Buren
Hinterland Grand Cru
Hinterland Brewing Co.
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32.
94
by Richard Wong
Racer X
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
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Exceptional (95 to 91)
33.
94
by Susan Ruud
The Rainmaker
Green Man Brewery
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34.
94
by Richard Wong
Incorrigible
New Holland Brewing Co.
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35.
94
by Jim Koebel
Hoptometrist
Roughtail Brewing Co.
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36.
94
by Graham L. Barron
Pernicious IPA
Wicked Weed Brewing
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37.
94
by Michael McGuire
Grains of Truth
Brewery Ommegang
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38.
94
by Owen Ogletree
White Angel
Wicked Weed Brewing
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39.
94
by Richard Wong
Hop Highway IPA
Belching Beaver Brewing Co.
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40.
94
by Nelson Crowle
Grunion Pale Ale
Ballast Point Brewing Co.
41.
94
by Josh Weikert
Palo Santo Marron
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
42.
93
by Nelson Crowle
Upslope Imperial IPA
Upslope Brewing Co.
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Exceptional (95 to 91)
43.
93
by Randy Scorby
Devastator Double Bock
Wasatch Brewery
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44.
93
by Sean Coughlin
Samuel Adams Rebel Raw
Boston Beer Co.
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45.
93
by Tom Cannon
INDY
Motorworks Brewing
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46.
93
by S.J. Klein
The Brother Imperial IPA
Fremont Brewing
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47.
93
by Pete Garofalo
Hop Sun
Southern Tier Brewing Co.
48.
93
by Nelson Crowle
Dorado Double IPA
Ballast Point Brewing Co.
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49.
93
by Tom Cannon
Saranac Legacy IPA
Matt Brewing Co.
50.
93
by Graham L. Barron
Fielder’s Choice
Heavy Seas Beer
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51.
93
by Graham L. Barron
Freak of Nature
Wicked Weed Brewing
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52.
93
by S.J. Klein
Little Sumpin’ Extra
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Exceptional (95 to 91)
53.
93
by Randy Scorby
Lights Out Stout
Worthy Brewing Co.
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54.
93
by Randy Scorby
Double Red IPA
AleSmith Brewing Co.
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55.
93
by Michael Heniff
8-Bit Pale Ale
Tallgrass Brewing Co.
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56.
93
by Rick Franckhauser
Collaboration No. 5
Boulevard Brewing Co. / Cigar City Brewing
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Brewer Q & A
57.
93
by Michael Heniff
Pivo
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
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Brewer Q & A
58.
93
by Joseph Formanek
Hop’lin IPA
Southbound Brewing Co.
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Brewer Q & A
59.
93
by Susan Ruud
Dale’s Pale Ale
Oskar Blues Brewery
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60.
93
by Mike Castagno
Double Platinum
Starr Hill Brewery
61.
93
by Richard Wong
Dragon’s Milk
New Holland Brewing Co.
62.
92
by Michael Heniff
Tropic King
Funkwerks, Inc.
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Exceptional (95 to 91)
63.
92
by Jason Johnson
Overrated West Coast Style IPA
Surly Brewing Co.
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64.
92
by Nelson Crowle
Calm Before The Storm
Ballast Point Brewing Co.
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65.
92
by Joseph Formanek
Nordic Saison
Harpoon Brewery
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66.
92
by Pete Garofalo
Frost Line Rye
Summit Brewing Co.
67.
92
by Tom Cannon
Sauvage
NOLA Brewing Co.
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68.
92
by Susan Ruud
Green Man ESB
Green Man Brewery
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69.
92
by Rick Franckhauser
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Boston Beer Co.
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70.
92
by Dan Preston
Citra Hero
Revolution Brewing
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71.
92
by Garrick Van Buren
Chucktown Follicle Brown
Holy City Brewing
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72.
92
by Jim Koebel
Double Duckpin
Union Craft Brewing
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Exceptional (95 to 91)
73.
92
by Jim Koebel
Duckpin Pale Ale
Union Craft Brewing
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74.
92
by Owen Ogletree
Blood Orange Gose
Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
75.
92
by Joseph Formanek
Dantalion Dark Wild Ale
Upland Brewing Co.
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76.
92
by Jim Koebel
Red Nose Winter Ale
Natty Greene’s Brewing Co.
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77.
92
by Nelson Crowle
HopDevil
Victory Brewing Co.
78.
92
by Randy Scorby
AleSmith IPA
AleSmith Brewing Co.
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79.
92
by Joseph Formanek
Picture of Nectar
Southbound Brewing Co.
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80.
92
by Michael Heniff
Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat
Tallgrass Brewing Co.
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81.
92
by Susan Ruud
Squeaky Bike Nut Brown
Moab Brewery
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Brewer Q & A
82.
92
by James Link
Gemini
Southern Tier Brewing Co.
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Exceptional (95 to 91)
83.
92
by Owen Ogletree
Carnevale Ale
Port Brewing Co. / The Lost Abbey
84.
92
by Owen Ogletree
Florida Cracker
Cigar City Brewing
85.
92
by Nelson Crowle
Angel City IPA
Angel City Brewery
86.
92
by Michael Heniff
Golden Road Hefeweizen
Golden Road Brewing
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87.
92
by Randy Scorby
Anchor Steam Beer
Anchor Brewing Co.
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88.
92
by Randy Scorby
Ruination 2.0
Stone Brewing Co.
89.
91
by Jim Koebel
Zombie Dust
3 Floyds Brewing Co.
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90.
91
by Jim Koebel
Hoplanta
Red Brick Brewing Co.
Exceptional (95 to 91)
91.
91
by Nelson Crowle
Stone Pale Ale 2.0
Stone Brewing Co.
92.
91
by Michael McGuire
Rosetta
Brewery Ommegang
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93.
91
by Randy Scorby
Sex Panther
SanTan Brewing Co.
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94.
91
by Joseph Formanek
Full Suspension Pale Ale
Squatters Craft Beers
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95.
91
by Graham L. Barron
Best Brown Ale
Bell’s Brewery
96.
91
by Rodney A. Tillinghast
Melt Away Session IPA
Newburyport Brewing Co.
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97.
91
by Tom Cannon
Treasure Chest
Green Flash Brewing Co.
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98.
91
by Joseph Formanek
Loving Cup
Southbound Brewing Co.
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99.
91
by Nelson Crowle
Unfiltered Wheat Beer
Boulevard Brewing Co.
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100.
91
by Jim Koebel
12th Round
Roughtail Brewing Co.
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