June was a pretty lowkey month—I spent most of June in Charlotte aside from a work trip to the beach and checked out some new spots in CLT and hung out with Mosaic at home. I tried 101 beers over the past month and this list has the best of the best. 3 of the 6 beers on this list are Saisons, which I think just points to how incredibly hot it has been in Charlotte and the need for light, delicious beers.
In no particular order, here were my top beers in June 2023:
Raspberry Tart from New Glarus Brewing in New Glarus, WI
Raspberry Tart is a Framboise Lambic with Oregon raspberries spontaneously fermented. I’ve been holding on to this since my visit to New Glarus last summer and finally decided to crack it open. This beer was insanely delicious and far exceeded my expectations. I wish I had more of this one to enjoy all summer long!
I Used To Consider The Consequences collaboration from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC and Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, NY
This is a Double Dry-Hopped Imperial IPA with Citra and Cashmere and finished with Motueka and Citra Cryo hops. Burial recreated this brew that originally dropped in 2020 and it is delightful. Packed with flavor, juicy and well-rounded.
Saison du BlÉ (Blend #13) from Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, MO
Saison du Blé is a oak aged Saison that is then bottle conditioned. Side Project can do no wrong and this is a classic, delicious brew from them. Long live Saison Summers!
Donut from Nebuleus Beer in Portland, OR
Donut is a blend of gin and chardonnay barrel aged Saisons refermented on donut peaches. This was my first time hearing of Nebuleus and I was super impressed by this brew. I don’t always love things that have peach but this was well balanced and fantastic.
Clover (2020) from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT
Clover is a Saison that is a blend of Ann, Art, and Flora aged between 16 to 27 months independently and then combined before aging another 2 years. Clover is one of Hill Farmstead’s most sought after beers and for good reason—this was superb!
Probably Existing with Coconut from Resident Culture Brewing in Charlotte, NC
Probably Existing is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for 24 months then conditioned on toasted pistachios, cocoa butter, cacao nibs and vanilla. This version also has toasted coconut, giving it the perfect combination of barrel flavor, sweetness, and smoothness.
