August and September 2024

First and foremost, my heart is broken for the communities of Western North Carolina and beyond that have been devastated by Hurricane Helene. Here is a good list of spots to donate funds and a list of spots to donate goods to help recovery efforts. Here is my PorchDrinking article on how you can help breweries + their teams and what their level of impact from the storm is. Thank you for supporting these communities that I love and adore in this catastrophic time.

This edition of my top beers is two months combined because I was traveling at the start of last month. August and September brought an international trip to Finland, Sweden and Norway, a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake, and three bottle shares with friends—but also covid and a flu/stomach bug so a couple of weeks with no beers tried.

Over the past two months I tried 125 different beers, and here were the best of the best—all of which I rated a 4.5 or 5 on Untappd, meaning I believe them to be extraordinary:

Triple Vegan and The Vegan from Fidens Brewing in Albany, NY

The Vegan is an Imperial IPA with Citra in the whirlpool and dry hopped with Galaxy and Nelson. Triple Vegan is, as you might expect, the triple version of this beer—a Triple IPA with Citra, Galaxy and Nelson hops. I’m sure both of these have been in my top beer lists before, but having them side-by-side in August was a treat!

Anytime You Are Anywhere Always and Never Asked To Be This Way from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC

Anytime You Are Anywhere Always is a Quadruple Dream Resin IPA. Quadruple dry hopped with Citra, Citra Cryo, Nectaron, and Galaxy. This beer blew me away. I had it first in a can from my friend who snagged it while I was out of town, and was shook at how good it was. So then I went to have it on tap… three more times haha. A QIPA is not something I would normally go for—it screams overly boozy and malty. Burial’s first ever QIPA was the exact opposite of that norm. Creamy, juicy, and delicious!

Never Asked To Be This Way is a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with 70% 13 month aged Willet Bourbon Barrel, 16% 18 month old Double Buffalo Trace and Willets Barrel, and 14% young Stout. No adjuncts, all fantastic barrel flavor.

Flora Pear from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT

Flora Pear is a top beer for me, and my friends. It’s a Farmhouse Wheat barrel aged on organic dessert and Siberian pears and bottle conditioned to perfection. Seek this one out (and share it with me!).

The Same Eternity from Blindhouse Beer in Roanoke, VA

The Same Eternity is a blend of aged Mixed Culture beer and fresh, hoppy Saison. Blindhouse Beer is a gem and I loved every beer I had there—so much so that I visited twice while in town and bought a bottle of everything that had to go.

Talos from Conclave Brewing in Flemington, NJ

Talos is a Triple IPA packing a very tasty punch. Conclave Brewing is a top notch spot flying under the radar—if you haven’t checked them out yet I would definitely recommend!

Pronghorn from Freak Folk Bier in Waterbury, VT

Pronghorn is an unfiltered Bavarian-style Helles best enjoyed on a hike with a killer view. This was the perfect crusher as I reached Pulpit Rock.

Maiden collaboration brew from Track Brewing Company in Manchester, England and Fidens Brewing in Albany, NY

Maiden is an Imperial IPA with Citra (YCH 702 Trial, T90, and Cryo), Nelson, Nectaron, Peacharine, and Riwaka Sub Zero Hop Kief. When I saw a Fidens collaboration in Finland that was an obvious choice for me and it did not disappoint! This was my last beer of the trip and an absolute banger. Definitely recommend Beer Room Haka in the Kallio neighborhood.

Sunrises collaboration from Side Project Brewing in St. Louis, MO and Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola, CA

This 2023 edition of Sunrises is a blend of oak-aged Lager and Saison. As a product of two of the best breweries in the country, it’s no surprise this is a delight. Light yet full of flavor with a powerful nose.

Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout from Angry Chair Brewing in Tampa, FL

This is an Imperial Sweet Stout with coconut, Haitian cacao nibs, vanilla beans and lactose. It might sound like a sugar bomb, and yes sure it’s decadent, but it’s a delicious combination of flavors. Fantastic, as always, from Angry Chair!

See you next month for more delicious beers! Cheers —Alexis

July 2024

July! Whew this year is flying by. In July I took trips to Idaho and the Asheville area. I tried 84 different beers this past month, and in no particular order, here were the top beers I had in July:

Flip Fly Flows from Monkish Brewing in TorRance, CA

Flip Fly Flows is a Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin hops. Monkish is always a delight, but having this juicy goodness with a view in the Sawtooth Mountains is tough to beat!

Wilfred from Angry Chair Brewing in Tampa, FL

Wilfred is an Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout with maple. Angry Chair’s Stout game is always at the top of the game, and this was a great reminder to get my hands on their beers more often. I enjoyed this at Replay Brewing’s annual Jurassic Bark while Mosaic enjoyed her dog beer!

Eugene’s Axe from Fidens Brewing in Albany, NY

Eugene’s Axe is a Double IPA with Citra and Galaxy hops. I’ve had this beer a few times from Fidens and I always love it! So easy to drink, so full of flavor. Need a Fidens restock stat.

Kentuckley 2 Year (2023) from Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman, MI

Kentuckley is Transient’s Buckley Imperial Breakfast Stout aged in Buffalo Trace & Four Roses Bourbon Barrels. Their Stouts always impress me, but this one was superb. Highly recommend seeking out these guys!

I Used To Be An Athlete collaboration brew from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC and Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, NY

I Used To Be An Athlete is a Double IPA Double Dry-Hopped with Sabro, Citra, Vic's Secret and Simcoe hops. They’ve made this beer before and it was an instant classic, so I was very excited to see another batch released. It’s no surprise that an Other Half x Burial collaboration is killer!

Bella Vita from Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton, NH

Bella Vita is an Italian Pilsner from one of the top Lager breweries in the country. Crisp, flavorful, and a delight. Perfect on a hot summer day in Charlotte!

The next edition will be August & September together due to some travel, so keep your eyes peeled! Cheers —Alexis

May and June 2024

The last two months were absolutely stacked with incredible beer for me. I started May in Charlotte with brewery hopping and bottle sharing before heading out for a 29 day road trip across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia.

Mosaic and I visited some of the top breweries in the country (& world) so it is quite difficult to narrow down a list of top beers. This list will look a little different from my normal—in some cases I am listing more than one beer from a brewery because they were that good.

I rated all of these at least a 4.5 on Untappd, for reference. In no particular order, out of 310 beers tried, here were my top beers from May and June 2024:

Triple Vegan + DDH Eugene’s Axe + The Butcher+ Triple Jasper with Nelson from Fidens Brewing Company in Albany, NY

Fidens has been a favorite for me over the past couple of years, so I was stoked to visit their taproom. Their beer on tap is just simply superb, and of course I stocked up on cans to bring home as well. They were also pouring at Nucleate from HOMES which I attended while in Michigan, so I have been quite spoiled with Fidens over the past couple of months!

Triple Vegan is a Triple IPA with Citra, Galaxy and Nelson hops. DDH Eugene’s Axe is a double dry hopped Double IPA with Citra and Galaxy hops. The Butcher is a Double IPA with Mosaic hops in the whirlpool and dry hopped with Galaxy and Nelson. Triple Jasper with Nelson is a Triple IPA with Citra and Nelson hops.

Samuel (Batches 2 and 5) + Wheat Blanc (2022) from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT

Visiting Hill Farmstead is a remarkably peaceful and relaxing experience. Their taproom is essentially in the middle of nowhere and offers draft pours but also bottle pours.

Samuel is a Saison with organic buckwheat, organic spelt, and Vermont wildflower honey aged in wine barrels and bottle conditioned. I enjoyed Batch 2 and Batch 5 in a side-by-side tasting thanks to some great friends before heading out on my trip, and then I was lucky enough that Hill was pouring Batch 5 while I was at the taproom as well.

Wheat Blanc is a Farmhouse Ale aged in oak and hopped with Hallertauer Blanc. This beer is a little more basic but an absolute delight.

Staglore + Penumbra from Freak Folk Bier in Waterbury, VT

Freak Folk is a wildly underrated brewery in the wildly underrated small town of Waterbury. Their beers, no matter the style, are superb. Two of my favorites from my visit were Staglore and Penumbra. Staglore is a Saison brewed with foraged staghorn sumac and conditioned in oak puncheons with mixed culture. Penumbra is a Saison fermented with mixed culture and matured in oak for 28 months then aged nearly 5 years.

A Test of Awareness + Crown of Illusions + Let’s Get Out of Here from Troon Brewing in Hopewell, NJ

Troon! Hyped and worthy. They don’t have a taproom, but you’re able to try their beers on draft at Brick Farm Tavern on their property + they release crowlers occasionally. I tried all of their beers on tap and loved the entire experience.

Each of these top three beers I had from them are deemed “Hoppy Ales” as they don’t giveaway much of anything, but they were all superb. I was lucky enough to have Let’s Get Out of Here on draft and in a crowler and it was top tier.

Ninth Passing from Burial Beer Company in Asheville, NC

Ninth passing is a Rum and Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with toasted coconut, cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans brewed to celebrate Burial’s ninth anniversary. They’ve since celebrated 11 years, so I figured it was time to crack this bad boy open. Absolutely delicious!

Barrel Aged Space Cuvée from Equilibrium Brewery in Middletown, NY

EQ is a tried and true favorite. While in the Hudson Valley area I knew I had to pay another visit to this gem. The beers, food, and vibes are all great! This particular brew is an Imperial Stout aged in a Weller barrel for 34 months with a vanilla cuvée, vanilla granola and caramel toasted coconut added.

Doubleganger + Golden Fern from Tree House Brewing Company in Charlton, MA

Tree House is one of the OGs in the Hazy IPA game and it felt like a right of passage to visit their beautiful taprooms across Massachusetts. Their location on the beach of Cape Cod in Sandwich is tough to beat with gorgeous views and chill vibes. The main space in Charlton is gorgeous and massive. Deerfield is newer and quite peaceful.

I enjoyed numerous great beers from them on my taproom journey, but Doubleganger and Goldern Fern were my top two. Doubleganger is a Double IPA that is the amped up version of Doppelganger. Golden Fern is a Double IPA with Nelson, Peacharine, Motueka, and Waimea hops

‘Nana This from CLAG Brewing Company in Sandusky, OH

‘Nana This is an Imperial Stout aged 15 months in Old Carter barrels, conditioned on coconut, coffee, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cocoa nibs and banana. CLAG can do it all—IPAs, Lagers, and this decadent Stout. Their taproom is out of the way (unless you’re visiting Cedar Point!) but absolutely worth a visit!

Say Yes from Lua Brewing in Des Moines, IA

Say Yes is a Fruited Sour with blackberry, boysenberry, and blue raspberry. Lua always has great beers and I was very happy to see them at Nucleate from HOMES. This Sour was superb—packed with flavor and easily a favorite of the festival.

Second Hand Coffins collaboration brew from Foam Brewers in Burlington, VT and Widowmaker Brewing in Braintree, MA

This Oat Triple IPA from two New England greats. I enjoyed it on tap at Foam, which helped make up for the fact that Widowmaker was closed when I was in the area. Deliciously juicy and great with views of Lake Champlain.

Parlance: 2022 Harvest Shiro from Suarez Family Brewery in Hudson, NY

Suarez is an interesting spot to visit with just two beers on tap and a handful of onsite bottles. Their beer is always top-notch. Coincidentally right before I left Charlotte and was able to visit Suarez I decided to crack this bottle. This is a Country beer with Shiro plums and is absolutely delicious!

May 2023

May brought less beer consumption for me—I tried 72 different beers over the past month—but there were still some truly delicious beers. This month’s list is comprised of 100% IPAs which is pretty odd for me! Overall since I didn’t have that many beers this month, I didn’t go to many breweries, and the weather has warmed up, I guess that led to a need for more haze craze than anything else. Plus, I spent 12 days adventuring around southern Utah and northern Arizona going on stellar hikes and not drinking very many beers, and the ones I did have were more so trail beers than fantastic sippers.

Here are the best beers I had over the past month:

Triple Farmer from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY

Triple Farmer is a Triple IPA with Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic and Nelson hops. This was the best beer I had in May—I rated it a 4.75 on Untappd. It was smooth, juicy and delicious!

Bloom and Blossom from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Bloom and Blossom is a Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Galaxy, Rakau and Mosaic hops. I was lucky enough to have several Monkish beers in May and they were all superb, but this one was particularly packed with flavor.

Water Balloon Fight Club from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

This is a double dry-hopped version of their Water Balloon Fighters Double IPA with Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops. Another fantastic beer from the folks at Monkish!

Do We Live in A Society of Spectacle? from Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

This is the Citra batch 5 version of Do We Live In A Society of Spectacle. It is a multi-oat/wheat Double IPA with all Citra hops. It’s hard to not love a fully Citra hopped beer, they are always fantastic!

What Changed? from Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, NC

What Changed? is a Double IPA dry-hopped with citra incognito, motueka, rakau and topaz hops. I love that Fonta Flora has just recently entered the Hazy IPA game and is already putting out absolutely fantastic beers! This was super crushable.

Double Grid from Hop Butcher for the World in Chicago, IL

Double Grid is a Double IPA with Citra and Mosaic hops. I don’t get my hands on enough beers from Hop Butcher, and this brew reminded me of how amazing they are. I was thrilled that Pop The Top had this on tap!

March 2023

March was a packed beer month with a few days in Hendersonville and Asheville, NC and then a week in Greenville, SC—check out my Greenville beer and travel guide here. I tried 198 different beers in March, a lot of which were consumed while watching March Madness, at Altered States festival from The Eighth State Brewing Company (check out my recap here) and at bottle shares.

In no particular order here are the best beers I had in March:

JFK2LAX: SFO Layover collaboration brew from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA and Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is a Triple IPA with Citra, Simcoe and Motueka hops. I am a huge fan of the JFK2LAX series and this edition was a delight! I rated this a 4.75 on Untappd because it was so ridiculously good.

Damage: Batch 100 from Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

This is a multi-oat/wheat Triple IPA from one of the best IPA breweries in the country. Root + Branch crushed this brew and I am very happy to have one more can of it in my fridge. It is extremely smooth and flavorful.

The Morbid Comfort of a Welcome Regression from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC

The Morbid Comfort of a Welcome Regression is a Triple Dry Hopped Triple IPA with Simcoe, Vic Secret and Eclipse hops. Anytime Burial drops a new Triple IPA I am excited but this one was superb. It has that classic Burial hint of sweetness without being overly boozy.

Triple Vegan from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY

Triple Vegan is a Triple IPA with Citra, Galaxy and Nelson hops. As you may know, it is the triple version of their iconic brew The Vegan. Coincidentally I just had the original brew, The Vegan, yesterday and it pales in comparison to Triple Vegan. This is rich in flavor and incredibly easy to drink.

Hyperbolic from The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC

Hyperbolic is an Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Stout aged 1 year and 11 months in a Laird's Apple Barrel with toasted coconut, cassia bark, and Madagascar vanilla. It was tough for me to choose just one Eighth State Stout to include on this month’s top beers list, but Hyperbolic soared above the rest. Apple Brandy Barrels are always my favorite! I enjoyed this at their Altered States festival.

Fostering Divine Culture collaboration brew from Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC and Divine Barrel Brewing in Charlotte, NC

Fostering Divine Culture is an Imperial Stout aged in Laird’s Applejack barrels for 22 months then conditioned on rum barrel chips, wild Thai banana, toasted coconut, and vanilla. This was brewed in celebration of Divine Barrel’s 5th Anniversary. I enjoyed it at Community Tap in Greenville and I snagged a bottle at Resident Culture’s taproom once it dropped!

One Thousand Years from The Veil Brewing Company in Richmond, VA

From The Veil: “One Thousand Years was the 1000th batch of beer ever brewed at The Veil back in early 2019. The recipe is an amped-up recipe inspired equally by Pallbearer, Circle of Wolves, Sleeping Forever, and one of our favorite Imperial Stout collaborations. It spent 12 months in Laird's Apple Brandy barrels and then another 12 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels.” In my eyes this is basically a cuvee of The Veil’s best brews and it was absolutely phenomenal!

Sequence Collaboration Brew from Homage Brewing in Pomona, CA and Highland Park Brewery in Los Angeles, CA

Sequence is a barrel aged Saison with spent Matsumoto peaches, spent nectarines and Osmanthus flower. Eighth State was pouring this at one of their events before the festival. Sequence is refreshing, flavorful and unique.

January 2023

Some people do dry January. This year I did what I would refer to as an underwater January. There were a lot of beers consumed between my birthday, Mosaic’s Puppy Pawty, bottle shares and more. This was the first month that I did not take a trip since the depths of Covid, so there was less brewery hopping but more high quality beers consumed.

This was also my first ever month of using Untappd so I now have super accurate data around my top beers which is really nice. I checked in 131 beers in January (!) and you can follow me on Untappd here.

Here were my top beers in January, in no particular order:

Kyle’s Axe collaboration brew from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY and Horus Aged Ales in Oceanside, CA

Kyle’s Axe is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Nelson and Peacharine hops. It comes in at 8% and is absolutely superb. This is potentially the best IPA I have ever had in my life. I had this brew twice and loved it both times.

The Bones of the Things Around Us collaboration brew from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY and Troon Brewing in Hopewell, NJ + Triple Jasper + Triple Jasper with Nelson from Fidens Brewing

3 juice bombs from the fine folks at Fidens! The Bones of the Things Around Us is a Double IPA with with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo hops. Triple Jasper is a Triple IPA with Citra hops. Triple Jasper with Nelson is a Triple IPA with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops. These were all insanely delicious beers that I was lucky enough to try a couple of times and loved! Fidens has been absolutely crushing the game lately.

Beer: Barrel: Time (Rye 2022) from Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, MO

BBT Baby! I’ve had BBT once before but the rye version was new to me and exciting to get to try. This is one of the most hyped Stouts in the world so it is always a real treat to get to taste! From Side Project: “We finalized a blend which consisted of 2 different recipes, brewed 3 different times and then finished in 3 different barrels for 18 to 42 months. The younger portion represents threads which were brewed right around the 2020 release in plan to become part of this 2022 blend. The much older threads consist of the exact same brew/barrels from the 2020 release, barrels which we held back and allowed an extended aging. The result of this layering focuses this blend more in line with how we blend our BBT releases, with a showcase of our production over time, layering in age and youth in a way that can only come from time spent in a barrel. Derivation Blend #3 recipe aged in Willett 5 year Rye Barrels since 7/23/18; Vibes recipe aged in Willett 4 year Rye Barrels since 7/2/20; Vibes recipe aged in StilL630 Rye Barrels since 7/28/20.”

Double Dry Hopped Ghost, Holy Ghost and Infinite Ghost from Parish Brewing in Broussard, LA

Double Dry Hopped Ghost in the Machine is an Imperial IPA with Citra hops. Holy Ghost is a Triple IPA dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy and Citra Cryo. Infinite Ghost is an Imperial IPA with hand-selected Yakima Valley Citra hops and Citra Terpenes. The Anniversary Ghost releases are always superb! This year I had each can individually and then also did a blind side by side with my second can of each. My ranking blind was Infinite-Holy-DDH.

100 Triple Dry Hopped with Citra from Burley Oak Brewing in Berlin, MD

This is an all Citra Triple Dry Hopped Imperial IPA. The 100 series from Burley Oak focuses on a single hop at a time and this brew was fantastic. Citra is always a favorite but this was dangerously easy to drink.

The 12° from Lesser-Known Beer Company in Winston-Salem, NC

The 12° is a Czech inspired Pale Lager from the fine folks at Lesser-Known. Their Lagers are fantastic and I highly recommend a visit if you have not checked them out yet. Check out my Winston-Salem beer guide here.

‘22 Three Year Blend from Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, NC

This is an Appalachian Gueuze-inspired three year blend of spontaneously fermented ales from the winters of 2018, 2019 and 2020. This is my favorite beer I have ever had from Fonta Flora. There are still some bottles floating around out there so be sure to snag one while you can!

Check back next month to see my top beers of February! Cheers—Alexis

November and December 2022

November and December launched us further into Stout season and into a slue of delicious beers! I spent two weeks in New Zealand drinking a plethora of delicious Hazy IPAs, explored some new breweries and adopted a sweet little brew pup—Mosaic! In no particular order here were my top beers of November and December:

Check back next week for my top beers of the year!

I Heart NYC collaboration brew from Garage Project in Wellington, New Zealand and Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is a Hazy Pale Ale combining Other Half’s High Density Hop Charge with Garage Project’s Double Shot co-fermentation technique to create a ‘DSHDHC’ Hazy with Calypso, Citra, Simcoe and Strata hops. Best enjoyed on a trail summit with a killer view in Fiordland National Park.

Barrel Aged Pastrinauts (Four Roses) collaboration brew from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, J. Wakefield Brewing in Miami, FL, Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA, Horus Aged Ales in Oceanside, CA and Moksa Brewing in Rocklin, CA

Pastrinauts is an Imperial Stout with bananas, molasses, marshmallows and freeze dried ice cream. This version was aged in 15 year old Four Roses Barrels and clocks in at 14% ABV. This was insanely delicious and one of my favorite beers of the year.

Double Barrel Whale Rider from Weathered Souls Brewing in Charlotte, NC

Whale Rider is an Imperial Stout with toasted coconut, coconut and Madagascar vanilla beans. This version was double barrel aged in a Willet 8 year rye barrel and 15 year Woodford Reserve Masters barrel. Weathered Souls opened their Charlotte brewery in November and this was a fantastic beer to kick off their CLT beginnings.

Peter from Parrotdog Brewery in Wellington, New Zealand

Peter is an Imperial IPA. A lot of Hazys in New Zealand were delicious but Peter was a stand out!

Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Notable Ascent from Back Channel Brewing in Spring Park, MN

This is an Imperial Stout with Madagascar Vanilla aged in an Apple Brandy barrels. I am a sucker for apple brandy barrel aged beers and this was a perfect execution of flavors. I enjoyed this brew at Heist’s Night & Day 3 Festival. I need to get my hands on some more Back Channel beers!

Double Dry Hopped Ghost in the Machine from Parish Brewing in Broussard, LA

DDH Ghost is always delicious but this year’s batch was superb. DDH Ghost is a Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with all Citra hops. Juicy, smooth, flavorful and delightful.

Double Barrel Junie from Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman, MI

This is an Imperial Rye Stout with Violet Sky cocoa nibs and salted caramel aged in Henry McKenna Bourbon barrels and Blis Maple Syrup barrels. Junie is a flavorful barrel forward brew from one of the best breweries in Michigan. I enjoyed this brew at Collect Beer Bar in Detroit!

Triple Eugene’s Axe from Fidens Brewing + Alex’s Axe collaboration brewing from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY and Troon Brewing in Hopewell, NJ

These were both phenomenal beers so I am cheating and doing a two-for-one here. Triple Eugene’s Axe is a Triple IPA with Citra and Galaxy hops. Alex’s Axe is a Hoppy Triple IPA with Nelson, Strata, Peacharine and Galaxy hops that is a collab with Troon. Generally I find Troon to be a bit overhyped, but this brew was incredible.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Bananaversary (2022 Edition) from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

Bananaversary is an Imperial Pastry Stout with wild Thai bananas, coconut, toasted coconut, vanilla and macadamia nuts that is aged in bourbon barrels. I held onto this bottle for almost a full year before cracking it open and it was worth the wait. This has the perfect combination of adjuncts and barrel notes while being thiccc and lucious.

Check back next week to see my top beers of 2022! Cheers —Alexis

September & October 2022

September and October brought more fantastic adventures & ales—who would’ve guessed!

In September I spent 17 days exploring the Southwest in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, the greater Las Vegas area, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park.

October brought the Snallygaster beer fest in Washington D.C. with a stop in Richmond on the way and a relaxing mountain weekend in Bryson City, NC! I also had the privilege of visiting Asheville twice and spending lots of quality time in Charlotte!

All of this lead to some killer beers—below is my top beers in September and October, in no particular order:

All We Become Is Just Dirt In The Ground at Burial Beer Company in Charlotte, NC

This is an Imperial IPA mashed with oats and barley, whirlpooled with Incognito, Cryo, and Phantasm, made from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc skins, then double dry-hopped with Simcoe, Citra, El Dorado, and doses of Citra and El Dorado Cryo.

Burial continues to put out bangers from all sides of the spectrum—Pilsners, IPAs, Stouts—you name it. It is surreal to think that their Charlotte taproom has only been open for 5 months, so many great beers have already been had here!

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything collaboration brew from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY and Root + Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

This is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Riwaka and Motueka hops from two of the best IPA breweries in the country—Other Half and Root + Branch. I was luck enough to have this one on draft at Other Half’s Washington D.C. taproom and in a can from the release in NYC and I loved it both times!

Cake Day from Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA at The Wandering Tortoise in Phoenix, AZ

Cake Day is a Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Chocolate Cake Stout aged in a combination of Bernheim, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Old Fitzgerald barrels with a blend of Ghanaian and Ecuadorian cacao nibs, vanilla frosting and sprinkles. This was brewed to celebrate Bottle Logic’s 8th Anniversary and was truly superb. The Wandering Tortoise is a fantastic beer bar in Phoenix with a huge draft list and fantastic can and bottle selection as well.

Double Dry Hopped Double Citra Daydream from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is an Imperial Oat Cream IPA with Citra pellets and Citra Lupulin. Other Half does it again—no surprise there. This was a stellar brew and the perfect accompaniment for a relaxing weekend in the mountains.

The Heart of Chaos Triple IPA from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY at Snallygaster

The Heart of Chaos is a Triple IPA with Citra, Nelson and Mosaic hops. This was brewed to celebrate 3 years of Fidens! This was my favorite beer from the Snallygaster beer festival in D.C. and a delicious brew.

Dagligt intag collaboration brew from Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA and Omnipollo in Sundbyberg, Sweden

This is a Fruited Berliner Weisse with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and milk sugar. Trillium and Omnipollo’s collabs are always next level, but Dagligt Intag took it to the extreme. This beer is absolutely loaded with fruits but is still incredibly balanced and delicious.

Spellbinder at Wren House Brewing in Phoenix, AZ

Spellbinder is Wren House’s house Hazy IPA with Cascade, Mosaic and Citra hops. This beer won gold in the Hazy/Juicy IPA category at Great American Beer Festival in 2020, so I am not alone in my assertion that this is a fantastic beer. I enjoyed everything I had at Wren House and the vibes were great as well.

Check back next month to see my top beers of November!
Cheers—Alexis

July & August 2022

July and August were a wild ride! I went on a 5 week solo road trip and visited 93 breweries across 10 states, so needless to say there were a TON of great beers drank. In no particular order, here were the best beers I had over July and August:

Eternal Vigilance from Ever Grain Brewing in Camp Hill, PA

Eternal Vigilance is an Imperial IPA with Motueka, Citra and Riwaka hops. This was a delicious juice bomb that I thoroughly enjoyed. Ever Grain was a great stop in Pennsylvania en route to Washington D.C. The food and beers were delicious and I’d highly recommend checking it out if you’re ever in the area!

Vast Air from Other Half Brewing in Bloomfield, NY

Vast Air 2021 Blend is a Wild Ale spontaneously fermented in a coolship. Other Half’s Finger Lakes taproom specializes in Wild and Farmhouse Ales and they are absolutely crushing it. This was a delicious and refreshing brew on their gorgeous farm setting.

Very Special Lord Whangdoodle from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA

Very Special Lord Whangdoodle is an Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout aged in a blend of Bourbon, Cognac, Maple, and Apple Brandy Barrels conditioned on double hazelnuts, double truffle, double vanilla, and double coconut. This was an insanely delicious beer. The Veil’s Stouts are always impressive, but this was one of my favorite beers I have had in a long time.

Double Citra Chroma Daydream from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is a Triple Dry Hopped Oat Cream Imperial IPA with Citra hops, Citra Cryo, and Citra Incognito all hand-selected and paired with a ton of oats and a hint of milk sugar. This was a creamy, juicy brew that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Broccoli’s Axe collaboration brew from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY and Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY

Broccoli’s Axe is an Imperial IPA with Mosaic, Simcoe, Hallertau Blanc, Cascade, Citra and Galaxy. This is a collaboration based on Other Half’s Broccoli and Fidens’ Eugene’s Axe, arguably their flagship beers. It is no surprise that these two created something so fantastic!

Adieu Adieu from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Adieu Adieu is a Double Dry Hopped Triple IPA with Citra hops. Monkish is consistently great with their IPAs, but Adieu Adieu takes it to another level. This is a top beer of 2022 for me so far!

Eunoia Batch 10 from Phase Three Brewing in Lake Zurich, IL

Eunoia Batch 10 is a Barrel-Aged Neapolitan Imperial Stout with strawberry, cocoa nibs and vanilla. Eunoia is one of my favorite series of Stouts out there and I was thrilled to finally get to try it at the source! Normally I don’t love a fruity Stout but this one was a great balance.

Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewing in New Glarus, WI

Spotted Cow is a Cask Conditioned Farmhouse Ale and the flagship beer of New Glarus (and perhaps the entire state of Wisconsin!). Spotted Cow is a classic brew but having it on tap at their taproom was even better! This is a very unique beer that is perfect for the summertime.

Conducting Business collaboration brew from BlackStack Brewing in St. Paul, MN and Orchestrated Minds Brewing in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Conducting Business is a Double Dry Hopped Imperial IPA with Amarillo, El Dorado, El Dorado Cryo, Citra and Citra Cryo hops. BlackStack and Orchestrated Minds are both superb breweries so it is no surprise that this beer was top-notch!

Check back next month to see my top beers of September! Cheers —Alexis

February 2022

February brought a slue of fantastic beers! I also took trips to Greenville, SC and up to Michigan, so that led to some great beers as well. Fingers crossed we are moving towards warmer weather and more patio beers in the coming weeks!

In no particular order, here were my top beers in February 2022:

Tulip from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY

Tulip is a Double IPA brewed with Citra and Simcoe hops. Fidens has really fine-tuned what a Double IPA should be and Tulip is a prime example of this. Smooth, juicy, flavorful, and delicious.

Never Gonnagetit³ from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA

This is the triple fruited version the Veil’s mixed berry gose with raspberry, boysenberry, and blackberry. Anything mixed berry is always going to be a win from my perspective and this was delicious. Shout out to Salud Beer Shop for hosting a Veil tap takeover so we can have their RVA goodness in CLT.

Ana from Fair Isle Brewing in Seattle, WA

Ana is a tropical Saison refermented on Ananasnaya Kiwi fruit from Red Cedar Farm in Poulsbo, WA. In my opinion, Saisons are always best enjoyed on a beautiful day sitting outside (preferably also with a cheese board). I have been hyping Fair Isle up since I visited their taproom in July and Ana reminded me of just how good their beers are. If you haven’t jumped on this train yet I highly recommend it!

I Once Left My Mind In A Bed-Stuy Juice Bar Collab from Burial Beer Co. in Asheville, NC and Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This killer collaboration is mashed with oats and candi sugar, whirlpooled with Incognito hops, and triple dry-hopped with Mosaic, El Dorado, Blanc, Motueka and Riwaka hops. It is another banger from the folks at Burial and Other Half, which should come as no surprise.

All Is Not Lost from Petty Thieves Brewing in Charlotte, NC

All Is Not Lost is a Saison brewed with ceylon tea and lemon peel before being refermented on Asian pear puree. Petty Thieves always has a wide array of beers to choose from but I’ve found their Saisons to be my favorites. All Is Not Lost was superb—the pear flavor was not too overpowering but the perfect balance of fruity and refreshing.

Stress Dream collab from The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC and Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY

Pictured left, Stress Dream is an Imperial Stout with Monteblanco Passion Fruit Washed Coffee Beans from @methodicalcoffee , Toasted Coconut, Strawberry, Papua New Guinea Vanilla, Peruvian Cocoa Nibs, and Caramel. When two of the best in the game team up your expectations are pretty high, but Eighth State & Fidens did not disappoint. I am excited to open the bottle of this that I got soon too!

Crunchtime from HopFly Brewing in Charlotte, NC

Crunchtime is an American Lager from one of Charlotte’s newest breweries, HopFly Brewing. They opened in March 2020 in Rocky Mount, NC and just expanded to CLT last week. If you haven’t already checked out their new space in South End get on it! They do each style of beer well, but I found Crunchtime to be well-rounded and refreshing—perfect for their rooftop patio space.

Dots on the Wall from Birds Fly South Ale Project in Greenville, SC

Dots on the Wall is a Farmhouse Style Table Beer. Did you ever think a Table Beer would make a top beers list? I certainly didn’t, but Dots on the Wall has flipped that idea on its head. This was a fantastic, easy-drinking beer that still had plenty of flavor.

Hopnosis from Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, CA

Hopnosis is a West Coast IPA with Mosaic Cryo hops. This was a superb West Coast IPA from the folks at Firestone Walker who have been honing in on this style of beer for over 15 years. Learn more about Hopnosis in my PorchDrinking Beer Feature linked here!

Curtains Closed from High Branch Brewing in Concord, NC

Curtains Closed is a Hazy Double IPA with oats and Sabro, Citra, Azacca, and Centennial hops. High Branch is best known for their IPAs and Curtains Closed was perhaps the best one that I have had from them.

Ghost Big Sherb from HOMES Brewing in Ann Arbor, MI

Ghost Big Sherb is a Smoothie Sour with milk sugar and double fruited with blackberry, black currant, and plum, then aged on vanilla bean. HOMES always makes delicious beers, particularly their Sours. It was fruity without being overly sweet or thick, and I thoroughly enjoyed every sip.

Check back next month to see my top beers of March 2022! Cheers—Alexis

November 2021

November brought the least amount of beers I’ve drank in quite some time, so this month’s list is short and sweet! In no particular order, here are the top beers I had in November 2021:

Time is a Flat Circle collaboration brew from Heist Brewery in Charlotte, NC and Fidens Brewing Co. in Albany, NY

This is a Hazy Double IPA dry hopped with Rakau, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka hops. A local collaboration with one of the hottest breweries in the country right now? Yes please! This is an absolute juice bomb and incredibly smooth.

Potato at New Origin Brewing Co in Asheville, NC

Potato is a New England IPA dry hopped with Idaho Gem and Citra hops. New Origin is Asheville’s newest brewery and they are already making waves. Their IPAs and Lagers were fantastic, I highly recommend checking them out next time you’re in AVL.

Like Whoa collaboration brew from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA, Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, and Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

Like Whoa is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Galaxy, Motueka, Topaz, & Wai-iti hops. This is part of the Freaky Friday collaboration series and a true delight. That should come as no surprise given the three breweries involved!

LAX2JFK: In The Clouds collaboration brew from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA, Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, and Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

LAX2JFK: In The Clouds is an Imperial Oat Cream IPA with Citra, Mosaic, Motueka, Simcoe, Citra Cryo, and Simcoe Cryo hops. This brew has incredible mouthfeel and is loaded with flavor thanks to that stacked hop profile. Yes this is the second beer on this month’s list that is a collaboration from Monkish, Other Half, and Trillium—this stacked team can do no wrong.

Deep Orbit Centaurus from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is an Imperial Stout with vanilla, figs, almonds and cinnamon. Other Half’s Stouts are frequently overlooked and Deep Orbit is just another reminder that they can make more than Hazy IPAs. The adjunct combination is delightful and pairs nicely with the thick body of the base Stout.

Check back next month to see my top beers of december and my overall top beers of 2021! Cheers —Alexis

October 2021

October is arguably the best month of the year—college football is in full swing, leaves are changing, and the month is full of beer fests! For us October meant two bottle shares, a massive fall beer side by side tasting, Barrel Culture Brewing & Blending’s Invitational in Durham, glamping in Lenoir, and an epic Michigan State football victory over Michigan. All of these obviously also meant delicious beers, so this month’s top beers list is a little longer—check out all of the best beers I had in October 2021 below, in no particular order:

Childish Games from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Childish Games is a Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Enigma and Nelson Sauvin hops. Monkish has absolutely nailed the juicy IPA game and this brew is no exception—smooth, flavorful, and fantastic.

2020 Barrel Aged Cuppa Peanut Butter Coconut from Maplewood Brewing in Chicago, IL

This is an Imperial Stout blended from Cuppa aged in Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill and Weller barrels for 12-18 months and conditioned on cacao nibs, vanilla, coffee, toasted coconut and peanut butter. I enjoyed this one at the Barrel Culture Invitational and it reaffirmed my belief in just how good Maplewood is!

Holding This Moment (Blue) collab brew from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY And Horus Aged Ales in OCeanside, CA

Holding This Moment is a Double IPA brewed with Motueka and Citra hops. Fidens is hot right now in the craft beer scene and Horus is always something to be chased after as well, so it’s no surprise this collaboration was incredibly delicious!

Dairelynerweisse: Raspberry, Blackberry, Pomegranate from Salud Cerveceria in Charlotte, NC

Dairelynerweisse is Salud’s Berliner Weisse series and this variant was made with blackberry, raspberry and pomegranate. You can always expect this series to be thicc, fruity, and packed full of flavor. My favorite is still the Mixed Berry version, but this one is excellent too!

Insert Hip Hop Reference Anywhere collab brew from Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA and Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Insert Hip Hop Reference is a single-hop collaboration series from Trillium and this version features Mosaic hops in collaboration with the IPA powerhouse, Monkish Brewing. It is a 10% Triple IPA but is extremely easy to drink.

Watermelon Incipient from Speciation Artisan Ales in Grand Rapids, MI

Watermelon Incipient is a Foeder Aged Solera Sour with watermelon. Speciation always brings the funk! This one is tart, fruity, and light-bodied. I always recommend anything from Speciation that you can get your hands on!

Double Dry Hopped Ghost in the Machine from Parish Brewing in Broussard, LA

Yes I have talked about this beer before, and no I will not be stopping anytime soon. DDH Ghost is an Imperial IPA with Citra hops. I first had this beer when it initially released in 2020 and every time I have it I am continually blown away by how delicious it is. Luckily Parish brought this one to the Barrel Culture Invitational and it was the first keg to kick if that tells you anything about how fantastic it is!

Everything is Connected Collab Brew from The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC and Tripping Animals Brewing Co. in Doral, FL

Everything is Connected is a Barleywine with roasted pecans, Cook's Island vanilla, Ugandan vanilla, Ecuadorian cocoa nibs, and graham crackers. Eighth State crushes the Imperial Stout and Barleywine game so it is no surprise that this brew was exceptional! Thicc, heavy on the vanilla, and boozy—everything I wanted out of it.

Get Puft from Liquid Roots Brewing Project in Lenoir, NC

Get Puft is a mango and marshmallow Sour Ale. This was super flavorful! It’s the first in the new sour series at Liquid Roots so I look forward to seeing what other flavors they develop. In the meantime I’ll take 64oz of this fruit bomb!

Flat Dayz collab brew from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY and Commonwealth Brewing in Virginia Beach, VA

Flat Dayz is a Double IPA with Citra in the whirlpool and dry hopped with Motueka, Waimea, Riwaka and Kohatu hops. Juicy, fruit-forward, and smooth. Another banger from Other Half with the help of Commonwealth.

Eunoia Batch 6 from Phase Three Brewing Company in Zurich, IL

Eunoia Batch 6 is a Barrel-aged Imperial Stout with Tugboat coffee, maple syrup and Ghana cocoa nibs. Phase Three is a Chicagoland powerhouse and Eunoia is arguably their best series. The coffee comes through strong but not in an overpowering fashion while the maple and chocolate even everything out. Highly recommend this brew!

April 2021

April brought a trip to the mountains in Linville Gorge and another visit to Raleigh, so there were plenty of good beers to be had. In no particular order, here were my top beers in April:

Need A Hug from Fonta Flora Brewing in Morganton, NC

Need A Hug is an Appalachian Wild Ale brewed with blueberries and elderberries. Fonta Flora makes some of the best Wild Ales and Lagers in the game and this one is at the top of the list for me. I absolutely loved how packed with flavor yet simultaneously light and refreshing it was!

Double Sunset from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

Other Half has made many versions of this Imperial Stout, this one is made with Coava Coffee Roasters Guatemalan Nayo Ovalle Coffee, vanilla and milk sugar. This beer is absolutely phenomenal and one of my favorite Stouts so far this year. I unfortunately broke the bottle of the other version we had and will forever be full of regret because this one was a banger!

Whistlin’ from Suarez Family Brewery in Hudson, NY

Whistlin’ is a Farmhouse Saison with fresh lemongrass fermented with a mixed culture and aged in oak casks. It is both citrusy but also slightly spicy from the country beer vibes. It is light, refreshing, and extremely tasty. This was the perfect beer to enjoy on the deck in the mountains.

Charge the Channel collaboration brew from Vitamin Sea Brewing in Weymouth, MA and Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

Vitamin Sea and Trillium are two of the best in the game when it comes to IPAs so it is no surprise this brew is delicious. Charge The Channel is an oated Double IPA with Citra, Rakau, and Galaxy hops. It is smooth, flavorful, and juicy—everything I am looking for in a DIPA.

Blade of Hercules collaboration brew from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY and Mortalis Brewing in Avon, NY

Fidens is the new hype brewery and honestly I am jumping on the train. This is the second beer I’ve had from them, the first being an IPA, and they were both top notch. Fidens collaborated with Mortalis, another superb brewery to create this delectable Stout. Blade of Hercules is an Imperial Stout with marshmallow, graham cracker, and cocoa nibs. It tastes like smores in a glass but in a good way, not a smoky and sticky way. I highly recommend getting your hands on some Fidens if you have not already!

Check back next month to see what my top beers of May 2021 will be!

Cheers -Alexis