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

April 2022

April was a crazy month of travel and beers—so crazy in fact that I didn’t write a March top beers round up because I was on the road at the end of March and first couple of weeks of April, sorry friends! This past month I visited Wilmington NC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Miami FL and Seabrook Island SC. I also attended two beer festivals in April—Cape Fear Craft & Cuisine in Wilmington and Wakefest from J. Wakefield Brewing in Miami. That all adds up to a lot of beers, so the ones that made the cut here are truly the best of the best!

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

MawMaw’s Humbleberry Pie collaboration brew from Two Tides Brewing in Savannah, GA and Inner Voice Brewing in Decatur, GA

MawMaw’s Humbleberry Pie is a Fruited Sour with raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon and graham cracker. It is packed with flavor and extremely easy to drink, but still comes in at 7% ABV.

Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Stepping on Toes collaboration brew from Westbrook Brewing in Charleston, SC, The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC, Evil Twin Brewing in New York, NY and Edmund’s Oast Brewing in Charleston, SC

This is an Imperial Stout aged in Laird’s applejack apple brandy barrels for over two years then infused with toasted coconut, banana, macadamia nuts and vanilla beans. This beer is basically everything I love infused into one brew—apple brandy barrel aged, coconut, banana, and vanilla! This was an exceptional brew. I had the original Stepping on Toes last year and this one completely blows the other out of the water. Highly recommend if you can get your hands on it!

Simple Thoughts from Tripping Animals Brewing in Doral, FL

Simple Thoughts is an Imperial Stout aged for 15 months in bourbon maple barrels and conditioned with wild Thai banana, coconut, cacao nibs, peanut butter and Madagascar vanilla beans. Peanut butter Stouts can be a miss for me, but I was thoroughly impressed with this brew at Tripping Animals. Everything I had there was fantastic!

Around The Sun 2 from Edge City Brewery in Charlotte, NC

Around The Sun 2 is a Sour IPA hopped with Citra and conditioned on mangos, tangerines, kiwis and Cloister honey. Edge City released this beer for their 2nd Anniversary in April, and the first version of Around The Sun was released last year for their 1st Anniversary. This beer is the perfect balance of tartness, fruitiness, and smoothness. I had this beer 3 times in 24 hours, so I can definitely say I fully endorse it.

Citra Cutting Tiles from Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

Cutting Tiles is Trillium’s single hop Double IPA series with raw wildflower honey. This Citra version of Cutting Tiles was fantastic! Anything Citra is usually going to go over well, but the addition of the honey sweetened things up a bit and smoothed out the beer. Another win from the folks at Trillium!

Napping Under the Echo Tree from Lua Brewing in Des Moines, IA

Napping Under the Echo Tree is a Fruited Sour with dragon fruit, passionfruit, mango and guava. This was my first time trying anything from Lua and I absolutely loved it! I will definitely be hunting for them on my Midwest road trip this summer!

The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism Chapters 1, 2 & 3 from Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

I did a side by side of all three chapters of The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism and thoroughly enjoyed each one! Chapter 1: Ignorance is Strength is a Double IPA, Chapter 2: Freedom Is Slavery is a Triple IPA and Chapter 3: War Is Peace is a Double IPA. Each Chapter was pretty similar, but overall Chapter II was my favorite!

CHECK BACK NEXT MONTH TO SEE MY TOP BEERS OF MAY 2022!
CHEERS—ALEXIS

My Top Beers in 2021

2021 was a wild ride:

• I visited 191 new-to me breweries and somewhere around 275 breweries total

• I had roughly 1300 unique beers

• Other Half Brewing in New York remains my top brewery for the third year in a row with 5 beers on this list

• I finally leaned into the Pilsner game and have deepened my respect and love for a well-made Lager

In no particular order, here are the best beers I had in 2021:

ELEANOR FROM FAIR ISLE BREWING IN SEATTLE, WA

Eleanor is a Farmhouse Ale refermented on elderberries with Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. It has a berry body with notes of cinnamon, clove, and earthy flavors. Fair Isle was my absolute favorite stop in Seattle! They specialize in creating mixed-culture Saisons and they absolutely crush it.

Pear Sauvie FROM THE ALE APOTHECARY IN BEND, OR

Ale Apothecary is a super unique little spot in Bend where all of their beers are 100% barrel aged, wild fermented, and naturally carbonated. I had every beer available when I visited and they were all delicious, but in choosing my absolute top beer that would have to be Pear Sauvie. It is brewed with @meccagrade barley and rye malts, @sauvieislandhops Crystal hops, and pear juice.

BANANA VANILLA ALMOND APPLE BRANDY CIRCLE OF WOLVES FROM THE VEIL BREWING CO. IN RICHMOND, VA

Banana Vanilla Almond Apple Brandy Circle of Wolves is an English Barleywine aged in @lairdsapplejack Apple Brandy barrels for 20 months then conditioned on bananas, Madagascar vanilla, and Marcona almonds. The banana hits heavy but in a delicious way and the apple brandy kicks in on the back. Perhaps the best beer I had all year.

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. Funny enough, the original Other Half/Monkish version of this collaboration made it on my top beers of 2020 list! Hopefully they keep the train rolling and we can see another release in 2022!

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.

NATIVE/WILD ESTATE HONEY FROM OXBOW BLENDING AND BOTTLING IN PORTLAND, ME

Native/Wild Estate Honey is a Spontaneously Fermented Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale with Maine grains, aged hops, well water, and estate honey. Oxbow crushes the Farmhouse Ales and this one was top notch. The addition of honey sweetens up the barrel funk but not in an overpowering way.

Triple Thiccarus from Wax Wings Brewing Company in Kalamazoo, MI

Triple Thiccarus is the Triple IPA version of their loved single IPA, Thiccarus. I enjoyed this on tap at 8 Degrees Plato, a beer bar and bottle shop in Detroit, MI. Wax Wings has been putting out some stellar brews in Western Michigan for a few years but they are finally getting a little more distribution around the state thankfully. This brew was smooth, juicy, flavorful, and absolutely delightful.

SAINT LAMVINUS FROM CANTILLON BREWERY IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Saint Lamvinus is a blend of Lambics aged 16 to 18 months and of Merlot grapes. I enjoyed this fantastic brew at Zwanze Day hosted by The Veil Brewing. This was my top Cantillon beer of the day and truly phenomenal.

ONE OF US WILL HAVE TO BURY THE OTHER COLLABORATION FROM BURIAL BEER CO. IN ASHEVILLE, NC AND OTHER HALF BREWING IN NEW YORK, NY

One Of Us Will Have To Bury The Other is a Foudre-Aged Mexican-Style Lager with pale pilsner with a touch of Vienna and Munich malt. I cannot begin to count the number of these beers that I absolutely crushed this year. Thankfully Burial released this locally twice this year and hopefully they will do so again next year!

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 was a deliciously thiccc Stout packed with flavor.

I MADE THIS MAP MYSELF COLLABORATION FROM BURIAL BEER CO. IN ASHEVILLE, NC AND OTHER HALF BREWING IN NEW YORK, NY

Burial and Other Half are two of the best breweries in the country, particularly for IPAs, so it is no surprise this Double IPA from them was epic. I Made This Map Myself is a Double IPA with oats, whirlpooled with Incognito and Cryo, triple dry-hopped with hand-selected Citra, Motueka, El Dorado, and Nelson hops, and finished with Citra Cryo hops.

SELF-RELIANCE: MOTUEKA FROM HILL FARMSTEAD BREWERY IN GREENSBORO BEND, VT

This batch of Hill Farmstead’s Farmhouse IPA, Self-Reliance, has hand-selected Motueka hops from Freestyle Farms, their agricultural partner in Upper Moutere, New Zealand. It was conditioned in oak puncheons for 3 months and then bottled since March 13, 2019. Hill Farmstead continues to put out bangers and I am hoping 2022 will finally bring a visit to their brewery and taproom for me!

SUMMER JAM: FROSE COLLABORATION FROM BARREL CULTURE BREWING AND BLENDING IN DURHAM, NC AND KINGS BREWING IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA

This collab is a tiki-drink inspired Fruited Sour Ale with pineapple, mango, coconut, and key lime. At 7% ABV, this is a powerful Sour from two fantastic breweries. It is thick, packed with flavor, and super easy to drink.

TRIPLE JUICY DIAMONDS COLLABORATION FROM OTHER HALF BREWING IN NEW YORK, NY AND WELDWERKS BREWING IN GREELEY, CO

You know it’s a juice bomb when two of the best in the game come together for a Triple IPA collaboration! This was brewed with Citra, El Dorado, Mosaic, and Galaxy hops. I didn’t get my hands on too many WeldWerks brews this year but as I reminisce on how good this beer was I am determined to change that for 2022!

What were your favorite beers of 2021? Let me know in the comments and cheers to 2022!

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!

July 2021

Y’all. July was insane. I visited Columbia South Carolina, Portland Oregon, Hood River Oregon, part of the Oregon Coast, Bend Oregon, Seattle Washington, Boston Massachusetts, Portland Maine, Bar Harbor Maine, and had some killer beers at home in Charlotte in-between. Trying to narrow down this list of my top beers in July was ridiculously difficult after visiting 65(!) new breweries in July, a few of which are some of the top breweries in the country. Check out my top beers in July below:

Everything from Great Notion Brewing in Portland, OR

Hi it’s me, already cheating for choice number one. It is impossible for me to pick one favorite beer from Great Notion that I had—I visited two of their taprooms and had a flight at each, so I had 10 beers on tap and 4 beers in cans throughout my trip. Some highlights were: Carnibaal Smoothie-Style Ale with raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, cotton candy, and marshmallow flavor that is a collaboration with @baabaabrewhouse, Orrerey Imperial Pastry Stout, Big Papaya Fruited Sour with papaya, Shepherd of the Forest Imperial IPA with Strata, Galaxy, Citra, and Vic Secret, and The Mad Batter Imperial Stout with chocolate, vanilla, almonds, and coconut.

Native/Wild Estate Honey From Oxbow Blending and Bottling in Portland, ME

Native/Wild Estate Honey is a Spontaneously Fermented Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale with Maine grains, aged hops, well water, and estate honey. We enjoyed everything we tried at Oxbow and the highlight was definitely this bottle. Duckfat also has a location onsite to pair your beers with some killer fries.

Everything from The Ale Apothecary in Bend, OR

It is impossible to choose again here, so why not just talk about all of the beers? Ale Apothecary is a super unique little spot in Bend where all of their beers are 100% barrel aged, wild fermented, and naturally carbonated. I had every beer available when I visited: Pear Sauvie with @meccagrade barley and rye malts, @sauvieislandhops Crystal hops, and pear juice; Sahalie malted barley & wheat and @goschiefarms Cascade hops, house lactobacillus culture, aged up to 1 year in oak barrels then a month-long dry-hopping in oak barrels; Walking Fish dry-hopped brew transferred onto freshly harvested Crystal hops from @sauvieislandhops; Sahati barley & rye malts with @goschiefarms Cascade hops brewed in a fallen spruce tree; Farmhouse with barley, rye, wheat, and oats aged in barrels 3-4 months, dry-hopped in the barrel, and naturally carbonated with Oregon honey.

Twice the Daily Serving From Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

I always love this series from Trillium! This version of Twice The Daily Serving is a Berliner Weisse with blackberry, plum, and raspberry. Visiting Trillium was incredible and of course we left with a plethora of cans for the rest of our time in New England! I enjoyed this one with the sunset over the bay in Southwest Harbor, Maine near Acadia National Park.

Speling van het Lot VIII.ii: Schaarbeekse On A Toast (Medium) - Blended & Alive (Season 17|18) Blend No. 47 From Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen in Lot, Belgium

Did you get all of that? 3 Fonteinen always produces some of the best Lambics around and this one was no exception! It was incredibly smooth and had a nice hint of cherry without being overwhelming. Here is their description of this brew: Speling van het Lot” (Twist of Fate) is a series of small batch experimental brews, barrel maturations, fruit macerations and/or blends. This 8th version features the maceration of Schaarbeekse cherries on charred/toasted barrels. This Schaarbeekse On A Toast has macerated for 265 days on a fresh 1,000 liter medium toasted French oak barrel, in a proportion of 1 kilo of Schaarbeekse cherries per liter of Lambic. After the maceration, the fruit Lambic was blended with young Lambic for a continued fermentation in the bottle.

Pear Mary 2019 From Cascade Brewing in Portland, OR

Cascade is a must visit in Portland! I absolutely loved getting to taste a bunch of their Sours and hanging out in their patio space. My favorite beer I had was Pear Mary 2019, a blend of sour blond ales aged in oak wine barrels then naturally fermented with juice from Northwest-grown pears and infused with fresh rosemary. I also enjoyed Chêne des Fous 2018, Apricot 2019, Garden Party 2017, and Belmont Street Bramble.

Double Dry Hopped Fort Point from Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

Fort Point is Trillium’s classic juicy Pale Ale, and the DDH version of it was absolutely incredible. It is the classic Fort Point recipe with Columbus hops and then double dry hopped with Citra hops.

Eleanor from Fair Isle Brewing in Seattle, WA

Eleanor is a Farmhouse Ale refermented on elderberries with Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. It has a berry body with notes of cinnamon, clove, and earthy flavors. Fair Isle was my absolute favorite stop in Seattle! They specialize in creating mixed-culture Saisons and they absolutely crush it. I can’t wait to visit them again in the future!

The Purple Kriek From de Garde Brewing in Tillamook, OR

The Purple Kriek is a Spontaneous Wild Ale aged in oak barrels with black and red raspberries and Montmorency and Morello cherries. de Garde is a must visit on any trip to Oregon! They are consistently ranked one of the top breweries in the country, with good reason.

Back in the Zone collaboration From Mast Landing Brewing in Westbrook, ME and Orono Brewing in Orono, ME

Back in the Zone is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Rakau hops. Mast Landing’s IPAs were absolutely stellar. I loved everything at the taproom outside of Portland, Maine and luckily they were on tap at several spots in Bar Harbor as well!

CHECK BACK NEXT MONTH TO SEE MY TOP BEERS OF August!
CHEERS —ALEXIS

May 2021

May brought my first real beer trip out of state since pre-covid! I visited St. Louis for the first time and had some fantastic beers, check out my guide to St. Louis here! May also brought some stellar beer trades from out of state! In no particular order, here were my top beers in May 2021:

German Chocolate Stout from Wellspent Brewing in St. Louis, MO

This is an Imperial Stout aged on coconut, cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans. It tastes exactly like German Chocolate Cake and was absolutely phenomenal! Thick, chocolatey, and just the perfect hint of coconut and vanilla. I definitely recommend checking out Wellspent if you’re in the St. Louis area!

Twice The Daily Serving: Tropical Punch from Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

I always love the Twice The Daily Serving series from Trillium and this one was no exception! It is a Berliner Weisse with guava, passionfruit, mango, pineapple, and lime. It is thick, juicy, and packed with flavor. Most Berliner Weisses and Fruited Sours have a pretty low ABV but this one packs a punch at 7%! I cannot wait to visit Trillium in July for the first time, it is going to be epic.

Abraxas from Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, MO

Abraxas is an Imperial Stout brewed with ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. This is a classic Imperial Stout released every year and has been one of my favorites for a while. This was my first time getting to try it on draft though and it was even better! I love the combination of spiciness and sweetness.

Even More Hydra collaboration brew from Mortalis Brewing in Avon, NY and Evil Twin Brewing in New York, NY

This is a Fruited Sour with blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, marshmallow, and cacao nibs. I’ve been lucky enough to have a couple of the Hydra series from Mortalis and they have been delicious. This one is a special collab brew making it even more fun and it’s a hearty 7% ABV.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Ego Death from Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC

This Bourbon Barrel Aged version of Ego Death is an Imperial Stout conditioned on toasted hazelnuts and cacao nibs and aged in Willett bourbon barrels for 14 months. This is straight fire! The non-barrel aged version of Ego Death is also very good, just obviously without the bourbon kick and a thinner Stout overall. BBA Ego Death was a knock-out. I was blown away by how well the flavors worked together. I cannot wait to try the vanilla variant of it that we got as well!

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A from Narrow Gauge Brewing in Florissant, MO

This is an Imperial IPA triple dry hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, and Nelson Sauvin hops. This is named after the Konami Code for all you gamers out there. Narrow Gauge makes absolutely fantastic beers and I was thrilled to get to visit their taproom outside of St. Louis. I snagged a 4-pack of this juice bomb of an IPA to bring back to CLT with me because it was so good!

CHECK BACK NEXT MONTH TO SEE WHAT MY TOP BEERS OF JUNE 2021 WILL BE!

CHEERS -ALEXIS

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

My Top Beers in January 2021

Some people choose to do Dry-January, but personally that’s not something that I have ever or probably will ever choose to do.

First, my birthday is in January. Second, I like beer. Third, to me, forcing yourself to not do something is not a healthy option over moderation. Fourth, it’s a global pandemic, we celebrated a new President, and we faced an insurrection on our nation’s capitol.

In summary, I drank some beers in January! Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

CLIMB THE BALLMER PEAK FROM TRILLIUM BREWING IN BOston, MA and Equilibrium Brewery in MIDDLETOWN, NY

The second batch of this Triple IPA loaded with hand selected Citra hops. I love a good collab and EQ teaming up with Trillium was bound to be amazing! I brought this one up Stone Mountain, and although it wasn’t the Ballmer Peak it was a great peak to enjoy such a delicious beer. Check out all my favorite hikes near Charlotte here!

Even More Gummy Saurus from Evil Twin Brewing in New York, New York and Tripping Animals Brewing in Doral, FL

Even More Gummy Saurus is a Fruited Sour with coconut and marshmallow. I did not have high expectations for this beer because I am not a huge coconut fan and I generally like my Fruited Sours to be berry focused, but this one was stellar. Best paired with college basketball watching.

Marvoloso V7 from Commonwealth Brewing Company in Virginia Beach, VA

Wow. This one was an Imperial Chocolate Stout aged on Basil Hayden’s Bourbon and Woodford Reserve Rye barrels and conditioned on marshmallow, coconut, walnuts, cocoa nibs, Tahitian vanilla beans, and Ghirardelli dark chocolate. I enjoyed this adjunct-packed Stout at Carolina Beer Temple, we were lucky enough to visit when they were doing a Commonwealth tap takeover! Their outside patio area is great, I definitely recommend checking them out!

Hommage Bio Frambozen from Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen in Brussels, Belgium

Lambic Life! This is the Season 17|18 Blend Number 60 version Lambic with raspberries, cherries, and local honey. There is nothing that makes you feel quite as boojie as a Lambic basket. This was a special treat for my birthday from a good friend that we enjoyed at The Whale Beer Bar in Asheville. They’ve always got a killer tap list and can/bottle list as well!

Dessert Cart from Mountains Walking Brewery in Bozeman, MT and The Whale Beer Bar in Asheville, NC

Dessert Cart is a Pastry Stout brewed for The Whale's 3rd Anniversary using Mountains Walking’s thick and decadent Pastry Stout base conditioned on toasted coconut, toasted pecans, cocoa nibs and Tahitian vanilla bean. Creamy, thicc, flavorful, and delicious! We enjoyed this can at Salud Beer Shop, one of my favorite spots in Charlotte.

Second Hand Shanty from Vitamin Sea Brewing in Weymouth, MA and Resident Culture Brewing in Charlotte, NC

This is a Triple IPA Double Dry-Hopped with Mosaic, Strata and Michigan Copper. Vitamin Sea and Resident Culture both crush it in the IPA game so it was no surprise that this collaboration was great. I personally preferred Vitamin Sea’s version, but both were absolutely fantastic!

Tune in next month for my February favorites! Cheers -Alexis

My Top Beers in December 2020

December was a month of a lot of beers. We took a beer trip to Richmond, Virginia, we checked out some new local breweries, college basketball and football heated up, and of course the holidays meant less work and more celebrating!

In no particular order, here are the best beers I drank in December 2020:

Squeeze Play by Slowplay Brewing in Rock Hill, SC

We visited Slow Play just south of Charlotte for the first time in December thanks to a collaboration I did with Discover South Carolina. I was absolutely blown away with how delicious the beers were, how friendly the staff was, how great the spacious patio was, and how delicious the food was from the onsite food truck Cibi! Cibi! My favorite beer I had was Squeeze Play, a Hazy IPA with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops.

Starve Exhibit D from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA

We were incredibly lucky that Rebecca and Daniel from @WanderingHops shared this amazing Stout with us when we stayed with them on our beer trip to Richmond! Starve Exhibit D is an Imperial Stout aged 18 months in Bourbon and Brandy barrels with honey, vanilla, and marshmallows. It was thicc, Bourbon-y, and packed with flavor! If you’re not already following @wanderinghops on Instagram get on it! They drink delicious beers and take incredible trips!

Blackberry, Banana, Cream Cheese, French Toast JREAM from Burley Oak Brewing Company in Berlin, MD

This is a Fruited Sour with lactose conditioned on blackberry, banana, cream cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar—it is absolutely phenomenal! This is by far the best JREAM I have had from Burley Oak and one of my top Sours I have had in a long time! I can’t wait to make it to their brewery someday, hopefully in 2021!

Everything at The Answer Brewpub in Richmond, VA

Okay okay this is cheating I know, but honestly everything I had at The Answer was SO good! My flight included the following beers, from left to right in the photo: Hoptone Galaxy Anniversary edition of the Hoptone IPA series featuring CY 2020 Galaxy Hops; Quadrupole Mother of Berries Joose with Boysenberries, Loganberries, Blackberries, and Raspberries; Quadruple Mother Pulka Joose with Red Raspberries, Redcurrant, Strawberries, toasted Marshmallow, and vanilla; Sleep Paralysis @smoothambler Barrel Imperial Stout with Peanut Butter and Oreos. Check out my Richmond recommendations here, but if you can only make one stop in RVA I would highly recommend The Answer!

Grandma’s Apple Pie Gose from Westbrook Brewing in Mt. Pleasant, SC

This is a Gose with apple puree, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, coriander, and lactose. At just 4% ABV, it is the perfect dessert beer without being too heavy. It tastes just like apple pie and is super yummy!

Heavy Mettle Collab brew from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA and Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

Heavy Mettle is an Imperial IPA with Galaxy and Amarillo hops from Trillium Brewing, but thanks to the Freaky Friday beer collab initiative going around The Veil brewed this version! It was super juicy and I absolutely loved it, which is no surprise given my love for Galaxy hops. We paired this brew with pretzels from Eastern Standard Provisions—I definitely recommend checking them out! I got a box at my doorstep courtesy of my mom filled with pretzels and mustards accompanied by easy to follow directions on how to heat them in the oven and they were super good!

Tune in next month to see what my first favorites of 2021 will be! Cheers! -Alexis