#10 (tie) - Blood Orange Psychopathy - American IPA - Mad Tree Brewing (OH)
Blood Thirst Wheat - Hefeweizen - Barley's Brewing Company (OH)
Adjuncts have become more and more popular over the past year. Like any movement in the beer world, there are hits and misses, but I have found that blood orange seems to be the one fruit that makes a good addition to almost every type of beer. The reason for this is likely its versatility: Sure there's a lot of sweetness that can play off of more bitter beers (the Psychopathy). But at the same time, there's a savory/tart combination that plays nicely with beers that have more natural sweetness (the Hefe). The usage of blood orange isn't going to revolutionize the beer industry or anything, but it's a versatile change of pace that I've enjoyed a lot in the past year.
#9 - They Ran in the Fields - Saison - Rockmill Brewery (OH)
I've written about how replacing hop-like flavors with the things they taste like is a mixed experience at best. Sure, putting something like pine in a beer can be good, but it's not usually going to be as dynamic of a presence as piney hops. The one primary exception I've found to this tenet: Allspice. Allspice is the one bitter-ish ingredient that actually replicates the pungency and flavor of the hops its trying to mimic. I'm not sure if the allspice in this beer is specifically meant to give it a hop-like tinge, but regardless, the mix of dark malt, raisins, and bitterness makes for a saison unlike any other I've had.
#8 - a tiny beautiful something - American Pale Ale - Maine Beer Company (ME)
#7 - Hoppy Sour: El Dorado - Sour Ale - Almanac Beer Company (CA)
I'll write these up together as an homage to the most underrated hop there is: El Dorado. It has as specific of a flavor profile as any other hop, straddling the line between apricot/stone fruit and a solid bitterness. Essentially, El Dorado can do a little bit of everything, even though the fruit profile usually stays in its lane (I love that lane, as apricot is one of my favorite fruits). These two beers show that this specific flavor can still be used to very different effects (and can be used by breweries with as diametrically opposed philosophies as Maine and Almanac). In the hoppy sour, the El Dorado plays nicely off of the unrelenting lacto, not adding too much earthiness or any other hop-related flavor that can disrupt the balance necessary for the style. In the APA, the hop takes the lead and makes for a restrained yet complex beer.
#6 - Vallejo - American Pale Ale - Half Acre Beer Company (IL)
Session beers have been all the rage for some time now. I don't begrudge anyone for wanting to conserve their semi-soberness for the purpose of being able to drink more beer. That said, I find that the best session-type beers are generally the ones not labelled as such. Take Vallejo, one of the newest pale ales from Half Acre. Vallejo doesn't fall within the range typically reserved for "session" offerings (it sits at 6.7%, whereas session usually means 5% or lower), but it's clear that not only can you drink a few of these in a night, you might actually want to. The interplay of Nelson and Simcoe is one of the best possible, and the light touch typical of a Half Acre beer makes for an experience perfectly in the middle of "hop bomb" and "easy drinking". Not everything that is great has to be over-hopped and barrelled and such. Sometimes simplicity and execution are just as fulfilling.
#5 - Peach Spreader - Berliner Weisse - Platform Beer Company (OH)
In previous versions of this list, I've featured sour beers that were either hyper-sour (Destihl's Gose) or dependent on barreling for some of their flavor (most of the rest). One of the nice developments of the past year is the increased availability of a third category: straightforward and clean versions of classic styles with a small twist. The best of these that I've had was from Platform's monthly sour series and features not just peach, but also apricot. Even though other fruits are more common in sour beers, peach is a good fit for the style because of it's unassuming sweetness that goes well with just about anything. This beer was no exception as the fruit, the sour, and the wheat body combined to make a beer that was not just interesting, but also comforting and enjoyable in the final days of summer.
#4 - Cream Dream: The Lost Hop of Atlantis - Double IPA - Sun King Brewing Company (IN)
If you make a half-decent pine bomb DIPA, chances are that I have compared it to the gold standard of it's kind, Hop Juju. The problem with this is that almost all such beers just make me want the actual thing itself. Even ones from really good breweries (think 3 Floyds' Cimmerian Sabertooth Bezerker) end up falling a little short of the Platonic ideal I have committed to memory. That said, the closest thing I've had came from what I would consider an unlikely place. Yes, Sun King is one of my favorite breweries, but their IPAs typically stay in one lane, one that stresses a dominant but lively malt body with hops that accentuate that more than stand out on their own. This beer was decidedly not like that. The super-piney nose gave way to a strong body that mitigated but did not hide the ABV. And what tied everything together was that savory aftertaste that makes Hop Juju one of the best beers in the world. Sure, Cream Dream probably wasn't quite as perfect as the original, but it was close enough to make me glad I stopped in for a beer.
#3 - Everybody Wants Some "Equinox" - Double IPA - Hoof Hearted Brewing (OH)
Hoof opened their Columbus tap house in February, so I've had quite a few of their variations on the DIPA and other such hoppy styles. But the best thing I've had from them comes predates that, as I procured a crowler of this in early January. Like Pipeworks' Ninja series or Sixpoint's Spice of Life series, Hoof's "Everybody Wants Some" line allows for the brewery to highlight a different hop each time. The difference with EWS is that there seems to be more variety than just the hop, as the mouthfeel and other aspects seem to differ beer to beer. While some of the versions featuring my favorite hops have been relatively disappointing, the one with Equinox (a hop I am more mixed on) was amazing. The hop was equal parts bitter and fruity, and the typically cloudy body of a Hoof beer held its own enough to make for a nice backbone. This is a lesson that all hops are awesome, and if used properly, any of them can make for an amazing beer.
#2 - Scorpius Morchella - Double IPA - Toppling Goliath Brewing (IA)
And here's where I tell you to ignore everything from the previous paragraph. Nelson is the best hop, and if you want to make a great beer, it gives you the best chance to do so. The silky wine/grape flavor make this a unique hop that still has enough of an edge to make a balanced beer virtually every time. That said, there are good beers with Nelson in them and there are great beers with Nelson in them. Scorpius is one of the latter. This beer has about everything you would want from an ideal DIPA: The primacy of the hops, the cloudy but substantial body, the perfect amount of alcohol. Toppling Goliath is one of the best breweries in existence and this might be their finest work.
#1 - Dark Lord (2016) - Russian Imperial Stout - 3 Floyds Brewing Company (IN)
At this point, I've had a number of the most famous barrel-aged stouts. As good as many of them are, none are particularly close to Dark Lord. While others may overwhelm with the alcohol and/or barrel (which isn't always a bad thing), 3 Floyds is a little more subtle with both, preferring to focus on the rest of the beer. And that rest of the beer is amazing, performing a trick I haven't seen anywhere else. At first taste the beer is surprisingly sweet, but when you give it a couple of seconds, that melts away leaving the smoothest stout you've ever had. Add in just the right touch of smoke, and you have what might be the most unique and great beer I've ever had. I might just have to go to Dark Lord Day sometime.
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