Top 10 Beers of the Year
Burley Oak Raspberry Cupcake J.R.E.A.M. (Berlin, Maryland) We’ll get this out of the way up front. I’m not sure that I recognize myself anymore. A kettle sour made with cake batter and lactose? I had this in a flight at the brewery, chosen as an act of faith. Then I bought a four-pack to go. Butt-ugly beer, with a magical raspberry finish.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus Helles (Denver) Nothing says stupid like moving to the Denver area, as we did, and not putting a Bierstadt beer on your list. Wait for something poured slowly if you want, but I’ll be on my second serving of this beer that comes with “just the right hit of matchstick.” (Full credit to Greg Engert for that phrase.)
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (Comstock, Michigan) Sure, you can get Two Hearted Ale anywhere now (for instance, when it’s the lone non-industrial beer in a gas station somewhere along the backroads of northern Tennessee). But moving from the Eastern to the Mountain Time Zone and stopping in the Midwest along the way, it’s like bumping into an old friend and wondering why you don’t hang out more often. Bitter in 1995. Bitter today.