At San Francisco’s Bartlett Hall brewpub, head brewer Nick Mamere has built an award-winning program that includes this porter—winner of GABF silver in 2019, gold in 2022, and one of our Best 20 Beers in 2023.
In the noble quest for variety and character, British maltsters and brewers have been resurrecting and experimenting with previously vanished yet intensely flavorful heritage barley malts—and they are increasingly available to brewers everywhere.
Jono Gaytan, head brewer at Flix Brewhouse in El Paso, Texas, says this easygoing pale lager that features Idaho 7 is “meant to be enjoyed during college football games or mowing the lawn.” (Or, no doubt, during a movie at Flix.)
This mixed-culture saison with oranges, Earl Grey tea, and saffron scored a 99/100 with our blind panel and delighted our editorial team, who named it one of their Best 20 Beers in 2023.
Fermented with Thiriez’s house saison yeast, this ambrée has a complex, malt-forward flavor with aromas of citrus peel, hazelnut, caramel, and gingerbread.
From Sandy Valley Brewing in Hillsboro, Missouri, Mariposa is a softly textured yet vibrant raspberry ale that gets thoughtful additions of Tanzanian honey, Tanzanian vanilla, cacao nibs, and cacao husks, as well as added fruity oomph from Omega’s Cosmic Punch yeast. It’s also a beer with a personal back story.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus cofounder and brewer Ashleigh Carer describes their Helles as “the purest expression of malt,” best consumed by the liter. While it may not get as much fanfare as their Slow Pour Pils, it’s equally beloved among the brewers drawn to Denver’s Bierstadt during the Great American Beer Festival—or any time of year.
From founder Matthew Smith at Wandering Soul in Beverly, Massachusetts, comes this Czech-inspired pale lager that gets a generous late addition of Saaz hops. “The result is a crystal-clear, crisp pilsner that will have you contemplating who you will be in a future life.”
One of Belgium’s most broadly appealing styles is a reincarnation and a reinvention, inspired by a tradition that disappeared more than 60 years ago. Today it’s enjoyed around the world and ubiquitous in its home country—and in Maine.
Lasting Joy cofounder and head brewer Alex Wenner describes this beet-infused stout as one “that really sums up our mission as a New York farm brewery.”