Top 10 Beers of the Year
2nd Shift Two Trains (St. Louis, Missouri) I’m a believer in “Midwest Coast.” Give me a bit of caramel for richness and body—we like our calories—but judiciously. Or, maybe we just drink them long before oxidation becomes an issue. Here we’re talking about an ever-evolving double IPA with tropi-dank hops at the heart of that sweet thickness, its drinkability lethal at 9.3 percent ABV. Old school for the new school. We bought a keg for our home draft system—one of the best and unhealthiest decisions we made all year.
American Solera Loral Roberts (Tulsa, Oklahoma) I love Loral hops—they’re like a supermodel wearing cosmetic glasses to appeal to nerds. The lemony citrus has wide appeal, but there’s just enough herbal-earthy Noble-ness to lure the lager-heads while brightening a range of classic styles. (Such as saison—head nod here to Perennial Prism: Loral Cryo.) In this case, a Kölsch-style ale makes an elegant frame, merging a clean malt base with zesty-hop lemonade. Simple, perfectly executed, and one of the most refreshing beers I had all year.
Bierstadt Helles (Denver, Colorado) The Slow Pour Pils in its stemmed glass with doily gets plenty of attention—love that foam—but I’ll take that Helles in the hefty krug mug. Reverently brewed, this is not another wan and watery American lager pretending to be German-style—it’s the real thing: malt composition like the finest, lightest, purest honey, given structure by soft herbal bitterness, finishing clean and dry so that further gulps are automatic.