For our yearly take on the most noteworthy beers, we assembled an all-star squad—including contributors Kate Bernot, Stan Hieronymus, and Patrick Dawson—to consider our blind review panel’s top scorers from the past year and to taste new submissions. After a few days of blind tasting and lively discussion, we narrowed more than 1,000 beers down to these 20 that reflect different dimensions on the year’s best.
Here is the roll of honor.
Arizona Wilderness Jitterbug Perfume
(Gilbert, Arizona)
The first thing you see is the color—you can’t miss it. The clear bottle broadcasts the captivating intensity of magenta, courtesy of a hefty beet addition. This trend of packaging lightly funky, colorfully fruited, low-hopped beers in clear bottles is a vivid way to connect them with the emerging cohort of natural-wine drinkers. It’s also encouraging to see more brewers expand their horizons with beautiful-looking beers that connect with a different audience.