The best beer has always been and always will be a hot topic of debate. Here are the ten best in our opinion.
#10
98
Oude Geuze Boon
Brouwerij Boon
Gueuze
“It is difficult not to drink this Gueuze too quickly; to truly enjoy it is to witness it evolve over time. The aroma becomes more floral and distinctly lactic as it warms, with notes of grapefruit and honey. Its flavor settles into a sweet, fruity maltiness that retains its acidity, but at the expense of carbonation. Typifying both art and craft, this Gueuze is wonderful.”
– Judged by Jim Koebel
#9
98
Speedway Stout
AleSmith Brewing Co.
Imperial Stout
“Speedway Stout is a monster of a Russian Imperial Stout. Speedway Stout’s aroma washes over the room in waves redolent of anise seed, dark chocolate, and French roast coffee. Crowned by a dense, creamy off-white head, this deep, ebony brew seems to drain the light from the room, yet displays garnet and ruby flashes at its edges. In the classic Russian Imperial Stout style, Speedway throws off fistfuls of coffee, toffee, and dark fruit flavors.”
– Judged by BC Review
#8
98
The Topsail
Cape May Brewing Co.
Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer
“The medium-light body and high carbonation accentuate this beer’s refreshing character. The astringent character from the sour/tartness Brettanomyces strain may at times come across as warming, it makes it hard to imagine that you’re drinking a 9.9% ABV beer. This beer drinks more like a 4% beer in that it’s very light, which is a difficult task given the actual ABV.”
– Judged by Dan Martich
#7
98
Privat
Brauhaus Riegele
Festbier
“You won’t be disappointed in the very least with Brauhaus Riegele’s Privat. It’s a nigh-perfect interpretation of a Festbier that demands to be imbibed by the boot or the liter. The clean fermentation allows both the malt and hops to shine. Slight grassiness from hops and a very low carbonic bite appear in the end, but these are only minor quibbles in what is a beer masterpiece. You’ll be disappointed if you only picked up a 6-pack, since you’ll want many, many more. This highly flavorful yet easy-to-drink beer can be appreciated by the beer connoisseur and the less devoted beer drinker alike.”
– Judged by Michael Bury
#6
98
Bomb!
Prairie Artisan Ales
Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer/Imperial Stout
“Prairie Bomb! is a very aptly named concoction. The quite amazing complexity exhibited in this specialty Imperial Stout delivers a massive explosion of delicious flavors and aromas that linger in the memory well after the drinking is done. This deep black-colored opaque brew with a moderately lingering tan head has a cappuccino-like aroma of coffee and chocolate with a peppery, fruity flavor in the background. This is an incredibly complex and well-made beer that would be a fantastic choice for finishing off a hearty meal, or for just lounging around by the fire. This massive brew is definitely “Da Bomb!” Highly recommended!”
– Judged by Joseph Formanek
#5
98
Gonzo Imperial Porter
Flying Dog Brewery
Baltic Porter
“This beer looks perfect in a glass and the grapefruit, pine and resin are evident from arm’s length. Beneath the layer of intense hop aroma is an enticing dark chocolate and nutty roast. The flavor doesn’t disappoint with the same hop flavors complementing a much more complex array of cooked caramel, dark chocolate, coffee and even a little licorice. As it warms, there are more subtle surprises, especially from the malt. The bitterness is rather mild with both roast and hop components lingering in a complex semi-dry finish. The body is fairly full, creamy with a little bit of alcohol warming. This is an outstanding, continually intriguing beer.”
– Judged by Phil Farrell
#4
99
Hanssens Oude Kriek
Hanssens Artisanaal
Fruit Lambic
“In the interest of full disclosure, this was a sample from my cellar that had roughly two years of age on it, in addition to the three-plus years it already matured prior to shipping. Still, this is truly a world-class beer, irrespective of its provenance. Hanssens has been producing some of the most widely acclaimed lambic, especially kriek and gueuze, in recent memory. This beer hits the glass with a deep, rusty, reddish-brown color and throws a very small, rather lacy head. The aromas that waft from the glass are rich with hints of almond, ripe cherry and a gentle sourness. All of the judges picked up on the beer’s age and offered comments on the depth and complexity that it lent the beer’s aromas and flavors.”
– Judged by BC Review
#3
99
Prima Pils
Victory Brewing Co.
German Pils
“Since first firing up the brewhouse in 1996, the good people at Victory Brewing have continually delivered some of the finest beers in America, displaying their considerable skills in every bottle and keg that reaches their devoted public. Prima Pils, one of Victory’s flagship beers, is nothing less than the quintessential German-style pilsner, rivaling anything that Germany has to offer. The aroma, overflowing with flowery, spicy Saaz hop notes, permeates the room as the beer slips into the glass. Holding true to its Germanic antecedents, Prima Pils is topped by a pillowy, pure white head and fairly glows in the glass, bathing the room in a suffused golden wash of light. As expected, a pleasantly stinging hop bitterness dominates the flavor, but there are gobs of flowery, faintly resinous hop flavors as well. Riding underneath the prodigious hop presence is a refined, somewhat biscuity malt character. The panel members were effusive in their praise of this brilliantly executed, world-class pilsner, agreeing that this is one of very few beers that is perfectly suited for anything, anytime, anywhere.”
– Judged by BC Review
#2
99
Frambozen
pFriem Family Brewers
Fruit Lambic
“The aroma of this fruit lambic is a menagerie of olfactory delights: dominating raspberry, woody pith, hints of tartness, sweetness, and a little barnyard for good measure. The flavor is strongly raspberry fruit and pithy/woody extractions from the seeds. Beyond the fruit, which is by no means overbearing, some interesting wild yeast funk can be found that has a lot more going on than your basic Brettanomyces strain. All told, this is an amazing beer that has no problem expressing the raspberry fruit along with the wild side of yeast that makes for an incredible explosion of flavors and aromas. Do you like anything sour? How about fruit? Or are you not sure? If you said yes on any of those, find this beer and give it a try. This one is a world class fruit lambic!”
– Judged by John C. Tull
#1
99
King JJJuliusss
Tree House Brewing Co.
Double IPA
“Wow! From the moment the can pops, hop aromas completely fill the air. Grapefruit, orange, mango, passion fruit, melon, citrus, pineapple – basically every juicy fruit you can think of is there plus a little bit of pine. The flavor is more of the same too — just wave after wave of complex hops, which are wicked juicy and tropical. A massive amount of hops is packed into this beer, and it even shows in its appearance; this beer is a murky deep orange with a big white head that clings to the sides of the glass until the very last drop, which, admittedly, was much sooner than a beer of this ABV should be. This immensely drinkable beer featured a soft, velvety smooth mouthfeel that served as a plush throne for the huge amount of hops to sit atop. Unlike most DIPAs, there’s not an ounce of sweetness to the malt, but rather a light, airy, doughy presence. This beer is aptly named as it just might be the new “King” when it comes to Double IPAs. An amazing beer that’s incredibly well done.”
All credit for this awesome list goes to Beer Connoisseur. https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/top-104-beers-all-time
