Craft beer connoisseurs dilettantes alike love to try new craft beers. With craft beer increasing rapidly in popularity, this is a great hobby to be interested in. Below are the top craft beers you need to try in 2019.
January
Slushy Blueberry Dessert
450 North Brewing
Fruited Sour – 6% ABV
Pure dessert in a glass. This Berliner Weisse is loaded with blueberries, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The result is a sweet, tart, thick beer that could satisfy any sweet tooth.
Rodenbach Vintage 2016
Brouwerij Rodenbach
Flanders Red Ale – 7% ABV
While I love variety, some beers make me question if I could drink them every day for the rest of my life. This is that kind of beer. Sour, rich with oak and cherry elements.
Barleywine
West Side Brewing
Barleywine – 10.2% ABV
Don’t let the no nonsense name fool you. This barleywine is as good as I’ve had. Big malt body provides fig-like sweetness and the American hops give it a firm bitter finish.
Honorable Mentions: 450 North Brewing Slushy Peach Dessert, Brink Brewing Damcoles, Streetside Brewing C’est La Vie, Swine City Brewing If You Threw A Party
February
Boss Tweed
Old Nation Brewing
NE DIPA – 9.3% ABV
This hazy New England IPA has been getting lots of praise for a long time and is now available in my area. And it devlivered in a big way. Hazy, citrus, creamy body, and a touch of resin.
Alpha Squid
Rhinegeist Brewery
New England IPA – 8.2% ABV
Does a New England IPA have to be hazy? It has huge fruit flavors of orange citrus. It still has great body and hides the high ABV very well. What it lacks in haze, it makes up for in flavor!
Citra Nuggest x3
450 North Brewing
Triple IPA – 11% ABV
There’s no denying that Citra is a clear fan favorite and for good reason. 450 North took these hops to a new level in this high ABV juice bomb of an IPA.
Honorable Mentions: Fifty West Brewing The Married Life, Listermann Brewing Coffee Birthday Cake Chickow!, Melvin Brewing Barrel-Aged Ruckus, Odd Side Ales Sweet Potato Souffle Rye, Rhinegiest Brewery Night Whale, Shulz Brau Dopplebock, Warped Wing Whiskey Rebellion
March
No Bake
Aslin Beer Company
Imperial Stout – 16.5% ABV
Fans of super sweet stouts need to try this one. Chocolate and peanut butter with a hint of coconut make this a heavy, thick liquid dessert.
Dragon’s Milk White
New Holland Brewing
White Stout – 6% ABV
White stouts are always fun and Dragon’s Milk White takes it to the next level with barrel-aging. The result is a hint of bourbon in a sweet, creamy stout with a low ABV.
S’mores Stack
450 North Brewing
Imperial Stout – 10% ABV
This stout is exactly as advertised. Lots of chocolate and marshmallow with just a touch of graham cracker. It really opened up once it warmed to near room temperature.
Honorable Mentions: Brink Rock The Boat Pina Colada, Listermann Brass Monkey Mango Guava, Listermann Cookie Wizard, Rhinegeist Saber Tooth Tiger, Streetside Bee Mine, Streetside Robe, Taft’s Citrus IPA
APRIL
Bodhi
Columbus Brewing Co.
Imperial IPA – 8.3% ABV
In Ohio, this beer has been a legend for years and finally it is starting to get outside of the Columbus area. This DIPA has citrus and pine notes with a sweet, bitter finish.
Tank 7
Boulevard Brewing
Farmhouse Ale – 8.5% ABV
This is a classic. Tons of Belgian yeast character and a peppery finish makes Tank 7 continually interesting. And don’t look past the ABV because it is deceptively easy to drink.
Slushy XL Peach Ring
450 North Brewing
Fruited Sour – 8% ABV
Peach, peach, and more peach. It is like a peach smoothie both in taste and texture. And it is very sweet with just a touch of tartness from the sour beer base. This is made for die hard peach fans.
Honorable Mentions: 450 North Sapphire Sour IPA, Grainworks Bagpipes Of Bardstown, Platform ChocoBanana Donut, Sam Adam’s Caeser’s Buddy, Wooden Cask The Aged Scotsman
MAY
Yacht Rock II
Listermann Brewing
Milkshake IP – 7% ABV
That moment when the sequel is better than the original . . which says a lot because the first Yacht Rock was amazing.
Just like the original, tons of tropical fruit and island cocktail spices. It is flavorful and sweet; perfect for summer drinking.
BA Liquid Spiritual Delight w/ Coffee & Maple
2nd Shift Brewing
Barrel-Aged Stout – 11.5% ABV
After spending a few days in St. Louis, this was among my favorite beers I had there and at a brewery I highly recommend visiting.
This big stout delivers barrel, bourbon, coffee, and maple but it isn’t too sweet or boozy.
Damocles
Brink Brewing
Milkshake IPA – 7.5% ABV
Black IPAs are hit or miss for me but this Milkshake version is amazing. It is like chocolate milk meets an IPA with a malt roast. Unique and delicious!
Honorable Mentions: 4 Hands Absence Of Light, 450 North Sour Diesel, 450 North Strawberry Cough, Fig Leaf Sous la Table with Dark Cherry, Founders Blushing Monk, Listermann Barrel-Aged Chickow! – Cognac, Urban Chestnut Mercator
June
Hypernova Vol. One
Almanac Beer Company
Fruited Sour – 5.5% ABV
This delivers everything a barrel-aged sour should with the additional of fruit and just a hint of sweetness. Traditional yet modern; complex yet bold.
BA Port Cincinnatus
Listermann Brewing
Barrel-Aged Stout – 13% ABV
Normally, stouts aged in bourbon barrels get the most attention but this port barrel-aged stout is amazing. The port is very strong giving it a wine-like character on top of the boozy stout.
Slushy XL Dbl Blackberry
450 North Brewing
Fruited Sour – 8% ABV
Blackberries are typically one of my least favorite fruits but this beer just changed my mind. Sweet and very tart with an insane amount of pulpy fruit in the beer.
Honorable Mentions: 2nd Shift Black Noise, Big Boss New Guy NEIPA, Brasserie de Silly Stupid Silly Sour, Destihl Deadhead IPA: Extended Jam, Fifty West Alone Unkown, Listermann BA Port Cincinnatus, Narrow Gauge OJ Run, Odd13 Codename: Superfan, Rivertown Sprinkale
All credit for this awesome list goes to Craft Beer Joe. https://www.craftbeerjoe.com/the-best-craft-beer-of-2019/
