2019 Beers of the Year

Said I wouldn’t do it. Here I am doin’ it. Have to please the advertisers somehow, I guess. My beers of the year are here, waiting for you.

Half Acre Bodem – a brilliant call back to the IPAs of old. Quality, clear, hoppy bubbles floating among a brilliant floral/citrus aroma. It’s just the most perfectly balanced brew I had this year, and it’s not even close. Very rarely do I find myself buying 4, 6, or 12 packs of the same beer in today’s one-off, .RAR culture. If I saw it on tap – it was purchased. If I meandered among the hundreds of beer brands on the cold shelf, and I inverted that eye-catching 4pack and saw a fresh canned date – it was purchased. I told everyone about this beer. I implored everyone to drink it, and drink a lot of it. We need more like it, and we need more breweries to adopt the credo of well-made, BALANCED, hoppy beers. Chock full of Idaho 7, Mosaic Cryo and Cashmere hops – it’s like a who’s who of sexy new hop fields came together for a 90s style basement rave. Bodem deserves to be in working refrigerators across the entire Half Acre distribution footprint. I’ll go as far to say that if you don’t like Bodem, I don’t like you. We have nothing in common. 

Allagash / DuPont Brewers Bridge – collaborations are boring. “Oh, brewery A and brewery B got together to dump hops and malt from their respective territories! I can’t wait to decipher what each group brought to the kettle!” I’m tired of the never ending ‘collaborations’. Hell, we have a brewer here in Wisconsin that only seems to focus on ‘inviting the homies’ to concoct whatever breakfast cereal disaster pops into their minds that day. Slap the logos on the cans, watch the armies descend. And that’s fine, it just doesn’t interest me whatsoever. But when the benchmark brewery of the saison style itself Brasserie DuPont got together with American Mt Rushmore craft brewer Allagash, you knew it couldn’t disappoint. Right? A force of effervescence with fruity esters dominating; apparent and yeast-focused, with a slight nod to the scene here with added American hops. A sweet, bubblegum-esque tone, with a dry grassy finish. It’s got a rustic old-world thing going while still differentiating itself from DuPont and the Allagash year round saison. Is that a citrus note? Was that slight taste of funk in that swallow? It’s expertly crafted and clocking in at 6%, there were numerous times where I went back to the fridge for a second. A Maine-Belgium marriage that stands the test of time. Make it again, cowards.

New Glarus Kid Kolsch – open-top fermented, double decocted perfection from 26 years in the biz New Glarus Brewing Company. A criminally underrated beer from them (“I’ve had kolsch styles before and none have impressed me”), it eerily mimics many of the Cologne originals you’ve no doubt had before – going horn-to-horn with Sunner, Fruh, and the like. Insanely crushable (but what beer isn’t, ya know?) – a delicate, soft body gave way to sweet carbonated breadiness. Low abv. delights, throw down a 6er in a sitting and just laugh at the prickliness of this baked good. Kid Kolsch’s perfection lies in its ability to be loved by master cicerones *and* your balding, divorced call-center neighbor who goes by the name of “Cal”. It’s an incredible representation of a domestic Koln-pounder. Subtle, a little sweet, but all perfection. Make it again, Carey’s.

Revolution Straight Jacket – If barleywine is life, then Straight Jacket is the way and the truth. Rev has created yet another stunner – their Deep in the Woods series is my favorite American barrel-aging program in the country, and I say it with vigor and vim. Prunes bathed in a vat of bourbon, deep candi sugar crystals, molasses, vanilla – all parade over oak. And the 12oz can, OH THE 12OZ CAN, HOLD ME. As it warms, a deep cherry fruit parfait washes over your palate. A kaleidoscopic creation from Chicago. Warrants the steep price for how exceptional it really has become. This beer alone makes me long for a wood fireplace and a maroon-colored, velvet-draped armchair at home. Fuck.

Perennial Prodigal – They canned their ‘base stout’ you say? I’m in. Abraxas’ sans cinnamon-vanilla-chile younger brother pours like melted black licorice, almost more solid than liquid. Glugging outta the can with hundreds of brown bubbles following. Ungodly amounts of fudge and bakers chocolate up front in both aroma and taste. However, this wasn’t too sweet or cloying. The attenuation held my attention, its malty backbone kept my interest. I personally felt this one was overlooked by many – not sure if it was because of the price point ($8 for a 16oz can I think? Single cans only?), or the too-dark graphics or what the reason was. Either way, feed this to me all day every day. Matter of fact, make a 12oz can and let’s call it a day. That’ll do, Perennial, that’ll do.

3 Sheeps The Wolf – The best barrel program in the state returns with this lovable lupo. From where these guys were 5 years ago to where they are now – I swear you could make a Hollywood movie about their ascension. And with the barrel society this year, paying members found themselves showered in variants like Ocelot, Vanilla Wolf, Double Barrel Wolf, etc etc. All high-quality, all fun in their own ways. God help me, but I must digress here and just talk shortly about their Pumpkin Spice Veneration. A near 14% Belgian Quad with Thanksgiving spices loaded all up in it. Shit was ridiculous and it made me believe in pumpkin beers again (for like 15 min). ANYWAYS 4 packs of The Wolf are/were moderately priced and I’d put it up against most barrel aged stouts, blind or not. Succumb to the carnivore of Sheboygan Falls. 

Vennture  The Heights – The Vennture trio have seemingly mastered the art of creating fun, drinkable beers without hitting you over the head with an ABV hammer. The majority of their wares are exciting, different takes on various styles that have true ‘small-batch’ appeal. Truth be told, I haven’t disliked a Vennture beer yet, and that’s really saying something. Coffee, Beer, Community – it’s their mantra and it’s working well in upcoming Washington Heights. I find myself getting there in the morning for coffee and trying a few samples as it gets closer to the noon hour. If I had to choose a favorite, The Heights still wears the crown. This low abv saison/table beer duo is dry, quenching, and it’s got enough flavor to keep going back for more. Pours a beautiful golden straw color. Smells a little grassy. It’s really nice and now I’m jonesing for a pint of that deliciousness. Since their beer menu is ever-changing, you may not find The Heights on your visit, but I will promise you’ll find something you dig. The future (and their future) is brite.

Modern Times DDH Booming Rollers – from the Modern Times wordsmiths, because I can’t really add to this script:
“We took the juicy, Citra-laden wonder that is Booming Rollers and catapulted it to dizzying heights of dankess via a massive double dry-hopping with Citra, Motueka, Centennial, and Citra Cryo. The result is a staggeringly tasty liquid vortex of tropical delights with a delicate malt body and sublimely refreshing, snappy bitterness to round the whole thing out. It’s a glorious testament to excess, and you’ve been afforded the rare opportunity to experience it firsthand”
They haven’t been available in WI for too long, but I’m happy they’ve made it here. Their IPAs and stouts are all worth trying. Hopefully this particular brand can leave the confines of California and make its way here, where cows are actually happy.

 
Third Space Ice Bear – How the people at Third Space can make a beer that’s both equal parts sweet and smoky, I’ll never know. It’s like a rauchbier meets a cocoa porter. Now that doesn’t sound right, but my brain has a hard time with this one. Normally, I’m like every other beer-loving person and find smoked/peat-y malt beers to be slightly off-putting; I really, really need to be in the mood for one to enjoy it. Admittedly I don’t understand this beer, and why I love it so much, really. But it just works. At 9.5%, it’s downright perfect for the cold weather here. Yes, their Unite the Clans Scottish ale gets all the praise, but the ol’ Ice Bear is still my favorite TS beer. I’ll leave my credentials at the door. 

Speciation Erasmus – A late entry to the list, imbibed on December 21st, was this picture perfect sour from Michigan blenders at Speciation. Soft velvet Georgia peaches, snuggled in bed with rooibos tea. Sour and sweet, funky and tart, 6.5%. I know nothing about Speciation, minus the fact my Michigan buddy brings them to me, and I like them (and him) a lot. Apparently they are moving to Grand Rapids in 2020, so good on Speciation. They don’t distribute out of MI (yet?), but their beer is available on the highway robbery delivery site known as Tavour, which 1 of the 3 readers of this blog uses. Plus this list needed a sour beer. I mean, come on, it was 2019 after all. Anyways.

Now imagine all the beers I didn’t have this year. Exactly. A list can only be so long and meaningless. Next up – BEERS OF THE DECADE.

Bodem & Pilcrow coffee

Gimme that head

Baby goats

Rev & Fruit by the Foot

Vennture brews

Hops.

Not very good at portrait mode

Erasmus, my guy.