The People Have Spoken

We tirelessly culled through hundreds of thousands of reviews of tens of thousands of beers and places by hundreds of thousands of BeerAdvocate.com members in order to bring you the ultimate 2010 beer in review, our annual Best of BeerAdvocate.

May these lists enhance your beer experience by challenging you to always seek out the good stuff and review along the way. Cheers!

Top Beers of 2010
Added, reviewed, sought after and thoroughly enjoyed in 2010.

1. Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
American Double / Imperial Stout / 13%
Goose Island Beer Co. (Chicago, Illinois)

2. Citra DIPA
American Double / Imperial IPA / 8%
Kern River Brewing Co. (Kernville, California)

3. The Angel’s Share Grand Cru
American Strong Ale / 12.5%
The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, California)

4. Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout – Laird’s Apple Brandy Barrel
American Double / Imperial Stout / 11.5%
Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida)

5. Rare Bourbon County Stout
American Double / Imperial Stout / 13%
Goose Island Beer Co. (Chicago, Illinois)

6. 30th Anniversary – Fritz & Ken’s Ale
American Double / Imperial Stout / 9.2%
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California)

7. Silva Stout
American Double / Imperial Stout / 10.1%
Green Flash Brewing Co. (Vista, California)

8. 30th Anniversary – Grand Cru
American Strong Ale / 9.2%
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California)

9. Gandhi-Bot Double IPA
American Double / Imperial IPA / 8.8%
New England Brewing Co. (Woodbridge, Connecticut)

10. Mongo
American Double / Imperial IPA / 8.5%
Port Brewing Co. (San Marcos, California)

11. Jubel 2010
American Strong Ale / 10%
Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon)

12. Super Friends IPA
American IPA / 6%
Ithaca Beer Co. (Ithaca, New York)

13. Lukcy Basartd Ale
American Strong Ale / 8.5%
Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, California)

14. Firestone 14 – Anniversary Ale
American Strong Ale / 12.5%
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (Paso Robles, California)

15. Black Damnation II – Mocha Bomb
American Double / Imperial Stout / 12%
De Struise Brouwers (Oostvleteren, Belgium)

16. Four
Milk / Sweet Stout / 10%
Surly Brewing Co. (Brooklyn Center, Minnesota)

17. Double Chocolate Stout
American Double / Imperial Stout / 8%
Rogue Brewery (Newport, Oregon)

18. Deliverance
American Strong Ale / 12.5%
The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, California)

19. Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2010
American Barleywine / 11.3%
Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, California)

20. Summit India Style Rye Ale
Rye Beer / 6.3%
Summit Brewing Co. (St. Paul, Minnesota)

21. Founders Nemesis 2009
Wheatwine / 12%
Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

22. Rye-on-Rye
Rye Beer / 11%
Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri)

23. Exit 16
American Double / Imperial IPA / 8.2%
Flying Fish Brewing Co. (Cherry Hill, New Jersey)

24. D.O.R.I.S. the Destroyer
Russian Imperial Stout / 10.5%
Hoppin’ Frog Brewery (Akron, Ohio)

25. Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew
Russian Imperial Stout / 9%
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)

Top Brewers
The kräusen of the crop.

1. AleSmith Brewing Co.
San Diego, California

2. Russian River Brewing Co.
Santa Rosa, California

3. Surly Brewing Co.
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

4. Cigar City Brewing
Tampa, Florida

5. Allagash Brewing Co.
Portland, Maine

6. The Bruery
Placentia, California

7. COAST Brewing Co.
North Charleston, South Carolina

8. Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, California

9. Tröegs Brewing Co.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

10. The Lost Abbey
San Marcos, California

11. Alpine Beer Co.
Alpine, California

12. Founders Brewing Co.
Grand Rapids, Michigan

13. Three Floyds Brewing Co. / Brewery & Pub
Munster, Indiana

14. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, California

15. Avery Brewing Co.
Boulder, Colorado

16. Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Pleasantville, New York

17. Brewery Ommegang
Cooperstown, New York

18. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, Michigan

19. New England Brewing Co.
Woodbridge, Connecticut

20. Ballast Point Brewing Co.
San Diego, California

21. High Point Brewing Co.
Butler, New Jersey

22. Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Cleveland, Ohio

23. Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
Anchorage, Alaska

24. Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Petaluma, California

25. Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Top Places to Have a Pint
Wallets, meet your beery demise.

1. Ebenezer’s Pub
Lovell, Maine

2. Brick Store Pub
Decatur, Georgia

3. HopCat
Grand Rapids, Michigan

4. Beachwood BBQ
Seal Beach, California

5. Armsby Abbey
Worcester, Massachusetts

6. Kulminator
Antwerpen, Belgium

7. The Publick House & Monk’s Cell
Brookline, Massachusetts

8. Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens
Escondido, California

9. The Moan and Dove
Amherst, Massachusetts

10. Map Room
Chicago, Illinois

11. Spuyten Duyvil
Brooklyn, New York

12. ’t Brugs Beertje
Brugge, Belgium

13. Russian River Brewing Co.
Santa Rosa, California

14. The Alchemist Pub & Brewery
Waterbury, Vermont

15. Zeno’s Pub
State College, Pennsylvania

16. Stub & Herb’s
Minneapolis, Minnesota

17. Novare Res Bier Café
Portland, Maine

18. TJ’s Restaurant & Drinkery
Paoli, Pennsylvania

19. Hopleaf Bar
Chicago, Illinois

20. Papago Brewing
Scottsdale, Arizona

21. Monk’s Café
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

22. The Dirty Truth
Northampton, Massachusetts

23. Blind Tiger Ale House
New York, New York

24. Blue Palms BrewHouse
Los Angeles, California

25. O’Brien’s Pub
San Diego, California

Top “Light” Lagers
Lighter in color, not flavor, we give props to these bottom fermenters.

1. Reality Czeck
Czech Pilsner / 4.8%
Moonlight Brewing Co. (Fulton, California)

2. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
Dortmunder / Export Lager / 5.8%
Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Cleveland, Ohio)

3. Great Lakes Eliot Ness
Vienna Lager / 6.2%
Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Cleveland, Ohio)

4. Prima Pils
German Pilsner / 5.3%
Victory Brewing Co. (Downingtown, Pennsylvania)

5. Samuel Adams Noble Pils
German Pilsner / 4.9%
Boston Beer Co. (Boston, Massachusetts)

6. PILZILLA
Keller Bier / Zwickel Bier / 6.7%
Voodoo Brewing Co. (Meadville, Pennsylvania)

7. Weihenstephaner Original
Munich Helles Lager / 5.1%
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan (Freising, Germany)

8. Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier
Munich Helles Lager / 4.3%
Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla (Bamberg, Germany)

9. Ayinger Jahrhundert Bier
Dortmunder / Export Lager / 5.5%
Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying (Aying, Germany)

10. Anchor Steam Beer
California Common / Steam Beer / 4.9%
Anchor Brewing Co. (San Francisco, California)

11. Brooklyn Lager
American Amber / Red Lager / 5.2%
Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, New York)

12. Braumeister Harvest Pils
German Pilsner / 6.1%
Victory Brewing Co. (Downingtown, Pennsylvania)

13. Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Vienna Lager / 4.9%
Boston Beer Co. (Boston, Massachusetts)

14. Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Pils (Keller Pils)
Keller Bier / Zwickel Bier / 5%
Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Brewing Co. (Bethesda, Maryland)

15. Thomas Hooker Munich-Style Golden Lager
Munich Helles Lager / 4.6%
Thomas Hooker Ales & Lagers (Bloomfield, Connecticut)

16. Stoudt’s Pils
German Pilsner / 4.7%
Stoudts Brewing Co. (Adamstown, Pennsylvania)

17. Augustiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell
Munich Helles Lager / 5.2%
Augustiner-Bräu Wagner KG (München, Germany)

18. Pikeland Pils
German Pilsner / 4.9%
Sly Fox Brewing Co. (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania)

19. Hell
Keller Bier / Zwickel Bier / 4.5%
Surly Brewing Co. (Brooklyn Center, Minnesota)

20. Stoudt’s Gold Lager
Munich Helles Lager / 4.7%
Stoudts Brewing Co. (Adamstown, Pennsylvania)

21. American Darling
American Pale Lager / 7%
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

22. Tannenzäpfle
German Pilsener / 5.1%
Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus AG (Grafenhausen-Rothaus, Germany)

23. Tröegs Sunshine Pils
German Pilsner / 5.3%
Tröegs Brewing Co. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

24. Mahr’s Ungespundet-hefetrüb
Keller Bier / Zwickel Bier / 5.2%
Mahrs Bräu (Bamberg, Germany)

25. Samuel Smith’s Organically Produced Lager Beer
Euro Pale Lager / 5%
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster, United Kingdom (England))

Alström Bro’s Top Beers
In no real order, these are the brews that made us stop, think and drink in 2010.

Big Little Beer
Small Beer / 5%
Allagash Brewing Co. (Portland, Maine)

Lady of the Woods
Wild Ale / 5.5%
Cisco Brewers (Nantucket, Massachusetts)

TEA
(Traditional Experimental Ale)
Sour Ale / 6%
The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, California)

Le Bleu
Sour Ale / 5%
Ithaca Beer Co. (Ithaca, New York)

Coolship w/ Cherries
Wild Ale / 5.5%
Allagash Brewing Co. (Portland, Maine)

Embrasse
Belgian Strong Dark Ale / 9%
Brouwerij de Dochter van de Korenaar (Baarle-Hertog, Belgium)

Jai Alai IPA
American IPA / 7.5%
Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida)

Secession Cascadian Dark Ale
American Black Ale / 6.5%
Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland, Oregon)

Mamouche
Lambic / 5%
Brasserie Cantillon (Brussels, Belgium)

Zinnebir
Belgian Pale Ale / 6%
Brasserie de la Senne (Sint-Pieter-Leeuw, Belgium)

Professor Fritz Briem 13th Century Grut Bier
Grut / 4.6%
Professor Fritz Briem (Freising, Germany)

Belgian-Style Dubbel
Dubbel / 8%
Choc Brewing Co. (Krebs, Oklahoma)

Leafer Madness (Hop Harvest Edition)
American Double IPA / 9%
Beer Valley Brewing Co. (Ontario, Oregon)

Rauch Ür Bock
Rauchbier / 7.4%
Caldera Brewing Co. (Ashland, Oregon)

Black Betty Barrel Aged Reserve Series
Russian Imperial Stout / 9.3%
Nebraska Brewing Co. (Papillion, Nebraska)

Trout Hop Black IPA
American Black Ale / 8.5%
Grand Teton Brewing Co. (Victor, Idaho)

Rumpkin
Pumpkin Ale / 13.8%
Avery Brewing Co. (Boulder, Colorado)

Ghost Face Killah
Chili Beer / 5.0%
Twisted Pine Brewing Co. (Boulder, Colorado)

Hedgerow Bitter
English Pale Ale / 5.4%
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Workhorse IPA
American IPA / 7.5%
Laurelwood Public House & Brewery (Portland, Oregon)

Oppigårds Bergsmansöl
German Pilsner / 5.3%
Oppigårds Bryggeri AB (Hedemora, Sweden)

Mongo
American Double IPA / 8.5%
Port Brewing Co. (San Marcos, California)

Sehr Crisp Pilsner
Czech Pilsner / 5.4%
Sixpoint Craft Ales (Brooklyn, New York)

Oatmeal Stout
Oatmeal Stout / 5%
Marble Brewery (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Lovibonds Dark Reserve No. 1
English Porter / 7.4%
Lovibonds Brewery (Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom (England)) ■