ISO: Exceptional breweries that opened in 2020

I can't remember exactly, but they were two IPA/DIPAs and one of the fruit-blast things (bought for the GF). Will definitely try the lagers next time.

 

I would have to say that Mountain Hops Brewing in Casper is exceptional. I haven't had 1 of their beers that wasn't at least very good.

 

Bricktree Brewing in little Lincolnton, NC came out swinging. Aside from a not so great Irish stout that was like drinking burnt marris otter, all of their beers have been great. The most recent beer I had was a 12.9% abv English Barleywine that drank like an 8%, it was awesome and if I didn't have to drive home I would have stuck around and had a few more.

 

West LA Beer Company in Swanzey NH. Very good beer, great folks.

 

Wild East Brewing Co. in Brooklyn, NY.
They make a great variety of brews well, anyone could find a style/beer they like at the taproom.
Officially opened for business on the first day of NYC shutdown last March.

 

Fun thread to follow. Glad to see the game thriving during this pandemic.

Unfortunately, we didn't have anything open probably within a 100 mile radius of me this year.

 

Btw, they opened in July and have brewed 18 beers so far.

 

Crazy Gnome in Nashville, TN as well. It was also bombed by the March 2nd tornado. HAppy they were able to open up as well. They are producing all around great beers.

 

second both of these.....two places that are churning out great beers...also 2 great places to visit

 

Young Blood in Madison, WI is a pretty nice addition to the beer scene.

 

Earnest Brew Works in Toledo, Ohio is fantastic. 18 beers on tap at all times. Firkin every Thursday. Check them out. https://www.earnestbrewworks.com/

 

Utopian Brewing in the UK, although they may have opened in 2019 and gone wide in 2020. They make a great range of German and Austrian style beers (and absolutely on style), but using locally sourced ingredients. The British Lager is totally sessional. Can't wait to get back over there to dig into their darker offerings.

 

Lua Brewing in downtown Des Moines. In less than a year, they've already gained a reputation locally as the best beer being made in the DSM metro. They came right out of the gates with masterful barrel aged stouts, sours and IPA's, and have shown awesome ability in working with adjuncts, specifically tree nuts, to create massive but balanced beers that aren't artificial messes dominated by add-ins. Most importantly in my opinion, they've released a plethora of dunkels, hefes, pilsners, and other less-modern day mainstream styles that have all been killer as well. And as an added bonus they have a really freakin good cook.

 

Narrative Fermentations in San Jose, CA opened this year and immediately shot up to one of the top breweries in the San Francisco Bay Area. Every release has been excellent and they are constantly releasing new beers in popular styles: hoppy beers, lagers, porters/stouts, and even a few tasty fruited kettle sours.

Particular standouts have been Chaos & Caffeine, Epoch, and Citra Is My Vice.

https://narrativefermentations.com/

 

More likely it is to get around some of the arcane distributing brewery and total size laws here in MN restricting sales from the taproom. A couple of other breweries have done that in the past, too. It is a new brand, but I wouldn't consider it a new brewery (even though technically, it probably is by corporate structure/legal ownership and the like that may be necessary to get around the MN laws).

 

Woven Water Brewing in Tampa, Florida. Everything they have put out since opening has been amazing, including (and I can't believe I'm saying this) Hard Seltzer's.

Their first bottle release called Samsara has probably been the best beer I have had in the last year, hands down.

 

Any brewery opening in 2020 deserves support and encouragement. Here in Central PA we were lucky enough to get a new addition, Axemann Brewery in Bellefonte. They revived an industrial remnant into a stunning 20,000 square foot taproom perched on the side of a wooded stream. It’s become a very popular restaurant/brewery destination even with COVID-19 restrictions. They feature a wide range of beer styles Including some tasty IPAs, but their German roots are responsible for an outstanding Octoberfest Marzen, a delicious Lager and a widely distributed Kolsch. Welcome to the neighborhood.

 

Totally agree with you there. Jay the head brewer has been putting out some amazing selections so far. Can't wait to see what 2021 brings!

 

Locally here in IL, I'd throw out Goldfinger Brewing (Downers Grove, IL) - they opened July 31st after the Pandemic delayed their planned early Spring opening. They are a lager-centric brewery and have started out with a core lineup of beers that they have focused on honing in rather than churning out weekly variations on a theme. Their lager and Oktoberfest märzen were outstanding. Their Vienna and pils IMHO needed some work, but the Vienna was a really good beer, just not faithful to the style guidelines. Haven't had their IPL or their Baltic Porter yet, so I can't speak to them. But I think that they are worthy of an inclusion on an up and coming list of breweries that opened in 2020 and are doing exciting things.[/QUOTE]

I was going say Goldfinger too. I've been sending their stuff around the country in trades as extras. I live right down the read from them. Next week they start selling cans, so I'm pretty excited.