What were your favorite beers in 2022?

Side Pull Czech style pils - Fair State Brewing Co-op / Bierstadt collab

Jerzy Polish style lager - Celestial Beerworks

Wizard Off the Payroll New Zealand style pils - Celestial Beerworks

Split Aces IPA - Alesmith / Revision collab

King Al DIPA - Equilibrium / Toppling Goliath

Double Yellow Rose - Lone Pint Brewery

Sip of Sunshine DIPA - Lawson's

Pacific Magic IPA - North Coast Brewing

Had a lot of tasty beers this year. These are the 1s that stood out for me. I drank around a case or more of most of these. 2 of em I only had a few pints tho.

 

Below is a list, in no specific order, of my favorite new (new brands) beers:

Sly Fox Reality Czech: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-83.665312/#post-7464337

Tired Hands Trendler Czech Pilsner: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-105.668085/#post-7571893

Von C Černé Speciál Lager – Dark: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-108.668434/#post-7586561

Workhorse Czech’d Out: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-98.667288/#post-7540705

Cheers to new beers!

 

I detect a Main Line/West Philly Suburb bias!

 

Nothing better than high quality and fresh beer!

Cheers!

 

Lots of good beer this year. My favorite of all time, Heady Topper, was my most consumed and still tops my list of favorite beers. Nothing beats it. Besides that, here are some other notable beers:

de Garde - Lee Kriek
Tree House - Trailbreaker
Tree House - At Ease
Notch - Altbier
pFriem - Pilsner
Civil Society - Fresh Comets
The Veil - Personvl Personvl Spvce Spvce
La Cumbre - Elevated IPA
Cloudwater - When You Are With Friends You Could Have A Potato
Kohola - Talk Story
Anchorage - Blessed
Forest & Main - Sundial
NEBCO - G-bot
Bellwoods - Cat Lady
Root + Branch - Bloodless II
Jester King - Atrial Rubicide

Probably forgetting a bunch but I will revise as I go through my memory and written records.

 

What!?!

No locals!?!

Cheers!

 

Ouch, you are correct, not as many as I thought. I guess I did include a Forest and Main, and I have to admit that pretty much everything I have from Human Robot is great. But as far as the Main Line is concerned it's true that not much has impressed me, with the exception of some Tired Hands beers that have been tweaked to taste like the old days.

 

My favorite new-to-me beer drinking experience in 2022 might have been Tynt Meadow.

 

Being a barleywine fanatic Pohjala triple barrel was my favorite and most memorable beer of 2022, and I also really liked Kane’s stacking casks #8. I don’t drink many “sours” anymore but Hudson Valley Brewery’s Glycerin with Blackberry and peach was about as good as it gets for a fruited sour that’s not a vintage Lou Pepe Cantillon. Hard to pick a top hoppy beer but I see I gave top marks to Equilibrium and vitamin sea’s batch 3 collaboration. I also had a super fresh Iaced in space from other half last night and as the young folks say, shit was bomb.

 

Rodenbach - Alexander
TG - KBBS & Assassin
New Glarus - Raspberry Tart & Kühler
Einstök - Icelandic Wee Heavy

 

I’m sure it was something from a local brewery that no one knows or cares about. Cheers.

 

I'm seeing more of an Austro-Hungarian Empire bias.

 

Fort Point Pale Ale - Galaxy Dry Hopped
Trillium Brewing Company

 

Lawsons Triple Sunshine
Bells Mars
Gouden Carolus Christmas

Local Bros:
Iron Hill Kryptonite
Iron Hill Grand Inquisitor

Semi- local:
Carton 077xx
Carton Regular Coffee

Whew. Where did this year go?

 

Chris,

Did you watch the video podcast of the CBC dudes for this beer?



Cheers!

 

2022 high scoring reviews from me. Remarkable brews:
Summit Twins Pils
The Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter
Narragansett Fresh Catch Citra Session Ale
Destil Deadhead IPA Series Tourbus ddh Hazy IPA
Schilling Landbier Rustic Lager
Hofbrauhaus Freising Festbier
HammerHeart Thor's Fury Returns Imp Porter
Maine Beer Co MO American Pale Ale
Maine Beer Co Wolfe's Neck IPA
Maine Beer Co Lunch American IPA
Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Cherry Wood Stout

 

Every year sly fox oktoberfest and helles rule.

Yards did a super fruity kolsch but I know for a fact that it was put in the same bright tank as the orange mango Seltzer previously and there was some lingering effects so that was a pretty strange one

 

Only Memories Remain Dark Czech Lager - Good Word Brewing (GA)

Stet Altbier - Fox Farm Brewery (CT)

Trappiste Rochefort 10 Quad

Isabella Hefeweizen - Good Word Brewing (GA)

Common Ground Kolsch - Bold Monk Brewery (GA)

Blood Orange Hoprodisiac DIPA - Akademia Brewing Co.

Dunkel Platz Munich Dunkel - Round Trip Brewing (GA)

Hofbrau Festbier

Weihenstephaner Helles

 

It was the year of high ABV stouts for me. Standouts include Jackie O’s Chemesthesis and Bells Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate Expedition.

 

Like Riding a Bike - IPA from Urban Roots
And
Pale Ale - from Madewest were both excellent new to me entries in some of my favorite styles.
Haze - IPA from Treehouse was a nice window into why that style and that brewer is so beloved.
Best Bitter - from Machine House was excellent despite what was a slightly older bottle. A nice reminder of why a style like that could become such a cultural icon. I could've drank it by the gallon easily.
And I guess I'd finish it off with Parabaloid - BA stout from Firestone-Walker. Absolutely blew me away as a display of the transcendent places that some barrel time can take a beer

 

Don't know what it was, but Santa Clausthaler was really high up there.

 

My top 5-

2 from Kane, Double Double Cask and Stacking Casks #8

2 from Revolution VSOJ and VSOR (thank you @FBarber !)

Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, 4 year aged

Looking at this list, all 3 of these breweries are pretty reasonably priced. Good to know!

 

Here's my post in a similar 'Favorites' thread in the Midwest forum. Just giving some love to a Michigan brewery that I'll be checking out further once traveling weather arrives.

 

Here are my highest rated beers in 2022, including my two highest rated ever at 4.84;

Pirate Weekend Prairie Artisan Ales
American Imperial Stout 14.4 4.33 4.84 +11.8%

Existential Bliss Humble Forager Brewery
American Imperial Stout 12.5 4.68 4.84 +3.4%

Lumberjack Breakfast BA Darkness Surly Brewing Company
Russian Imperial Stout 12 4.54 4.7 +3.5%

Coffee Coconut Bon Covert Artisan Ales
American Imperial Stout 11 4.58 4.66 +1.7%

BA Stuft The Brewing Projekt
American Imperial Stout 15 4.57 4.66 +2.0%

Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout Goose Island Beer Co.
American Imperial Stout 13.2 4.67 4.65 -0.4%

Bourbon County Brand 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout Goose Island Beer Co.
American Imperial Stout 14.4 4.52 4.65 +2.9%

Slang Du Jour - Black Forest Cake Drekker Brewing Company
Fruited Kettle Sour 6.8 4.28 4.62 +7.9%

BA Bon Covert Artisan Ales
American Imperial Stout 13 4.62 4.62 0%

Slang Du Jour - Lemon Bar Drekker Brewing Company
Fruited Kettle Sour 6.7 4.24 4.61 +8.7%

Bourbon County Brand Stout - Heaven Hill (2022) Goose Island Beer Co.
American Imperial Stout 14.3 4.55 4.61 +1.3%

Pliny The Elder Russian River Brewing Company
Imperial IPA 8 4.64 4.6 -0.9%

 

Limited mine to first tastes

Arthur saison - Hill Farmstead

Cellarmaker saison - Sante Adairius

Alpha Hop Society: Barrel Aged Nectarine Blond - Sierra Nevada

Alpha Hop Society: Barrel Aged Blueberry Maple Stout - Sierra Nevada

Zenos Pale Ale: Lone Pint

Mutant X: Oskar Blues

 

In no particular order :
Hair of the Dog Adam From the Wood (8 year version)
HotD Maple Adam
HotD 2010 Doggie Claws
HotD Fred From the Wood (6 year bourbon barrel version)
HotD Don 2022
Side Project Beer:Barrel:Time
Moonlight Reality Czeck
North Park Brewing Co. Triple-Fu!
Von Ebert FH Volatile Substance
Cellarmaker Works and Days
Suarez Palatine Pils
Wild East Ramble Helles
Private Press Second Press
Honorable mention to FH IPAs from Breakside and Single Hill

 

I gave my first two perfect scores this year to Brauerei Heller-Trum, if anything better comes along, I'll put 5+ in my review.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Urbock Rauchbier avg. 4.14/me 5 +20.8%

Märzen Rauchbier avg. 4.06/me 5 +23.2%

Some other highlights:

The Chosen One
Tilted Barn Brewer, NEIPA avg. 4.45/me 4.44 -0.2%

Landbier
Schilling Beer Co., European Pale Lager avg. 4.08/me 4.51 +10.5%

Boniface
Schilling Beer Co., European / Dortmunder Export Lager avg.3.98/me 4.28 +7.5%

Heady Topper
The Alchemist, Imperial IPA avg. 4.71/me 4.74 +0.6%

Lunch
Maine Beer Company, American IPA avg. 4.38/me 4.43 +1.1%

Trappist Tripel
Brouwerij Westmalle, Tripel avg. 4.3/me 4.69 +9.1%

Pernicious IPA
Wicked Weed Brewing, American IPA avg. 4.21/me 4.67 +10.9%

Festbier
Notch Brewing, Festbier / Wiesnbier avg. 4.14/me 4.31 +4.1%

Big Hoppy
Lawson's Finest Liquids, Black IPA avg. 4.02/me 4.02 0%


Happy New Year's Eve!
I'll see some of you tonight on WBAYDN after things settle down.

 

I had a very fortunate 2022, with vacation travels to all the best that Vermont & NH breweries have to offer, and of course I pit-stopped at Tree House to mule home alot of beer as well. But some other more pedestrian beers that caught me by surprise in 2022:

Sam Adams Festbier - I really enjoyed this beer and probably the best from Sam Adams I've had in quite a while

Sam Adams Cold IPA - Doesn't get much love here in the BA ratings, but the flavor profile just struck me nicely from this beer

Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool - vacationed in Montana this summer and finally got to try one of these brown ales that I've read about on BA for over a decade. It's worth the hype (well I don't think it gets much hype these days, but its a darn good brown ale).

 

I had a few I really enjoyed this year

Luscious Russian Imperial Stout
Alchemist

Jjjuiceee Project Galaxy +Galaxy Imperial IPA
Tree House

Crushhh NEIPA
Naukabout Brewery ( nice people, nice beer)

Dorks of Hazard NEIPA
Hoof Hearted

Dot Ave Imperial IPA
Trillium

HyperSurface AIPA
HOMES Brewery

And my favorite of the year
DDDoublegangerrr Imperial IPA
Tree House

 

Lesser Known’s The 12 Czech-style pale lager. Hands down.

 

Yards Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
Lancaster Double Chocolate Milk Stout
Starview Brews Chickies Rock Cream Ale
Suburban Interstellar Keller
Yuengling Lord Chesterfield
Cape May Honey Porter
Pelican Mother Of All Storms
Früh Kölsch
Suburban Barrel Aged Lights Out Stout
Suburban Barrel Aged Willy Scottish Ale
Iron Hill Solzhenitsyn 2019
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Iron Hill Iron Huell Pils
Kane Double Double Cask

 

I probably should have added Ghost Proton to my list. Really good. Cheers!

 

Lots of great beers this year and I have a pretty long list of ones that made a big impression on me. For the most part, I stayed pretty local in New England region this year so there are an embarrassing number of Hill Farmstead and Tree House beers on the list, along with a lopsided amount of imperial/BA stouts. I like what I like... But I did make a point to get back to lagers, especially for onsite pours.

• Hill Farmstead Aaron - Cognac/Bourbon (Barleywine)
• Barreled Souls Put a Bird on It - 13 yr. Barton Barrel Aged (Imp. Stout)
• Barreled Souls Members Only #4 (Imp. Stout)
• Hill Farmstead Earl Bourbon Barrel Aged (Oatmeal Stout)
• Barreled Souls Just Here for the Churros (Imp. Stout)
• Tree House Very Hhhazyyy (DIPA)
• Tree House Single Shot - Pablo & Eva (Milk Stout)
• Hill Farmstead Dorothy (Wine Barrel-aged) - N. Hemisphere (Farmhouse Ale)
• Goose Island Bourbon County 30th Anniversary (Imp. Stout)
• Tree House Nascent Truth (Elijah Craig Barrels) (Imp. Stout)
• Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen Homage (Lambic)
• Tree House Tree of Bliss (Barleywine)
• Bissell Brothers A Long Dusk (Wild Ale)
• Kent Falls Foeder Hollow Pilsner
• Tree House Trail - Nelson (Pilsner-side pull)

 

In no particular order......

1. Tree of Tranquility
2. Death Mettle
3. Vanilla Bean Truth
4. The Greenest Green
5. Incredible Machine

 

Three specific ones (based my overall rating scores):

1. Fonta Flora Brewery -- Razzmatazz (Remix) (wild ale)
2. WeldWerks Brewery -- Medianocha - Coconut (imperial stout)
3. Bottle Logic Brewing -- Fundamental Observation (imperial stout)

...but for styles, there have been plenty of kölsch, pilsners, and cream ales that have hit the spot. - I love big beers, but lighter, lower ABV ones certainly are a huge pleasure..plus some old standbys such as Russian River's 'Pliny the Elder' and 'Blind Pig'...

 

Just last week I was visiting my dad in Weaverville NC and happened to notice that I got the hours wrong for Zebulon with only an hour left (they have EXTREMELY limited hours) where they’d be open while I was in town.

Took the 4 minute drive down the hill and picked up a few bottles… anywho their House Saison was absolutely divine. Super dry/kissed with Brett and I think it’s wild how the one that sticks out all year is this one… probably some recency bias, but still. Glad I got 2 and no one else in my family likes the style lulz

 

I had so many good and not-so-good this year, it's hard for me to pick one. I will mention that I focused a significant amount of my time this year on lagers. I discovered that a well made lager is something g hard to come by, but once you do, it is truly an enjoyable experience. Easy drinking with true flavor. Something I might continue to do into 2023...