Your Favorite Beer from 2017

Witch's Hat's latest batch of Dragontrax or Traxxx was absolutely ridiculous.

 

Pipeworks Lizard King made its way into MA this year thanks to Night Shift. Best mosaic pale I've tasted. I've drank gallons of the stuff

 

As a maple *****, ISO!

 

I'd say Jackie O's Bourbon Barrel Oro Negro, 3 Floyds Molten Mirrors, Nickel Brook Café Del Bastardo and Deschutes Scotch Barrel Abyss for me. I'm sure there are quite a few other ones I'm forgetting too!

 

Trillium’s Affogato is my highest rated beer of 2017

4.61/5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Growler poured into a teku glass

Two finger brown foam cap quickly settles to a brown ring over dark brown liquid

Aroma of roast malts, coffee, sweet milk chocolate,

Taste is sweet, chocolate coffee milk, good coffee aftertaste lingers, doesn''t bite

Ultra ultra smooth , alcohol is invisible

Great beer

Took some friends to the Trillium tap room and we tried it on tap, all agreed it is delicious

PS_ I am not lactose tolerant , but, this beer caused some "gassiness"

 

Onyx BDCS 2016 | Ozark Beer Co.

Once I found this at Rare Beer, I just drank it until the end. Absolutely one of my top five beers ever and certainly my favorite of 2017. Odell Rupture is an incredible shelf option around here too!

 

I travel a good amount for work and thought it would be fun to go with a random local beer that turned out to be one of my favorites of 2017.

Had this while traveling in Atlanta

Three Taverns Craft Brewery - Deperted Spirit

BBA Belgian Style Imperial Stout

 

That’s the one that gets my vote actually

 

Allagash Coolship Resurgam. Visited the brewery this year on a wonderful trip to Maine with my family. Pick up a bottle on a whim and drank it a month later. I was absolutely blown away. Without a doubt my favorite of the year.

Foundation Venture. Same trip. Out to dinner and my father in law got this while I got a Lunch. He said it was amazing. Took a sip of his and it immediately ruined my Lunch. It was incredible.

Trillium Headroom. Just so happened to be making a Costco trip the day it was released. Costco was about 20ish minutes away so we made the quick trip. One of the few beers that lived up to its hype. An absolute wallop of hops. Also, I had my last can during the season finale of game of thrones so it added to the awesomeness.

Best New Brewey: Oxbow. Everything I’ve had from them has been absolutely superb.

 

Top 5 beers that I had for the first time in 2017:

5. Wake 'n Bake - Terrapin
4. Black Mask - Jackie O's
3. Crasher In the Rye - Clown Shoes
2. The Exorcism of Rachel Wall - Clown Shoes
1. BA Yeti - Great Divide

 

I'm also going for the 'had for the first time in 2017' list:

Tree House - Curiosity Thirty Five - This tastes exactly like your first Tree House beer
OEC Brewing - Artista Zynergia Plumtastic - Just gorgeous plum sour, had at Norey's in Newport, RI
Hudson Valley Brewing - Multichorus - My first sour IPA, knocks it out of the park with a gorgeous use of stout adjuncts.
Tilted Barn Brewing - The Other One - I had a wait to pick up my girlfriend at the Wickford train station, and heard there was a brewery nearby. I went with no expectations and was blown away.
Counter Weight - Coffee Void on Cask with Woodford Reserve and Vanilla Bean - Had just a few weeks ago at my first visit to the brewery, 3 of my favorite flavors
Trillium Brewing - Affogato - For months, I would go to Trillium Canton, and always finish with this dessert of a beer

 

Tried Julius and Founders KBS for the first time this year, please don't make me choose.

 

What do you mean? I currently have to get my Pipeworks from a buddy in IL... would love to know where I might find it in MA.

EDIT: I just found the 'Pipeworks in MA' BA forum... next time I'll Google before asking

 

1) Clown Shoes Exorcism at Sunset--fantastic and consistently delicious (have had 5 bottles)
2) Founders DKML--Never had a malt liquor, so no pre-conceived opinions. Sort of like a barleywine but highly drinkable/enjoyable.
3) Central Waters BA Barleywine--new to me and quickly one of my favorite barleywines.

 

Henna b1

 

According to my BA reviews, it's a close call between Grimm Magnetic Compass and Other Half's Third Anniversary beer, both of which came early this year. I have a feeling that will change come Christmas Eve when I share a number of BA beers with family. I also had my first Pliny the Elder pours in LA a couple weeks ago, which was a fantastic experience.

I started homebrewing in February, and I've noticed since then that my ratings have become slightly harsher and less enthusiastic, which I chalk it up to pretending like I know what I'm talking about. 2017 has definitely had a ton of delicious beers.

 

Jackie O's/Side Project - Appervation
Single Cut - DDH Workers Are Going Home
Dancing Gnome - Double Lustra
Little Fish - Brakemans Cuvée

 

Tie between Trillium (and J. Wakefield) Affogato and Foam Built to Spill

 

Here are my 10 highest rated beers that I had for the first time in 2017:

• Trillium DDH Fort Point (4.78)
  
• Other Half Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Dream (4.78)
  
• Sand City Man Hands (4.78)
  
• Tired Hands Such Passion (4.71)
  
• Holy Mountain The Third Nail (4.69)
  
• Trillium DDH Melcher (4.68)
  
• Tree House Haze (4.63)
  
• Kane Imperial Sneakbox (4.61)
  
• Hill Farmstead Harlan (4.6)
  
• Boulevard Foeder Project #2 (4.6)

 

Top 5 for 2017.

Trillium Brewing Company The Streets
Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV St. Bernardus Abt 12
Deschutes Brewery The Abyss 2016 Reserve
Trillium Brewing Company Double Dry Hopped Congress Street
Tree House Brewing Company Julius

Cheers!