Your Favorite Brewery in 2023

Has to be Roaring Table in Lake Zurich, IL -- probably same as 2022.

Just brewing great renditions of classic styles.

Just had their recent Munich Helles release and their recipe is traditional and innovative at the same time -- nevermind the freshness I get for being so close.

Second place: Urban Chestnut.

@hanuswalrus

 

The one that I rated the highest (4.30) was Russian River in Windsor. A close second (4.29) was Speciation Artisan Ales in Grand Rapids. Most of the rating for both is for the excellent beers that can be had there. Everyone knows about the RR beers, but Speciation probably makes some of the best wild and farmhouse ales in Michigan.

 

Forest and Main again. Second would be Fonta Flora.


Enjoy

 

New to me favorite brewery from 2023: Other Half (never had any of their stuff before).

Favorite Colorado brewery: TRVE. (which supplanted Outer Range, which supplanted Cerebral, still my 1-2-3 order).

Favorite brewery that no longer exists: Half Acre Lincoln (I know.... I know... ).

Favorite out of state (regional) brewery: CUMBRE

Good day to you...

 

Tree House. To be fair, the answer has usually been Tree House… except that the new Deerfield, Mass. location is half the distance from my house that the mothership was. Hermit Thrush in Brattleboro, VT is on the way home from Deerfield. I keep telling people that I don’t like the sour stuff, but that’s a lie. So, Hermit Thrush is probably my 2nd favorite.

 

I would have to call my favorite a tie between Masthead and Fatheads.
Both of these breweries are solid amongst all styles and I have never had a beer I disliked from either.

 

Live Oak in Austin.

 

PIVO, Calmar, IA and Allerton, Independence, IA. Beautiful taprooms inside and out, good food, and great beers encompassing a wide variety of classic styles.

 

For large craft brewing companies - Sierra Nevada
For their return to: Summerfest, German Oktoberfest collaboration, and Fan Favorites pack... plus I had a lot of Bigfoot (and waiting on its return)

For local/NY State brewing companies - Suarez
For their unexpected old ale and smoky Helles brewed according to Schlenkerla's method

For foreign brewing companies - Theakston
For Old Peculier's return to the US market

 

Completely forgot Trumer -- my go-to, on-hand, house label.

 

2023 was a great year for Sierra Nevada. The four beers/pack you mentioned are at the top of my list 2023 too. I also can’t wait to get my hands on some Old Peculiar. I’d probably also like Suarez, but I’ve never even heard of them.

 

Schilling beer co is my favorite this and last year without a doubt. My favorite styles are Czech dark lager and schwarzbier no one does them better than schilling.

 

It's not Drekker, though I review about 80 of their beers a year. And it's not GI Bourbon County variants even though I chase them down every black Friday. Or Prairie, despite making some of my highest rated RBA/BBA Stouts.

This year I have a renewed appreciation for Central Waters due to an epic beer @GreenBayBA shared with me earlier this month at a meet-up at his place; Anniversary Edition Twenty-Five aged in Pappy's 15yr BA Imperial Stout (gold label). I plan to re-visit all of their BBA beers that I enjoyed years ago, but haven't had in a while.

 

central waters is the shit. the fact that i read they still had pappy 25th at the brewery weeks after release is wild. if it were some other hyped up brewery they'd be sellin at 4x the cost

 

La cumbre

 

Nationwide favorite: Sam Adams; The reformulated Boston Lager is actually really good. Solid quality lagers and ales throughout the entire lineup. No plastic packaging!

Detroit favorite: Brewery Faisan; They specialize in belgian styles and do a really great job with lagers also. Their name comes from the fact that Detroit has a very active pheasant population.

 

Man that is a tough one. I did drink a lot of Goose Island this year and Half Acre Daisy Cutter.

 

Other Half was suddenly everywhere around here, and it really is amazing!

Triple Citra Daydream, 10.5% - my first Milkshake IPA!



-Look: Beautiful deep-yellow haze with a thick clumpy head.
-Aroma: Wow, ripe orange and pineapple, soft citrus and grapefruit.
-Taste: OMG, better than the aroma, bursting with creamy soft citrus!
-Feel: Soft and round, tight but slippery. Soft oat and hop milkshake.
-Overall: Phenomenal, never had such a burst of creamy citrus hops before!

 

Revolution for their BA beers is my favorite year after year. Favorite local brewery is Civil Society, great beer, great staff, comfortable taprooms.