Tag: Best of

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IPA – Best In 2021

Followers of this Blog will know of my ambivalence to Best of… Lists. I even cast a skeptical eye at GABF medals because there is just no way of truly knowing what the “best” is, it is merely a snapshot of a small slice of “best” to me.

That being said, this year let me conduct a different way of choosing a best. It will be a year long experiment. It will be for two types of IPAs, Hazy and West Coast. I pick those two because I will more than likely drink more of them than any other style and they will be widely available as we move (hopefully) out of lockdown. It will not be exhaustive. More California with a smattering of Oregon, Washington and other states. It will be subjective. Very subjective.

Updates will arrive each month with a top three leaderboard as well as list of all the IPAs tasted so you can follow along.

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First of Best Of 2020 – Zymurgy Magazine

Beer award season is on! Of course to meet publishing deadlines, it is best of the last two months of 2019 and then ten months of 2020. Zymurgy Magazine is an interesting take….

This is a heritage list. Except for, maybe, Treehouse, this is a list filled with old school heavy hitters. I mean Zombie Dust and Old Rasputin? Classics that we should have in rotation but not Insta Darlings. I can guarantee that no other Best of will look like this.

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Sip NW Best of Brewery # 2 – Old Stove Brewing


Our second stop is by the hearth in Seattle at Pike Place Market, home to Old Stove Brewing.

Here is my idea of a great taster tray from this brewery by the bay.

The Two-Pronged Crown IPA – “This big NW IPA exudes bright tangerine, grassy pine, and complex earthy notes from our abundant additions of dank Mosaic hops.”

Idaho7 FRESH HOP Hazy Pale – “Taproom specials! Come on in and try any of our four deliciously brewed wet hops while they last!”

Downtown Freddie’s Brown – “Our Big Brown Beer we like to show off to all our friends. We aged this decadently dark ale over bourbon-soaked cacao nibs roasted by our pals at Indi Chocolates in the Market, and tossed in some vanilla beans for added controversy. Smarter than your average beer.”

Oatmeal Stout – NITRO – “A smooth and hearty stout brewed with flaked oats and roasted barley. Poured with nitrogen, this creamy chocolaty treat is lightly hopped with experimental hop HBC-682 for a well-rounded balance.”

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Beer Advocate – Best of 2010 – Part 2

Earlier today, I dove into the master Best of List from Beer Advocate and I found it left out 99% of the beer styles in existence. Nary a Zwickelbier or Saison in sight. Now I go through the Alstrom brothers list.

Wow! What a difference. I know that they probably get many a beer that us normal beer geeks don’t get but wish we could. So they are working from a whole different list. But I am struck by the variety of styles that was missing from the other list. Sours, English pale ales, small beers and even a pilsner! A pilsner would NEVER make the main ranking. NEVER. This list would be the variety pack from the Beer Gods. And I am going to boast that I sampled 4 of them. I was especially glad to see Avery’s Rumpkin on the list. They make some tremendous rum beers. I was glad to see a Cascadian dark on the list as well as two other Oregon IPA’s.

Click on the image below to get a good look at what you should try to find this year: