I was mid-road trip when the calendar turned to August and kicked off the month with the Festival of Farmhouse Ales at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont. From there my travels continued on to Montreal, Toronto, Michigan, and Cincinnati.

Upon returning to Charlotte, it was time to celebrate Burial’s Charlotte taproom’s 4th Anniversary and share some beers with friends! Then it was off to Colorado for a week of beers with views.

All in all, I tried 183 beers over the past two months. In no particular order, here were the best of the best beers I had in August and September:

Gin Barrel-Aged Varonna from Fox Farm Brewery in Salem, CT

This is a Norewegian-Style Farmhouse Ale aged in gin barrels that previously held Zinfandel wine. A visit to Fox Farm is always a delight!

Recency Effect from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola, CA

Recency Effect (Batch 9) is a Mixed-Fermentation Saison aged in gin barrels. Wildly good!

You’re Mine + Feel Us from Anchorage Brewing in Anchorage, AK

Incredible dark beers from Anchorage? No surprise there!

You’re Mine is a Double Oak Imperial Stout aged 7 months in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, then Woodford Reserve double oaked barrels for 16 months, then finished on hazelnuts, raw coconut, and Madagascar vanilla beans.

Feel Us is a Triple Oaked Double Dark Ale aged 35 months in Willett Rye, 15 year 1782, Calumet Farms Bourbon, and Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey barrels.

Samuel, Flora, Works of Love: Anchorage from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT

Samuel has been on other Top Beer blogs from me, but this was a magnum of an unreleased version available only at the Festival of Farmhouse Ales. Flora: Batch 10 is the wine barrel-aged version of Florence. Works of Love: Anchorage is a 2015 Ale fermented in oak and aged on apples in collaboration with Anchorage Brewing. All three of these were at their fest and truly remarkable!

Harvester of Sorrow + Corvus Nox + Gerbera Daisy + Triple Kawau from Fidens Brewing in Albany, NY

I don’t think I’ve ever had a Top Beers blog without at least one incredible Fidens IPA, and this time there are 4: Harvester of Sorrow is a Triple IPA with Citra, Peacharine, Amarillo, and Nectaron hops. Corvus Nox is an Imperial IPA with hand-selected Citra + Riwaka, and Simcoe hops. Gerbera Daisy is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Motueka, and Amarillo hops. Triple Kawau is a Triple IPA with Rakau, Citra, and Motueka hops.

Celle-Ci Vient du Coeur from Mellon Brasserie in Montreal, Quebec

Mellon is known for their Lagers, and this Czech-style Pale Lager is a perfect example of why. So, so great!

A7Y7 x Bas-Canada + A7Y7 x Lyric + A7Y7 x CLAG + A7Y7 x Track x Beak + A7Y7 x Off Script from Messorem in Montreal, Quebec

A lot of Messorem, all for their 7th anniversary! We were lucky enough to be in town the weekend of their celebration and when they dropped so many incredible beers. My favorites:

Bas-Canada collaborations, both the adjunct and non-adjunct versions were incredible. The non-adjunct version is a blend of barrel aged Stouts aged in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels for 50 months and Bluegrass Rye Whisky barrels for 29 months. The adjunct version is the same, with the addition of red vanilla from Madagascar, Java vanilla caviar and coconut.

The Lyric collab is Imperial IPA with Eggers Riwaka, Freestyle Nelson Sauvin, and Galaxy Liquid. The CLAG collab is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Citra Hyperboost, Simcoe, and Waimea hops. The Track and Beak collab is a Triple IPA with Freestyle Nectaron, Motueka, Rakau, Citra, Citra Hyperboost, and Citra Dynaboost. The Off Script collab is an Imperial IPA with Motueka, Motueka Amplifier, Nelson Sauvin, Nelson Amplifier, Nectator, Nectaron Hyperboost, and Maui Nelson Hop Kief.

Arcanes Sup + Consortium + Forge from BreWskey in Montreal, Quebec

Arcanes Sup is a Triple IPA with Citra Dynaboost, Motueka, Mega Motueka, Motueka Hop Kief, Nelson Sauvin, Super Sauvin, and Nelson Quantum. Consortium is an Imperial IPA with Peacharine, Nelson Sauvin, and Riwaka hops. This is a collaboration Badlands Brewing. Forge is an Imperial IPA with Cascade, Southern Cross, and Nelson Sauvin hops.

I almost skipped BreWskey in Montreal just due to timing, and I am so glad I didn’t! They were a killer stop for onsite pours and cans to-go.

Super Nectar from Badlands Brewing in Caledon, Ontario

Super Nectaron is a New Zealand with Nectaron and Superdelic hops. I loved visiting Badlands and leaving with a case full of delicious IPAs. Highly recommend!

PB&J Gushables collaboration beer from HOMES Brewery in Ann Arbor, MI and Xul Beer in Knoxville, TN

This is a peanut butter and jelly gluten free Sour. PB&J Sours are generally always great, but these two fantastic teams took things to the next level with this brew!

Everything Is A Lie + Signet (2024) + Shruken Head VII + Yodel: Kohia Nelson + Fractured from Freak Folk Bier in Waterbury, VT

Everything Is A Lie is a Double IPA with Citra, Riwaka, and Peacharine hops. Signet is a Mixed Culture Ale aged in oak and conditioned on gem marigolds. Shruken Head VII is a Hop-Saturated Ale with Citra, Riwaka, Nectaron, Motueka Quantum, and Limequat Hop Kief. Yodel: Kohia Nelson is a Double IPA double dry hopped with Kohia Nelson. Fractured is a Double IPA with Citra and Motueka hops.

It was a delight to stock up on Freak Folk while in Vermont, and I can’t wait to get back to their taproom again soon!

Frequently Beguiled Enough to Savor the Unlimited Refills + Adrift in the Endless Oblivion We Find Prosperity Nevertheless + The Chasm That Divides You From Your Purpose from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC

Frequently Beguiled Enough To Savor The Unlimited Refills is a Quadruple IPA with oats and raw wheat, whirlpooled with Dolcita and Citra Incognito, and then double dry-hopped with Citra, Eclipse, Simcoe, and Sabro, finished with Simcoe Cryo, Eclipse Liquid Lupulin, and Citra Hyperboost. This is a collaboration beer with Edmunds Oast Brewing in Charleston, SC.

Adrift In The Endless Oblivion We Find Prosperity Nevertheless is a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with cocoa nibs, Burial griddle blend coffee, and vanilla bean. This was brewed to celebrate their Charlotte taproom’s 4th anniversary.

The Chasm That Divides You From Your Purpose is an Imperial IPA with oats and wheat, whirlpooled with Citra DynaBoost and Motueka Cryo, double dry hopped with Pesh, NZH-109, Citra, and Motueka Cryo. This is a collaboration beer with Inner Voice Brewing in Decatur, GA and was brewed for Burnpile 2026.