My Top Beers in November and December

November and December launched us further into Stout season and into a slue of delicious beers! I spent two weeks in New Zealand drinking a plethora of delicious Hazy IPAs, explored some new breweries and adopted a sweet little brew pup—Mosaic! In no particular order here were my top beers of November and December:

Check back next week for my top beers of the year!

I Heart NYC collaboration brew from Garage Project in Wellington, New Zealand and Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is a Hazy Pale Ale combining Other Half’s High Density Hop Charge with Garage Project’s Double Shot co-fermentation technique to create a ‘DSHDHC’ Hazy with Calypso, Citra, Simcoe and Strata hops. Best enjoyed on a trail summit with a killer view in Fiordland National Park.

Barrel Aged Pastrinauts (Four Roses) collaboration brew from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, J. Wakefield Brewing in Miami, FL, Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA, Horus Aged Ales in Oceanside, CA and Moksa Brewing in Rocklin, CA

Pastrinauts is an Imperial Stout with bananas, molasses, marshmallows and freeze dried ice cream. This version was aged in 15 year old Four Roses Barrels and clocks in at 14% ABV. This was insanely delicious and one of my favorite beers of the year.

Double Barrel Whale Rider from Weathered Souls Brewing in Charlotte, NC

Whale Rider is an Imperial Stout with toasted coconut, coconut and Madagascar vanilla beans. This version was double barrel aged in a Willet 8 year rye barrel and 15 year Woodford Reserve Masters barrel. Weathered Souls opened their Charlotte brewery in November and this was a fantastic beer to kick off their CLT beginnings.

Peter from Parrotdog Brewery in Wellington, New Zealand

Peter is an Imperial IPA. A lot of Hazys in New Zealand were delicious but Peter was a stand out!

Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Notable Ascent from Back Channel Brewing in Spring Park, MN

This is an Imperial Stout with Madagascar Vanilla aged in an Apple Brandy barrels. I am a sucker for apple brandy barrel aged beers and this was a perfect execution of flavors. I enjoyed this brew at Heist’s Night & Day 3 Festival. I need to get my hands on some more Back Channel beers!

Double Dry Hopped Ghost in the Machine from Parish Brewing in Broussard, LA

DDH Ghost is always delicious but this year’s batch was superb. DDH Ghost is a Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with all Citra hops. Juicy, smooth, flavorful and delightful.

Double Barrel Junie from Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman, MI

This is an Imperial Rye Stout with Violet Sky cocoa nibs and salted caramel aged in Henry McKenna Bourbon barrels and Blis Maple Syrup barrels. Junie is a flavorful barrel forward brew from one of the best breweries in Michigan. I enjoyed this brew at Collect Beer Bar in Detroit!

Triple Eugene’s Axe from Fidens Brewing + Alex’s Axe collaboration brewing from Fidens Brewing in Colonie, NY and Troon Brewing in Hopewell, NJ

These were both phenomenal beers so I am cheating and doing a two-for-one here. Triple Eugene’s Axe is a Triple IPA with Citra and Galaxy hops. Alex’s Axe is a Hoppy Triple IPA with Nelson, Strata, Peacharine and Galaxy hops that is a collab with Troon. Generally I find Troon to be a bit overhyped, but this brew was incredible.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Bananaversary (2022 Edition) from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

Bananaversary is an Imperial Pastry Stout with wild Thai bananas, coconut, toasted coconut, vanilla and macadamia nuts that is aged in bourbon barrels. I held onto this bottle for almost a full year before cracking it open and it was worth the wait. This has the perfect combination of adjuncts and barrel notes while being thiccc and lucious.

Check back next week to see my top beers of 2022! Cheers —Alexis

My Top Beers in November 2021

November brought the least amount of beers I’ve drank in quite some time, so this month’s list is short and sweet! In no particular order, here are the top beers I had in November 2021:

Time is a Flat Circle collaboration brew from Heist Brewery in Charlotte, NC and Fidens Brewing Co. in Albany, NY

This is a Hazy Double IPA dry hopped with Rakau, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka hops. A local collaboration with one of the hottest breweries in the country right now? Yes please! This is an absolute juice bomb and incredibly smooth.

Potato at New Origin Brewing Co in Asheville, NC

Potato is a New England IPA dry hopped with Idaho Gem and Citra hops. New Origin is Asheville’s newest brewery and they are already making waves. Their IPAs and Lagers were fantastic, I highly recommend checking them out next time you’re in AVL.

Like Whoa collaboration brew from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA, Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, and Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

Like Whoa is an Imperial IPA with Citra, Galaxy, Motueka, Topaz, & Wai-iti hops. This is part of the Freaky Friday collaboration series and a true delight. That should come as no surprise given the three breweries involved!

LAX2JFK: In The Clouds collaboration brew from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA, Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, and Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA

LAX2JFK: In The Clouds is an Imperial Oat Cream IPA with Citra, Mosaic, Motueka, Simcoe, Citra Cryo, and Simcoe Cryo hops. This brew has incredible mouthfeel and is loaded with flavor thanks to that stacked hop profile. Yes this is the second beer on this month’s list that is a collaboration from Monkish, Other Half, and Trillium—this stacked team can do no wrong.

Deep Orbit Centaurus from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY

This is an Imperial Stout with vanilla, figs, almonds and cinnamon. Other Half’s Stouts are frequently overlooked and Deep Orbit is just another reminder that they can make more than Hazy IPAs. The adjunct combination is delightful and pairs nicely with the thick body of the base Stout.

Check back next month to see my top beers of december and my overall top beers of 2021! Cheers —Alexis

My Top Beers in March 2021

March was full of fantastic beers and a trip to Raleigh visiting some amazing breweries and sharing some fantastic beers! You can also tell from my selection here that we’ve finally seen a turn in the weather—this month includes many more fruity and refreshing beers!

In no particular order, here were my top beers in March 2021:

Lunchbox Series Blackberry PB&J from Funguys Brewing in Raleigh, NC

Funguys releases different variants of their Lunchbox Series of Smoothie Style Sour Ales, each that are Peanut Butter and Jelly inspired. This one is brewed with peanut butter, blackberry, and lactose, and truly tastes like you’re biting into an elementary school lunch sandwich. All of their Sours are incredibly delicious so you really can’t go wrong, but this one really exceeded expectations.

Deferred Stimulus from Cerebral Brewing in Denver, CO

Deferred Stimulus is a Double IPA with Galaxy and Cashmere hops coming in at 8.4% ABV. Cerebral makes some of the best Juicy IPAs in the game and this one is no exception! The color is warm and inviting, the smell is fresh and hop-filled, and the flavors are powerful and smooth. I absolutely love getting my hands on Cerebral’s brews and can’t wait to visit them again in the future!

Summer Jam: FrosE Collaboration from Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending in Durham, NC and Kings Brewing in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

This collab is a tiki-drink inspired Fruited Sour Ale with pineapple, mango, coconut, and key lime. At 7% ABV, this is a powerful Sour from two fantastic breweries. It is thiccc, packed with flavor, and super easy to drink. I had this one on tap during our visit to Raleigh and it was so good I also scooped a 4-pack to go!

Abstract Harvest from Heist Brewing and Barrel Arts in Charlotte, NC

Abstract Harvest is a Fruited Berliner Weisse with passionfruit, pink guava, pineapple, and lactose. It is extremely refreshing but super packed full of flavor. At 7.8% ABV it is definitely a boozy brew, but the fruits hide the alcohol and it is super easy-drinking. Pair this with a pizza from Livy’s and you won’t be disappointed!

Self-Reliance: Motueka from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT

This batch of Hill Farmstead’s Farmhouse IPA, Self-Reliance, has hand-selected Motueka hops from Freestyle Farms, their agricultural partner in Upper Moutere, New Zealand. It was conditioned in oak puncheons for 3 months and then bottled since March 13, 2019. This was truly phenomenal and will probably be one of my favorite beers of the year.

Intern Backpack collaboration from Other Half Brewing in New York, NY, Shared Brewing in Maplewood, MO, and Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Intern Backpack is an Imperial IPA with hand selected Centennial and Nelson Sauvin hops plus Vic Secret and Galaxy hops. This is a true juice bomb coming from three of the best breweries in the country—Other Half, Monkish, and Shared. Shared is by Side Project Brewing and where they create their non-Barrel Aged beers. I look forward to getting to try more of their fantastic creations!

Soft Parade from Short’s Brewing in Bellaire, MI

Soft Parade was my original favorite craft beer! I grew up in Michigan so Short’s and Soft Parade were everywhere, but now as a North Carolinian I rarely get to revisit this delicious classic. Soft Parade is their flagship Fruit Ale brewed with pureed strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. It is fruity and refreshing but still 7.5% ABV!

Extra Extra Juicy Bits from WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, CO

Juicy Bits is already a phenomenal beer and one of the best IPAs in the country. Extra Extra Juicy Bits is the Double Dry Hopped Double IPA version of this classic beer with Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops. This is an incredible beer and one of the top IPAs I’ve personally had. Don’t want to take my word for it? This brew won a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival in the Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale category.

Check back next month to see my top beers of April!

Cheers -Alexis