May and June 2026

May and June brought an absurd amount of delicious beers for me. I visited Greenville, SC, Asheville, NC, and then spent two weeks adventuring around California, and then visited Wilmington, NC in late June. I participated in two bottle shares, and visited Burial and inconceivable number of times. Overall I tried 239 beers over the past two months—and this list will exclude my top beers from the Firestone Walker Invitational, because those can be found here.

In no particular order, here were the best beers I had over the last two months:

M 3rd 25th The Deafening Sound of Silence from Forgotten Road Ales in Graham, NC

Always love any time I can get my hands on anything Forgotten Road Ales! This is a barrel aged Imperial Stout blend of 31 months with 18 year bourbon barrel and 18 month cognac bourbon barrel with maple syrup, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and coffee.

Zwickel Pilsner and Fonio Wild from Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort, NC

Finally made it to Whaley Farm and absolutely loved it! Zwickel Pilsner is—you guessed it—a Pilsner. Fonio Wild is a Saison brewed with fonio, hopped with Vista and fermented with a blend of house Saison yeast and two strains of Brettanomyces.

Third Press, Fourth Press, Howling Wilderness, Life Is Round (Batch 6), and Double Barrel Almond Suite from Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz, CA

Incredibly thankful to have gotten to taste so many incredible Private Press beers this month! They are absolutely crushing the game and very difficult to get your hands on. Third Press is a blend of barrel aged Stouts, Barleywines and Munichwine. Fourth Press is a blend of barrel aged Stouts and Barleywines. Howling Wilderness is a bourbon barrel Stout blend conditioned on pecans, mizunara, and bourbon barrel maple syrup. Life Is Round Batch 6 is an English Barleywine. Double Barrel Almond Suite is a collaboration with Side Project Brewing and an Imperial Stout brewed with almonds and lactose, aged in bourbon and cognac barrels.

Let’s Go Chase Some Waterfalls! + Plus It Up + Keen on Peacharine from North Park Beer Co in San Diego, CA

I absolutely love North Park and essentially booked a long layover in San Diego just so I could visit them! Let’s Go Chase Some Waterfalls! is a Triple IPA in collaboration with Brujos in Portland and Green Cheek in Orange. It is hopped with Citra, Strata, and Manilita. Plus It Up is a triple dry hopped Hazy Double IPA with Southern Cross, Nelson Sauvin, Waimea, Citra, Citra Cryo, and Rakau SubZero Hop Kief. Keen on Peacharine is a triple dry hopped Hazy Double IPA with Citra, Citra Cryo, Citra DynaBoost, Freestyle Rakau, Freestyle Nelson Sauvin, and Freestyle Peacharine.

Parliament + Smoke & Stories + Aoraki with Mango from Fidens Brewing in Albany, NY

More juicy goodness from Fidens, who is surprised? Parliament is a double dry hopped Double IPA with Citra, Citra Liquid Lupulin, Nelson Cryo and Riwaka Cryo hops in collaboration with Troon Brewing and Wild Bird Research Group Inc. Smoke & Stories is a quadruple dry hopped Double IPA brewed with Citra, Nelson, Superdelic Cryo, Egger's Special, Motueka and Motueka Hop Kief hops. Aoraki with Mango is a Triple IPA with mango, and brewed with Nelson, Nelson Cryo, Motueka and Motueka Hop Kief hops.

Protections Spells (2025 Blend) from Floodland Brewing in Seattle, WA

Has Floodland ever missed? I don’t think so. This is a blend of Saison aged in oak and refermented on pluots.

That Time When I Left All Of Myself In A Bed Stuy Juice Bar + The Dynasty + The Fabrication of a Most Diabolical Empire + 13th Passing + Be As You Were And Always Could Be + 13th Floor + 13th Row from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC

It was Burial’s 13th anniversary in June so yes there are 7 beers from them that absolutely blew me away over the past two months! That Time is an Imperial IPA collaboration with Other Half Brewing with oats + Mosaic Incognito, Motueka, then double dry-hopped with Necatron, Mosaic Cryo, Hallertau Blanc, Motueka, and Eclipse Liquid Lupulin. The Dynasty is a Quadruple IPA in collaboration with Fidens Brewing with oats + Citra Incognito, Riwaka, then triple dry-hopped with Galaxy, Riwaka, Loza Farms Comet, Rakau, Citra Hyperboost, and Riwaka Amplifire. The Fabrication is an Imperial IPA in collaboration with Xul Beer Co with oats + double dry-hopped with Coleman Farms' Citra, Galaxy, Nectaron, Rakau, Citra Cryo and Hyperboost. 13th Passing is a bourbon barrel aged Barleywine with whole vanilla beans from 13 different “distant lands” in collaboration with Horus Aged Ales. Be As You Were is a Double IPA with Mosaic, Galaxy, Nectaron, Dolcita, Nelson, Rakau, Strata, Krush, El Dorado, Vic Secret, Motueka, Simcoe, Comet, Incognito, Cryo, and Liquid Lupulin. 13th Floor is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout blended with bourbon barrel aged Barleywine. 13th Row is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout with coffee, pecan, cashew, cherry, maple, dulce de leche, coconut, blueberry, cocoa nibs, vanilla, smoked sea salt, strawberry, and Thai banana.

Stef, Way Bright, and Four Meters from Lesser-Known Beer Co in Winston-Salem, NC

Lesser-Known can do no wrong in my eyes and makes this list every time I have the opportunity to get my hands on their beers! Stef is a Zwickelbeer. Way Bright is an Unfiltered Pale Ale. Four Meters is a Helles Lager.

Analog Clock, Down Slope, Beauty Sleep, If Memory Serves, Veiled Alchemy, and Equator’s Edge from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola, CA

May brought visits to two SARA taprooms in Capitola and Santa Cruz, and then I came home to North Carolina and Wooden Nickel Pub in Hillsborough had a SARA tap takeover #blessed. Saison for days!! Analog Clock is a barrel aged Saison blend. Down Slope is a barrel-aged Saison with Pinot Noir grapes. Beauty Sleep is an oak aged Saison with raspberries. If Memory Serves was fermented in two separate stainless vessels with two distinct strains of Brettanoymces. Veiled Alchemy is a Vermouth barrel-aged Saison blend. Equator’s Edge is a barrel-aged Saison with pineapple and guava.

Hella Local Michelada from Tioga-Sequoia Brewing in Fresno, CA

Hella Local Michelada is a Blonde Ale infused with Pro-Mix 559. I don’t even normally like micheladas (though I love bloody marys!) but this was absurdly good.

Phoenix Nox from Pure Project Brewing in San Diego, CA

When I saw a collaboration with Horus Aged Ales on the Pure Project menu while in San Diego I knew it was going to be amazing. This is an Imperial Stout aged for up to 26 months in a decadent blend of Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, and Cutwater bourbon barrels. Then Geisha coffee from Costa Rica, Filipino coconut, Tahitian vanilla, and maple sugar from New Hampshire were added.

Woodstock Double IPA: Peacharine, Paradisi, Citra and Simcoe + Platinum Fern + 14th Anniversary from Tree House Brewing Company in Charlton, MA

Tree House cans don’t always overly impress me, but the last two months featured three absolute bangers for me! Woodstock is a Double IPA with Citra, Simcoe, Paradisi, and Peacharine hops. Platinum Fern is a Triple IPA with Nelson, Peacharine and Motueka hops. 14th Anniversary is a Double IPA.

Tempo from Weaver Hollow Brewery in Andes, NY

Tempo is a Saison from Weaver Hollow, and always a superb beer. Unfortunately it appears Weaver Hollow may not be operating any more? It is not clear. This was my last bottle from them so I certainly hope that is not true!

Quy Is The Answer (2026) from The Answer Brewpub in Richmond, VA

Ah an Imperial Stout from The Answer—always a gift. This is a California Apple Brandy barrel aged Imperial Milk Stout with Vietnamese Weasel (Chon) coffee, Saigon cinnamon, Madagascar vanilla, in-house bourbon barrel aged Vermont maple syrup and Quy's special chili blend. Sheesh!

Oude Gueze Cuvee Armand & Gaston Season 16|17 Blend 1 from 3 Fonteinen in Lot, Belgium

10 year old Lambic? Count me in! This is a blend of Lambics aged on 4 different barrels, originating from wort of 8 different brews.

Redux Blend 1 from Side Project Brewing in Saint Louis, MO

Couldn’t wrap up a top beers blog without a Side Project bottle of course! Redux is an Imperial Stout finished with maple syrup, coconut flakes, and ground cinnamon.

Check Back next month for my top beers of July!
CHeers —Alexis

The Best Breweries in Southern California

Southern California is full of fantastic breweries, including some of the top breweries in the world! It can be overwhelming to plan a beer trip to this area just because there are simply so many breweries and a lot of those breweries also have multiple taprooms. For full guides to this area, check out my San Diego beer and travel guide here and my Los Angeles guide here.

In ranking order, here are the best breweries in Southern California:

Monkish Brewing Co: Torrance and Anaheim

Monkish is arguably one of the best breweries in the country. Their original taproom is located in Torrance, conveniently close to LAX if you are flying in/out of the city. They are best known for their New England IPAs which are absolutely spectacular, but their funky beers are delicious as well. Monkish has a second location in Anaheim next to Farmer’s Park and the Anaheim Packing District.

Bottle Logic Brewing: Anaheim

Bottle Logic is a powerhouse brewery specializing in Stouts. They have a nice patio, a large tap list, and phenomenal beers in Anaheim.

Pure Project: San Diego Area

Pure Project is easily the best brewery in the San Diego area. They have several locations to check out—Vista, Miramar, Balboa Park, Carlsbad and North Park. Their “Murky” IPAs, Stouts, Sours and Lagers are all superb.

Homage Brewing: Pomona and downtown Los Angeles

Homage is best known for their Saisons and Lambics, which are top-notch. Homage has two locations—their original taproom is in downtown Pomona and they have a smaller secondary taproom in the Chinatown neighborhood of downtown LA.

Green Cheek Beer Co.: Costa Mesa and Orange

A stellar brewery with a wide array of beers to choose from, including a few guest taps. They are best known for their Lagers and IPAs and have taprooms in Costa Mesa and Orange.

Highland Park Brewery: Downtown Los Angeles

Highland Park is a fantastic brewery in downtown Los Angeles with a wide variety of beers and delicious food. They have great beers and chill vibes.

Kings Brewing: Rancho Cucamonga

Kings is best known for their thiccc Fruited Sours but they also highly value a good crisp Lager. They have a massive tap list and a friendly team, located in Rancho Cucamonga.

North Park Beer Co.: San Diego

North Park does all styles of beer well! West Coast IPAs, Hazy IPAs, Lagers, Stouts—they are all fantastic. Their taproom in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego has chill vibes.

Burgeon Beer Company: Carlsbad

Burgeon is a great brewery with a wide variety of beers to choose from. Each style is executed well and their taproom is a fun place to hang out.

The Bruery: Placentia & Anaheim

The Bruery is a highly awarded brewery creating uniquely delicious beers. Their main brewery and taproom is located in Placentia, right near Anaheim. Their second location, Bruery Terreux Tasting Room, is 5 minutes away in Anaheim proper. This location houses their Lambics and Wild Ales, but you can get those on tap at the main taproom as well.

The Lost Abbey: San Diego Area

The Lost Abbey is a Belgian brewery with four tasting rooms in the San Diego area—The Main Tasting Room in San Marcos, The Church in downtown San Diego, The Sanctuary in San Marcos, and The Confessional in Cardiff-By-The-Sea. They focus on Belgian-style Ales and barrel aged beers.

What are your top breweries in southern california? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

January 2022

January brought a plethora of fantastic beers—from bottle shares, to a Charleston trip, to a Southern California trip visiting some of the top breweries in the country, there was no shortage of delicious brews. In no particular order, here are the best beers I had in January 2022:

Everything at Monkish Brewing in Torrance and Anaheim, CA

Is this cheating? Yes. Too bad. Everything Monkish brews is incredibly delicious and I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to visit both of their taprooms on my SoCal trip! I had the following beers and I would recommend them all:

• Conscience Be Free: Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe

• Foggier Window: Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Galaxy

• Sticky Traffic: Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy

• Biggie Biggie Biggie: Triple IPA with Galaxy and El Dorado

• One Tree: Triple IPA with Strata and Idaho 7

• M 9.5: Saison aged in oak barrels for 18 months and conditioned on spent Blenheim apricots

Nelson!!! (It’s What We Like Here!) at Green Cheek Beer Co. in Costa Mesa, CA

Nelson!!! (It’s What We Like Here!) is a West Coast IPA with hand selected—you guessed it—Nelson Sauvin hops from Freestyle Farm in New Zealand. I generally always choose a Hazy IPA over a West Coast IPA but I decided to branch out while on the West Coast because that’s where they are done best. This was easily the best West Coast IPA I’ve ever had. Shout out to Green Cheek for truly crushing the game.

Luxurious Luxury Volume 10 Collab from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA and Evil Twin BRewing in New York, NY

Luxurious Luxury Volume 10 is a Pastry Sour with blackberry, pear, marshmallow and vanilla salt. This latest installment in The Veil and Evil Twin’s collaboration series was absolutely epic. The flavors were exploding and I thoroughly enjoyed every sip.

Double Lightning at Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC

Double Lightning is a Hazy Double IPA with Citra, Mosaic and Galaxy hops. This is the double version of their Flagship Beer, Lightning Drops. I was incredibly impressed with the quality of Double Lightning and look forward to hopefully seeing more of it released.

Study Break, Intrepid Orchid (2022), and Memory Systems at Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA

Bottle Logic crushes the Stout game so I of course ordered each one they had on the menu when I visited and they were all delicious!

• Study Break: Imperial Stout with lactose, caramel malts, cacao nibs and peanuts

• Intrepid Orchid 2022: Bourbon Barrel-Aged English Style Vanilla Barleywine with Madagascar vanilla

• Memory Systems 2022: Bourbon Barrel Aged Cinnamon Bun Stout—Imperial Stout aged in a braid of Old Fitzgerald, Heaven Hill, and Elijah Craig barrels and conditioned with a four-day marshmallow steep and a recirculation through Madagascar vanilla beans, Vietnamese cinnamon, and cassia bark

Tomorrow Today from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola, CA and La Ruche from Side Project Brewing in St. Louis, MO

Tomorrow Today is a West Coast IPA with Simcoe, Citra, and Mosaic hops. Sante Adairius has long been on my list of breweries I’d love to try so I was absolutely stoked to get to taste some of the draft beer while in SoCal.

La Ruche is a Saison fermented using a blend of local microflora and a traditional Saison yeast. Orange Blossom honey was added for refermentation in a Missouri Oak Foedre and then it was aged to maturity before being naturally conditioned in the bottle. Side Project is always a top-notch brewery and this beer was exceptional.

I enjoyed both of these at Windsor Homebrew Supply in Anaheim. They have a killer tap list and bottle/can selection alongside their homebrew supplies.

Eternal Forever at Pure Brewing in San Diego, CA

Eternal Forever is a blend of Single and Double Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stouts with Cacao & Wild Thai Banana. Pure released this in celebration of their 6th Anniversary and I luckily was in town for the release. I actually had this beer twice while I was in San Diego, at Pure Balboa Park and at Pure Carlsbad, because it was just so good. The banana flavor was epic.

Fros’e Sour Blackberry Puff at Kings Brewing Company in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Pictured left, this is a Fros'e with blackberry, blueberry, cherry, grape, double vanilla & double marshmallow. Kings is best known for their thiccc Fruited Sours and this brew was the best of the three I had on tap. The fruit combination was fantastic!

Rosé de Gambrinus from Cantillon in Brussels, Belgium

This is a blend of Lambics and raspberries from the famed Cantillon in Belgium. Every brew they create is great and this was a light, fruity, and tart sipper.

Pliny The Elder from Russian River Brewing Company in Russian River, CA

Pliny the Elder is a Double West Coast IPA with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops. This is probably the best known West Coast IPA in the country and deemed a classic. I’ve had Pliny several times before but I couldn’t pass up the chance to have it on draft on the West Coast at Mostra Coffee’s 4s location. It is always delightful—clean, crisp, and delicious.

Check back next month to see what my top beers of February will be! CHeers —ALexis