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.
