The end of the year always brings out the best of the year lists....
Evan Benn's list of best beers of 2012
No surprise to see this fall-winter standby return from a one-year break from this list. Earthy, roasty flavors mingle in this spiced dark ale.
19. Hebrew Jewbelation Sweet 16* (sold out)
This release from Shmaltz Brewing Co. contains 16 hops, 16 malts and 16 percent ABV. Despite the kitchen-sink ingredients, Sweet 16 tastes like a pleasantly layered, complex brown ale.
18. Ska Autumnal Molé Stout* (in stock now)
Colorado’s Ska Brewing Co. kicked off its new seasonal stout series with the September release of Autumnal Molé. Hatch green chiles counter the stout’s sweetness with just the right dose of heat. The next release in the series, a wood-aged stout brewed with malbec grapes, is due out this week.
14. Boulevard 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat* (in stock now)
When Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing unveiled its new year-round beer in August, I wrote that 80-Acre had the potential to become a staple in my fridge. Four months later, with its fruity hop character and refreshing wheat base, it’s a mainstay.
11. 4 Hands Cuvee Ange* (sold out)
Brewed with raspberries and blackberries and aged in merlot, cabernet and grenache barrels, Cuvee Ange is a beautiful expression of bright fruit, tannic wood and tart funk. A small-batch release got scooped up quickly in September, leaving St. Louis beer fans begging: Do it again!
10. Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour* (in stock now)
A blend of 13 ingredients goes into this Belgian-style stout, which was the best thing I tasted this year from the prolific Boston Beer Co. The standout ingredient? Kosmic Mother Funk, a proprietary oak-aged beer that gives Thirteenth Hour touches of black pepper, acid and caramelized fruit.
8. 2nd Shift Katy* (sold out)
New Haven’s 2nd Shift Brewing Co. ages this saison in oak barrels with funky Brettanomyces yeast. The resulting flavor is refreshing, dry and slightly barnyardy.
7. Odell the Meddler* (in stock now)
Wild yeasts “meddle” with several generations of wood-aged brown ale to create the Meddler. The beer is Colorado’s Odell Brewing Co.’s nod to Flemish sour ales and their symphony of sweet and tart flavors.
3. 4 Hands Prussia* (sold out)
These Top Three could really go in any order, but rankings are rankings, so No. 3 is Prussia, a hazy, fresh-tasting, low-alcohol Berliner weisse that I couldn’t get enough of this summer. Look forward to its return this summer; I know I am.
1. Stone 16th Anniversary IPA* (sold out)
The brash brewers at Stone cranked out a double IPA this summer for the brewery’s 16th anniversary. At 10 percent ABV, Stone 16th Anniversary IPA has spicy notes from an addition of rye malt and tropical notes from Calypso hops. But its knockout ingredient is lemon verbena, which infuses the brew with the unmistakable fragrance and flavor of lemon oil. Exceptional beer.
