Dan's Best of 2010

Ok, so I'm coming in a little late with my list, but I've been going back through the hundreds of beers I've had this year, and trying to pick just 10 was really difficult. Thanks to a friend starting up a monthly beer tasting (beerthursdays.blogspot.com) and opening up his home and considerable cellar in the process, as well as my finding a great beer store near work (www.pinbeer.com), I've had a lot of beers I otherwise never would have gotten my hands on. So lets get to it. In no particular order (and probably leaving out some great ones that have slipped my mind) here is my top 10 of 2010.

Dark Lord - A massive Imperial Stout from Three Floyds in Indiana, this is a brewery only release. Jay, the host of BeerThursdays, attended Dark Lord Day 2010, and we've had a few vintage bottles to taste. This a big roasty and complex stout, a little alcohol on the finish when its fresh, but that goes away with age and the sweeter dark fruit flavors come out to complement the roast.

Super Friends - I was lucky enough to try this at beeradvocate.com's Belgian Beer Fest in Boston. This IPA, brewed at Ithaca Beer Co, is a collaboration with brewers from Ommegang, Captain Lawrence, Flying Fish, Southampton Publick House and Ithaca. It was made entirely with Citra hops and fermented with a blend of different strains of Brettanomyces.

Coffee Bender - This is Surly Brewing's Bender brown ale steeped with coffee (for 24 hours according to their description), and I think this is the closest a beer can get to tasting just like and iced coffee. It sort of became an obsession for the BeerThursday guys and I, and prompted the homebrew recipe I've currently got fermenting.

Hopslam - Bell's is a brewery I hadn't been able to get before this year, and this was the first of their beers that I got to try. Its a IIPA whose explosive bitterness and fresh citric hop character is hard to top.

The Abyss - This Imperial Stout from Deschutes, currently ranked #1 in the style on Beer Advocate, is thick, viscous and packed with roasty, brown sugar, and dark fruit flavors. I don't think I am capable of adequately describing how velvety smooth and rich this beer is.

Victor Francenstein - I attended a small forum with Allagash Founder Rob Tod and Head Brewer Jason Perkins during the Beglian Beer Fest, and this is one of the beers that we sampled. This cask aged Victor with added bacteria and Cabernet Franc grapes is tart and complex. It is truly indicative of the craft and artisanship (I made up a word!) happening at Allagash and so many other Craft Breweries across America. They also brought Larry, brewed just once, and a pair of beers (partigyle), Big Little Beer and Little Big Beer, brewed with the Alstrom brothers of BeerAdvocate.

The Angel's Share (Bourbon Barrel-Aged) - An American Strong Ale from The Lost Abbey in California, this is a whiskey drinker's beer if I ever had one. Rich, toasty malt, with vanilla and oak flavors are all cut sharply by a boozy heat. This is a sipper, folks, and a fine one.

Sculpin - How many citric, hop-forward IPAs can I put on this list? This is probably the most easily found of the three, and also Ballast Point's highest rated IPA. (It is also #1 on BeerAdvocate in the American IPA category, which I didn't notice until writing this)

Fisherman's Imperial Pumpkin Stout - I'm not one to go crazy over fall seasonals. I find Oktoberfests dull and most Pumpkin Ales to be overly spiced or too sweet. This offering from Cape Ann Brewing puts the thick creamy body that you get from pumpkin into a big Imperial Stout and add's just enough spice to make it taste like fall. ~ While I'm on the subject, I'm going to give an honorable mention to Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin, and Bruery Autumn Maple, the only other Fall seasonals that stood out to me this year.

Brute - This Wild Ale from Ithaca sums up my 2010 well. It wasn't until this year that I really dove into REALLY wild and funky beers, and I went crazy for them. Adam already mentioned Supplication, which I probably would have chosen to credit with my love of sours, but I've put away a lot more Brute this year than the much more notorious Supplication.

So there you have it; My top 10 of 2010. Inevitably when I press Publish Post I'll think of 10 more amazing beers that I had this past year, and wish I could have mentioned them. I guess I'll just have to drink them again in 2011, so I can include them in next year's list. (and post more often so I don't have to try to cram a year worth of drinking into one little list)

-Dan