Beer Advocate's Top 100 Beers

Credit to Brookston Beer Bulletin for this excellent find and their thoughts on this.  Without further adieu, BA's updated Top 100 Beers List

Top 100 List (Beers in bold are ones I've been fortunate enough to sample)

1. Pliny The Elder, Russian River Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 8%)
2. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing (American Double/Imperial Stout; 11.2%)
3. Trappistes Rochefort 10, Brasserie de Rochefort (Quadrupel; 11.3%)
4. HopSlam Ale, Bell’s Brewery (American Double/Imperial IPA; 10%)
5. Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Stone Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 10.5%)
6. St. Bernardus Abt 12, Brouwerij St. Bernardus (Quadrupel; 10.50%)
7. Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing (American Double/Imperial Stout; 8.3%)
8. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Brauerei Weihenstephan (Hefeweizen; 5.4%)
9. Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe), Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel (American Double/Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
10. Celebrator Doppelbock, Brauerei Aying (Doppelbock; 6.7%)
11. Duvel, Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat (Belgian Strong Pale Ale; 8.5%)
12. Dreadnaught IPA, Three Floyds Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 9.5%)
13. Nugget Nectar, Tröegs Brewing (American Amber/Red Ale; 7.5%)
14. La Fin Du Monde, Unibroue (Tripel; 9%)
15. Bourbon County Stout, Goose Island (American Double/Imperial Stout: 13%)
16. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, North Coast Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9%)
17. Two Hearted Ale, Bell’s Brewery (American IPA / 7.1%)
18. Ruination IPA, Stone Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 7.7%)
19. Schneider Aventinus, Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn (Weizenbock / 8.2%)
20. Double Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale / 10.5%)
21. 90 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Double/Imperial IPA; 9%)
22. Hop Rod Rye, Bear Republic Brewing (American IPA; 8%)
23. Trappistes Rochefort 8, Brasserie de Rochefort (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9.2%)
24. Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue), Bières de Chimay, a.k.a. Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9%)
25. Stone IPA, Stone Brewing (American IPA; 6.9%)
26. Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale; 7.2%)
27. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Great Lakes Brewing (American Porter; 5.8%)
28. Chocolate Stout, Rogue Ales (American Stout; 6%)
29. Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
30. Ten FIDY, Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
31. Storm King Stout, Victory Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.1%)
32. Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, Rogue Ales (Oatmeal Stout; 6.1%)
33. Alpha King Pale Ale, Three Floyds Brewing (American Pale Ale; 6%)
34. Westmalle Trappist Tripel, Brouwerij Westmalle (Tripel; 9.5%)
35. Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster (Russian Imperial Stout; 7%)
36. Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
37. Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison), Brewery Ommegang (Saison/Farmhouse Ale; 7.7%)
38. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster (Oatmeal Stout; 5%)
39. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewery (Russian Imperial Stout; 10.1%)
40. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale; 7.2%)
41. Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale; 8.7%)
42. Trois Pistoles, Unibroue (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9%)
43. Bell’s Expedition Stout, Bell’s Brewery (Russian Imperial Stout; 10.5%)
44. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American IPA; 6.8%)
45. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American Barleywine; 9.6%)
46. Racer 5 India Pale Ale, Bear Republic Brewing (American IPA; 7%)
47. Orval Trappist Ale, Brasserie d’Orval (Belgian Pale Ale; 6.9%)
48. Hercules Double IPA, Great Divide Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 10%)
49. Maharaja, Avery Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 10.3%)
50. Maudite, Unibroue (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 8%)
51. Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American IPA; 6.7%)
52. Palo Santo Marron, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Brown Ale; 12%)
53. Hop Stoopid, Lagunitas Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 8%)
54. Ommegang (Abbey Ale), Brewery Ommegang (Dubbel; 8.5%)
55. Anchor Porter, Anchor Brewing (American Porter; 5.6%)
56. HopDevil Ale, Victory Brewing (American IPA; 6.7%)
57. World Wide Stout, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Double/Imperial Stout; 18%)
58. Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend, Brewery Ommegang (Quadrupel; 9.8%)
59. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Wells & Young’s Ltd (Milk/Sweet Stout; 5.2%)
60. Smuttynose IPA “Finest Kind”, Smuttynose Brewing (American IPA; 6.9%)
61. Stone Smoked Porter, Stone Brewing (American Porter; 5.9%)
62. Chimay Première (Red), Bières de Chimay, a.k.a. Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont (Dubbel; 7%)
63. Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Brown Ale; 7.2%)
64. Chimay Tripel (White), Bières de Chimay, a.k.a. Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont (Tripel; 8%)
65. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American IPA; 7.2%)
66. Prima Pils, Victory Brewing (German Pilsener; 5.3%)
67. Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, Paulaner Salvator Thomasbraeu (Hefeweizen; 5.5%)
68. Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales (American Brown Ale; 6.2%)
69. Hop Wallop, Victory Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 8.5%)
70. Gonzo Imperial Porter, Flying Dog Brewer (Baltic Porter; 7.80%)
71. Fuller’s ESB, Fuller Smith & Turner (Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB); 5.9%)
72. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American Pale Ale; 5.6%)
73. Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster (English Brown Ale; 5%)
74. Delirium Tremens, Brouwerij Huyghe (Belgian Strong Pale Ale; 8.5%)
75. 60 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American IPA; 6%)
76. Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (Hefeweizen; 5%)
77. Sierra Nevada Porter, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American Porter; 5.6%)
78. Anchor Liberty Ale, Anchor Brewing (American Pale Ale; 6%)
79. Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Boston Beer Company (Milk/Sweet Stout; 4.69%)
80. Dale’s Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery (American Pale Ale; 6.5%)
81. Mocha Porter, Rogue Ales (American Porter; 5.3%)
82. Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Ales (Maibock/Helles Bock; 6.5%)
83. Salvator Doppel Bock, Paulaner Salvator Thomasbraeu (Doppelbock; 7.9%)
84. Spaten Optimator, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (Doppelbock; 7.2%)
85. 120 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Double/Imperial IPA; 18%)
86. Hoegaarden Original White Ale, Brouwerij van Hoegaarden (Witbier; 4.9%)
87. Punkin Ale, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Pumpkin Ale; 7%)
88. Bell’s Oberon Ale, Bell’s Brewery (American Pale Wheat Ale; 5.8%)
89. Anchor Steam Beer, Anchor Brewing (California Common/Steam Beer; 4.9%)
90. Guinness Extra Stout (Original), Guinness/Diageo (Irish Dry Stout; 6%)
91. Samuel Adams Black Lager, Boston Beer Company (Schwarzbier; 4.9%)
92. Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Boston Beer Company (Vienna Lager; 4.75%)
93. ApriHop, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American IPA; 7%)
94. Midas Touch Golden Elixir, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Herb/Spice Beer; 9%)
95. Golden Monkey, Victory Brewing (Tripel; 9.5%)
96. Samuel Adams Winter Lager, Boston Beer Company (Bock; 5.8%)
97. Raison D’etre, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 8%)
98. Pilsner Urquell, Plzensky Prazdroj (Czech Pilsener; 4.4%)
99. Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Boston Beer Company (Märzen/Oktoberfest; 5.4%)
100. Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager, Sierra Nevada Brewing (Czech Pilsener; 5%)

Comments

Glad to see Sam Adams get much respect, as while they are one of the originators and a relatively mass produced craft beer, they still brew a wide array of good beers and have an excellent set of seasonal offerings (new Noble Pils was awesome, they still have one of my favorite Oktoberfests, and I was enjoying Winter Lager before my beer advocacy days).

Along those same lines, Sierra Nevada still sets the bar high in producing an outstanding line-up of strong offerings across many styles.  I look forward to trying their Stout and Porter during the cooler months and of course anticipate the release of Celebration Ale (one of my favorite IPA's).

I again welcome our Stone overlords to Illinois and look forward to further sampling their renown line-up of beers.

Even ranked at 27, I feel that Edmund Fitzgerald is underrated and as of now I have no qualm in declaring it the best regularly produced (all year) beer in America. 

Wisconsin people, you guys need to send some more New Glarus to Jason and Todd.  Surprised Dancing Man Wheat and even Raspberry Tart did not make this list (among NG beers they have tried), but again they consistently brew a wide range of strong beers across many styles (and are among best with fruit beers and session brews).

I need to try Oskar Blues in a bad way and I ever go camping again will bring their canned offerings.

As with New Glarus, we need to work some deals for Surly to be sent out east.  Lucky enough to be privy to them in Midwest, they will always sit as one of favorite breweries (even if I did not love Schadenfreude).  Even as they go all New Glarus on us and opt to be locally distributed, I will still find a way to enjoy their excellence (and hope to attend Darkness Day down the line).

Finally, nothing against European beers, but as you can see I have stayed true to American beers on this list and maintain my pledge to go with American brewed beers (predominantly craft and microbrwed) whenever possible. 

Recap of BA Event at Goose Island-Part 2

In part one, I wrote about my experience at Goose Island brewery itself and reviewed their beer, food, and service.  Now to the featured event of the right, the Beer Advocate monthly gathering and sampling.

New Glarus Steals the Show

Simple Brilliance

I expected some of BA's in attendance to bring some of Wisconsin's finest brews and boy did they.  From my sample of Moon Man, it certainly lives up to the hype and I super anxiously await trying full bottles of it (hopefully later this month).  A crisp, session pale ale, Moon Man is a smooth drinking beer that provides hops, citrus and floral flavors and has an awesome balance of each.  At 5.0% ABV, you can drink Moon Man all day and/or night and still be standing.

Along with Moon Man, mad props to the BA's that brought the Raspberry Tart and Unplugged Cranberry Lambic bottles.  These two beers prove why so many people in the beer world consider New Glarus the best brewer of fruit based beers.

Cranbic has a beautiful scent that even my weakened nose picked up on and enjoyed.  While sweet, Cranbic has enough balance to where the fruity taste does not overwhelm the beer and make it too sweet to enjoy.

Raspberry Tart certainly tasted like beer with fruit brewed in the formula and not fruit juice disguised as a beer.  Again, a strong balance of fruit and sour flavors mix to form a delectable drinker that needs to be a must try for all beer lovers.  On my next trip to the land of beer and Warriors I hope to bring full bottles of the Raspberry Tart and Belgian Red home.

More and more I believe New Glarus to be the preeminent brewer of session styled beers in the country and one of the top breweries period.

Stout Battle

A great night cap

Even with the warmth of summer I made sure to sample the strong group of stouts at the table. First off, I made a point of it to try Three Floyds Moloko Milk Stout before it was cashed.

Definitely not as sweet as I expected, I nonetheless enjoy the the malty, roasty stout from Munster.  A smooth drinker at 7.0% ABV, there was no alcohol notes present and that should be commended in any beer with an ABV at that level.  From my limited sampling I believe that Beer Advocate reviewers have it on money in rating it an A-.

Even with a fellow A- rating, Bell's Expedition Stout needs to heralded as a tremendously balanced brew that hit my sweet tooth (always like a dessert flavor in my stouts, especially since I normally drink them at the end of sessions).  It did not taste overwhelming at 10.5% ABV and certainly could do a number on me in the future.  Glad to see this available later in the night, this definitely proved to be the revelation of the night for me.

The one moderate disappointment of this group was New Holland's Poet.  The oatmeal stout did not have an overwhelming flavor and lacked that something to catch my attention.  After loving Goose Island's offering in this style, I think that may have been an aberration as this may just be a style that does not suit my tongue (also highly disappointed with Rogue's heralded Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout).

Shout Out to Homebrewers

First off, props to the homebrewers that go through the effort of producing their brews for us to sample.  History shows that the future top brewers always manage to start in this capacity and go from there.

I greatly my enjoyed samples of a hefeweizen, hybrid Pale Ale/IPA (a potential session IPA), and the creative Thai IPA brewed with a mix of tea and hops.

The ingenuity involved with coming up and daring to brew a beer as bold as a tea flavored IPA makes this such a wonderful industry that open its arms to outside the box thinkers.

Other Notes

Really enjoyed Green Flash West Coast IPA and definitely to sample a full one at the start of a future session.  Love the west coast hops and think they brew nicely in most every beer I have tested (and prefer them to the East Coast/English style).

One Black IPA clearly played to a tough crowd, with numerous comments about the smell of feces in the scent.

So far, so good with my relationship to Metro's Krankshaft Kolsch.  While I love breweries that experiment in unique and exciting ways, we need brewers that know their strength and brew simple but strong brews.  What Metro may lack in flair they make up for in their strong command of German styled brews.

It did not take for the Great Lakes Erie Monster and Two Brothers Hop Juice to be completed and I hope to sample these beers in the future.

Finally, I must make note of the welcoming presence, kindness, and of course generosity of all the BA's in attendance.  Even though I attended solo, I had no issue conversing with and hearing the thoughts of the nice people in attendance.  Most off all, there was a great group of beers and GI's complimentary Saison offering was also well received.

Dogfish Head Raison D'etre

Looking to add a couple of beers to my contribution for tonight's beer swapping/tasting event at the Goose Island Clybourn location (the original), I picked up a six pack of DH Raison D'etre as it happened to be the freshest good beer at my local Jewel's beer selection (the DH 90 minute was 2 1/2 months old and Sierra Nevada Kellerweis bottles were dusty).

Admittedly not the most inspired pick-up (typical last minute Zuch planning), I hit it out of the park with this one.  I strongly disagree with the Beer Advocate rating of a B on D'etre as I thoroughly enjoyed the mahogany colored offering.

Hit Jackpot on This One

A very smooth drinker for an 8.0% ABV beer, D'etre had a well balanced flavor with the raisins and sugar beets.  Only a slight alcohol taste at the end sips allowed for this to go down so pleasantly.  Definitely meant to be enjoyed in moderation and in a deliberate manner, D'etre fit in nicely as an end of the night of beer (and could be a dangerous precedent for this fat guy that wants to watch the amount beer I consume).

As an added bonus, this beer drank very well at room temperature.  I really wanted to sample this beer last night and only refrigerated it for a couple of hours before popping it open (making the last few sips warmer then I normally like).

All in all, another inspired offering from one of America's top breweries that always stays at the forefront of innovation.

Goose Island Clybourn Event

As I alluded to earlier, tonight is the the monthly Beer Advocate beer sampling and swapping event at the Goose Island Clybourn location.  This will be my maiden voyage to this well heralded event and I look forward to posting a recap shortly afterward.

Addendum to Post on Pale Ales

Two great beers that I have enjoyed but purposely neglected in my previous post on pale ales are Great Lakes Burning River and Half Acre Daisy Cutter.  While classified as pale ales, I view both of them as hoppy, IPA styled beers that should be had just once per session (maybe twice for Burning River). 

If Great Lakes swapped the classifications of Burning River and Commodore Perry IPA, I would not blink an eye and in fact that may be a bit more accurate description of each beer (I like both of them a lot, they are just different to me from their self-described style).

Meanwhile, Daisy Cutter is quite the little hop bomb that can knock you on your ass if unprepared for the strong hop kick.  A delicious brew, no doubt, and the beer that turned me on to the great local company that I need to visit sometime soon.  However, I think it does best at the start of a session (and for optimal taste, I would consume a fair amount of water between beers to cleanse the palate for the next beer).  I would love to have sampled the recently brewed Double Daisy Cutter but struggle to imagine the hop force infused in that beer.

Also, for readers of Beer Advocate there is a discussion on this same topic of pale ales.  Clearly some people disagree with my assessments here, particularly on Burning River and its sessionability, but that is the great thing about beer.  Not everyone thinks the same, nor should they, and all educated opinions are great to partake in.