One of my most enjoyable hobbies this year has been all manner of craft-beer geekery, making it myself, visiting pubs and breweries but also discovering and tasting great new commercial offerings. I'll do a separate post to cover my top 10 breweries, but here's my "craft beers of 2017" list...
1. Easy Answers - A straightforward hoppy IPA by Burning Sky based down in Sussex, don't quite know why this is number one but I had a pint of this one lunchtime in the Old Red Cow pub in Farringdon (London) after a particularly tough set of meetings in the morning and it was just spectacular!
2. Loral & Ardi - Collaboration beer this one, three separate (and leading) brewers (Cloudwater, Lost and Grounded & Verdant) got together and produced this Belgian Triple with an American IPA twist; hoppy and hazy with candy sugar for days, a stunning beer.
3. Hazy Jane - My favourite BrewDog beer this year, a New England style hoppy IPA, just tasty.
4. Session IPA Simcoe, Mosaic - Maestros Cloudwater knocked this one out around the middle of the year and it was the perfect accompaniment to the English Summer (wet and wonderful)
5. Comfortable Silence - From local (Finchampstead) brewer Siren this East Coast style IPA hits the spot, hops, hops and more hops with a touch of lactose.
6. Tasty Juice - Leading Norwegian brewers Lervig had a winner on their hands with this East Coast IPA, dank, murk and juice sum this one up.
7. Love Action (12" Remix) - From local brewer Elusive, this blueberry and vanilla Imperial stout is just the job for a cold Winter evening in front of the fire.
8. Pretty Mess - Tried for the first time in London this December and later in Bottle (tonight!) - just wonderful flavours, balanced and brilliant by Burning Sky.
9. GammaRay - The Beavertown beer has been around a few years now but it's my go-to beer when there's nothing new and untried available, a rock-solid fruity APA.
10. Some Fifty Summers - Verdant again, lovely session IPA, only 4.5% but loaded with hoppy goodness, a real desert island beer.
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