At the beginning of the year I like to take a look back at the BeerAdvocate’s Top 100, see what’s moved up and down the charts, what’s new new on the list, and how many I’ve been lucky enough to try over the past year.
No surprise, Heady Topper is still number one and Hill Farmstead takes the most spots on the list. Cantillon, Three Floyds and Russian River still dominate here, and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon, same with Alpine’s excellent hoppy offerings. The new Bourbon County variants have made a huge splash since their release, all landing on the Top 100.
Newcomer Toppling Goliath has taken a few spots with their PseudoSue, Morning Delight, and KBBS. Nice to see Jester King, Prairie and Perennial show up this year, and I’m sure Cory King’s Side Project will make an appearance next year as more of the product gets in the hands of BAs.
Beers highlighted in bold are beers I’ve had in the past:
- Heady Topper – The Alchemist 4.7 5274
- Pliny The Younger – Russian River Brewing Company 4.65 1797
- Pliny The Elder – Russian River Brewing Company 4.64 7920
- Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout – Goose Island Beer Co. 4.64 3160
- Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) – Founders Brewing Company 4.62 6142
- Zombie Dust – Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub 4.61 4521
- Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII) – Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren) 4.61 3708
- Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean – Dark Lord Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub 4.6 661
- Parabola – Firestone Walker Brewing Co. 4.58 3288
- Double Sunshine IPA – Lawson’s Finest Liquids 4.57 1069
- Cantillon Fou’ Foune – Brasserie Cantillon 4.56 1204
- Bourbon County Brand Stout – Goose Island Beer Co. 4.55 6008
- Supplication – Russian River Brewing Company 4.54 3556
- Abner – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.54 992
- The Abyss – Deschutes Brewery 4.52 3796
- Citra DIPA – Kern River Brewing Company 4.52 910
- Founders Breakfast Stout – Founders Brewing Company 4.51 9336
- Bell’s Hopslam – Bell’s Brewery, Inc. 4.51 7212
- Trappistes Rochefort 10 – Brasserie de Rochefort 4.51 5650
- Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout – Cigar City Brewing 4.51 1791
- Duck Duck Gooze – The Lost Abbey 4.51 741
- §ucaba (Abacus) – Firestone Walker Brewing Co. 4.5 2502
- Bell’s Black Note Stout – Bell’s Brewery, Inc. 4.5 1886
- Black Tuesday – The Bruery 4.5 1799
- Dark Horse Bourbon Barrel Aged Plead The 5th – Dark Horse Brewing Company 4.5 1217
- Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Fourth Dementia – Kuhnhenn Brewing Company 4.5 1124
- Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale – Goose Island Beer Co. 4.5 1094
- Abrasive Ale – Surly Brewing Company 4.49 2135
- Beatification – Russian River Brewing Company 4.49 1317
- Cantillon Lou Pepe – Kriek – Brasserie Cantillon 4.49 896
- Ephraim – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.48 550
- Trappist Westvleteren 8 (VIII) – Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren) 4.47 1374
- Barrel-Aged Abraxas – Perennial Artisan Ales 4.47 342
- St. Bernardus Abt 12 – Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV 4.46 5779
- Darkness – Surly Brewing Company 4.46 1909
- Cantillon Saint Lamvinus – Brasserie Cantillon 4.46 1104
- Everett Porter – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.46 1104
- Double Galaxy – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.46 441
- Consecration – Russian River Brewing Company 4.45 2855
- Permanent Funeral – Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub 4.45 870
- Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout – Goose Island Beer Co. 4.45 253
- Mornin’ Delight – Toppling Goliath Brewing Company 4.45 203
- Temptation – Russian River Brewing Company 4.44 2254
- Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic – Brasserie Cantillon 4.44 1632
- Chocolate Rain – The Bruery 4.44 965
- PseudoSue – Toppling Goliath Brewing Company 4.44 546
- Cable Car – The Lost Abbey 4.44 487
- Adam From The Wood – Hair of the Dog Brewing Company / Brewery and Tasting Room 4.44 408
- AleSmith Speedway Stout – Bourbon Barrel Aged – AleSmith Brewing Company 4.43 828
- Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout – Toppling Goliath Brewing Company 4.43 149
- Cantillon Blåbær Lambik – Brasserie Cantillon 4.42 473
- Double Citra – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.42 462
- Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier – Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan 4.41 4895
- Enjoy By IPA – Stone Brewing Co. 4.41 4244
- Samuel Adams Utopias – Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) 4.41 1327
- Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Lord Imperial Stout – Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub 4.41 436
- Sculpin IPA – Ballast Point Brewing Company 4.4 6263
- Dreadnaught IPA – Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub 4.4 3904
- Nelson – Alpine Beer Company 4.4 1472
- Mother Of All Storms – Pelican Pub & Brewery 4.4 1061
- Imperial Eclipse Stout – Elijah Craig (12 Year) – FiftyFifty Brewing Co. 4.4 866
- AleSmith Speedway Stout – AleSmith Brewing Company 4.39 3546
- Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe) – Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel 4.39 2931
- Prairie Bomb! – Prairie Artisan Ales 4.39 766
- Hoppy Birthday – Alpine Beer Company 4.39 407
- Society & Solitude #5 – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.39 393
- Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage – Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen 4.39 345
- Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout – California Brandy Barrel Aged – Cigar City Brewing 4.39 323
- Victory At Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter – Ballast Point Brewing Company 4.38 2841
- Duet IPA – Alpine Beer Company 4.38 1253
- Melange No. 3 – The Bruery 4.38 974
- Exponential Hoppiness – Alpine Beer Company 4.38 833
- Cascade Sang Noir – Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub 4.38 708
- Cantillon Lou Pepe – Framboise – Brasserie Cantillon 4.38 599
- Susan – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.38 533
- Tröegs Nugget Nectar – Tröegs Brewing Company 4.37 5028
- Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale – Lagunitas Brewing Company 4.37 4691
- Matt – Hair of the Dog Brewing Company / Brewery and Tasting Room 4.37 488
- Society & Solitude #4 – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.37 365
- Backyard Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout – Goose Island Beer Co. 4.37 347
- Ten FIDY – Oskar Blues Brewing Company 4.36 5332
- Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break – Evil Twin Brewing 4.36 1551
- Edward – Hill Farmstead Brewery 4.36 1082
- Cantillon Lou Pepe – Gueuze – Brasserie Cantillon 4.36 486
- Bad Boy – Alpine Beer Company 4.36 338
- Imperial Russian Stout – Stone Brewing Co. 4.35 5506
- Founders Imperial Stout – Founders Brewing Company 4.35 3858
- Lunch – Maine Beer Company 4.35 1828
- Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek – Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen 4.35 591
- Atrial Rubicite – Jester King Brewery 4.35 286
- AleSmith Speedway Stout – Kopi Luwak (Bourbon Barrel-Aged) – AleSmith Brewing Company 4.35 280
- Murda’d Out Stout – Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub 4.35 219
- Baudoinia – Goose Island Beer Co. 4.35 215
- Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock – Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying 4.34 4260
- Double Jack – Firestone Walker Brewing Co. 4.34 4135
- Blind Pig IPA – Russian River Brewing Company 4.34 3223
- Wisconsin Belgian Red – New Glarus Brewing Company 4.34 1795
- Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA – Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon 4.34 1696
- Pure Hoppiness – Alpine Beer Company 4.34 1515
- Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze – Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen 4.34 1471
As for how many of these beers I’ve actually been able to try? Last year at this time I had 47 out of the beginning of 2013’s Top 100. Today, I stand at 90 out of the beginning of 2014’s Top 100. A respectable jump in numbers. I’m sure I’d be saying otherwise this time last year but I don’t think the last 10 would be that hard to try if I really was interested in getting my hands on them (although I shudder to think about the amount of Hill Farmstead I’d have to give up to do so).
How many on the list have you have you had?