Best Beers of 2014

So this list is simply a list of my favorite beers poured into my mouth in 2014

30. Prairie Pirate Bomb! – This beer is the epitome of the peppered stouts and rum barrel adds subtle sweetness

29. Side Project Le Saisonnier – Just so juicy, dry hopped, wine barrel is spot on. So good.

28. Side Project Black & Wild – Sour stouts are not an easy style to pull off, more sweet than roasty, this one was perfect

27. Alpine Great – I will always be a sucker for barleywines.  This one was light on the barrel, but had the thick molasses goodness I am looking for

26. 2^nd Shift Blueprint LSD – This was the best find at #GTMW this year.  I love this brewery, will always go back to them

25. Mikkeller BA Beer Geek Vanilla Shake – The regular version of this beer is amazing, adding vanilla and barrel aging takes it up a notch

24. Cigar City 5 Beers for 5 Years Gose – Margarita in a bottle! I actually traded for a second because I loved the first so much

23. 3 Floyd’s Murda’d Out – Popped this beer we had purchased from our Michigan Beercation and it definitely did not disappoint

22. De Garde Currant Gin Bu – Such jammy goodness.  Gin was hidden.  This brewery is fantastic

21. Midnight Sun Berserker – This is exactly what I am looking for in a big stout.  The chocolately mouth goes on forever.

20. Side Project Peche du Fermier – This was my personal favorite of the Fermier’s we tried. The peach was mellow, but carried through the mouth the best

19. Girardin 1882 (Black Label) – My second favorite Gueuze to date, great from front to back

18. Central Waters Sixteen – They completely hit it out of the park with their most recent anniversary beer

17. Funk Factory Door Kriek – As close as any US brewer has come to mimicking Belgian counterparts. My personal favorite Kriek

16. Bullfrog Le Roar Grrrz Druiven – What is a Druiven? Who knows, but it makes a nice compliment to a great sour

15. Alpine Chez Monus – This funky peach brew even snuck in some acetone notes, really well done

14. Firestone Walker Feral One – I am in love with the Barrelworks series from FW and this was their first release from that series

13. Tilquin à L'Ancienne Oude Gueuze – Best in show at the Great Taste of Cottage Grove, my favorite Gueuze on the market

12. Toppling Goliath King Sue – I am surprised a hoppy beer made it on the list, especially in the top half. This beer is that good

11. Bullfrog Le Roar Grrrz – Another brewery that is reaching levels of Belgian greatness. Really impressed

10. Goose Island Proprietors (2013) – Coconut in this base beer makes the perfect compliment

9. Jester King Aurelian Lure – Got to try many of the fruited Jester Kings and this one was the stand out

8. Tired Hands Emptiness is Eternal – This beer blew me away.  Well balanced sour/saison on persimmons

7. Perennial Barrel Aged Sump Kyoto – The regular version of this beer is amazing, the Kyoto adds more acidity which makes it even better

6. Side Project Pulling Nails #1 – The 4^th beer from SP and they aren’t even done! The blending of wine barrels is absolute perfection

5. Crooked Stave Persica Blend 1 – Another stonefruit beer on the list, the peaches go great with the CS yeast blend

4. SARA Westly – Double the apricots and time in barrels as the original version helps this beer achieve full potential

3. Drie Fonteinen Hommage – One of the most anticipated beers of the year, thanks Chad for hooking me up! Raspberries and cherries make this beer almost perfect. Definitely band aide notes that are not bad, but interesting

2. Perennial Coffee Abraxas – First perfect 5 out of 5 beer this year. These guys know base stouts on coffee and this blend was perfect even without the barrel

1. Side Project Fuzzy – This beer had everything I loved in wild caught yeast, the heavy spice that is complemented in perfect balance with peach. Bravo!