According to the Brewers Association, there were 5,301 breweries operating in the United States in 2017. 5,301. Let that sink in.
As I’ve said before, I’m not happy unless I’m drinking a beer that received a rating of at least 4 on my Untappd account. With so much competition in the realm of Craft Beer, I’m very discriminating and a brewery can easily find itself on my DO NOT DRINK list with too many subpar offerings. I’m all for experimentation, but that’s what small batches are for…
What follows is a list of 171 new beers I tried this year from 85 breweries that get it. To be clear, these beers are all good and I would gladly drink them again, they weren’t out of this world…but they were excellent representations of their style.
Listed below, in alphabetic order, are the 85 breweries and their offerings that left me satisfied.
Abnormal Beer Co. (San Diego, CA)
- New Money – Hazy IPA 7% ABV
Aftershock Brewing Co. (Temecula, CA)
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ale – Brown Ale 5.5% ABV
AleSmith Brewing Company (San Diego, CA)
- Hawaiian Speedway Stout (2017) – Imperial Stout 12% ABV
Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA)
- When Doves Cryo – Hazy IPA 7% ABV
- Vengeful Barbarian – IPA 7.2% ABV
- Hive Mind (with Pure Project Brewing) – DIPA 8.5% ABV
- Froth Bite – Hazy IPA 6.4% ABV
Amplified Ale Works (San Diego, CA)
- Electrocution – IPA 7.2% ABV
- Trois Cabrones (with Alvarado Street Brewery) – Hazy DIPA 8.5% ABV
- Soundcheck – IPA 7.8% ABV
- Get A Grip (w/Coffee) – Coffee Milkstout 4.6%
Artifex Brewing Company (San Clemente, CA)
- Amarillo Happy – Pale Ale 5.5% ABV
Asylum Brewing (Anaheim, CA)
- Fairweather Friend – Pale Ale 4.7% ABV
- Casanova Frankenstein – Imperial Stout 9.5% ABV
- Rorschach – Brown Ale 6.2% ABV
Bagby Beer Company (Oceanside, CA)
- Struggle Bus – Pale Ale 4.8%
Barley Forge Brewing Co. (Costa Mesa, CA)
- Karl Hungus – Schwarzbier 5.2% ABV
BarrelHouse Brewing Co. (Paso Robles, CA)
- Celebratory Ale No. 4 – Foeder Aged Stout Snakebite 8.3% ABV
Beachwood Blendery (Long Beach, CA)
- Chaos Is a Friend of Mine – Lambic 6.5% ABV
Beachwood Brewing (Long Beach, CA)
- Hop Ninja – DIPA 8.9% ABV
- Laurel – IPA 7.1% ABV
- Robusta Rhymes – Porter 7% ABV
Bear Republic Brewing Company (Cloverdale, CA)
- Fastback Racer – DIPA 10.4% ABV
- Racer X – DIPA 8.3% ABV
Belching Beaver Brewery (Vista, CA)
- Phantom Bride IPA – IPA 7.1% ABV
Bells’ Brewery (Kalamazoo, MI)
- Hopslam Ale (2017) – DIPA 10% ABV
Bottle Logic Brewing (Anaheim, CA)
- Black Forest Cake – Stout 6% ABV
- Byzantine Vision (Draft) – Barrel Aged Baltic Porter 10.7% ABV
- Rocket Launch – Belgian IPA 6% ABV
- Saison De Whittaker – Saison 7% ABV
- Congruent Coconut – Pale Ale 5% ABV
- Oculango – DIPA 9.7% ABV
- Iridium Flare (2017) (with Superstition Meadery) – Braggot 13.9% ABV
- Heliosphere – Helles Lager 4.7% ABV
- Titan of Tokyo – Tart Wheat Ale 5% BV
- Jam the Radar (2017) – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 13.8% ABV
- Analog Nostalgia – IPA 8% ABV
- Frogger GLC (with Great Notion Brewing) – Hazy TIPA 11% ABV
Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO)
- Collaboration No. 6 Barrel-Aged Blend (with Firestone Walker Brewing Company) – Barrel Aged Blend 12.5% ABV
- Whiskey Barrel Stout – Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 11.8% ABV
Brouwerij West (San Pedro, CA)
- Falling Water – Hazy IPA 6.5% ABV
- Dig My Earth – Hazy DIPA 8% ABV
Burial Beer Co. (Asheville, NC)
- Gang of Blades – DIPA 8.3% ABV
- Ceremonial – Session IPA 4% ABV
Carton Brewing (Highlands, NJ)
- IDIPA – IPA 7% ABV
Cellarmaker Brewing Co. (San Francisco, CA)
- Double Moonage – Hazy DIPA 8.4% ABV
Cigar City Brewing Company (Tampa, FL)
- Good Gourd – Imperial Pumpkin Beer 8.8% ABV
Civil Society Brewing Co.
- Extra Pulp – Imperial Hazy Pale Wheat Ale 8.5% ABV
- Schmedium w/ Strawberry & Pineapple (with Slim Pickens Cider & Mead) – Hazy IPA 6% ABV
- Can’t Touch This – Hazy IPA 7% ABV
- Fresher Than Fresh – Hazy DIPA 8.7% ABV
- Social Lube (with All In Brewing) – IPA 7% ABV
Claremont Craft Ales (Claremont, CA)
- Pepper & Peaches – IPA 7.1% ABV
- Coffee Del – Coffee IPA 7.1% ABV
Cycle Brewing (St. Petersburg, FL)
- Rare DOS – Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10% ABV
Deep River Brewing Company (Clayton, NC)
- Collaboration Without Representation (with Bottle Revolution) – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Chocolate Coffee Milkstout 12.8% ABV
Docent Brewing (San Juan Capistrano, CA)
- Funemployed! – Pale Ale 5.8% ABV
- The Stallion – Brown Ale 7.5% ABV
- Gloomy – IPA 7.2% ABV
- Headliner – DIPA 8.2% ABV
- Shrub – Session IPA 4.4% ABV
El Segundo Brewing Co. (El Segundo, CA)
- Surfin’ Bird (with Pizza Port Brewing Co.) – DIPA 8% ABV
Epic Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, UT)
- 825 State Stout – Oatmeal Stout 5.6% ABV
- New England Style IPA (Citralush) – Hazy IPA 7.3%
Evil Twin Brewing (Brewed by Two Roads Brewing in CT)
- No Hero – Oatmeal Stout 7% ABV
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. (Buellton, CA)
- Zero To Sexy – Blonde Ale 6.8% ABV
- Fig Mtn Mosaic – Pale Ale 5.5% ABV
- Cougar Attack – TIPA 10% ABV
Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, CA)
- Luponic Distortion: Revolution No. 005 – IPA 5.9% ABV
- Luponic Distortion: Revolution No. 007 – IPA 5.9% ABV
- Propagator Generation 1 – IPA 7.6% ABV
Fremont Brewing (Seattle, WA)
- Dark Star – Imperial Oatmeal Stout 8% ABV
- Interurban IPA – IPA 6.2% ABV
- The Sister Imperial IPA – DIPA 8.5% ABV
Garage Project (Aro Valley, Wellington, New Zealand)
- Death From Above – IPA 7.5% ABV
Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, CO)
- Hop Disciples – IPA 6.2% ABV
Green Cheek Beer Company (Orange, CA)
- Cut the Lights – Stout 5.1% ABV
- Good Vibes Included – Session IPA 4.2% ABV
- Member IPA? – IPA 7% ABV
- Brian Knows Zest – Lager 5% ABV
- Berlin! – Berliner Weisse 3.2% ABV
- Cocohut – Hazy IPA 6.1% ABV
- Clichaze – Hazy IPA 6.6% ABV
- Andy Black – Milkstout 4% ABV
- Australian For Pale – Pale Ale 5.8% ABV
Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY)
- In Mid-Air – Hazy DIPA 8% ABV
- Sumi Zest – Imperial Stout 11.5% ABV
- Double Negative – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10% ABV
Hamilton Family Brewery (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
- Double Mango – DIPA 8.2% ABV
Highland Park Brewery (Los Angeles, CA)
- Cloud Party – Hazy DIPA 8.3% ABV
Homage Brewing (Pomona, CA)
- La Befana – Saison 6.8% ABV
- Nose Dive – IPA 6.3% ABV
- Discovery – Belgian Strong Golden Ale 7.8% ABV
- Le Sauvage – Golden ALe 6.7% ABV
Indie Brewing Company (Los Angeles, CA)
- Find That Juicy Double – Hazy DIPA 8% ABV
- Fuzzy Recollection – Hazy IPA 6.9% ABV
Industrial Arts Brewing Company (Garnerville, NY)
- State of the Art 68 – IPA 6.3% ABV
Interboro Spirits & Ales (Brooklyn, NY)
- Bring the Noise – DIPA 8.5% ABV
Karl Strauss Brewing Company (San Diego, CA)
- Red Wine Barrel-Aged Red Trolley – Barrel Aged Red Ale 6.8% ABV
- Aurora Hoppyalis – IPA 7% ABV
- Big Barrel IIPA – DIPA 9% ABV
King Harbor Brewing Company (Redondo Beach, CA)
- Lupulines – IPA 7.5% ABV
Lagunitas Brewing Company (Selloutville, USA)
- Eroica – Flemish Farmhouse Ale 7.4% ABV
- Willettized Coffee Stout – Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Stout 12.6% ABV
- (important to note that I did not purchase these CORPRACRAFT beers, the bartenders at Stadium Brewing Company in Aliso Viejo like to give me samples…thanks!)
Left Coast Brewing Co. (San Clemente, CA)
- Hop Juice – Triple IPA 10% ABV
Los Angeles Ale Works (Hawthorne, CA)
- Blume – Berliner Weisse 3.5% ABV
MadeWest Brewing Company (Ventura, CA)
- Transport – IPA 6.8% ABV
- Pale – Pale Ale 5.6% ABV
Mason Ale Works (San Marcos, CA)
- Thick As Thieves (with Pure Project & Burgeon Beer Company) – Hazy IPA 6% ABV
Melvin Brewing (Jackson, WY)
- 2 x 4 – DIPA 9.9% ABV
Mikerphone Brewing (Elk Grove Village, IL)
- S’More Cowbell – Imperial Stout 10.8% ABV
Mikkeller Brewing (San Diego, CA)
- Waves (Bolger) – IPA 7.3% ABV
Modern Times Beer (San Diego, CA)
- City of the Sun – IPA 7.6% ABV
- Orderville – Hazy IPA 7.2% ABV
- Booming Rollers – IPA 6.8% ABV
- Critical Band – Hazy IPA 6.7% ABV
- Spaceship Earth – Hazy Pale Ale 5.2% ABV
- Geodesic – IPA 7.5% ABV
Mumford Brewing (Los Angeles, CA)
- ALL CAPS – IPA 6.8% ABV
- Air Quotes – Hazy IPA 6.8% ABV
New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, CO)
- Fat Tire Belgian White – Witbier 5.2% ABV
New Glory Craft Brewery (Sacramento, CA)
- Cloudy With A Chance Of Clarity – IPA 7% ABV
Noble Ale Works (Anaheim, CA)
- Marginally Hazy, Moderately Experimental – Hazy IPA 6.2% ABV
- A Little More Hazy, A Little More Experimental – Hazy IPA 5.8% ABV
- Cloud Strife – Hazy IPA 6.4% ABV
- Sailor Mom – DIPA 9.1% ABV
- Lemon Drop Showers – DIPA 8.8% ABV
- Nuclear Haze – Hazy DIPA 8.1% ABV
- Aim For the Fences – IPA 7.9% ABV
- Aim For the Netses! – IPA 7.9% ABV
Odd 13 Brewing (Lafayette, CO)
- Codename: Superfan – Hazy IPA 6.5% ABV
Offshoot Beer Co. (Placentia, CA)
- Stirred – Hazy DIPA 8.1% ABV
Omnipollo (Brewed by Dorchester Brewing in Boston, MA)
- Lustro White Ultra Light IIPA – White DIPA 8% ABV
Perrin Brewing Co. (Comstock Park, MI)
- No Rules Vietnamese Porter (2016) – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter 15% ABV
Pizza Port Brewing Co. (San Clemente, CA)
- Fogged In – Pale Ale 5.5% ABV
- Terminal 10 – International IPA 6.5% ABV
- Christmas Island – Imperial Stout 10% ABV
- Bear-O-Dactyl – DIPA 9.8% ABV
- Doheny Double IPA – DIPA 9.5% ABV
Pure Project (San Diego, CA)
- Deutschland Dank – International IPA 6.7% ABV
- Milagro – Irish Dry Stout 5.3% ABV
Relic Brewing Co. (Plainville, CT)
- The Huntress – DIPA 9% ABV
Revision Brewing Company (Sparks, NV)
- What What – DIPA 9.1% ABV
- Planetary Fog – Hazy DIPA 7.5% ABV
Riip Beer Company (Huntington Beach, CA)
- Super Cali – IPA 7.2% ABV
Rushing Duck Brewing Co. (Chester, NY)
- War Daddy – DIPA 9.2% ABV
Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, CA)
- Dribble Belt – Pale Ale 4.5% ABV
Sante Adairius Rustic Ales (Capitola, CA)
- Black Room, Blue Phone – Wine Barrel-Aged Porter with Blueberries 7.6% ABV
- Love’s Armor (Batch 4) – Barrel Aged Saison Rye Porter Blend 8.1% ABV
- Bright Sea Blonde (Batch 5) -Belgian Style Blonde Ale 6.2% ABV
Second Chance Beer Co. (San Diego, CA)
- Seize the IPA – IPA 6.5% ABV
- Fool Me Twice – DIPA 8.8% ABV
- Seize the Coffee – Coffee IPA 6.5% ABV
- Legally Red – Red IPA 7.2% ABV
- Tabula Rasa – Porter 6.2% ABV
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA)
- Celebration Ale – IPA 6.8% ABV
Smog City Brewing (Torrance, CA)
- Unity – Tart Saison 5.3% ABV
Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)
- Enjoy By 12.25.17 – Unfiltered DIPA 9.4% ABV
TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Brea, CA)
- India “Pal” Ale (with Tustin Brewing Company) – White IPA 6.8% ABV
The Alchemist (Stowe, VT)
- The Crusher – DIPA 9% ABV
The Bruery (Placentia, CA)
- Hoppy Obligations V1 – Hazy Pale Ale 5.6% ABV
- All the Chocolate – Herbed/Spiced Beer 6.6% ABV
Thomas Hooker Brewing Co. (Bloomfield, CT)
- #nofilter – Hazy IPA 7% ABV
Three Weavers Brewing Company (Inglewood, CA)
- Return of Sassy (with Arts District Brewing) – Rye IPA 6.7% ABV
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Decorah, IA)
- Golden Nugget – IPA 6.3% ABV
Torched Hop Brewing Company (Atlanta, GA)
- Tribunal – Hazy DIPA 8.5% ABV
Track 7 Brewing Company (Sacramento, CA)
- Naughty By Nectar (with Alvarado Street Brewery) – Berliner Weisse 8% ABV
- Amarillo Adoration – DIPA 8.7% ABV
Trillium Brewing Company (Boston, MA)
- Dusk Trill Dawn (with Evil Twin Brewing) – Imperial Breakfast Stout 11.5% ABV
Tustin Brewing Company (Tustin, CA)
- Leche Coco Loco – Milkstout 5.5% ABV
Two Roads Brewing Company (Stratford, CT)
- Two Evil: Geyser Gose (with Evil Twin Brewing) – Gose 5.5% ABV
I know that’s kinda a lot to take in, but trust me when I tell you that paying a visit to these 85 breweries will not leave you disappointed…happy hunting!
Peace, Love, Beer!
All photos by: BrewFiend
