We’ve asked the Pursuit of Hoppiness writers to come up with their top picks for the beers of the year. Between us the aim is to have exactly 100 beers.
Top Pick: Thornbridge Jaipur IPA
The flagship of Derbyshire’s finest brewery — the magic of this super pale IPA is to deliver a grippy citrus-laden blast of hops alongside satisfying chewy malt at a just sessionable strength of 5.9%. The bottles travel much better than the cans.
Shepherd Neame India Pale Ale
This traditional take on IPA from England’s oldest brewer is a revelation that will no doubt be lost on the hazy fruit juice-crazed generations. Chewy crystal and pale malts are firmly balanced with an assertive bitterness while herbaceous, earthy English hop flavour dances over the top.
St Leonard’s Dunkelsbock
I attended Beervana this year having not been since 2020. This dark bock from St Leonards was my beer of the day. A celebration of malt complexity fermented clean and cool with a long lager fermentation. We could use more of these beers and St Leonards are a brewery to watch.
Aynger Celebrator
My all-time favourite doppelbock is a master class in complexity all achieved at the lower end of style’s ABV. Chocolate, dark rye bread, and a hint of rum barrel — we are privileged to have access to it.
Three Boys New Britain Hoppy Pale Ale
An English IPA from New Zealand!! I thought such halcyon days were behind us. Although I note Three Boys don’t think they can use the IPA term anymore as the market expects a dry-hopped witbier when those letters appear. A shed load of English hop flavour and aroma perched atop a golden malt base. Earthy, fruity, bitter, perfect.
Boneface Slipped Disc
This year, NZ’s most bogan brewer bought NZ’s most bogan brewery and then rebranded it to an odd cottage look that suggests pastel tea towels rather than its former sci-fi metal look. But what do I know about book covers? The beer inside is en pointe. Slipped Disc is a lager fermented hoppy beer with a blend of NZ and US hops delivering a complex tropical hop blast carried over a bright crisp pilsner malt base. Bloody good.
Steinlager Classic
Classic is that one beer that is always in my fridge. When the legion left Britain, my first beer was a Steinlager Blue and I have never tired of the distinctive taste of grassy grippy NZ hops, bready malt and assertive finish. The taste of Kiwi summer. Haters gonna hate.
Orval
One of the world’s best and most distinctive beers. Hoppy, bretty, dry , and sherbety, Orval is the closest thing we have to what historic IPA would have tasted like. There are a few beers I buy by the case, and this is one of them, the others are Guinness Special Export and Abt 12.
St Bernardus Abt 12
St Bernardus were once entrusted to brew the legendary Westvleteren 12. When that arrangement ended they continued to brew the beer with the original yeast but sold it under the Abt 12 brand. Soothing, rummy, sipper full of dark fruit and rounded majesty. It is the night cap to rule all night caps.
North End Bones of the Land
OK, let’s address the elephant in the room. I am a brewer who also writes about beer. When the editor approached me about writing this end-of-year list of picks, he said I could choose one of my own. He is kinder than me, I wouldn’t have been so charitable. But then again perhaps just choosing one of my own babies is torture rather than ecstasy. Anyway, I have gone with Bones of the Land, the classic saison we brew as a homage to Dupont and De Ranke. Hoppy, herbal, spicy and dry as f@ck. Buy some, my Christmas depends on it 😊