Best beers of 2010

[Stu McKinlay]

So, it's that time, what were yours?

 

I'm always suspicious that these kinds of lists are made up of the best [insert selected noun here] that people have had in the last few months... so, I kept a record of my favourite beer each week for the entire year.  I'd love to have done a blog on each one but there's no way I'd have the time.  

 

I'd be hard pressed to pick anything that impressed me more than Mikkeller's Sauvignon this year but I'll look over the list in the next few days and think about what the very best ones for the year were.

 

No homebrews in the list, that's just not cricket.

 

 

Week: Beer (where I got it, how it came)

 

30/12: Emerson's JP 2010 (Malthouse, 500ml bottle)

23/12: Twisted Hop Challenger (Hashigo Zake, handpump)

16/12: 8 Wired Tall Poppy (Regional Wines and Spirits, 500ml bottle)

09/12: Pink Elephant Mammoth (New World Island Bay, 330ml bottle)

02/12: Mikkeller Black Tie (Innspire, 500ml bottle)

25/11: Tuatara 'X' (Hashigo Zake, 750ml bottle) 

18/11: Emerson's Grace Jones Porter (Malthouse, tap) 

11/11: Monkey Wizard Steam Punk Ale (@jedsoane, 750ml bottle) 

04/11: Tuatara Ardennes (Malthouse, tap via pears in Modus Hoperandus) 

28/10: Fuller's 1845 (Four Square Strathmore, 500ml bottle) 

21/10: Orval (Regionals, 330ml bottle @ Playing Favourites tasting) 

14/10: Bridge Road B2 Bomber (Bridge Road via @innspire, 750ml bottle) 

07/10: Cooper's Vintage 2010 (Dan Murphy's Kawana, 330ml bottle) 

30/09: Little Creatures Pale Ale (Mudjimba Bottlestore, 500ml bottle) 

23/09: Wigram Imperial Stout (Malthouse, tap via coffee beans in Modus Hoperandus)   

16/09: Moa 5 Hop Winter Ale (Pollux, handpump) 

09/09: Townshend Rosedale Bitter (Hashigo, handpump) 

02/09: Townshend Cathcarts NTA (Hashigo, handpump) 

26/08: Moa Barrel-aged Imperial Stout (BrewNZ Awards, bottle) 

19/08: Cooper's Sparkling Ale (Malthouse, tap) 

12/08: Croucher Pale Ale (Hashigo Zake, tap) 

05/08: Townshend Wedding FSA (Wedding, handpump) 

29/07: Emerson's JP 2010 (Regionals, bottle) 

22/07: Hallertau SOBA NHC Coconut Porter (Malthouse, tap) 

15/07: Hallertau Statesman (Hashigo Zake, tap) 

08/07: Eugene City Tracktown 200m IPA (Hashigo Zake, tap) 

01/07: Townshend Dubloon (SOBA Matariki Winter Ales Festival, handpump) 

24/06: Invercargill Sa!son (Invercargill Brewery, rigger) 

17/06: Baird Brewing Dark Sky Imperial Stout (@seatounsteve, bottle) 

10/06: Mikkeller Sauvignon (@jedsoane, bottle) 

03/06: Tuatara APA (Malthouse, tap) 

27/05: Mountain Goat Surefoot Stout (Mountain Goat Brewery, tap) 

20/05: Rogue American Amber Ale (Hashigo Zake, tap) 

13/05: White Cliffs Organic Ale (Regional Wines and Spirits, 2L rigger) 

06/05: Epic Oak-aged Armageddon (Malthouse, tap) 

29/04: Galbraith's Best Bitter (Galbraith's Ale House, handpump) 

22/04: Moa Resurrection (Marchfest, tap) 

15/04: Flying Dog Ragin' Bitch (Hashigo Zake, bottle) 

08/04: Green Flash 'Double' Stout (Beerstore.co.nz, bottle) 

01/04: Mac's Brewjolais (Regionals + Bar Edward, conditioning tank rigger) 

25/03: Rodenbach Grand Cru (2yo from Island Bay New World, bottle) 

18/03: Emerson's Old 95 (Miramar New World, bottle) 

11/03: Mata Blondie (Liquorland Beer Festival, tap) 

04/03: Yeastie Boys PKB Remix 2009 (Malthouse, tap) 

25/02: Townshend Cathcarts NTA (Ruakura Campus Club, handpump) 

18/02: Emerson's JP 2009 (Regional Wines and Spirits via cellar, bottle) 

11/02: Thornbridge Raven (Kelly Ryan, bottle) 

04/02: Green Flash "Le Freak" (Sam's friend, bottle) 

28/01: Hogs Back "Santa's Wobble" (Rumble's, 330ml bottle) 

21/01: Hallertau "Minimus" (Malthouse, tap) 

14/01: 8 Wired "Hopwired"  (Regionals, 500ml bottle) 

07/01: NZ Natural Brewing "Deliverance Dortmunder" (Hashigo Zake, tap)

 

 

Wishing you all a late Merry Christmas... and a just in time happy new year.

 

Slainte mhath

Stu

 

[Martin Bridges]

Oh man, this is WAY too hard. So I'll just note a few beers that really made me go "Wow! F**k yeah!". In no particular order.

 

8Wired Tall Poppy. Bitter, malty, hoppy deliciousness.

8Wired HopWired (latest batch, in bottle). The most balanced I've ever tasted it, but without losing the hoppy goodness.

Townshend Cathcart NTA. I could drink this all day every day.

Flying Dog Raging Bitch. It IS possible to do a Belgian IPA. As later double-proved by Richard Emerson with JP 2010.

Nerdherder B (or was it D?) on handpump at the Ellerslie beer fest. Creamyfruity lusciousness.

Hallertau Minimus 2010. Soooo many hops, soooo little alcohol!

 

Plus loads more that were damn good but not quite at the level of this lot.

 

[Stu McKinlay]

ha! I didn't spot that... but it got me thinking that there is no Three Boys in my list, even though they have all been tasting great this year.  I've still not quite "got" the Oyster Stout thing (people seem obsessed) but I do really like really it.

[Raffe]

Some of mine, in no order other than how I remember them:

 

Tuatara X (having this again at Galbraith's yesterday just confirms it)

Galbraith's Bob Hudson's

Hallertau Minimus & 2007 Porter Noir

8Wired Tall Poppy and Big Smoke

Orval (always a favourite)

Yeastie Boys Nerdherder & Motueka Monster

Emerson's JP 2010 & Old 95

Three Boys Oyster Stout (handpump)

Twisted Hop Nokabollakov & Goldings Bitter

Townshend Old House ESB

Epic Thornbridge Stout (barrel aged)

Mussel Inn Captain Cooker (at the inn)

Croucher Pilsner (I do think this is my fav NZ pilsner)

 

There are probably some others I have forgotten...

 

Edit: Oh and my favourite bottle label design of 2010 - Emerson's Clam Stout. The blue and yellow colours of that label leapt off the shelf. Good beer too. The Hallertau labels (across the range) deserve special mention too, they are very stylish. Actually, the standard of design in NZ craft beer is as good (if not better) than anywhere else IMHO.

[Martin Bridges]

Oh, how could I forget Bob Hudson's!!! Definitely on my list for last year. Almost impossible to drink other beers in Galbraith's for me at the moment.

[Mike Neilson]

Her are Mine these are wow beers not the best as I dont think I have had the best this year due to Crabbeys said issues, But here they are and yes there is homebrew in it

 

Haishs Bitter

Eastie Boys Rex Attitude

Mine and Jokings Wheatwine

3 Fountein Gueuze

Emersons JP 2010

Galbraiths Bob Hudsons

Hallertau's first batch of Minimus (second batch was better but wow factor)

Not a beer but Mussel Inns Feijoa Cider

Epic Portamarillo (I think I will give all the fish and pork I can get to luke and Sam as they seemed to have got alot of smokeyness for such a relatively small smoke bill, providing my brew length is right????)

 

Best Year for NZ beer me thinks!!

[JackoNZ]

Great list Stu, I might just nik that idea myself for this year! Here's my list for 2010:

 

Epic Thornbridge Stout

Townshends Cathcarts NTA 

Townshends/666 Sutton Hoo

8 Wired Tall Poppy

Croucher Patriot

Bairds Rising Sun Pale Ale

Yeastie Boys Punk a Diddle

Croucher Pale Ale

Twisted Hop Golding Bitter

 

Brewery of the year for me has to be Townshend's, it's usually always my first choice beer from the hand pump at HZ. 

[Stu McKinlay]

Do it Jacko!  Seeing other people's list just reminds me how much I forget about.

[Stu McKinlay]

I'm flattered to see Rex in there... counting down the days until the peated malt arrives, 2 tonne of it!! Should have been brewing the Yeastie version in the next week or so but the malt missed the last shipment. Hope it sells or we'll have a lifetime supply of peated malt!!

[Llew Bardecki]

 

A few that I recall as being favourites at various moments during the year:

 

Sprig & Fern Harvest Pilsner (fell in love with this at Marchfest)

Rodenbach original (tried this for the first time in the Netherlands, and was probably my favourite beer I had there)

Schneider Hopfenweisse

Black Oak Ten Bitter Years (A cask IIPA from back home in Canada)

Tuatara X (Got home from the trip above, having drunk quite a few Belgian Tripels in the low countries, and liked this as well as any and better than most)

8Wired Tall Poppy

Nogne Tyttebaer

Yeastie Boys PKB (an old favourite, tasting as good recently as it ever has)

Galbraith's Bob Hudson's Bitter (Tough call, but probably still my #1 NZ beer)

Twisted Hop IPA (hadn't had it in ages, but then tried it again at the Brewpub a few weeks back.  'Twas a "wow!" moment)

Mikkeller USAlive (18 month old bottle consumed on my birthday possibly my favourite beer ever)

 

Here's to another year in beer as good as this one!

[Greig McGill]

Sprig & Fern Harvest Pilsner (fell in love with this at Marchfest)

 

That should never have been missed from my list either. Along with the Totara wet hopped pilsner. Two unique takes on the same thing, and both amazing beers.

[Llew Bardecki]

Yeah, I actually had to think about which of those two made my list. 

They were both fabulous, but I think the Sprig & Fern Harvest just edged the Totara Ninkasi Green.

[Stu McKinlay]

I loved Ninkasi... was certainly my second best beer of the event.

 

Harvest Pilsner was probably my least favourite (there you go Greig, good to be disagreeing again).

 

 

Certainly THE best beer event of the year.