The Best of 2020: Beer
2020 was generally a shitty year; Covid-19, race riots, Wonder Woman 1984, an election. Luckily, we could drink beer; according to Untappd, I tried 370 unique throughout the year. Here are the 100 best beers I had last year. Some were new versions of old beers; others had been out for a while but I had just gotten around to. All of them were pretty good.
| Brewery | Name | Style | ABV | Rating | |
| 1 | 4 Hands/Shared | Street Sodie | NEIPA | 6.50% | 5.00 |
| 2 | Side Project Brewing | Saison du Fermier from Pinot Noir Puncheons (Blend 3) | Saison | 7.00% | 5.00 |
| 3 | Epic Brewing | Big Bad Baptist Vanilla Brandy BA Stout (Release 2) | Imperial Stout | 12.70% | 5.00 |
| 4 | Narrow Gauge/Knotted Root | Whispering Sin | NEDIPA | 8.20% | 5.00 |
| 5 | Off Color Brewing | Dino S’mores (2020) | Imperial Stout | 10.50% | 5.00 |
| 6 | Good News Brewing | Miniverse | NE Pale Ale | 6.70% | 5.00 |
| 7 | Goose Island | BCBS (2020) | Imperial Stout | 14.60% | 5.00 |
| 8 | Short Throw/Narrow Gauge | Desk Work | Imperial IPA | 8.00% | 5.00 |
| 9 | Oskar Blues Brewery | BA Ten FIDY | Imperial Stout | 12.90% | 5.00 |
| 10 | 2nd Shift | Retro Brew | Pale Ale | 6.00% | 5.00 |
| 11 | Brasserie Dupont | Saison Dupont | Saison | 6.50% | 5.00 |
| 12 | Mother’s Brewing | Materfamilias (2020) | Imperial Stout | 11.00% | 5.00 |
| 13 | Narrow Gauge Brewing | Mango Fruit Train | NEIPA | 7.00% | 5.00 |
| 14 | Off Color Brewing | Coffee Dino S’mores | Imperial Stout | 10.50% | 5.00 |
| 15 | Toppling Goliath Brewing | Galaxy Dry Hop Pseudo Sue | Pale Ale | 5.80% | 5.00 |
| 16 | Founders Brewing | KBS (2020) | Imperial Stout | 12.00% | 5.00 |
| 17 | Narrow Gauge Brewing | Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right A B | NEDIPA | 8.10% | 5.00 |
| 18 | Timber Ales/Narrow Gauge | Fallen Between the Lines | IPA | 7.00% | 5.00 |
| 19 | Perennial Artisan Ales | Hurry On Daylight | NEIPA | 6.20% | 5.00 |
| 20 | 2nd Shift | Coffee LSD (2020) | Imperial Stout | 11.50% | 5.00 |
| 21 | Narrow Gauge Brewing | DDH Hoppy Meal | Pale Ale | 6.60% | 5.00 |
| 22 | DESTIHL Brewery | Deadhead IPA Series: Drivin’ That Haze | NEIPA | 7.00% | 5.00 |
| 23 | Great Divide Brewing | Yeti | Imperial Stout | 9.50% | 5.00 |
| 24 | Perennial Artisan Ales | Drawing Sight | NEIPA | 6.20% | 5.00 |
| 25 | Springfield Brewing | Alpha, Bravo, Charlie | IPA | 6.20% | 5.00 |
| 26 | Uinta Brewing | Peppermint Patty | Stout | 8.50% | 4.75 |
| 27 | Evil Twin Brewing | Even More Jesus | Imperial Stout | 12.00% | 4.75 |
| 28 | Modern Brewery | Ulysses Rye Barrel Aged 2017 | Imperial Stout | 10.40% | 4.75 |
| 29 | Narrow Gauge Brewing | Cloud City | NEIPA | 7.00% | 4.75 |
| 30 | Short Throw Brewing | Cop and Go | IPA | 6.50% | 4.75 |
| 31 | Omnipollo | Belgo | IPA | 6.00% | 4.75 |
| 32 | Nyrdcast Home Brew | BA Lemon Pepper Saison | Saison | 8.00% | 4.50 |
| 33 | Good News Brewing | Canarino | Sour IPA | 6.60% | 4.50 |
| 34 | 4 Hands/Finback | When the World Stopped | DIPA | 8.00% | 4.50 |
| 35 | Big Muddy Brewing | Peanut Butter Cup | Stout | 6.00% | 4.50 |
| 36 | Shared | Base Weight | Porter | 7.00% | 4.50 |
| 37 | Heavy Riff Brewing | Hat Dance | Imperial Porter | 8.50% | 4.50 |
| 38 | Evil Twin Brewing | Imperial Biscotti Break | Imperial Stout | 11.50% | 4.50 |
| 39 | Solace Brewing | Lucy Juicy | DIPA | 8.00% | 4.50 |
| 40 | Maplewood Brewing | Juice Jorts | Pale Ale | 6.00% | 4.50 |
| 41 | 4 Hands Brewing | Biggie Smalls | Imperial Stout | 10.50% | 4.50 |
| 42 | Short Throw Brewing | Pineapple Squeeze | IPA | 7.00% | 4.50 |
| 43 | Heavy Riff Brewing | Daisy Glaze | NEIPA | 6.40% | 4.50 |
| 44 | Narrow Gauge Brewing | Kerinci | Imperial Stout | 12.00% | 4.50 |
| 45 | American Solera | I Wanna Talk About Galaxy | IPA | 7.40% | 4.50 |
| 46 | 2nd Shift | DDH Little Big Hop | Session IPA | 4.90% | 4.50 |
| 47 | Narrow Gauge Brewing | Blood Orange Fruit Train | NEIPA | 7.00% | 4.50 |
| 48 | Saugatuck Brewing | The G.O.A.T. (Greatest Oatmeal Stout of All Time) | Stout | 6.80% | 4.50 |
| 49 | Hi-Wire Brewing | 10W-40 | Imperial Stout | 8.00% | 4.50 |
| 50 | Main & Mill Brewing | Wort and the 8 Bits | Sour | 6.00% | 4.50 |
| 51 | After Hours Brewing | Saffron’s Curse | Saison | 6.66% | 4.50 |
| 52 | The 5 Barrel | Gallery Night Traditional IPA | IPA | 6.00% | 4.50 |
| 53 | Surly Brewing | Sabrotooth | IPA | 6.70% | 4.50 |
| 54 | Saugatuck Brewing | Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperal Café Brown | Imperial Brown | 9.80% | 4.50 |
| 55 | Wild Onion Brewery | Drago | Imperial Stout | 11.00% | 4.50 |
| 56 | Modern Brewery | Oops! All Citra… | NEIPA | 7.00% | 4.50 |
| 57 | Crooked Stave Artisan Beer | Origins | Sour | 6.50% | 4.50 |
| 58 | Surly Brewing | Periscope Pale Ale | Pale Ale | 5.50% | 4.50 |
| 59 | Perennial Artisan Ales | Spare Parts | NEIPA | 6.20% | 4.50 |
| 60 | Fat Orange Cat | All the Kool Kats On the Back of the Bus | NEDIPA | 8.40% | 4.50 |
| 61 | Founders Brewing | KBS Espresso | Imperial Stout | 12.00% | 4.50 |
| 62 | 4 Noses Brewing | Revised Copy | NEIPA | 7.20% | 4.50 |
| 63 | DESTIHL Brewery | Deadhead IPA Series: Touch of Haze | NEIPA | 7.30% | 4.50 |
| 64 | Center Ice Brewery | Revolving Pale Ale 003 | Pale Ale | 5.20% | 4.50 |
| 65 | Wild Onion Brewery | Misfit IPA | IPA | 6.50% | 4.50 |
| 66 | 2nd Shift | Wanna Bee | Pale Ale | 6.90% | 4.50 |
| 67 | Exit 6 Brewery | What Else Can Happen | IPA | 7.10% | 4.25 |
| 68 | Nyrdcast Home Brew | New Asgardian Pale Ale | Pale Ale | 6.50% | 4.25 |
| 69 | Modern Brewery | For the Graham | Stout | 6.40% | 4.25 |
| 70 | Surly Brewing | Garden Variety | Berliner Weisse | 8.90% | 4.25 |
| 71 | Pipeworks Brewing | Lizard King | Pale Ale | 6.00% | 4.25 |
| 72 | BrewDog | Elvis Juice | IPA | 6.50% | 4.25 |
| 73 | Shared | Not My Forte | Pale Ale | 5.70% | 4.25 |
| 74 | Surly Brewing | Rocket Surgery | NEIPA | 5.50% | 4.25 |
| 75 | Nyrdcast Home Brew | Identity Crisis Ale | Farmhouse IPA | 5.78% | 4.25 |
| 76 | Nightmare Brewing | Drawn & Quartered | Imperial IPA | 10.00% | 4.25 |
| 77 | Good News Brewing | American IPA | IPA | 6.30% | 4.25 |
| 78 | Melvin Brewing | Frothy Embrace | IPA | 6.00% | 4.25 |
| 79 | BrewDog | Clockwork Tangerine | Session IPA | 4.50% | 4.25 |
| 80 | Modern Brewery | Party Supplies | NE Pale Ale | 5.50% | 4.25 |
| 81 | Fat Orange Cat | I Don’t Like Mondays | NEIPA | 7.50% | 4.25 |
| 82 | Idyll Hounds Brewing | Divide and Conch’r | Imperial IPA | 8.00% | 4.25 |
| 83 | 2nd Shift | Conjunctivitis Ale | NEIPA | 5.00% | 4.25 |
| 84 | Aslin Beer Co | Honeymoon Pajamas | DIPA | 8.50% | 4.00 |
| 85 | Pipeworks Brewing | Got Ya Covered | Imperial Stout | 10.50% | 4.00 |
| 86 | Jester King Brewery | Noble King | Saison | 5.90% | 4.00 |
| 87 | Hi-Wire Brewing | Horchata 10W-40 | Imperial Stout | 8.00% | 4.00 |
| 88 | 3 Stars Brewing | Technicolor Life | DIPA | 8.00% | 4.00 |
| 89 | The Veil Brewing | Bourbon County Sleeping Forever (2019) | Imperial Stout | 13.00% | 4.00 |
| 90 | Schlafly | Wintry Haze IPA | IPA | 6.00% | 4.00 |
| 91 | 2nd Shift | Black is Beautiful | Imperial Stout | 10.00% | 4.00 |
| 92 | Mother’s Brewing | Three Blind Mice | Brown Ale | 5.50% | 4.00 |
| 93 | Exit 6 Brewery | Time Traveler | DIPA | 8.50% | 4.00 |
| 94 | Millpond Brewing | Virtual Double Smash | Pale Ale | 5.90% | 4.00 |
| 95 | New Realm Brewing | El Juicycabra | DIPA | 9.00% | 4.00 |
| 96 | Perennial Artisan Ales | Vacation Dad | Blonde Ale | 4.70% | 4.00 |
| 97 | Mother’s Brewing | S’more Power to You | Imperial Stout | 11.00% | 4.00 |
| 98 | Off Color Brewing | Aqua Predator | Saison | 6.50% | 4.00 |
| 99 | Petrichor Brewing | Midwest Values | Saison | 7.00% | 4.00 |
| 100 | Heavy Riff Brewing | Disco Apocalypse | NEIPA | 5.70% | 4.00 |
Honorable Mentions: Toppling Goliath Dorothy’s New World Lager, Prairie Artisan Ales All Y’all (Double IPA), Pipeworks Blood of the Unicorn (Red Ale), 2nd Shift Dark Divide (Stout), Goose Island BCBS Carmella (Wheat Wine), Sun King Grapefruit Jungle (IPA), Center Ice Bubble Hockey Double IPA, Missouri Beer Co Idaho 7 Smash IPA, Pensacola Bay Little Napoleon IPA, Logboat Yeah Buoy (IPL).
