Top beers in the worldwide press

Sour In The Rye, The Bruery, Placentia, California, US

Tracy Hurst, guest writer for Chicagoist.com, recommended this sour rye ale from California which she said was both “delicate and complex”.

She said: “Sour in the Rye is brewed with “around 40%” rye malt, and aged in oak barrels. The beer pours an opaque, dark amber jewel-tone with a soft, pale tan foam. The aroma is fruity-tart with a tiny hint of oak. Rye spice and sour flavors join forces to bathe the top of your palate and then slowly fade into a clean, malty sweetness that lingers for just a minute. This beer is both delicate and complex; bombastic and understated. I’m so glad more people are working with rye in craft brewing. The earthy spice of rye malt shines brightly in this brew. Anytime a beer celebrates the beauty of a particular malt, I just, well… I get misty.”

Sour rye ale, 7.8%

Shamrocker Potato Stout, Granville Island Brewing, Vancouver, British Columbia

This “teasingly creamy” potato stout was pick of the week for Jan Zeschky, writing at Canada’s theprovince.com.

He said: “Made with roasted barley, actual potato (no, it’s not a racial slur) and hops from Delta — another encouraging trend forming at Lambourne’s tap room is its use of local hops — Shamrocker pours an inky black with the barest garnet highlight. A thick, finely latticed tan-coloured head lasts long, fading eventually to a thin cap.

What first marks this beer out as special is its aroma. Luscious, creamy dark chocolate and lightly roasty mocha notes are accentuated with a little licorice, leather and a whiff of smoke, all built on an earthy depth (perhaps the spuds at work). It smells like an imperial stout twice its weight. Amazing.

“An important note before you dive into the glass, though: Let this one sit and warm for a while. The carbonation is a little prickly and obscures some of the great flavours in store. These include a beautifully pitched malty roastiness with a lovely balance of coffee, chocolate, grains and tar. The mouthfeel is full and teasingly creamy but not overly rich. The beer settles softly over tongue and rounds out around the mouth. A faint tang of hops soon arrives with a gentle but satisfying coffee-grain inflected bitterness. There’s a sturdy dryness in the finish and soft, creamy, faintly bitter notes in the aftertaste. 4.8%, you say? Well, I’ll have another please.”

Potato stout, 4.8%

Big Rod Coconut Ale, Miami Brewing Co. Miami, US

Evan Benn, writing in the Miami Herald, recommended this sweet and tropical coconut ale which he said would pair well with a mixed ceviche.

He said: “When Schnebly Winery in south Miami-Dade County branched out into beer a few years ago with its Miami Brewing Co., Big Rod Coconut Ale was an instant hit. Huge aromas of fresh and toasted coconut lead to similarly tropical flavors with an undercurrent of vanilla. Like an Almond Joy without the chocolate.

“Big Rod adds a layer of depth and a touch of sweetness to tart, acidic ceviche.”

Golden ale with coconut, 5.4%

Death & Taxes, Moonlight Brewing, California, US

With it being tax return time in the states, Jay Brooks, writing in the San Jose Mercury News, picked this appropriately named black lager to match the possibly similar black moods of the American people at this time of year.

He said: “Here in the Bay Area, Moonlight Brewing makes the ultimate beer for April 15. Despite its dark appearance, Moonlight’s “Death & Taxes” black lager is light-bodied and refreshing, but richly complex with full flavors. It’s available only on draft, so you’ll have to pick some up at your favorite beer bar. I’m hoping that, like H&R Block and accountants everywhere, brewmaster Brian Hunt ramps up production of this tasty beer during tax season so he doesn’t run out. However, Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale will put you in the same spirit.

“Speaking more generally, I would aim for something bitter, an IPA or Imperial IPA, to appropriately mirror your state of mind as you send your hard-earned cash off to Uncle Sam. Make it a hoppy beer — hops and money are both green, after all — and you’ll have an abundance of choices. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a brewery these days that does not offer at least one IPA or hop-forward beer.”

Black lager, 5%

Tröegs Troegenator Doublebock, Pennsylvania, US

Nick Anderson, writing his regular Beermonger column on Virginia’s arlnow.com picked this American Dopplebock.

He said: “No surprises here, as Troegenator has been a favorite beer of mine for years — I just felt it warranted mentioning here. I think what I enjoy about this beer so much is that like so many American versions of Old World styles, it pushes the envelope in terms of ABV (8.2%) and boldness of flavor yet it doesn’t seem cartoonish, or overdone. Troegenator is just right, and in the new tallboy 16-ounce cans it comes in, it’s even righter.”

Dopplebock, 8.2%

Caught In A Rip IIIPA, Rip Current Brewing,  San Marcos, California, US

Brandon Hernández, writing on the San Diego Reader, highlighted this “vibrantly hoppy” triple IPA – the highest alcohol version of the hoppy India Pale Ale variety.

He said: “Up until a few years ago, there were only a handful of triple IPAs being produced worldwide, but just as double IPA fever caught like wildfire roughly a decade ago, so too has this newer, harder-to-produce style. More and more brewing companies are crafting IIIPAs, but few do such a good job of balancing a malt bill substantial enough to boost ABV into the double digits while keeping the beer vibrantly hoppy and drinkable as Rip Current’s brewing duo.

“A myriad of tropical fruit and evergreen flavors flood one’s taste buds, giving way to a final wave of grapefruit pith bitterness that makes for a nice between-sips segue. It’s impressive and it’s no wonder the beer is so good.”

Triple IPA, 11.2%

Hop Suplex Ale, Saucony Creek, Pennsylvania, US

Chris Morris, writing on New Jersey’s nj.com, recommended this double IPA, which packs almost as big a punch as Rip Current’s triple IPA at 10%.

He said: “Hop Suplex pours a dark, hazy amber, with a thick off-white head. Lots of head laces the glass, leaving marks at every sip. The aroma is ever so inviting. Sweet caramel malt mingles with citrus hops of melon, grapefruit, and orange, followed by a subtle bread and alcohol mix.

“Up front, bitter and sweet fight it out. Hop bitterness is the first thing notices, but sweet malts come in quickly. The hop flavors are more noticeable in the middle of the sip, with the same citrus notes giving a juicy feel. The aftertaste has a bit of bread, but it’s mostly boozy alcohol. As the beer warms, the malt notes begin to take hold over the hops, and the booziness comes through more and more. The medium body is paired with low carbonation, giving the beer a chewy mouthfeel. It could use a bit more carbonation, in my opinion.”

Double IPA, 10%

Saison D’Ecrevisses, Bayou Teche, Amaudville, Louisiana, US

Nathan Mattise, writing for pastemagazine.com, reviewed this Saison ale from Louisiana which is typically served alongside a healthy helping of Cajan crawfish.

He said: “Getting down to business, you eat a crawfish by pinching and twisting where its head and tail meet, peeling then eating the tail but sucking the boil juice out of the head. That liquid gives you a quick taste of what went into the boil, and is typically a spicy combination of pepper, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning. When added to these flavors, Saison D’Écrevisses is divine. If you’re really into crawfish, you may consider the beer as necessary as Crystal hot sauce.

“Saison D’Écrevisses has a slightly sour but overall mild nose to it. The first element that hits you is the rye, giving this beer a strong dry component that balances the bite of a good crawfish quite well. Like a traditional Saison, there’s a noticeable hoppy bitterness, but it takes on an almost earthy quality. And despite its legitimate ABV, Saison D’Écrevisses is undeniably light. It can taste like a light beer that’s been doctored with sourness and pepper.

“Adding to the challenge here, Saison D’Écrevisses is available only when crawfish are available—January through June basically. And if the weather is iffy like it was this year, the seafood loses a month or two. You can still find Saison D’Écrevisses in that time, but treat yourself and wait until it can be enjoyed as Bayou Teche intended.

“Style: Saison—spiked with a generous amount of rye malt and then fermented with distinctive Belgian yeast that gives this beer its dry and peppery finish. The beer is finished with imported French Aramis hops.”

Saison, 6%

Palate Wrecker, Green Flash Brewing Co, US

Greg Ray, of Australia’s Newcastle Herald,  picked this “double-brewed monster” of an IPA packed with “pungent hops”.

He said: “Palate wrecker is a mighty hoppy ale from American craft brewing outfit Green Flash. Originally brewed in 2008 as a special release for a famous San Diego craft beer tavern, Palate Wrecker still bears the tavern’s name – “Hamilton’s” – on its label. It was such a huge hit when first released that the brewers decided to bottle it, and its following is now international.

“Palate Wrecker is a double-brewed monster packed to the gills with pungent hops, hence the name. But Aussie hop-heads should not be afraid. If you’ve been used to some our own home-grown hop extravaganzas or, more to the point, some of the Kiwi taste-bud blasters, you will manage this one OK.

“My PW poured a good clear gold, with a big pile of creamy froth on top that made filling the glass a bit of a challenge. I like that. The aroma was bitter and piney, as you’d expect from a beer with heavy hop pretensions. The flavour is where it really gets you. It’s no smash in the teeth, but a multi-layered and super-interesting beer. You get a mellow floral hit, almost honeyed, that lifts off to give you a bit of cough drop, then a bitter, ragged edge that winds up reminding you of furniture polish. Or I did, anyway.”

Double IPA, 9.5%

Easy Jack IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles, California, US

Finally Todd Haefer, writing for fdlreporter.com, recommended Fire Stone Walker’s Easy Jack IPA which he said was a beer that shows “hoppy beers can be a pleasant experience without pummeling your taste buds into submission.”

He said: “The hops in Easy Jack offer complexity. A mixture of Bavarian Mandarina, Hallertau Melon, Mosaic and several New Zealand hops provide orange, melon, white wine, grapefruit and pine notes. For me, the pine still overshadowed the rest of the aromas and flavors, followed by the melon. Although there was citrus, I did not pick up much orange. The hop aromas carried over into the flavor and the ale lived up to its session label with a dry, crispy body and light malt taste. It is bitter, like most IPAs, yet had a clean finish without the unpleasant lingering harshness that is a buzz killer with many of these beers.

“During a county fair homebrew contest I helped judge last summer, the winner was an IPA that was malty and had a strong orange aroma and flavor. The orange was so much more complimentary to the beer than the typical grapefruit hop flavor. I was surprised to learn that the brewer had not found some obscure hop, but had just manipulated Centennial hops through the altering of boil times and temperatures to produce the orange flavor instead of grapefruit and pine.

IPA, 4.5%