Top 10 beers in the world press

Blood Orange, Great South Bay, Bay Shore, New York, USA

Megan McCaffrey writes on consumer website Lohud.com about how “a delightful mid summer day’s dream comes to life” with this offering out of New York State.

“Blended from quality blood oranges with the ever-popular original Pale Ale recipe to produce this remarkably refreshing hand crafted beer. The secret to its splendor is just the right combination of hand chosen American hops to accentuate the natural bitterness and citrus flavors of the blood orange. You’ll be pleased with how amazingly the malt, hops, and blood orange meld together to create a sensation in a beer like a sunrise on a clear summer morning!”

Fruit beer, 5.2% abv

Wobble IPA, Two Brothers, Warrenville, Illinois, USA

Jim Vorel writes in Paste Magazine on this Illinois pour. He writes, “The aroma is certainly an assertive and pleasant one, a big combo of floral, citrus and pine notes. There’s a hint of bready malt, but there’s also no mistaking this as anything other than an IPA, which I expect was the idea.”

He continues, “On the palate, bitterness is medium-high, present and appropriate, but well short of overbearing. The hop profile is a little bit of everything: Floral, a little grassy, a little citrus, a little pine, balanced on a narrow body of crackery malt.

“There’s a small bit of honey-type sweetness there, but this is predominantly dry, bitter-forward IPA—refreshing and uncomplicated, something that would be great with say, a big, juicy burger.”

American IPA, 6.3% abv

Pilsner, Moo Brew, Tasmania, Australia 

Huan Hooke writes for Australian site GoodFood.au on “this refreshingly light but intensely flavoured beer” that “has an easy-quaffing style.

“It is light amber, with an attractive bouquet of malt and subtle hop notes; the palate light to medium weight and refreshing, with plenty of hoppy bitterness and a clean finish.”

Pilsner, 5% abv

Smoked Porter, Stone Brewing, San Diego, California, USA

Beer site Brewbound reports on the latest release from popular Californian craft brewers Stone – Smoked Porter. They write, “Orange peel was added post-fermentation to bring about a citrusy aroma and lingering, tangy flavour.

“The cocoa flavours come from the dark malts and addition of chocolate from Los Angeles-based ChocoVivo, which naturally augment the beer’s sweet, robust flavour. Magnum and Mt. Hood hops provide complex flavors, aromatics and a balanced bitterness that doesn’t overpower the chocolate and citrus qualities of the beer.”

Porter, 5.9% abv

GolfBeer, The Brew Hub, Florida, USA 

Mike Snider reports for USAToday on these golf-related releases out of Florida endorsed by three giants of the game: Keegan Bradley, Freddie Jacobsen and Graeme McDowell.

He writes, “Each of the beers is between 4.5% and 5% alcohol by volume. The Blonde Ale is a light ale made with European hops, while the New England lager uses North American hops. McDowell, a native of Northern Ireland who like the other two has a home in Florida, says his beer — the Celtic Style Pale Ale — is “the punchiest of the three. But it is very approachable and very conducive to drinking a few on the golf course or one in the clubhouse.””

Pale Ale, Lager, Blonde Ale, 4.5%-5% abv 

Tesco Finest Porter, Harviestoun, Alva, Scotland, UK  

Tony Naylor writes in The Guardian on this own-brand brew for Tesco made by Harviestoun.

He writes, “This slight variation on the Scottish brewery’s oat-boosted Old Engine Oil is thick and silky, full of upfront chocolate and liquorish flavours, with an almost tarry dryness.

“At a quid a bottle, it’s a steal. But be quick, it (or certainly Harviestoun’s version) is being discontinued and the final stock should run out in the run-up to Christmas. Harviestoun also a brews Sainsbury’s unusually good Taste the Difference Scottish Craft Lager.”

Porter, 6% abv

Maibock, Hofbrau, Munich, Germany

Back to Megan McCaffrey at Lohud again, who has written on this German beer, “with its powerfully aromatic flavour and its alcoholic content of some 7.2% volume” making this release “one of the high points in the beer-lover’s calendar”.

She writes that it “pours a deep amber-copper into the glass with a nice head. Nose is of caramel and toasted malts with some yeast character too.

“Taste is a malt compilation with a nice warming character from the 7.2 abv and it is scary how drinkable it is.”

Maibock, 7.2% abv

Pilgrim’s Dole, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, Michigan, USA

USAToday’s Todd Haefer writes about this unique beer, saying “Pilgrim’s Dole comes closest to a barleywine in carbonation and mouthfeel, and its flavour notes of raisin, dates and vanilla. Where it veers from the style is its intense caramel flavor approaching candy bar levels that turns the beer into a malt bomb. If you think regular barleywine has strong caramel notes, you will be surprised by how much farther it can be taken after a sip of Pilgrim’s.”

He continues, “The caramel was immediately present in the aroma that rose from the amber-coloured beer, which also had some red highlights. The body was thick without being syrupy, and the carbonation was a bit less than medium, which was right for the style.

The wheatwine was no one-trick pony, however; there was more going on than caramel, helped by some bourbon-barrel aging. This resulted in enhanced vanilla and a slight toasted quality producing toffee and brown sugar notes.”

Finally, Haefer concluded, “Pilgrim’s Dole was a bit sweet, but nothing cloying; the sweetness brought out the malt and fruit flavours, and tempered the 12% alcohol content, which was not noticeable until I felt the warmth spreading through my body. I was wowed by this beer.”

Aged ale, 12% abv

PG Bomb, Arbour, Bristol, England, UK

Michael Bates writes for England’s York Press on this Bristol brewery’s latest offering. He says, “Pouring golden with a moderate head, loosely composed of large bubbles, the aroma is woody, laden with black pepper, a touch of tangerine, and a wheaty cereal note.

“The flavour begins with an intense burst raw hop cone – sharp, aromatic, and flavourful, with raw oak and sour blackcurrant cutting across the palate. A rich banana fudge and walnut note then rises and rounds out the flavour into a smooth, even bitterness.

“Butterscotch, peanut brittle, and a touch of almond are mixed with vanilla and blackcurrant jam as the finish lingers and fades into a distant tart echo of the initial raw hop aroma.”

Bates concludes, “Moderate to sweet and medium bodied, this is a beer with low carbonation, and a smooth, rounded palate.”

American Pale ale, 4.7% abv

Tricerahops, Ninkasi Brewing Co, Oregon, USA

And finally, Zacary Fowle writes excitedly in the Phoenix New Times on this new offering from Oregon, saying that, “Aside from having one of the best hop-pun names in the game, this imperial IPA looks great in a glass – hazy vermilion, topped with at least two fingers of frothy off-white marshmallow fluff that crackles away at its leisure. In the nose, candied grapefruit mixes with spirals of lemon peel, while overripe oranges, caramel and biscuits make up the backbone.”

He continues, “the flavour exhibits equal solidity, as sweet tangerine flavours mix with grapefruit bitterness, burnt sugar and sticky alcohol while floral/herbal fumes permeate the mouth. Sugars linger after the swallow, as do pithy bitterness and subtle hits of biscuit.

“Smooth yet sticky, the mouthfeel lends itself to the flavour. Microscopic bubbles break out of the medium-light body as it moves, making it even more silky. Hop bitterness an ethanol burn combine to lend the liquid an almost peppery spiciness in a highly enjoyable sugar-citrus mix that toes the line between IPA and barleywine.”

He concludes, “Tricerahops won’t stomp all over your taste buds, but it does pack a surprising spiked tail.”

IPA, 8% abv