Men's Journal - Top American Craft Beers

The March 2012 issue of Men's Journal has an article about their top craft beers in America. The article is titled "The Golden Age of Beer" and is found, sadly, towards the end of the issue. It starts out with a half page talking about Stone Brewing Company and then a third of a page talking about Surley Brewing Co. and a third of a page talking about Barrier Brewing Co. The article then lists the following as the top craft beers in America:

Pilsner:
-Victory Prima Pils
-Lagunitas Czech-Style Pils
-Trumer Pils

Wheat:
-Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
-Allagash White
-Avery White Rascal

Lager:
-Samuel Adams Boston Lager
-Yuengling Traditional Lager
-Sprecher Black Bavarian

Pale Ale:
-Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
-Dale's Pale Ale
-Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

IPA:
-Ranger IPA
-21st Amendment Back in Black
-Stone IPA

Amber,Red, and Brown:
-Alaskan Amber
-Surly Coffee Bender
-Big Sky Moose Drool

Belgian Style:
-Ommegang Abbey Ale
-Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
-Russian River Consecration

Stout and Porter:
-Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
-Zonker Stout
-Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

The Next Big Thing (five innovative styles):
-Real Farmhouse Ale
-American Wild Ale
-Spiced/Fruit Beer
-Hopless
-Black Saison

The nice part about the article is that it gives tasting notes on each beer and a description of the five innovative styles. It's worth reading. Discuss!

Interesting that they said Abyss was the best stout in the world a few years ago and now it's not even in the top 3 American stouts

Nothing about my homebrew?! What do these guys know?

Black Saison? Would that just be like a Farmhouse version of a CDA? Either way, I'm very intrigued. Belgian strains in stouts have always found a way into my favor, it never really occurred to me to use a Saison strain in a dark beer though.

It's always hard to make a comprehensive list like this, because so many people have their own personal favorites, the quality of some beers is much higher locally...there are so many considerations. I mean, I could take one of those beers and put it against some small brewpub beer that you've never heard of, and there's a good chance you'd prefer the brewpub. I haven't had some of the beers on the list, but from what I can tell it looks pretty solid. It's good to see that they're listing some truly good beers, and not just shotgunning the article.

Looks like a decent list. I see some beer brands that have "made it". Although they are still good beers in my eyes, not sure they should be highlighted in a best "craft" beer article. Better to give some exposure to some lesser known beers there. Still a good read, and I have tried only about half of these beers.

Who makes a black saison? Did they give the brand? I just made one and figured it must have been done before but have never seen it. I'm gonna put the recipe up here once I taste it carbed up.

The black saison is just a style they were predicting to be popular in the near future. They didn't give any breweries that produce it.

Goose Island Pepe Nero is a black saison. it also has peppercorns.

Hmmmm...there's a few I'd differ on, but a good list nonetheless. Time to start working on recipe's for the "next big thing"....Already wanted to do an American Farmhouse...Black Saison...hadn't thought of that, but now I'm gonna make one.

I split my last batch of Oatmeal Stout between my normal Scottish Ale yeast and the Wyeast French Saison 3711. The saison yeast did some great things with that big stout. I will definitely do it again.

Yea. Men's journal is the cream of the crop for knowing anything about craft beer LOL. Sort of a meaningless list

Fruit and spice beers are the "next" big thing? I can't even count the number of blueberry, raspberry, cherry, pumpkin, and spice beers available at my local grocery, to say nothing of the beer store. Most of them have been around a long time too.

Grinder12000 said:

Yea. Men's journal is the cream of the crop for knowing anything about craft beer LOL. Sort of a meaningless list

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What, exactly, makes Men's Journal's opinions on craft beer any less authoritative than anyone else that drinks craft beer?

mike20793 said:

Belgian Style:
-Ommegang Abbey Ale
-Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
-Russian River Consecration

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Airborneguy said:

Who makes a black saison? Did they give the brand? I just made one and figured it must have been done before but have never seen it. I'm gonna put the recipe up here once I taste it carbed up.

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stillwater makes some... Existent is one i've had from them.

neko said:

Interesting that they said Abyss was the best stout in the world a few years ago and now it's not even in the top 3 American stouts

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Seemed to me this was meant to be a list of year round, somewhat readily available beers. Thats why things like Abyss weren't in it.

One of the better lists I have seen though.

atom said:

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You don't like Consecration?

mike20793 said:

The black saison is just a style they were predicting to be popular in the near future. They didn't give any breweries that produce it.

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Lunar Brewery in Villa Park, IL has a black saison. It's pretty good.

Grinder12000 said:

Yea. Men's journal is the cream of the crop for knowing anything about craft beer LOL. Sort of a meaningless list

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Yeah, they don't know $hit. They said a guy should never put his socks on before his pants otherwise his chick won't dig him. Wtf do I care? I'm 48, married, and that is the least of my problems. Did you know she farts? She also has hair on her legs, and ...

eanmcnulty said:

Yeah, they don't know $hit. They said a guy should never put his socks on before his pants otherwise his chick won't dig him. Wtf do I care? I'm 48, married, and that is the least of my problems. Did you know she farts? She also has hair on her legs, and ...

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Haha, I agree socks first ftw. I like my feet to be warm before I go traipsing around on my cold ass hardwood and tile floors in the morning.

By the way I'm 24 and have a GF not once has she said anything. now she does thinks it is weird that I like to leave my socks on when its business time, but I just tell her thats why they call them business socks

nanofreak said:

One of the better lists I have seen though.

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In my opinion, any list that has Ranger IPA anywhere in the same magazine as the Top IPAs is an exercise in absurdity. Other than that, I thought it was reasonable. These lists are always problematic.

I think it is funny they put Consecration as a Belgium it is a sour. Nothing even remotly like a Belgium. Damnation and Redemtion are the two Belgiums that they produce.

What I was saying was that the mag just had a guy like you and me make a list of beers they could get their hands on or had sent to them. Not some panel with any real expert. Its like Playboy picking the NFL rankings.

I thought the list was overall pretty reasonable, and most of the beers were beers people can find.

Now there are some egregious errors Ranger as a top IPA? It would be in my top 25 IPAs, hell it might not be in my top 50.

Grinder12000 said:

Its like Playboy picking the NFL rankings.

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At least then we could look at the picture of the hot (albeit surgically enhanced) woman who did the picking....

passedpawn said:

You don't like Consecration?

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yes i do. it ain't belgian..

rwinzing said:

I think it is funny they put Consecration as a Belgium it is a sour. Nothing even remotly like a Belgium. Damnation and Redemtion are the two Belgiums that they produce.

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OK first off it is "Belgian"


Second off, you should learn where the Senne Valley is. That beer isn't produced in Belgium, but sours by and large originated in Belgium...

Grinder12000 said:

What I was saying was that the mag just had a guy like you and me make a list of beers they could get their hands on or had sent to them. Not some panel with any real expert. Its like Playboy picking the NFL rankings.

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You have a point.

atom said:

yes i do. it ain't belgian..

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Sour?

They said "Belgian Style". I don't think they are specifically calling out the BJCP category "Belgian and French Ales". I think they are just grouping the unique beers that come from the Belgian area.

Consecration is a Flanders Red, a sour beer. But Flanders is Belgium, and I think it belongs in the list just as it is.

...

Now, you might point out that having "Lagers" and "Pilsners" categories is strange.

Airborneguy said:

Who makes a black saison? Did they give the brand? I just made one and figured it must have been done before but have never seen it. I'm gonna put the recipe up here once I taste it carbed up.

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Yazoo in Nashville made a black saison a year or two ago, and the past couple years has brewed its Dos Perros (Mexican alt type beer) with saison yeast in the late winter/early spring.

Rundownhouse said:

Yazoo in Nashville made a black saison a year or two ago, and the past couple years has brewed its Dos Perros (Mexican alt type beer) with saison yeast in the late winter/early spring.

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Five Seasons Brewing, a local brew-pub here in Atlanta, has an awesome Smoked Saison.

The Dos Perros is very good. I like Yazoo, but I didn't notice a black saison from them. I will have to keep my eyes open for it if it comes back around.

Well two of my favs are there.

SN Pale and Ranger IPA, I actually have those two kits waiting to be brewed, The SN Pale Ale kit will be brewed Saturday, with the Ranger a few weeks behind.

Ranger? It's a good ipa but come on! It's not even top 10

liebertron said:

Ranger? It's a good ipa but come on! It's not even top 10000000

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Fixed that for ya!

Piratwolf said:

Fixed that for ya!

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Thnx!