Last year, we asked five of the brewers behind our Best 20 Beers in 2023 to name their favorite new beers of 2024. So, now it’s a tradition: From five of the brewers behind our Best 20 Beers in 2024, here are their favorite new beers from the past year.
Sun King Ouija Heavy: Chocolate Ed.
Tonya Cornett, brewer-owner, UPP Liquids in Bend, Oregon
“From Andrew Hood, the mastermind behind Sun King’s amazing barrel program, this was easily one of the year’s most intriguing beers I tasted. It was a collaboration with Simpsons Malt that used eight different specialty malts, English toffee, and cacao nibs aged in exotic bourbon casks. What impressed me most was the depth of chocolate character that was in no way artificial, and the impeccable overall balance of all elements. It was punch-you-in-the-face chocolate without being one-dimensional.”
Le Ketch Dock 125
Derrick Robertson, cofounder, BreWskey Pub & Brasserie, Montreal
“Le Ketch’s Dock series out of Rimouski has to be one of the heaviest-hitting IPA lineups in Quebec. The Dock 125—100 percent Peacharine—is a perfect example of ultimate hop saturation while still staying incredibly approachable. It’s packed with ripe stone fruit and sweet tropical notes over a huge, plush, pillowy mouthfeel—it drinks like a big DIPA but lands at a smooth 6.5 percent ABV.”
Amalgam Welcome to the Mosaic Mansion
Joe Quinlin, cofounder and brewer, The Big Friendly in Oklahoma City
“This was the first beer I had on my recent trip to Denver. It had a beautiful aroma, with one of the most holistic expressions of hops I’ve ever had in a beer. The hop character was loaded with punchy stone fruits that flowed into a clean, resinous bitterness that didn’t lose its flavor through a dry finish. Can someone please hook me up with a four-pack? Haha!”
Russian River Simcoe 25 West Coast IPA
Trevor Kelly, innovation director, Pinthouse in Austin
“This beer is such a beautiful showcase of what a single hop can do in every form when you know how and where to add it. The classic rounded bitterness it’s known for; the gamut of pine, resin, bubblegum, and grapefruit; and just enough malt to carry all of it. Every time I found this on tap in Yakima for harvest this year, that’s all I was drinking. A bangin’ reminder of why Simcoe is my favorite hop.”
Russian River Simcoe 25 West Coast IPA
Trevor Kelly, innovation director, Pinthouse in Austin
“This beer is such a beautiful showcase of what a single hop can do in every form when you know how and where to add it. The classic rounded bitterness it’s known for; the gamut of pine, resin, bubblegum, and grapefruit; and just enough malt to carry all of it. Every time I found this on tap in Yakima for harvest this year, that’s all I was drinking. A bangin’ reminder of why Simcoe is my favorite hop.”
Coedo Shibunama
Kevin Davey, brewer-owner, Heater Allen and Gold Dot Beer in McMinnville, Oregon
“Shibunama was brewed by my friend Ito to celebrate the diversity of Shibuya and the people who visit that crazy-busy part of the world. It was made with a blend of sake, wine, and brewer’s yeasts, and I was taken aback by its approachability and overall drinkability. The focus that Coedo puts on drinkability and preservation of flavor is amazing. Seek out their beers while traveling to Japan—and don’t miss their sweet-potato amber ale, Beniaka. I assumed I would hate sweet-potato ale. Thanks for proving me wrong, Coedo.”
