Best beer of 2010?

[T_i_B]

I think it's worth asking the question.

I've drank my way through quite a lot of stuff this year buut the best beer I've had this year has been Tryst Blathan, a sensationally easy drinking Scottish elderflower beer.

That aisde, there's been a lot of US craft beers making their way over to my neck of the woods, especially into places such as the Sheffield Tap in the UK and I've been sampling a few of those this year. Just 2 nights ago I was aquainting myself with Odell IPA (Doug Odell has done collaboration brews with Thornbridge and DarkStar, 2 of Britain's most reputable breweries). Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Brooklyn Brown Ale are excellent as well. However the US brewery whose beers I've enjoyed most this year is Dogfishhead, in particular "My Antonia".

Any suggestions from you guys?

[JCMach1]

1. Diekirch Grand Trouve

or something like that... Luxembourg beer rocks!

[Rambis]

2. Bell's Oberon Kalamazoo Michigan

Their brown is good as well as the red ale-
http://www.bellsbeer.com/

[Glassunion]

3. Have you tried North Coast?

[GoCubsGo]

4. I'm still partial to Magic Hat #9

The pickings are a bit slim around here, and I'm not sure we can even get much of what you listed. We have Sierra Nevada, but I haven't seen Torpedo. Fat Tire just started showing up in my area, and all of them are quite good. I wish my employment situation was different. I really want to get back into homebrewing. I love the Belgian Wits, but Hoegaarden is outrageously expensive here, and the others available here are just okay. I have a good Hoegaarden clone recipe, and I hope I'm in a place where I can brew a batch come summertime.

[T_i_B]

11. Well after talking with some Americans 2 months ago...

...on a night out in London I was suprised to learn that apparently Sierra Nevada beer is not to be found in Maine. Considering that their pale ale is in UK supermarkets and a number of real ale pubs in this part of England stock a range of their beers that came as something of a suprise to me.

I haven't had all of their beers, but I do like Torpedo and the 30th Anniversary.

[Gato Moteado]

5. Old Style

it's fully kraeusened. we grew up on it in Chicago.

[Gato Moteado]

16. and let me just say that old style isn't just the best beer of 2010.....

....it's the best beer, period.

remember: it's kraeusened (whatever the hell that means).

[tigereye]

6. hmm, enjoying some Magic Hat Black as Night Winter lager

as we speak. The Penn Brewery St. Nicholas Bock was also good.

Have to think about other beers I've had this year.

[mix]

7. Odell's Cutthroat Porter is great, as is

Breckenridge's Oatmeal Stout...a newly discovered favorite.

[T_i_B]

10. Totally agree about Cutthroat Porter

It's the one other Odell beer (the UK collaborations not included) that I've tried.

[Initech]

8. Allagash Curieaux

I think I got the spelling of that right - it's a 12% Belgian triple aged in oak barrels. Excellent stuff.

[AsahinaKimi]

9. I am stuck between

Asahi and TsingTao. Both different, both good!

[Gato Moteado]

17. ever had tsing ha?

it's thai and it's nearly hallucinogenic.

great stuff.

[LynneSin]

12. If you were lucky enough to find this it was DOGlicious! Dogfish Head Theobroma

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/theobroma.htm

This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC. As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into 'food of the gods') is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from our friends at Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds). It's light in color - not what you expect with your typical chocolate beer. Not that you'd be surpised that we'd do something unexpected with this beer!

[T_i_B]

13. Ooooohh

That looks good and no, it's not made it's way over to the UK. Still, at least we have Palo Santo Marron for the moment!

I've had this one on cask at the Sheffield Tap and whilst it's excellent in bottled form it really is truly outstanding on cask!

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/collaborations/my-antonia.htm

[LynneSin]

14. I still have a bottle of the theobroma at my house but the bottle not as good as the keg

Else I'd find a way to send it to you.

http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/press-releases/brew-masters-tv-show-to-begin-airing-in-november.htm
Thanks to this show, Delaware has a really neat tourist attraction that is bringing people all over the country. Sam Calagione, brewmaster, is very photogenic and a wonderful personality so he makes a perfect host for this TV show. Not sure if you can get Discovery over in the UK but if you can find episodes you will really enjoy it!.

[T_i_B]

15. We can get Discovery

However, I can raise you this film about nerdy beer tickers in my neck of the woods

http://beertickersfilm.com/

[T_i_B]

18. And then there's the BBC programmes

Oz & James Drink to Britain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gn2zw

Oz & Hugh Raise the Bar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x334f

Now if I'm honest I haven't watched either series, although they do have an effect. I can remember introducing a guy from Southend to one of the brewers featured in the Oz & James programme and I've never seen anyone so starstruck in all my life, just from meeting a head brewer!

[tigereye]

19. Dogfish does some wild stuff- interesting

Have to check it out. I like how they search way back in time to make all kinds of intriguing brews.