DRAFT Magazine Top 25 Beers of 2015

DRAFT Magazine Top 25 Beers of 2015

From easy-drinking session beers to expertly hoppy IPAs, these are the 25 beers
that define 2015.

When it comes to ranking beers, I pretty much hate lists. It seems that everyone has a top 10 list, a favorite brewery, a favorite beer, a favorite style… To me, that just isn’t possible. On any given day I can tell you my what I am enjoying, but while I have had nearly if not every beer from Founders Brewing Co., I wouldn’t say they are my favorite brewery. Nevertheless, I don’t like lists, yet here I am writing a blog post about a list!

DRAFT Magazine released their list of the Top 25 beers of 2015. The list is below. Now, while there are some really good beers on this list, only seven of these are available in Arizona. That is another reason why I don’t like lists… I would have to visit multiple states, and potentially countries, to try all 25 of these beers, and for most, that just isn’t possible. Regardless, here are the beers. I will notate the ones that I have had and will tell you what I rated them on Untappd. Cheers!

Please note that these beers are not listed in any particular order… Which I like. For the most part, lists like this are in some sort of order. So this list, and the quality of the beers mentioned, does have more credibility.

Rising Tide Brewing Co. Mockingfish
Smuttynose Brewing Co. Hayseed (4/5)
Perennial Artisan Ales Suburban Beverage
pFriem Family Brewers Pilsner
Fonta Flora Carolina Custard
Moody Tongue Brewing Co. Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison
Coronado Brewing Co. Señor Saison (4.25/5)
Transient Artisan Ales Buckley
Ballast Point Brewing Co. Calm Before the Storm (4.25/5)
Drake’s Brewing Co. Jolly Rodger
Alaskan Brewing Co. Heritage Coffee Brown (4/5)
The Rare Barrel Supermassive
Bruery Terreux Sans Pagaie (Their beers come here, but not this particular release.)
de Garde Brewing The Broken Truck
Great Divide Brewery 21st Anniversary (This is here on store shelves, but is nearly $30 a bottle… That is a tough sell for me to spend that much on a single bottle.)
Avery Brewing Co. Twenty Two (This will be in Arizona at some point, but Twenty One is still on store shelves.)
Tree House Brewing Co. Julius
Maine Beer Co. Beer II (This beer isn’t available in Arizona, but got a bottle in a beer trade a few months ago. I rated it 3.5/5)
Portland Brewing Co. Summer S.M.A.S.H.
Breakside Brewery Lunch Break
Harpoon Brewery Braggot Rights
Prairie Artisan Ales OK-Sí
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing Rye Like an Eagle
MadTree Brewing Co. Gin Barrel Aged Joon
Deschutes Brewery Black Butte 3 (This brewery is distributed to Arizona, but not this particular beer.)

As you can see, there are a ton of good beers on this list. Out of all the beers currently available in Arizona, the lowest rating I gave was a 4/5. With some lists I am encouraged to go out and find/try these beers, but not in this case. But, if I come across them over the years, in an effort to try as many beers as I can, I will be sure to try them.

Have you had any of these beers? Thanks to DRAFT Magazine for writing this and remember whatever you are drinking, try to drink local. Cheers!