Zymurgy magazine, in conjunction with the American Homebrewer’s Association, recently released its annual 50 best beers in America. The list is compiled by a vote of the people. This year, over 3,200 people cast votes for 1,306 beers and when the dust settled Russian River’s Pliny the Elder was named champion for the third year in a row.
Pliny the Elder
With such a great list we were compelled to get our hands on as many of these beers as possible. Some are staples like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Sam Adams Boston Lager while others are sessional or limited release making them very hard to find. After an extensive search of just about every beer store in San Francisco we were able to hunt down eleven of these elite drinks.
The fully stocked beer cabinet means that for the next few weeks Tuesday Tasting is going to be featuring some excellent hooch. There is a certain level of giddiness permeating the halls of Hapa’s Brewing.
From right to left: Lost Abbey Angel’s Share, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, New Belgium 1554, Dale’s Pale Ale, Dogfish Head Palo Santo Maron, Rogue Dead Guy Ale (duplicate), Stone Sublimely Self righteous, Deschutes The Abyss, Ommegang Three Philosophers, Great Divide Yeti