Top 10 New Breweries Visited in 2017

Each year, we visit a lot of breweries. So, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a year-end review of some of our favorites. Here’s a list of our Top 10 “new-to-us” breweries we had the pleasure of visiting in 2017. How did we come to the final list? While we’ve utilized no specific equation in determining the final Top 10 list, we did take the following into consideration: beer quality, atmosphere, service, gut instinct, and general awesomeness. With that said, we present to you the Pour Travelers’ Top 10 New Breweries Visited in 2017 (in alphabetical order):

1. Bar Hygge/Brewery Techné – Philadelphia, PA – First visited February 2017

Philly has been known more amongst beer geeks for its never-ending list of world class beer bars. However, only in recent years has the City of Brotherly Suds started to throw down the gauntlet and really enter the ring of craft breweries. Sure, the old guard is still hanging in there, cranking out quality stuff. However, Bar Hygge/Brewery Techne is perhaps the first brewery in Philly I’ve been seriously excited about. Everything about this place is picture perfect to me. The beer is spectacular, the food is bangin’, the atmosphere is top-notch, the service was stellar. Even the coffee was excellent! Through four perfectly executed beers (an imperial coffee stout, IPA, blood orange saison, and Baltic porter), we were bowled over each time. I mean, when Brewslut deems a beer “the shit,” I know they’ve got something special. I have absolutely no gripes with this place at all (other than it’s 90 miles away from me). Favorite Beer: Low Hanging Fruit

2. Bitter Brothers – San Diego, CA – First visited June 2017

I had a chance meeting with a sales rep for Bitter Brothers at Modern Times. We had a nice chat and he gave me his business card, telling me it was good for a complimentary sampler flight. After swinging by only to find out they were closed, I was still determined to get there. In retrospect, I'm really glad we made it in for a visit, because the beers are stellar. White Peach Family Tart, a peach Berliner Weisse, was freaking amazing and without a doubt one of our favorite beers – not just sours - of the trip. All of the other beers - everything from a dry-hopped sour to juicy IPAs to a coffee porter – were enjoyable and well above average. Favorite Beer: White Peach Family Tart

3. Commonwealth – Virginia Beach, VA – First visited November 2017

Commonwealth turned out to be another one of those places where I wanted to try EVERYTHING! But even with a DD and an experienced liver, there were simply too many beers (around 20) on tap to try them all. So, we chose wisely. Standouts included Halcyon, a blond sour ale with passionfruit and apricots; Big Papi, a super juicy DIPA, and Marvoloso - bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout on nitro. They even had a wheat IPA brewed with wildflower honey and a boatload of marshmallows. What does one name such a beer? Marshmallow Eyes, of course! Big Papi was so enjoyable that I had to take home some cans for future use. I liked this place so much, I bought a shirt, which is something I reserve for only the cream of the crop breweries (one shirt purchase per trip). I have A LOT of T-shirts! Favorite Beer: Big Papi

4. Diamondback – Baltimore, MD – First visited August 2017

I'm not sure what it was, but I felt an immediate connection to this place and knew I was going to love it. My instincts were right. I had to try everything. And we did… seriously. Lucky for us, there were only 5 beers available. Going light to heavy, one by one I was blown away with the depth of character of these beers – everything from the hop profile to the mouthfeel to the aroma was on-point. I was giddy, I admit it. While all of the beers were memorable, it was Green Machine that wowed me the most. Diamondback's take on a NE-style IPA is dry-hopped with Citra and Ella for a juicy, citrus-forward flavor with a hint of ripe mango. Now what's not to love about that? Favorite Beer: Green Machine

5. Draai Laag – Pittsburgh, PA – First visited April 2017

Pittsburgh is another city that has really brought out its A-game as of late. During a trip over Easter weekend, we visited close to a dozen new-to-us breweries. The cream of the crop? Draii Laag. Ironically, the types of beer you will never see on tap at Draii Laag are typically the kinds of beers I seek out. With that said, I was mesmerized by this place. Everything about Draii Laag was exquisite. Visiting their tasting room is definitely an elevated beer experience. Stand-out beers included Atomic Pomme, a bourbon barrel-aged American sour ale brewed with apples, and Öl (pronounced Oil), a strong ale aged in Laphroaig Scotch casks, bourbon casks, and 27-year-old rum casks. All of Draai Laag’s beers are unique and against the grain. They've really carved out a niche for themselves in this hop-dominated market. I doubt you'll ever see an IPA or run-of-the-mill styles like brown, red, or amber ales. Overall, we were both really impressed with the complexity, inventiveness, and presentation of the beers, the service, and the space itself. Favorite Beer: Öl

6. Ocelot – Dulles, VA – First visited March 2017

Dulles, VA's Ocelot makes the cut, not only for its amazing beer but also for its music theme. A colorful, psychedelic mural depicting band logos and mascots adorns the walls of the tasting room. Beers are named after song lyrics. Even the back wall housing its barrels has been dubbed "The Barrel Wall" in a sweet Pink Floyd The Wall font. The beers were off the hook and included several well-executed IPAs, an amazing coffee stout, an equally impressive maple stout, and much more. Nocturnal, a coffee stout aged on vanilla and cacao was easily one of the highlights of this particular trip. Brewslut was equally bowled over with the Megaton Maple, a maple stout. Three IPAs – Waterfalls, Juvenile Success and Jacks N Jokers also didn’t disappoint. From the vibe to the people to the beer itself, Ocelot seems to have everything dialed in. We got to visit again in June while pre-gaming for an Iron Maiden concert. I was excited to try a beer called Grunge Legdrop, a dry-hopped Simcoe IPA brewed in collaboration with our buddy Cy from Amplified Ale Works in San Diego. More tasty IPAs ensued, including Tongue Tied and Loaded Questions. Ocelot is doing some of the tastiest IPAs I've had on the East Coast. Favorite Beer: Nocturnal

7. Pro Re Nata – Crozet, VA – First visited March 2017

The next brewery made the list based on the strength of just two beers (as well as its sweet outside seating area): Crozet, Virginia’s Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery. I thought this was a peculiar name for a brewery, mostly because I had no idea what it meant. Luckily, there was a doctor and a pharm tech in our group who filled me in. Although the literal translation is "for the affair born," Pro re nata is a Latin phrase meaning "under present circumstances" or “as needed” and is commonly used in medicine or medical prescriptions. The two beers we had here were phenomenal. Cherry Coal Train – a barrel-aged cherry porter – was my highlight of the day. Aged in Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels, this supple porter featured Michigan-grown Montmorency tart cherries. The balance of this beer was amazing, with intense notes of Belgian chocolate and tart cherry followed by rich vanilla and a tinge of oak. Brewslut was equally impressed with her Beans Deep Coffee Stout. Favorite Beer: Cherry Coal Train

8. Strangeways – Richmond, VA – First visited November 2017

We’d wanted to get to Strangeways for the past few years, but somehow never managed to fit it into our travel schedule when we were nearby. They were either closed or we had time constraints. So needless to say, I was enthused that we were finally able to work a visit into our itinerary at the tail end of our Drinksgiving trip. A sampler flight featuring eleven beers and not a bad one in the lot. That says something. Beer after beer, we were impressed with the quality and flavors of each. And there were 30 different beers on tap! Everything from low ABV wheat sour ales to IPAs to a variety of barrel-aged treats were well-executed and enjoyable. Palooza – a NE-style IPA - was a standout, as were the various stouts, especially Reindeer Fuel and Virginia Peanut Butter Cup. The tart beers were also really well-done. To be honest, this place exceeded my expectations and we walked away being super impressed with Strangeways. I even bought a pink T-shirt (ok, it’s technically “raspberry”) so that should say a lot! Favorite Beer: Reindeer Fuel

9. Toolbox – Vista, CA – First visited June 2017

Every time we visit San Diego, there are a dozen or more breweries that have opened in our absence. As Pour Travelers, it is our civic duty to visit these during our West Coast excursions. I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect with a name like Toolbox. I always think of "toolbox," "toolbag," etc. as derogatory terms. Turns out this place is producing some incredibly complex sour and barrel-aged beers in the same vein as Lost Abbey, and its tap list was dominated by these types of beers. From Berliner Weisse to barrel-aged blended saisons to wild ales, Toolbox has definitely carved out a niche for themselves in the largely IPA-saturated San Diego beer scene. Its Eau d' Vine Rouge, a barrel-aged American wild ale with Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes was a highlight of the trip. Aged for up to 18 months in French oak barrels with a mixture of wild yeast strains and bacteria, this incredibly vinous beer boasted lots of ripe grape flavor and fairly sharp acidity. Favorite Beer: Eau d’ Vine Rouge

10. Vanish – Leesburg, VA – First visited June 2017

While we were driving through Leesburg, VA up to Frederick, MD, we drove right past Vanish Farmwoods Brewery. We decided to turn around and stop in for a beer. It was one of the best quick beer decisions I've ever made in my life, right up there with attending the soft opening of Lagunita's beer garden on our 10th anniversary trip eight years prior. Upon immediately setting foot inside the open tasting room area, I knew we were in for a treat. The vibe of this place was beyond cool, the beers all sounded amazing on paper, and the outdoor space was scenic and vast. What was only supposed to be a stop for a "quick one,” we liked it so much we stayed a while. In retrospect, we could have stayed all day. We sampled everything from an imperial IPA to a kettle-soured tangerine witbier to wine barrel-aged treats (icluding an unusual break of character for me – a beer called The White Wine Project, a tart, fruity ale aged in Fabbioli Pear Port barrels. But in this particular instance, they had me at "port." After we'd visited all of the breweries at the end of the weekend, we both agreed that this was our "find" of the trip. Favorite Beer: The White Wine Project

Honorable Mentions (if this was our “Top 20” list):

Attaboy – Frederick, MD – first visited June 2017

This place serves up some tasty beers amid a cool, modern tasting room with an industrial vibe. All of the beers we tried (mostly hoppy ales) well-done and enjoyable, and Attaboy was our favorite of three new breweries we visited in Frederick. 

Benchtop – Norfolk, VA – first visited November 2017

This place was soooo close to getting on the Top 10, but I had to give the slight edge to Commonwealth. With that said, Benchtop was easily in my Top 3 breweries of our entire Drinksgiving trip. Oaxaca Milk Stout, a low ABV Mexican mole stout, was a standout. Also, the cans of Lazy Floculation – a Mosaic and Galaxy DIPA – I bought were fantastic!

Collusion – York, PA – first visited January 2017

Variety and quality abound at York’s most impressive brewery. There is something for everyone here. Even if you don't like beer (which I’m sure you do… otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog), they had mead and cider available. Favorite Beer: What Gose Around

Cushwa – Williamsport, MD – first visited June 2017

Situated in a business park with dozens of identical suites, Cushwa caters to its locals (you can design your own crowler label on a huge chalkboard in the Tasting Room). Deuane recommended this place to us, so we changed our itinerary for the Maiden concert weekend in June and checked them out. All-around enjoyable beers and great people! Favorite Beer: Jell-o

The North – Endicott, NY – first visited May 2017

After perusing its tap list on-line, I knew I’d sniffed out a good one. We’d been in this area before, so I’m not sure how this place had eluded us for so long. Small, off-the-radar, and no-frills, this is the kind of brewery every town needs. I loved the vibe, the people, and - most importantly - the beers. Favorite beer: Black Donald

Pure Project – Miramar, CA – first visited June 2017

Pure Project boasts a clean, bright tasting room and delicate, flavorful beers with locally-sourced ingredients. What can you expect? Beers brewed with organic fruits and spices, local honey, hibiscus, and other non-traditional ingredients. We need to spend a bit more time here during our next visit.

Race Street – Clearfield, PA – first visited April 2017

Race Street’s sheer eclecticism evokes a vibe that is artistic and elegant… and at the same time scatterbrained and jumbled. But this juxtaposition is truly at the heart of this gem of a brewery situated in no-man’s land. If you find yourself in Happy Valley, make the extra 30-minute drive to Clearfield and visit Race Street. You won’t be disappointed! Favorite Beer: 10 Pound Torpedo

Resident – San Diego, CA – first visited June 2017

Resident featured all the tell-tale warning signs of a place I wasn’t going to enjoy: the patrons were noisy, TVs blared with sporting events, and they had a lot of guest taps. However, since it was our last brewery of the trip, I didn’t let it get me down. The beers I had here were some of the most memorable of the trip, including Vacation Coconut IPA and, my favorite, Walk of Shame, a blonde ale with coffee and cacao nibs. Morale of this story? Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Favorite Beer: Walk of Shame

                                                                                                                     

Tonewood – Oaklyn, NJ – first visited February 2017

Another one so close to making the Top 10, Tonewood is definitely on the rise. This place was packed with locals when we visited, and for good reason! They’re cranking out some seriously tasty beers. Chief, a soft, hazy-colored pale ale is worth seeking out. The Revolution coffee porter is also bangin’! Favorite Beer: Chief

Yorkholo – Mansfield, PA – first visited February 2017

Yorkholo has been around for about six years, yet we still weren’t able to visit until 2017. Better late than never, because we both loved this place. In typical fashion, I wanted to try everything so we opted for a full flight of all ten beers (5 hoppy and 5 dark). There were several stand-outs, including a great Scottish Wee Heavy called The Yanochik, and Rez-Head, a DIPA with citrus and peach notes. But the winner for me was Alpenglow, a dark Belgian-style ale brewed with ginger and aged on tart and sweet black cherries.