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.
