Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/751263
BEER SELECTIONS • BEST OF 2016 46 Beverage Dynamics • November/December 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com Matt Bardill Total Wine & More Potomac, MD David Bevens Sr. Co-owner Cork & Stogie 1218 Duval St Key West Fl 33040 Jeremy Bigelow Hy-Vee Bloomington, IL Nathan Burcham Hobart, IN James Campbell Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits Annapolis, MD Adam Carlson Gardina's Wine Bar & Café Oshkosh, WI Christopher Ciskey Yankee Wine Newtown, CT Jon Davidson Midwest Manager St. Killian Importing Zachariah Gaddis Staples Corner Liquors Crofton, MD Matt Gelsthorpe Boise Consumer Co-op Beer Buyer Nick Guy Holiday Wine Cellars Escondido, CA Travis Harvey Young's Market Waipahu, HI John Hutton Cordially Yours Depew, NY Scott Marshall West End Outdoors Athens, AL Lisa Morrison Belmont Station Portland, OR Ed Mulvihill Peco's Liquors Wilmington, DE Derek Ridge Hazel's Beverage World Boulder, CO Greg Rixen Happy Harry's Bottle Shops Grand Forks, ND Nathan Robinette The Casual Pint Knoxville, TN Don Stanton Director - Craft Beer Program Wines by Jennifer Parkville, MO Anthony Strange BevMo! California Jennifer Tague Liquid Assets, LLC Baton Rouge, LA Mitch Worley Hy-Vee Springfi eld, IL THE BEVERAGE DYNAMICS NATIONAL BEER PANEL funk. Wonderful blend of funky wild yeast and raspberry tartness. Every sip leaves you want- ing more! 6% ABV. (96) De Halve Maan Straffe Hendrik 2015 "Wild" Tripel. Hazy golden color, with ¾ fi n- ger dirty white head. Tart aromas of spoiled/ fermented fruit and brett that opened and im- proved as the beer warmed. Flavors of light malt sweetness and some spice, with Brett making a cameo appearance to lend a sour component to the typical Tripel profi le. Medium-bodied, good carbonation, with a defi nite drying sensation in the mouth. An outstanding "Tripel with Benefi ts" that should continue to improve over the next few years. 9% ABV, 35 IBU. (95) Deep River Collaboration Without Rep- resentation. A Bourbon barrel-aged chocolate milk stout with coffee. Pours black with a me- dium tan head. Bourbon, coffee and choco- late aromas burst forward as you pour from the can. A very Bourbon-forward beer with a smooth coffee and chocolate fi nish. 12.8% (95) Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude 5 DIPA. Pours from the growler with that tra- ditional New England IPA haze. The smell all citrus; lots of grapefruit comes through with a slight hint of alcohol. With the use of New Zealand hops no surprise that grapefruit ex- plodes on your palate. There is an absolutely perfect balance between cracker malt and hop bitterness. Easily one of the cleanest unfi ltered beers you will ever have. 8.4% ABV. (95) De Struise Brouwers Pannepot Reserva (2012). Chocolate-covered raspberries, choc- olate-covered cashews, cherry, strawberry, holiday fruitcake, cinnamon, date sugar, ba- nana chips, Neapolitan ice cream sandwich, raspberry and strawberry syrup, oatmeal rai- sin cookie. A lot going on. Very complex and savory, soft wood tannins, relatively dry fi nish. Just an amazing beer. (94) Cigar City Brewing Hunahpu's Imperial Stout. Simply fantastic spiced imperial stout. No wonder Cigar City builds an event around the release, and people line up. Pours deep black, leaving a lovely thin tan head that grabs the glass. The nose is strong roasted coffee, cinnamon and dark malt. Cinnamon is very present but not overwhelming. There is a ton going on in this beer: lots of chocolate, coffee, smoky malt, toffee and cinnamon throughout. The use of chili is perfect: you know it's hanging around in the background but the heat is nice and subtle. Hunahpu is an immensely complex and balanced beer. 11.5% ABV, 80 IBU. (94) Firestone Walker "Wookey Jack" Black Rye IPA. Opaque black color, with one-fi nger, persistent brown head that lasted longer than we could. Citrus hop aromas of grapefruit and orange. Roasted coffee and caramel fl avors, with rye bringing dry spice and bitter chocolate notes to the party. Dark molasses develops on the fi nish and the 8.3% ABV is in very good bal- ance. Rich and delicious mouthfeel with layers of fl avor. A contemplative beer. 8.3% ABV, 80 IBU. (94) Brasserie Cantillon Saint Lamvinus (2014). Pours a hazy, almost-opaque violet. The beer is almost still, leaving almost no head. Tons of funk on the nose but the presence of Merlot grapes is very noticeable. Saint Lamvi- nus is very complex; despite a ton of Brettano- myces funk, the grapes really shine. This beer truly straddles the line between wine and beer. The nice long dry fi nish leaves you wanting more. This is a world-class fruited lambic. (93) De Struise Brouwers Blue Monk Special Reserve. Maple-glazed raisins, smoked wood, dark honey, dark sugars, date syrup, complex malt and yeast fl avors. Right before the beer gets too sweet, oak tannins dry up the mid-palate, leaving a restrained and balanced fruitiness of cherries and chocolate with wood overtones. Extremely well balanced and a pure joy to consume. (93) Brouwerij De Molen Hel & Verdoeme- nis. Smoked chocolate syrup aroma. Chewy and robust malt character with smoke, ash, dried ear thy chocolate, maple syrup, mildly roasty, light raisin, M+ bodied. Not too heavy but not medium either. Burnt wood. Easy drinking for how strong it is, polished and re- ally well-made. Almost perfect mouthfeel. The light fruitiness and smoky character are so well balanced. Awesome beer. (92) Avery Brewing Co. Oud Floris (2012). Rich Oud Bruin aroma, vinous with sharp acidity, raspberry, strawberry, black cherry, black currant, savory concentrated fruit char- acter raisin, dust, grape seed minerality, damp wood, light coconut and vanilla, soft tannins, extremely tar t. Dries up in the fi nish where it gets more leathery and chewy until a wave of acidity comes in. Big pucker of sourness after swallowing. Extremely complex and delicious. (92) Abbaye Cistercienne Paix-Dieu. Pours deep gold in color with a thick, foamy head. Fragrant aromas of Belgian yeast, tree fruit and spices. Golden malts upfront give way to addi- tional fl avors of pear, citrus, honey and herbal spice. A complex Tripel that fi nishes dry and refreshing. 10.0% ABV.