Roeg's Pick for 2013: Best Brewery

I have various reasons to choose a favorite, but it really has to come down to a brewery that is committed to brewing a diverse selection of beer, has a selection that I haven’t had before but are still available to get, and is always trying something new.  Here are my favorite breweries for 2013:

Gold: Alpine Brewing, Alpine, CA – I visited my favorite brewery of 2013 on February 19^th, a down day while vacationing with my family in San Diego.  Alpine (https://alpinebeerco.wordpress.com/) is located about 30 miles east of San Diego and was recommended by my cousin Brian.  They have 6 beers on Beer Advocate's top 100 beer list and although the location isn't much to look at; the beer, food, and the people made the journey worth the trip.  I stumbled upon their Exponential Hoppiness Triple IPA (#76 on the Top 100 list) release on draft and bottles. For food I got a BLT with avocado on toasted sourdough bread that was awesome.  Finally, our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the entire San Diego beer scene. Loved the place!

 
Silver: Stone Brewing, Escondido, CA – I celebrated 2012 with a Stone Vertical tasting with the family, and followed up in 2013 with a trip to the brewery on February 18^th.  Stone (http://www.stonebrew.com/) has been brewing potent beers for Arrogant Bastards for years, and their success has enabled them to expand into a beautiful facility in Escondido with a great restaurant, gorgeous gardens, and fantastic beer. I got their beer cheese soup and some spicy sausage with quite a kick, to go along with a bottle of their Highway 78 Steve Wegner, a Scotch ale aged in Scotch barrels.  I‘ve also enjoyed their Enjoy By IPAs, educating the public on drinking fresh IPA, as well as Crime and Punishment, the spiciest beers on the planet.

Bronze: Brew Dog, Scotland – I was able to visit the Brew Dog (http://www.brewdog.com/beer) pub 3 times on my trips to the UK this year, but I was always looking for new versions of their beer.  Overall, I was able to try 21 different brews in 2013, finding some limited offerings (i.e., Abstrakt AB: 11 – AB: 14 and Dog A), and get my hands on some of their collaborations (e.g., Bitch Please Islay Cask with Three Floyds, Black Tokyo Horizon with Mikkeller and Nogne O, and Dog Wired with 8 Wired).  My favorite was a low alcohol collaboration with Brodies brewing in London, a Tayberry (a Scottish cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry) Berlinner Weisse weighing in at 5.2% with the perfect tart aftertaste that is typical for the style.  Well done!

Honorable Mention: Goose Island, IL – I spent most of the year searching for different Goose Island beers.  Goose Island (http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/home/56.php) celebrated their 25^th Anniversary this year a special ESB that I was able to sample at the ACBF.  I was able to find several of their world famous Bourbon County Brand beers (Stout, Coffee Stout, Barleywine, and Backyard Rye; all 100 on Beer Advocate) as well as their Wild Ale collection (Gillian, Lolita, and Halia).  Add to that their Big John, Matilda Lambiscus, and The Illinois, and I’d have to say it was a very good year. - 6327/15105

"The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far away, but I will walk carefully." – Anonymous (Old Russian Proverb)