We did a post a while back on how to keep your inspiration regarding brewing your own beer. One of the ways that I’ve found a lot of inspiration for my own home brewing is to go and try some different beers out. It’s also just fun to be a critic of different micro beers.
You might find that you like some things that different breweries do, or you may hate somethings. But don’t stop there, make sure to find the recipes and see what type of grains and hops that they use. Sometimes it’s as easy as just going to their website and they will have it listed. Other times you can e-mail the head brewer, explain that you are a homebrewer and you are interested in their recipe. Make sure to send them a recipe of what you think their beer is to show that you’ve put in some effort. A lot of times these guys started off as homebrewers themselves and are pretty helpful to fellow homebrewers.
It’s pretty easy to find clones on the internet, that’s what’s cool about the homebrewing community – we share all knowledge. Just type in, “_______ clone recipe”, I’m sure you’ll find lots of results. Normally it’s hard to get the perfect clone but it does give an excellent template to work with. So with out further delay, here is the list of top beers for 2012 to make sure you try them out. The full list can be found at the AHA website. If you know of, or recommend any brew that are not on the list that is a must try let us know!
Top-Ranked Beers
For 2012, we have a four-peat! Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, a double IPA, claimed the top spot for the fourth straight year. Finishing second for the third straight year was Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, an IPA. (T indicates tie)
| 1. Russian River Pliny the Elder |
| 2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale |
| 3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA |
| 4. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale |
| 5. Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale |
| 6. Bell’s Hopslam |
| 7. Sierra Nevada Celebration |
| 8. Stone Ruination IPA |
| 9. Sierra Nevada Torpedo |
| 10. North Coast Old Rasputin |
| 11. Firestone Walker Union Jack |
| 12. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye |
| 13. Bear Republic Racer 5 |
| 14. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale |
| 15. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA |
| 16. Firestone Walker Double Jack |
| T17. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA |
| T17. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 19. Stone IPA |
| 20. New Belgium Fat Tire |
| 21. Deschutes Black Butte Porter |
| 22. Avery Maharaja |
| 23. Founders Breakfast Stout |
| 24. Left Hand Milk Stout |
| T25. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA |
| T25. New Belgium Ranger |
| T25. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale |
| 28. Deschutes The Abyss |
| 29. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout |
| 30. Surly Furious |
| T31. Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin |
| T31. Rogue Dead Guy |
| T31. Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
| 34. Troegs Nugget Nectar |
| T35. Lagunitas IPA |
| T35. New Belgium La Folie |
| T37. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron |
| T37. Founders KBS |
| T37. Russian River Blind Pig IPA40. Green Flash West Coast IPA |
| 41. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale |
| 42. Victory Prima Pils |
| 43. Great Divide Yeti |
| T44. Alaskan Smoked Porter |
| T44. Anchor Steam |
| T44. Lagunitas Hop Stoopid |
| T44. Samuel Adams Noble Pils |
| T48. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter |
| T48. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy |
| T48. Russian River Pliny the Younger |
Related Post
Different Ways To Stay Inspired With Homebrewing
How To Make Your IPA Different
Jay's Brewing Blog 
February 6, 2013
2013, General posting