This is the grand finale of my personal series #GreatestHits2020 where I choose to celebrate the year that was. The beer that was generally is a nice part of the year that was. 2020 was no different.

Source: https://www.pinterest.pt/goldensaintbeer/ with a little Zeke design on top.

I could take a jaunt through my current favourite beers of the year but the list might be too long or else I would leave out great beer. Instead, I will throw a curve and highlight the most interesting beers of the year. Interesting bad? Interesting good? Interesting perhaps only to me? You will likely get a mixed combo pack in...

Beers of the Year!

2020 Was a Van Full of Weirdos

2020 has felt a little like a van full of wierdos. Sure roads trips have dwindled to necessary travel and we haven't gotten to hang out with all the weirdos we generally do, but there are similarities. This is Van Full of Weirdos Cryo Simcoe by Refined Fool Brewing https://www.refinedfool.com/ out of Sarnia.

Sarnia is a weird town in a good way, the theme of the beer is weird, and so is the style of beer. The Cryo refers to the hops refinement process and end product that makes for a very specific flavouring. Neat stuff I had not really looked into before. Makes for less hops actually used because of the concentrate.

This weird beer certainly jives with the theme of the year.

West Coast Gaming Beer

The next interesting beer comes to us from Toronto, more specifically Henderson Brewing Company https://hendersonbrewing.com/ I admit I will buy any IPA they have to offer but was really sold by the branding. West Coast IPA and the images on the label bring me right into Grand Theft Auto 5 which we still play to date.

One of the greasy characters leers at you from the side of the label that even has a good font picked out. The description of the beer is equal parts GTA and citrus IPA buzzword and the colours are great.

I actually made it a point to login to GTA, steal a few cars and kill a few fools while drinking it to make sure it was legit. It really was as good as all that and made me smile whenever taking one from the fridge.

I will give this one the stamp early on to save you the anticipation and because it was a nice surprise.

#Surprising Wavelength

Wave Pale Ale by Signal Brewing Company https://signal.beer/ was one of those pints I picked up because I had never tasted it before, and the design made it jump off the shelf. With the stippling, hipster glasses, and simple Pale Ale label, I was unsure but ready to give it a chance. Sure poured nice and hazy.

I hadn't yet read the label before the first taste but was pleasantly surprised with the taste and I had to see what was up. Ah! New England is my style and it was a relatively powerful 6.1% ABV. I did NOT expect to enjoy this one this much so it was definitely one of the pleasant surprises of the year.

Upon blogging about it, I received a message from the Brewery:

"Thanks for the review...Well done...I enjoyed reading your content. The Wave fave image was featured in Time Magazine and is the work of renowned illustrator Carl Wiens, we use all his work and he helped define our brand. All our beer flavours are electronic terms pairs with industrial electronic type images. All our side panels are consistent. I believe less is more with regard to content, but we do need to comply with LcBO content. Developing the brand is one of my fave things to do. Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Cheers
Richard/Founder Signal Brewing Company.

PS we built Signal on top of the former Corby Distillery, home of Wiser whiskey for a 100 years."

That direct touch puts it firmly on the Pickleman as perhaps the most memorable single beer of the year.

When the Knuckle Hits the Bone

Next up is Knuckebone IPA from Skeleton Crew Brewing https://skeletonbrewcrew.com/ which I discovered at a beer festival. The rep's eyes flew open when I mentioned my favourite hops and he told me he had something special not in stores yet. What a solid beer and what an experience to enjoy it in such a setting.

The lockdown happened and quickly killed the beer festival I was organizing with my favourite venue in town. DAMMIT! The silver lining was that I discovered an insane online sale. Under $50 for a flat of is an incredible value and even more so when it is one this legit. Working in digital marketing, I had to take advantage of the offer just to support such a bold move.

When it finally arrived, there was great fanfare and a few week's worth of IPA. The branded glass really does seem to complete the experience as you can see. Amazing the attention you get by the smart breweries who value getting their logo into your blog and cupboard. Will buy again for sure.

Simply the Best

This image of Haze Mama New England IPA from Great Lakes Brewery https://www.greatlakesbeer.com/ is probably my favourite of the year. So much so I included it in my photography greatest hits https://hive.blog/ocd/@zekepickleman/announcing-greatesthits2020 This was one of the last few times I will ever be out on the deck I grew up on as a kid. I couldn't have picked a better beer to mark that occasion.

Not only is this beer photogenic, but it is simply fantastic, and is part of their full time rotation so I can get it year round. This magic combination vaulted it into my coveted top 5 beers of the year. Oats and wheat are impurities when you strictly follow the German purity law but man do Great Lakes use them well to smooth out the texture and add a little body to the fantastic hops.

This, is the beer of the weirdest year yet.

#BEERSaturday!

Thanks again for this wonderful #hive #beer gift by @spirall on Twitter! Join the Hive push with us.

You have just heard a beer tale in the longest running drinking club on any blockchain. #beersaturday is in its 184th consecutive week and you can catch it all here https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/show-me-your-new-year-beer-for-beersaturday-week-184 Click and wander, take some pictures, tell some suddsy pub tales, and become a Beerologist by posting your own story.

I am honoured to curate for:

How was YOUR year in beer?