My top 10 beers of 2010

Beer, Beer review

For beer drinkers 2010 goes down as a year of contrasts, where bland, insipid brews made for soft drink sippers stand alongside really exciting, complex beers displaying the brewer’s art in all its glory.

Looking back over tasting notes for the year, I’ve pulled out ten brews, across a spectrum of styles, that thrilled on first sip and sustained interest to the end. These are beers to sip and savour. They deserve a place at the Christmas table.

Lighter styles
Weihenstephaner Pilsner (Bavaria)
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier (Bavaria)
Asahi Super Dry (Japan)
Schneider Weiss Hefe-Weizen (Bavaria)

Medium bodied styles
Sharp’s Special Oak Aged Ale (Rock, Cornwall, England)
Hook Norton Old Hooky Ale (Hook Norton, England)

Full-bodied styles
Cooper’s Vintage Ale 2010 (Adelaide, South Australia)
Bootleg Raging Bull (Margaret River, Western Australia)
Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Tadcaster Taddy Porter (Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England)

Specialty style
Brasserie Caulier Bon Secours Myrtille (Blueberry flavoured, Ghisienghien, Belgium)

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2010

You might also be interested in these articles:

  1. Bootleg Brewery — a Margaret River original
  2. Beer review — Weihenstephaner and Hook Norton
  3. Beer review — Weihenstephaner & Little Creatures