Crafty's 50 Of 2013

January 7, 2014, by Crafty Pint

Crafty's 50 Of 2013

There’s not long to go now until voting closes for the Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2013. The deadline for the sixth annual poll run by The Local Taphouses and supported by The Crafty Pint and Brews News is 11.30pm on January 16. We’re sure that most of you will have made your selections by now but, if not, we might be able to help a little.

Ever since James Halliday’s Wine Companion Magazine was launched, The Crafty Pint’s founder has been lucky enough to write a feature on the Australian craft beer scene for each issue. For the past two years, we’ve ended the year with a look back at the previous 12 months and also compiled a list of 50 beers that impressed during the year.

Given the huge number of beers released every year in Australia now – and the rapidly increasing number of breweries and brewing companies – for the 2013 list we set an extra challenge: no brewery would feature more than once. In some ways it made it tougher but, in others, easier. It means that the list might not be our absolute top 50, as some breweries would feature more than once, but it does mean it’s a list that casts its net a little wider.

So, below are the 50 beers we chose for our 2013 Halliday list, broken down into ten fives grouped loosely by style or category. If you want to know what we said about each beer or read our wrap of the year that was, you’ll have to pick up a copy of the mag itself, which you’ll find in all good newsagents.

Lagers

  • 2 Brothers Kung Foo Rice Lager
  • Australian Brewery Pilsner
  • Burleigh Brewing Black Giraffe
  • Hahn Premium Australian Pilsener
  • Red Hill Brewery Pilsner

Session Beers

  • 4 Pines ESB
  • Boneyard Brewing Golden Ale
  • Holgate Brewhouse Mt Macedon Ale
  • Stone & Wood Pacific Ale
  • Wayward Brewing Lilliput IPA

Ruddy Good Beers

  • Dainton Family Brewing Red Eye Rye
  • Killer Sprocket Amber Ale
  • Matilda Bay Moose on the Loose
  • Moo Brew Harvest Ale 2013
  • Riverside Brewing 44 Amber Ale

Hop Bombs

  • Feral Brewing Hop Hog
  • The Grifter Brewing Co Marnie’s Majority Ale
  • Little Creatures IPA
  • The Monk Chief IPA
  • Mountain Goat IPA

The Black Stuff

  • Bootleg Brewery Black Market Black IPA
  • Cooper’s Brewery Best Extra Stout
  • Iron House Brewery Honey Porter
  • Kooinda Brewery Black IPA
  • Thirsty Crow Vanilla Milk Stout

Belgian Beauties

  • Bridge Road Brewers Chevalier Saison
  • HopDog BeerWorks An American Werewolf In Belgium
  • La Sirene Saison
  • Little Brewing Company Mad Abbot Christmas Ale
  • Seven Sheds Elephant’s Trunk

Big Beasts

  • Bright Brewery Stubborn Russian
  • Grand Ridge Supershine
  • Hargreaves Hill Phoenix Imperial Red Ale
  • Mornington Peninsula Brewery Imperial Stout
  • Nail Brewing Clout Stout

Beers from Barrels

  • Bellarine Brewing Two Wives Chocolate Stout
  • Boatrocker Brewery Ramjet Imperial Stout
  • Illawarra Brewery Smashing Rumpkin
  • Moon Dog Brewing Jumping The Shark 2013
  • Redoak Brewery Special Reserve

Collaboration Crazy

  • 3 Ravens / Two Birds Brewing / ParrotDog (NZ) Fly By Night
  • Cavalier Brewing / Proud Mary Coffee Black Coffee IPA
  • Murray’s Craft Brewing / The Crafty Pint Auld Bulgin’ Boysterous Bicep
  • The Women of Beer Heilala Vanilla Milk Stout
  • Young Henrys / You Am I Brew Am I

Something Completely Different

  • Bacchus Brewing White Chocolate Raspberry Pils
  • BrewCult Acid Freaks Balsamic Porter
  • Doctor’s Orders Cephalopod
  • Red Duck Brewery Licky
  • Wig & Pen Tavern & Brewery Mothur Funker Gueuze

So what do you reckon? We reckon it shows Australia enjoyed another year of pretty awesome beer. But are there any shocking omissions? Anything that you’re surprised to see on there?

Either way, good luck with your votes for the H100 poll. And don’t forget to head along to one of the venues celebrating the results when they are revealed on Australia Day.

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