Best Craft Beer of 2011?
2011 was no doubt a tasty year for new craft beers hitting the scene. While we anticipate this being a very tough decision for you to make, we are here to ask you, the loyal reader/follower of The Full Pint….what is the Best Craft Beer of 2011? We’ve comprised a poll of nearly 50 nominees that we feel meet our criteria for initial nomination. Simply, to be eligible, the beer must have been introduced to the public in 2011, and in most cases, made it’s bottled/canned debut in 2011. A quick check on ratebeer.com can give you a good gauge on when a beer was born, piloted then introduced. Poll ends January 26, 2011 5PM PST THE RULES
- You may vote once, by selecting one of the beers on the list.
- Should the beer you want to vote for not be on the list, you may write it in IF..
- The beer made its debut in 2011.
- “Rallying the troops” is encouraged. Tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
- Please don’t cheat. If you are having troubles, please contact us.
- Cheering on a beer doesn’t equal a vote. A complaint doesn’t equal a vote.
- If a particular beer gets written in multiple times, we may add it to the list with tally.
[poll id=”24″]
January 26, 2012 @ 11:49 am
New Glarus Laughing Fox
January 26, 2012 @ 11:24 am
Crabtree Brewery Dearfield
January 26, 2012 @ 8:49 am
Late in 2011, Wild Heaven Eschaton
January 26, 2012 @ 8:12 am
Goose Island King Henry!
January 26, 2012 @ 7:46 am
It’s not on the list….but Sante Fe Brewing Company’s Imperial Java Stout is awesome.
January 26, 2012 @ 6:29 am
Left hand Milk Stout Nitro rocks my world. Fade to Black is awesome too, but the stout is better. Really can’t go wrong with any Left Hands Beers. (Going to Founders tasting room in Grand Rapids, Mi tonight just to solidify my vote. I’ll re-post if I change my mind but I sincerely doubt that!!!)
January 25, 2012 @ 10:24 pm
I enjoyed Shiner 102 Wheat Ale in 2011, but is not on your list so I can not vote. Reminded me of the Wheat beer I had in Germany. I will miss it. I hope there will be a Shiner 103 just as good.
January 25, 2012 @ 8:53 pm
I’m doomed! Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro is so soo better than anything else I’ve ever tasted that all other tastes are “less than”. And the experience of drinking Milk Stout Nitro makes all other life experiences “less than”. Like I said — I’m doomed. I only live a mile from Milk Stout Nitro’s birthplace. Time to quit my job and spend my meager social security in the Left Hand tap room.
January 24, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
Boulevard Collaboration #2 – White IPA is UNREAL!! One of the BEST beers I’ve tried in a long time. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on this beer.
January 24, 2012 @ 9:43 am
Yeah, I agree w/ AJ as well, why no Myrcenary from Odell????
January 20, 2012 @ 8:49 am
3floyds baller stout is amazing. do yourselves a favor and get a hold of one
January 19, 2012 @ 3:44 pm
Collaboration 2 by Boulevard
January 19, 2012 @ 11:06 am
Brewing their first of many in February 2011, Port City Brewing Company has taken the DC Metro Area by storm, suds, kegs, & growlers. How could you not include at least one of their acclaimed brews. My favorite is the Optimal Wit, followed closely by Essential Pale Ale! …and the Monumantal I.P.A. and Porter aint bad either!
January 17, 2012 @ 6:47 pm
El Cajones IPA! Hands down, the best!
January 17, 2012 @ 5:50 pm
My vote goes for New Glarus Black Top IPA.
January 16, 2012 @ 3:53 pm
Miller High Life, hands down.
January 16, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
Wow, Ballast Point Indra Kunindra is the best beer by far out of the whole bunch. Glad you guys picked it. This beer changed my life. I used to be an alcoholic till I drank this mang.
January 15, 2012 @ 4:18 pm
The Alchemist Heady Topper in cans FTW
January 15, 2012 @ 10:05 am
Pretty silly poll considering how regional some of these beers are. How can New Glarus be far and away number one (aside from homers voting it up)? Is New Glarus even distributed out of the state of WI? Just as I was fortunate to get a couple bottles of Niehlsbohrium, I don’t think too many people got to try it.
January 13, 2012 @ 7:22 pm
My vote is Shmaltz/Terrapin Reunion Ale 11. Excellent flavor combo
January 13, 2012 @ 6:52 pm
Founders’ DEVIL DANCER. Hands down.
January 13, 2012 @ 10:10 am
Such a difficult vote, I had to go with the 2010 Abacus though because it was a transcendental experience for me. I probably would have gone with Bitter Monk, Lagunitas Sucks or Boulevard Collaboration #2 had I been able to pick multiple beers (which of course makes no sense, but I felt sharing that anyway!).
January 13, 2012 @ 9:45 am
I think the stone collaboration green tea ipa should be on there. That is my vote
January 13, 2012 @ 6:25 am
New Glaris Laughing Fox
January 12, 2012 @ 8:39 pm
Among the lip-smacking new craft beers I had the pleasure of sampling in 2011, my favorite was the Siberian Silk Porter from La Cumbre in ABQ, NM. Only on tap & growler, it surely wont make a list such as this, except by honorable mention.
January 12, 2012 @ 4:19 pm
Troeg’s Perpetual IPA gets my vote, and should be on the list.
January 12, 2012 @ 2:36 pm
I notice a distinct lack of Big Bad Baptist by Epic Brewing. That would get my vote.
January 12, 2012 @ 2:32 pm
You really should have let us vote 3 times.. I voted lagunita but drake aromacoma and 21st amendment collab with ninkasi was so freakin good… I mean a lot of the beers on your list were epic, but there were some stand outs in the bunch.
January 12, 2012 @ 1:39 pm
How can you not have Troegs Perpetual IPA on the list? Please correct the oversight and register my vote in its favor.
January 12, 2012 @ 12:31 pm
I only have a few of those beers unfortunately. While I really liked the Stone 15th, I ended up voting for the Schell’s Burton, which was a solid beer at a great price.
January 12, 2012 @ 12:02 pm
Sorry for the multiple posts guys. It wouldn’t load them so I retried…my bad
January 12, 2012 @ 12:01 pm
So many good beers that you missed on this list. Even just looking at New Belgium, what was the logic of only having Clutch on there? I mean NBB Fresh Hop IPA, NBB Sommersault, or even Snow Day would have been better choices for beers that came out in 2011… LAME.
January 12, 2012 @ 12:00 pm
Crooked Stave Fertile Soil
This brewery is killing it with their Brett beers. Watch out for them this year.
January 12, 2012 @ 12:00 pm
I felt that New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Kick also deserves some attention. It was a wonderful slightly sour pumpkin/cranberry brew which I felt was better than their Clutch.
January 12, 2012 @ 11:54 am
Crooked Stave Fertile Soil
…and many of their other releases from this year. Look out for this new brewery it is going to blow up!
January 10, 2012 @ 10:48 am
Ale Industries: Orange Kush/Shush
January 10, 2012 @ 10:41 am
Honestly, I third in saying that King Henry should be on here (and I’m not even that big of a Goose Island fan).
January 9, 2012 @ 4:15 pm
It’s a bit of a travesty that nothing from Hill Farmstead is on this list. I would vote for Birth of Tragedy in an instant.
January 9, 2012 @ 9:59 am
My vote goes to Fullsteam IGOR!
January 9, 2012 @ 9:48 am
Sillwater/Brewer’s Art Debutante!!!
January 7, 2012 @ 6:06 pm
Shirley that should say “Best American Craft Beer of 2011”?
January 5, 2012 @ 5:06 pm
none of the above. Goose Island’s King Henry was just spectacular. hands down best of the year.
January 5, 2012 @ 3:13 pm
Agree w/AJ, Myrcenary should be on there. Was Bruery White Oak a 2011 release? And if you count each release seperately, Rasputin XIV should definitely be on there, and would get my vote, just barely, over Firestone Walker.
January 5, 2012 @ 8:01 am
Left Hand’s Fade to Black Volume 3 – Pepper Porter. Absolutely LOVED that beer.
January 4, 2012 @ 7:48 am
Flying Fish “Exit 13”
January 3, 2012 @ 4:31 pm
Please add Goose Island’s King Henry. Thanks.
January 3, 2012 @ 4:31 pm
So many good ones to choose from this list. I’m going to head to the store and see if I can grab some of the ones on this list that I missed before locking in my final vote. Cheers!
January 3, 2012 @ 3:43 pm
Wish the list was beers that were distributed where I live. I think I can get two of those listed here. Hope these breweries read this and think hey, they need more good beer in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans market, they love good beer there so lets show them some love.
January 3, 2012 @ 11:47 am
Did FW’s Abacus make its debut in 2011?
January 3, 2012 @ 10:23 am
How about Odell Brewing’s Myrcenary Double IPA?
January 3, 2012 @ 9:44 am
I think the Stone/Bruery/Elysian collaboration La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado belongs on this list.
January 3, 2012 @ 9:41 am
Can you please add Firestone Walker XV. Lots of great beers on the list! Thanks for adding to my growing “Must Try” list!