The Bar Towel

I will go with my top 10 NEW beers in 2014 (based on BA ratings):

Hill Farmstead E
Rodenbach Caractère Rouge
Three Floyds Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Dark Lord
Lawson's Sip Of Sunshine
Toppling Goliath PseudoSue
FiftyFifty BART
deGarde BlackRaz Bu
Lawson's Maple Barrel Aged Fayston Maple Imperial Stout
Jester King Montmorency Vs Balaton
Toppling Goliath Assassin Imperial Stout

I don't input reviews much anymore, but some local standouts in my mind were Amsterdam Testify, Northwinds Route 26, Great Lakes Lake Effect, a couple of the Left Field Prospects series, and Bellwoods Bring out Your Dead.

But, far away, the best beer I cracked in 2014 was the Great Divide Barrel Aged Hibernation Ale that I had stored away from the initial 492 bottle release in 2010. That was a most damn fine dram.

Edit: Forgot that I also went to Vermont, Maine, etc for the first time this year. Very much enjoyed the Maine Beer Co. beers - so incredibly fresh tasting - particularly Mean Old Tom and Weez, also Lawson's Sip of Sunshine, Otter Creek Fresh Slice & Hill Farmstead Edward.

Ditto on the Left Field Prospects.

County Cider Blood Orange Cider.

There are more but can't be bothered to dig through my Tweets and FB posts.

Off the top of my head, my top ten new to me of 2014 in no order:

Tired Hands Third Level
Bourbon County Barleywine
Lost Abbey Red Poppy
Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme
The Bruery Bois
Hill Farmstead Nelson Single Hop
Jack's Abby Kiwi Rising
Cantillon Fou' Foune
Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic-Bio
Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

Edit: Totally forgot about Halia, that would bump Bois out of the top ten.

Got to try a lot of really great beer this past year for the first time. Highlights:

Lawson's Sip of Sunshine
Alchemist Heady Topper
Westy 12
Cantillon St. Lamvinus
Cantillon Fou Foune
Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise
Dieu Du Ciel BBA Peche Mortel
Hill Farmstead Anna
Hill Farmstead Florence
Bellwoods Warp and Weft
Bell's Two-Hearted Ale
Great Lakes Karma Citra
Yo-Ho Hare No Hi Sennin Barleywine
Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

So many to choose...

HF Double Citra
BCBS Cherry Rye
Lost Abbey Track #8
Fiddlehead Mastermind
Perennial BA Abraxas
Jester King Atrial

Top beers I tried in 2014 are, in no particular order:

GI Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout
Perennial Artisan Ales Barrel-Aged Abraxas
Cigar City Hunahpu's Imp Stout (2014)
Bell's Brewery Black Note Stout (2012)
Founders CBS (2011)
Firestone Walker XIV
Fifty Fifty Eclipse Java Coffee (2013)
Hill Farmstead Madness & Civilisation #1
Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter
HORAL's Oude Gueze Mega Blend 2009

Hard to choose, but...

Goose Island BCBS Proprietors 2013
Goose Island BCBS Cherry Rye
Perennial BA Abraxas
Drie Fonteinen Hommage
Jester King Atrial Rubicite

Top 10:

Fantôme Saison
Grassroots Brother Soigné
Alesmith Speedway Stout
De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis
Hill Farmstead Everett
Hill Farmstead Abner
Cantillon Iris
Struise Pannepot
Dunham Assemblage #1
BFM 225 Saison

Maybe it's just me, but I don't find it particularly interesting that some of you were fortunate enough to drink (no doubt great) beers like Heady, BCBS, various Hill Farmsteads, etc, since my chances of accessing these myself approach zero. Also, I'd be much more interested in what is new to the marketplace this year, not what happened to be new to you. Just my opinion. So with that in mind, here are my top ten Ontario beers that were first released in 2014 (to my imperfect knowledge):

1. Block 3 1-Up IIPA
2. Forked River Hop Salad Pale Ale
3. Side Launch Pale Ale
4. Old Tomorrow Canadian Pale Ale
5. GLB + Amsterdam Ezra
6. Black Oak Epiphany #1
7. Cameron's Pistols at Dawn
8. Barley Days Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
9. Block 3 About Face Altbier
10. Rickards Lederhosen (laugh if you want, but this was really good)

midlife crisis wrote:Maybe it's just me, but I don't find it particularly interesting that some of you were fortunate enough to drink (no doubt great) beers like Heady, BCBS, various Hill Farmsteads, etc, since my chances of accessing these myself approach zero. Also, I'd be much more interested in what is new to the marketplace this year, not what happened to be new to you. Just my opinion. So with that in mind, here are my top ten Ontario beers that were first released in 2014 (to my imperfect knowledge):

1. Block 3 1-Up IIPA
2. Forked River Hop Salad Pale Ale
3. Side Launch Pale Ale
4. Old Tomorrow Canadian Pale Ale
5. GLB + Amsterdam Ezra
6. Black Oak Epiphany #1
7. Cameron's Pistols at Dawn
8. Barley Days Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
9. Block 3 About Face Altbier
10. Rickards Lederhosen (laugh if you want, but this was really good)

my top 10 new to the market Ontario beers of 2014:

1 - Bellwoods Skeleton Key
2 - Shacklands Farmhouse IPA
3 - Old Flame Perry Loved Mary
4 - Muskoka Detour Session IPA
5 - Old Flame Rusty
6 - Collingwood Downhill Pale Ale
7 - Flying Monkeys Division by Zero
8 - Old Flame Port Perry Porter
9 - Innocente Conscience
10 - Old Flame Dirty Blonde

midlife crisis wrote:Maybe it's just me, but I don't find it particularly interesting that some of you were fortunate enough to drink (no doubt great) beers like Heady, BCBS, various Hill Farmsteads, etc, since my chances of accessing these myself approach zero.

Not just you, I found myself feeling the same way. I have no problem with the topic, it's just not so relevant to me. I, too, am much more interested in a similar Ontario listing.

There are many beers on the two lists above that I did not have, but l will add votes for Old Tomorrow and Innocente Conscience.

Additions from me are Nickel Brook Immodest, and Malevolent. I'm not sure if 2014 was when they were first made, but it was my first tasting of them.

+1

My Ontario top 10 I drank in 2014 (no order):

Midnight Paddler
Junction Black Lager
Junction Local Option
Robohop
Lost River
Tempest
Detour
White Oat Savant
Skeleton Key
Donkey Venom

S. St. Jeb wrote:Not just you, I found myself feeling the same way. I have no problem with the topic, it's just not so relevant to me. I, too, am much more interested in a similar Ontario listing.

There are many beers on the two lists above that I did not have, but l will add votes for Old Tomorrow and Innocente Conscience.

Additions from me are Nickel Brook Immodest, and Malevolent. I'm not sure if 2014 was when they were first made, but it was my first tasting of them.

If Immodest and/or Malevolent were first released in 2014, they would absolutely both be in my Top Ten. I assumed they had not been, but I do not know for sure. Immodest in particular would be my #2 overall, after only Block 3 1-Up (I urge all hopheads to try that, if you get a chance. I realize it is a bit obscure if you're not in K/W or visiting occasionally like me).

matt7215 wrote:my top 10 new to the market Ontario beers of 2014:

1 - Bellwoods Skeleton Key
2 - Shacklands Farmhouse IPA
3 - Old Flame Perry Loved Mary
4 - Muskoka Detour Session IPA
5 - Old Flame Rusty
6 - Collingwood Downhill Pale Ale
7 - Flying Monkeys Division by Zero
8 - Old Flame Port Perry Porter
9 - Innocente Conscience
10 - Old Flame Dirty Blonde

I think I need to get myself to Old Flame!