Behind The Tap's Top Ten Beers of 2014

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Enjoy this review with Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass "Happy New Year"

As we draw to the close of another year (thank goodness it's almost here!), we bring you our favorite beers that we drank this year. There were quite a few great brews to choose from, but these were the ones that stand out in our memories. Also, because we let the blog lapse for so long while my father's health was declining, there will be a significant amount of honorable mentions that were enjoyed and yet not reviewed.

Jennie's Favorites of 2014 (in no particular order):

Fat Heads Hop Juju
The mere, distant memory of this beer has me salivating for spring, when I will run all over Columbus in search of this. That chase will be well worth the effort in order to obtain this elixir of the gods.

Bell's Black Note Stout
This beer is as elusive as the Hop Juju, if not more so. An annual release that is a bourbon-barrel aged imperial stout, it reminds me exactly why Bell's is my favorite brewery. Boozy yet not too much with the bourbon, deep and dark with beautiful roasted and chocolate notes. I'm looking forward to having this again soon.

Jackie O's Paw Paw Wheat
While not a new beer in 2014, it was new to us, and so good that it earned a spot here. It's almost wine-like in its composition, delicious and bubbly and everything you would expect from a brewery with a cult following. And yes, I enjoyed it even more than Oil of Aphrodite, Dark Apparition, and barrel-aged Wood Burner (which, to be fair, was the most exquisite smoked beer I have had). This is light, refreshing, and quite possibly the best wheat beer I have ever had.

Toppling Goliath PseudoSue
A magnificent pale ale from a remote location in Iowa, Toppling Goliath has knocked it out of the park with PseudoSue. No wonder this beer is a hot commodity on the trade market. Any beer that causes Nathan and I to discuss divorce and him to get a job with Toppling Goliath in order to sleep in the stockroom must be worthy of a solid spot on our year-end list. (We didn't review Assassin, but we did have the good fortune to taste some of that deliciousness. It is every bit worthy of being on this list, as well, if only I had taken better notes!)

Weasel Boy Barrel-Aged Anastasia
Another offering from a fantastic stout night back in February, this beer was better-priced than most of the other "whales" we enjoyed, and if possible, even better tasting than most. I recall it being quite silky and with just the right amount of bourbon against a fantastic stout base. No wonder it has been awarded so many medals in the major competitions. I look forward to having this again very soon, especially if it means heading out to Weasel Boy (who also makes a mean rye beer, Wolverine).

Nathan's Favorites of 2014 (in no particular order)

Zaftig ZBS
A newer brewery in Columbus (opened in January) that puts out stellar beer. This is their BA Stout, and when it's available, it goes fast. This is a tap-room only release, so follow them on Facebook and Twitter to find out when it will be released (along with their other limited batches). This was- need I repeat it- KBS Killer.

Homestead Artists Series Vol II: Time (The Revelator)
You don't think with us being the founders, nay, discoverers of Hopsus that this would be a stout heavy list, did you? It's pretty balanced this year though- 4 stouts, 4 IPAs 1 pale ale and 1 wheat. Regardless, this locally made IPA was stellar enough to still long for this 11 months after first consumption.

Deschutes Chasin' Freshies
A juicy grapefruit, pine, and tropical hop bomb with an amazing aroma. We just started getting distribution of Deschutes this year and I look forward to trying more of the selections.

Flying Dog Kujo
Another fine selection from our epic stout night at World of Beer. One of my favorite beers of all time (ssssshhhhh! Don't tell the hops!). An amazing coffee stout that's 8.9% and tastes like a fresh cup of joe. This beer is what gave us the nickname Keg Killers a few years back.

Barley's Bourbon Meyer Buckeye Stout
A peanut butter chocolate stout that's bourbon barrel aged.... Let that sink in while your breathing increases and heart rate raises... Bourbon Barrel Aged Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout... It's available from time to time at Barley's Ale House. Follow them on Facebook to find out when those releases are.

Honorable Mentions (reviewed):
While narrowing down the 50-some-odd brews we reviewed this year, some just couldn't make the cut to the final 10. These are great beers and you should go find them.

Founders KBS 
Schlafly Tasmanian IPA 
Seventh Son Humulus Nimbus
Bell's Hopslam (draft-- because it is such a different beer on tap than in the bottle, different enough to still qualify for Jennie's favorite beer.)
Fat Heads Hop Stalker

Honorable Mentions (not reviewed):
We are sorry to these breweries that with the year we had (read: death, death, death, depression) we did not have the opportunity to fully review your beers. We did, however, enjoy them and thought enough of them to give them an honorable mention.

NoDa Hop, Drop, and Roll
Yup, hops. Copious amounts of hops. We obtained this from a friend/fellow beer writer after her visit to North Carolina. We should have thoroughly reviewed this as we thoroughly enjoyed this. Hopefully, soon, we'll obtain more and give it te proper Behind the Tap treatment.

Homebrew: Peter Schroder's Fired Up Angel (Eximius Brewing)
A beautiful stout with vanilla and scorpion peppers. I have often joked that the scorpion peppers must have been handled by angels, because their presence is so smooth and subtle. There is a lot going on in this beer, but between the silky mouthfeel and the hint of heat set against a beautiful stout, this beer still rings closely in my tastebuds' memories. If I am still talking about it a month after drinking it, it is certainly good enough to be a commercial brew. Actually, let's take that further: I would put this up against any commercial brew and it would outshine them. I had the honor of entering this into a competition for Peter, and the unanimous mutter around the table and in every conversation head since is that this is the best use of pepper ever in a beer. The beer took second place in the competition, but man oh man, I wish I could put this on my list of beers actually reviewed for the year, because if it wasn't my favorite beer of the year, it was right up there.

Jackie O's Paw Paw Wheat

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I just want to start off by asking this simple question. How the hell have we gone almost 2 years with these reviews and not reviewed anything by Jackie O's?! I spent much of my time in my beer formative years in Athens, Ohio (where Jackie O's is based). I drank my first craft brews there, I mixed my first six-pack there, I was pegged in the head with a Natty Light can. So many great memories, most of which I'm sure are forgotten by now, as it's been nearly 6 years since my last romp there. I became a consumer of good beer while I was driving illegally to spend weekends with good friends (including a few who will be joining Jennie and I at a home brew competition this Saturday). I went from drinking rum and cheap typical campus swill to realizing that the brewing industry had more out there. There wasn't just High Life and Natty Light, no sir, there were great brews out there, they had flavor and a comfortable drunk that came along with it. These beers weren't your older brother's beer pong types, no, these were full-bodied, full-flavored selections from people who were tired of being forced to drink swill. People like the fine folks at Jackie O's, who wanted to bring flavor and selection. People who broke the mold and brewed what they wanted. And now, nearly 6 years later, I've watched the change. The masses are wanting their good beer, and they'll get it thanks to world class craft breweries, like Jackie O's. Enough rambling. There's beer to be enjoyed.

This is a 9% ABV Imperial Wheat Ale. The description on the side (and on Jackie O's website) says:
"The paw paw fruit is something we take great pride in. The Native fruit of Ohio and one that flourishes here in Athens. A tropical fruit tree that grows in in a temperate climate and produces a one of a kind experience. Flavors of mango, banana, and a touch of melon."

As a native of Ohio, I had no idea what the fuck a paw paw (or a quince) was until my good beer drinking days. Apparently, they're both awesome fruits that I had been missing out on. This pours a hazy light golden color, as a wheat should. It has a small amount of white head that doesn't seem to stick around. The aroma on this is nothing but fruit. There are banana and mango, almost orange and pineapple notes as well, like you're making your own tropical fruit punch blend. The flavor on this... hand on... I need a moment... Ok, take what you got in the nose, add some decent carbonation, with oh-so faint hints of wheat. This is like a damn tropical mimosa. This finishes dry with a fruity ending. There are no boozy notes, like I've had with other higher ABV fruit beers. This is just pleasant. If it weren't 9 percent, I'd say this is the perfect summer time porch sipping beer. It drinks better than most 9% brews I've had, but I wouldn't drink copious amounts on a hot summer night (I reserve those for lawn mowing beers, just a personal preference).

I don't know if I can say anything bad about this in general. It's great. I can only say that I'm not a huge fan of most fruit beers. This one, though, might change my mind.

5/5 caps

-Nathan-

Really? We haven't reviewed any Jackie O's? That surprises me... we both enjoy so many of their beers, know people who work or have worked there, etc. I thought a pawpaw was a fruit native to more tropical climes because my only exposure to it (until now, of course), being in "The Bare Necessities" (you're welcome for that earworm) and at the North Market Microbrew Festival a few weeks back, when Thirsty Dog put some pawpaw into a saison. That was tasty, but the pawpaw was more of a background note within that beer. The brewer, who was pouring next to us at the festival, had hand pulped each pawpaw that went into that brew. It sounded like a harrowing mess and a thorough pain in the ass.

As my beer has had a bit of time to warm up, it is a beautiful light golden color with a lot of carbonation bubbles working their way to the top of the beer. Any chill haze has long faded and it is perfectly clear. The smallish white head that was once there has left a beautiful lacing on the side of my glass. The aroma is faint but enticing, with notes of wheat, mango, banana, and yes, orange and pineapple coming through. Yes, I pick up notes of wheat in the nose. I have friends who would run, not walk, away from this beer as they are gluten-free, but I think it smells heavenly. And then you take a sip, and everything worry in the world just melts away. It is rather fruit forward, yet that velvety mouthfeel won't let you forget that this is a wheat beer worth going back to a glutenous lifestyle (unless you have celiac disease, in which case, you probably wouldn't be reading this anyway, lest you relish in masochism). There are notes of everything that comes through in the aroma, but they have been softened up significantly by the wheat, which adds such a luscious feel. The carbonation isn't as significant as it appears, but it makes its presence known. As this has had a bit of time to warm, I pick up a little bit more of a boozy note toward the back end of this than Nathan did.

It's juicy as hell and quick to go down, which could be dangerous with its alcohol content. I love Mystic Mama and Matriarch, the triple IPA that Jackie O's had on tap at the Nelsonville Music Festival. I'm hoping there is a bottle of rum-barrel aged Oil of Aphrodite left at my favorite bottle shop. And at said shop, I am so happy this is readily available, because this may well become a staple in our house.

5/5 caps

-Jennie

Food Pairing: Chips and habanero salsa (perhaps served over a baked double cream brie)
Cheese Pairing: Double Cream Brie
Music Pairing: "Baptized in Flames" by Skeletonwitch (gotta keep it local to the Athens scene for my old memories)