Port Street Beer House | Northern Quarter beer house, pub, drinking hole

– Your 2019 Beers of the Year

– Beers of the Year 2019

2019. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Typical year stuff, really. The world is burning but the beers have been great. It’s the Port Street end of year survey!!! The greatest time of the year!! We want to hear about which beers shook your world this year and just what was good, in general. As per usual, we will do a big ol’ summary post about everybody’s responses early in the new year. Keep calm and drink beer 🤣🤣🤣

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– Your Beers of the Year 2018

The votes have been counted and verified! HERE are all the responses from our BEST OF 2018 BEER SURVEY. Thanks to all for answering! Scrolling fingers at the ready, this is a long one…

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Name
Anthony Finley

Bio
Some guy at Other Half Brewing

Favourite beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Kane- Sunday Brunch
2) Suarez- Qualify Pils
3) Adrestia collab w/Seven Islands Brewery
4) Track- Sonoma (cask)
5) Humble Sea- Vin Syrah

Favourite brewery of 2018
Suarez

Beer experience of 2018
Too many to pick just one. So many great places, events, people, and beer.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More life.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
I don’t care. I just wanna drink good beer.

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Name
Dave Stone

Bio
Co-Owner Wylam Brewery

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Caramel Fudge Stout BA (Brandy Barrel Edition) – Brouwerij De Kees
2) Saison Anniversaire – Burning Sky
3) It’s Not Mike Porter – By The River Brew Co./Northern Monk
4) Neal Get’s Things Done – Verdant
5) Bière De Saison Damson – The Kernel

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Black Lodge

Beer Experience of 2018
Borefts Bier Festival

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Brexit is cancelled and Donald Trump is indicted

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Hop fatigue will give rise to the return of malt forward beers

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Name
Matt Gorecki

Bio
Head of Beer: IndyManBeerCon / Head of Everything: Zapato Brewery

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Burning Sky – Stock Ale. Tells so much about where we’re heading now and also so much about where we’ve come from, it’s truly a brilliant and expansive ale that tastes to me like some sort of tripped out marmalade Orval variant. The brett does everything it should in all the right places, picking up boozy cognac and sherry remaining dry as heck on the tongue whilst a riot of wood, more sherry, black pepper and green pepper corns. Hops are very much in effect and a gentle bitterness builds and then is rounded off with hay and malts and… what a beer…

2) Verdant – Track and Field – just showing how good Verdant are, felt slightly off beat by being hazy rather than opaque but it’s just really well judged, bitter and so bright on the hops. Repeat buy every time, worth around a million quid for Verdant I’d say, what a year they’ve had

3) Jester King – Spon – The Kings of US terrior led beers were back again at IndyMan and did us proud. Their tasting of this gueuze was a highlight for me and it’s minerally wonderfulness is such a treat.

4) Nelson Sauvin IPA – Nelson was very much back in effect this year and Kernels straightforward approach won the day for me, just a brilliant all round beer utterly current and so much depth of flavour without leaning too much towards current trends. Also worth of mention is Burning Sky’s Sauvin Brut – an actual Brut IPA worthy of the style rather than an ill advised use of enzyme to mop up all depth and flavour.

5) Cloudwater/The Veil – Chubbles. This was a revelation to me, a huge beer that was balanced, juicy and really complex. Doesn’t drink like the ABV ahaha hides the alcohol reeeely well ahhaa (sic)

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Burning Sky

Beer Experience of 2018
Very much enjoyed visiting Copenhagen Beer Celebration!

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
A new Zapato brewery begins in Marsden…

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Rubbish breweries will close their doors as the backlash against trite, poorly conceived, juvenile ‘beers’ gathers pace and wipes out some really poor rich lad hobby breweries…

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Name
Paul Jones

Bio
Frequent Flyer and Ideas Guy at Cloudwater

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Tegernseer Helles
2) Hill Farmstead Double Citra
3) Bierstadt Slow Pour Pils
4) Lawson’s Finest Ales Sip Of Sunshine
5) Bellwoods Bellweiser

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Hill Farmstead

Beer Experience of 2018
Barrel conditioned Pilsner poured straight from the barrel at Hill Farmstead, bottomless glasses of Slow Pour Pils and Helles at Bierstadt, and seeing many wonderful people at many great festivals.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
I hope quality becomes more loved than novelty, and I dream of making Cloudwater the best brewery to work for in the world.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
People will start being nice to each other again online.

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Name
Kymmene

Bio
Beer drinker. What else do you need to know?!

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Marble – cranberry and ginger dark sour
2) Verdant – even sharks need water. Just for the name alone.
3) Northern Monk – celestial motion. Joosey.
4) Cloudwater – cranberry and papaya sour
5) Loverbeer – wild sour with plums. Bloody gorgeous.

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Northern monk

Beer Experience of 2018
Wakefield TTO at northern monk. Or getting into a fight with unnamed ppl on UKCBF

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Yonder. Watch these bad boys.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Sour. Puckered up faces everywhere.

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Name
Carl McBride

Bio
General Manager of Port Street Beer House

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Tree House – Bright (Galaxy)
2) Hill Farmstead – Anna
3) Mystic – Tropical Chelsea
4) Puhaste – Rum BA Dekadents
5) Verdant – Howl

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Squawk

Beer Experience of 2018
Sunday IMBC post-wedding party!

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More best bitters.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Craft snake bites?

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Name
Arlo

Bio
Assistant Manager PSBH

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Squawk Corvus
2) Five Points Old Greg’s barley Wine
3) Stone Exalted IPA
4) What ever the Polish beer I had in the Muted Horn was called.
5) Cloudwater/Bagby JPA

Favourite Brewery of 2018
SQUAAAAAWWWWK

Beer Experience of 2018
Either drinking Tegers bottles round the streets of Berlin, Or discovering that the “best” Guinness in Dublin is in the Airport.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Caramalt.. Coniston Bluebird Bitter.. Sorachi Ace..

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Double Dry Hopped with Fuggles Bretted White Impy Stouts.. On cask.

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Name
James Moffat

Bio
Cloudwater Unit 9 co-manager, ex PSBH GM & IMBC beer herder.

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Verdant & IMBC – Armbands
2) Grimm – Super Crush
3) Industrial Arts – Wrench
4) American Solera – Old Dishoom
5) Westvleteren 12

Beer Experience of 2018
Organising IMBC again. Starting working at Cloudwater – having access to beer that’s been packaged only a few minutes before pouring is a game changer.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Everyone will get really into Lichtenhainer. Pastry stouts & hazy IPA’s will be forgotten.

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Name
Scott Kenneth Jackson

Bio
Indy Man Beer Guy

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Jester King – 2017 Spon 3 (Three Year Blend)
2) Cascade – Sang Royal
3) Squawk – Corvus
4) Cloudwater – JPA
5) Stone x IMBC x Buxton x Magic Rock x North – Fellow Sip IPA

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Squawk

Beer Experience of 2018
Drinking Bourbon BA Mexican Cake with Riv in Norway and texting James to tell him how good it was

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
As ever, to deliver an Indy Man that’s harder, better, faster, stronger than last year

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Normcore

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Name
Michael Sweeney

Bio
Into films, long walks and serving beers to the good folk of Port Street Beer House!

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Burning Sky – Saison
2) Verdant – Times Errand
3) Squawk – Pica
4) RedWillow – Extremely Wreckless (?) (NEIPA)
5) Cloudwater Cask (Pale)

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Squawk

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC>>>>> Working on the North stand.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Drink more beer, suppress more memories.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
High quality cask beers!

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Name
Mike

Bio
PSBH Bartender

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Squawk – Corvus
2) Cascade – Vlad the Imp Aler
3) 5 Points – Old Greg’s Barley Wine
4) Two Roads – Persian Lime Gose
5) Burning Sky – Cuvee

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Squawk

Beer Experience of 2018
Pints(s) of Corvus

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More delicious bitters

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
“Post Interesting” Bitters, ESB etc

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Name
Seb Mariner

Bio
1 1/2 of badaman productions

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Frederiksdal Cherry Wine
2) ROTHAUS TANNENZAPFLE PILSNER
3) Sierra Nevada Pale ale
4) The Veil bourbon barrel aged sleeping forever
5) Cloudwater JPA

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Burning Sky

Beer Experience of 2018
Alchemist cans w/ the lads at Mikkeller Baghaven

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Make IPA clear again

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
West coast IPAs

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Name
Oddie

Bio
General Manager at the Pilcrow

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Slim Pickens ‘Ananas’
2) Ridgeside x Twisted Barrel ‘Djentle’
3) Wander Beyond ‘Allure’
4) Kernel ‘Biere de siason raspberry’
5) Verdant x North brewing ‘Triple Fruit Gose’

Favourite Brewery of 2018
The Kernel

Beer Experience of 2018
MBCC 2018

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
trying to appreciate cask

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Frosty cups as a standard pour

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Name
Becky

Bio
The Pilcrow Assistant Manager

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Garage – Silver Peel
2) Mad Hatter – Penny Lane (RIP Never forget)
3) Lervig – BA Toasted Maple Stout
4) North Brewing – Triple Fruited Gose
5) Prairie – Bomb!

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Garage

Beer Experience of 2018
Sunday of Summer Beer Thing (when I wasn’t working, wahoo)!

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
To have a beer with Ru Paul.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Pink Gin

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Name
Hannah Valentine

Bio
Pint puller @ The Pilcrow/designer maker

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Guinness & black (shoutout to my haters)
2) Amundsen – Cookie Monster
3) Mad Hatter – Tzatziki Sour (forever and always, gone but never forgotten)
4) Omnipollo – Aniara
5) Boundary – Screwball

Favourite Brewery of 2018
All of them (I’ve really enjoyed pretty much all of what I’ve tasted from Wander Beyond this year so they’d be up there)

Beer Experience of 2018
SBT always because it’s like our small drunken child

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
My work on a can, if we’re keeping it topical?

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
“normal beer”

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Name
Aaron

Bio
Nice

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Shreddy Krueger – The Veil
2) Planets dont twinkle – Verdant
3) Sonoma (keg) – Track
4) Solemn Cycle – Alefarm
5) Tasty juice – Lervig

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant

Beer Experience of 2018
Summer Beer Thing

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Tomato beers

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Tomatoes in beers

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Name
David Bailey

Bio
Communications and Events at Common and co / Illustrator

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Cloudwater x Bagby x Full Fat JPA
2) Dry & Bitter Beverly Pils Cop
3) Lost & Grounded Keller Pils
4) Angry Chair Moon Butter
5) Track Sonoma

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant

Beer Experience of 2018
Going to Flensburg to visit the Flensburger factory <3

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More kellerbiers

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Low ABV stouts with adjuncts

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Name
Cheryl

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Coconuts – Lervig
2) Open to Persuasion – Wylam/Track
3) Silver Peel – Garage
4) Julius – Treehouse Brewery
5) Cookie Monster – Amundsen

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Wylam

Beer Experience of 2018
Sorry to say, Beaverex in London, had a ball and met up with all my drinking pals

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Copenhagen for and Iceland for Kex beer festivals

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Would love to see more Brut Beers

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Name
Matthew Haste

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Northern Monk Infinity Vortex
2) Wander Beyond La Adelita
3) Lervig BA pecan Psychosis
4) Cloudwater DDH Citra DIPA
5) North Brewing triple fruited gose v1

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Northern Monk

Beer Experience of 2018
Indyman (all lervigs BA)

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Make another clonking beer for Craft Beer Lovers Forum. This year’s Strawberry cheesecake impy stout was ace

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Milkshakes

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Bio
Beer newb

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Twisted Barrel – Be Back Before Dawn
2) Verdant/Furest Wiacek – Who’s Deborah?
3) Wylam – Room 237
4) Amundsen Bryggeri – Luponic Plague
5) Deya – Invoice Me for the Microphone

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Deya – Hype 100% deserved for these Gloucestershire perfectionists. Since taking my first sip of SRM I’ve been hooked and Theo & co keep putting banger after banger in half litre tallboys. Could easily have put Meet me in the city/SMJHOTL in my BOTY list and I’ve not even started on their DIPAs. Honourable mentions go to Donzoko for that brill Helles and Whiplash for making the tastiest <3% micro ipa in Northern Lights + having a great online presence/writing the best brewer’s notes

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC18 – overindulged before Hop City at the Other half/Foam brewers fringe event (s/o to Rich and Bryony at LLBH) + Bissell @ Bundobust + Verdant @ Turk’s head + Omnipollo @ North to the point where the whole fest was a sick blur so Indy man was a breath of fresh air in comparison. Friday evening session in particular was great thanks to Fuerst Wiacek (wizards, total lads) and being invited to Berlin by a group of lovely strangers who shared their food and were super nice/top drinking pals even if all they drank were stouts (no stouts plz, cheers)

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Become more adventurous, drink @ Garage every day while @ Primavera Sound, volunteer spots @ Cloudwater’s Family & Friends + Hop City, Putty, more Deya cans, more 3-way collabs (how good were the Track/Wylam/North + Northern Monk/Deya/Verdant DIPAs? 3 is a magic number lads), more inclusivity, Leeds in the Premier League

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Brut IPAs, all in festivals + complaints about their cost & Brexit misery forcing session beers to be at least 9% ABV

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Name
Sarah Hardy

Bio
Comms and Events for North Brewing Co

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Track Sonoma
2) Whiplash Northern Lights
3) Põhjala Leevike
4) 8 wired cucumber hippy
5) North X Het Uiltje Triple IPA

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Track

Beer Experience of 2018
Borefts, or drinking too much North X Het Uiltje Triple IPA on a Monday night.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
To be able to find a west coast style IPA in the UK…

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Probably something horrific. With loads of adjuncts.

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Name
Damian Oshea

Bio
Heaton Hops

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Burnt mill Citra Fog
2) Verdant keep left
3) Crooked Stave Silly Cybies
4) Tegernsee Hell
5) Timothy Taylor’s Landlord

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Can’t pick one. Burnt Mill & Odyssey

Beer Experience of 2018
Dugges Tap takeover

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Return of the Mild

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Cask Mild

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Name
Peter Davies

Bio
A know all Beertuber who doesn’t know much.

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Northern Monk x Equilibrium x Other Half – Infinity Vortex
2) Stone Berlin – Prenzlaur Bock
3) Wander Beyond – Octopod
4) Mikkeller – Spontandoubleraspberry
5) Moncada Brewery – Impy Custard

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Northern Monk

Beer Experience of 2018
Indy Man

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More Great beers from fantastic UK breweries.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Sour Stout

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Name
Alastair M

Bio
Closet beer chugger extraordinaire

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Verdant – Keep Left
2) Cloudwater & Beavertown – Do Not Open Until 1985
3) Verdant – Planets Don’t Twinkle Galaxy
4) North & Verdant – Triple Fruited Gose
5) Magic Rock – BA De Molé

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC 2018

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Non Brexit affected craft beer

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Crowdfunding the shit out of crowdfunding

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Name
Ethan

Bio
Drinks manager for some bars around South Cheshire

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Wylam x Track – In Every Dream Home A Heartache
2) Odyssey – Spottie-Ottie Hopaliscious
3) Verdant – Putty
4) Wander Beyond – Mini Milkshake
5) Cloudwater – And Getting Caught in the Rain

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Wander Beyond

Beer Experience of 2018
Volunteering at IMBC for the first time

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
FLENSBURGER

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Name
Simon Jessop

Bio
South Yorkshire craft bottle shop manager

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Magic Rock BA De Mole
2) Northern Monk Jungle IPA
3) Magic Rock Wave Project
4) Wilde Child Beast Master
5) Wander Beyond Bloom

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Magic Rock

Beer Experience of 2018
Leeds international beer festival

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More sours

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Cheesecake beer

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Name
Steven Leonard

Bio
Bottle Shop and Craft Beer Bar Owner

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Cloudwater Yandaro Imperial Brown Ale
2) Thornbridge Green Mountain
3) 2018 Chimay Grande Réserve Barrel Aged
4) Buxton Anglo-Belgique
5) Verdant Track and Field

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Cloudwater

Beer Experience of 2018
Indy Man

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More sours. Once you pop, you can’t stop.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Clear, Old school style American IPA’s. Snake Dog, Pliny, Jai Alai style.

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Name
Iwan

Bio
Indomie Connoisseur

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Buxton x OMNIPOLLO®️ SCELERISQUE 50% BOLIVIA 🇧🇴 50% DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 🇩🇴 CHOCOLATE 🍫 SAUCE STOUT
2) Verdant – Fruit, Car, Sight, Exhibition
3) Northern Monk x Mr Foleys Tap House – This Beer Doesn’t Technically Exist // 0.01 // Cherry Imperial Stout // Foley’s Tap House Leeds
4) Other Half – Double Sunset (Brazilian Mogiana Coffee)
5) Samuel Smith’s – Old Brewery Bitter (Cask)

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant Brewing Co

Beer Experience of 2018
Cleanup in Room 3

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Kenny Omega to retain the IWGP title at Wrestle Kingdom 13. However only to lose it to Tetsuya Naito who finally completes his redemption arc. Now gimme a 2 sweet~

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Clean shaven brewers

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Name
Holleigh Stevenson

Bio
Cave Direct Events Manager

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Pêche Fumé – Cascade
2) Unfiltered Pilsner – Lervig
3) Mash Up the Jam – Collective Arts
4) Cream get the Honey – Other Half
5) Easy – Lervig

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Pêche Fumé – Cascade

Beer Experience of 2018
Whats Brewing

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Lervig Unfiltered Pilsner in the UK

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Lager Lager Lager!

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Name
Stephen Nettle

Bio
Serious Social Drinker

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Buxton/Omnipollo Yellow Belly
2) 3F Oud Gueze Cuvee Armand & Gaston
3) Rodenbach Vintage (2016)
4) Wander Beyond La Adelita
5) Puhaste Tumeaine Laphroaig BA

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Northern Monk Brew Co

Beer Experience of 2018
Kerstbierfestival Essen #24 2018

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Good health, prosperity & great beer

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Cask conditioned beer

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Name
Neil Bontoft

Bio
Much like every one else I don’t like galaxy

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Hudson Valley Brewery. Amorphia.
2) Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen. Schaerbeekse Kriek (2008).
3) Brasserie Cantillon. Classic Gueuze (2004).
4) Tree House Brewing Company. Triple Shot (2018).
5) Other Half Brewing Co. Double Dry Hopped Mylar Daydream.

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Mills

Beer Experience of 2018
Hop City

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Get my hands on a bottle of Art b3

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
An increase in UK spontaneous beers

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Name
Mark Gamble

Bio
Passionate craft beer newcomer

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Naughty & Nice – Vocation
2) Micro IPA – North Brewing Co.
3) Little Nipper – Black Iris
4) Comet session IPA – Brewsmith
5) Jungle IPA – Northern Monk

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Marble

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
To stick to Breweries I know I like.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Something the Yanks are doing now 😁

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Name
Rob Jones

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Northern Monk Infinity Vortex
2) Five Points Railway Porter
3) Lost & Grounded Keller Pils
4) Cloudwater x Verdant New West IPA
5) Other Half All Green Everything

Favourite Brewery of 2018
North Brewing Co

Beer Experience of 2018
Sipping draft Tilquin Quetsche in ‘t Brugs Beertje

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Drink a load of Faith at my wedding reception at Northern Monk brewery

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
UK based brewers churning out mixed ferm farmhouse beers from the likes of Duration, Mills, Burning Sky!

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Name
Daniel Dixon

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Omnipollo scelerisque
2) Verdant keep left
3) Wander beyond one-der beyond
4) Wander beyond la adelita
5) Moncada impy custard

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Wander beyond

Beer Experience of 2018
Wander Beyond birthday bash

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Job promotion

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Milkshake IPAs

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Name
Tom Forrester

Bio
Punk loves IPA. Hop-punk.

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Alternative Facts-Rooster
2) 6-Hop IPA-Rogue Ales
3) Backstage IPA-Signature Brew
4) Stagediver IPA-Signature Brew
5) Jakehead IPA-Wylam

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Signature Brew

Beer Experience of 2018
Drinking Signature Brew IPAs at Slam Dunk Festival.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More delicious IPAs, breaking 900 beers on Untappd

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
I don’t follow trends, just delicious, hoppy beers!

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Name
Steven H

Bio
Stevo

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Chubbles – Cloudwater
2) Pulp – Verdant
3) DIPA v3.1 – Cloudwater
4) Patrons Project 13:01 – Northern Monk
5) Quiet After The Storm – Wander Beyond

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Northern Monk

Beer Experience of 2018
Hop City – Northern Monk

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More local tap rooms

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Seasonal flavours

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Name
Paul Brierley

Bio
I don’t know a lot about beer but I knows what I likes

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) North Riding – Fudge Brownie Stout (Ski Sundae Edition)
2) Marble – Uppe Hela Natten
3) Wander Beyond – Bloom
4) Wander Beyond – Salford Twilight
5) Cloudwater – Helles Mandarina

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Wander Beyond

Beer Experience of 2018
ISBF5

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
That Cloudwater make a Gose

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Gose!

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Name
Matthew Drage

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Buxton – Cranachan
2) Burning Sky – Sauvin Brut
3) Mills – Running Beer
4) Burning Sky – Coolship
5) Buxton – Trolltunga

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Burning Sky

Beer Experience of 2018
Visiting 3 Fonteinen

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Less murk

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Low abv

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Name
Hedley Coppock

Bio
Med comms professional

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Buxton Brewery barrel-aged quad
2) Wild Beer Co Rooting Around – Winter
3) Brassereie DuBuisson Bush des Charmes
4) Harvey’s Prince of Denmark
5) Brooklyn Brewery Local #1

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Buxton

Beer Experience of 2018
Always Stockport Beer Festival, this time with my wife for the first time in a few years

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
For Firestone Walker to start shipping more beer to the UK

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Probably sour brut NE milkshake IPAs :(

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Name
Will France

Bio
Stone Brewing Brand Manager

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Track Sonoma
2) Timothy Taylor’s Landlord
3) Burning Sky Coolship 1
4) IMBC / Buxton / North Brewing / Magic Rock / Stone Fellow-Sip IPA
5) Thornbridge Lukas

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Track

Beer Experience of 2018
Pulling off a collab with the UK’s best breweries and tasting the pilot version at Stone Berlin all together.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Again as for 2018, a move away from hype, noise, exclusivity & the factors of that scene as well as a consideration of the environmental impacts of brewing such beers. Exaggerated hopping rates, tiny yields & huge energy usage are being warranted in the sake of the next “hype” beer.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Cask is back!

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Name
Jason Boardman

Bio
Dad, DJ, Ticket Man and Bon Viveur

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) NORTHERN MONK X EQUILIBRIUM A WHALE OF TWO CITIES
2) DEYA – STEADY ROLLING MAN
3) LEFT HANDED GIANT – CLOUDS UNFOLD
4) NORTHERN MONK – DONT MESS WITH MANCHESTER
5) LOST AND GROUNDED – KELLER PILS

Favourite Brewery of 2018
NORTHERN MONK

Beer Experience of 2018
THIRSTY GAMES – IMBC

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
To be able to attend IMBC, Magic Rock – Seshfest, Northern Monk – Hop City, Wylam Brewery – Craft Beer Calling and Cloudwater – Friends, Family and Beer.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
LAGER,LAGER,LAGER,LAGER,LAGER

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Name
Steve Rimington

Bio
@steverimington

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) North Triple Fruited gose – verdant
2) North triple fruited gose – Two Tribes
3) Inglenook – Wander Beyond
4) Costa Rican porter – Buxton
5) Athens to Athens – Jackie O’s

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Wander Beyond

Beer Experience of 2018
Hunahpu Day

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More events! :)

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Low abv

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Name
Dane Walker

Bio
Cyclist, Beer Aficionado, Scientist

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Wylam – midnight train to byker
2) Verdant georges descent into darkness
3) Verdant – Don’t Tell Gus
4) Buxton x Omnipollo – rocky road Sundae
5) Wylam – Moobing on up

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC Indy Man!

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Visit more tap rooms. Get tickets for IMBC

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Sours and Lambics

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Name
James Croft

Bio
Bartender, Sandbar

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Toast E Coilz – The Veil
2) Woodland Creatures – Left Handed Giant
3) Mmm…Fruit – Other Half
4) Good King Henry Special Reserve (cask) – Old Chimneys
5) Daydream Layers – Other Half

Favourite Brewery of 2018
The Veil

Beer Experience of 2018
Dark City

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More American stouts in the UK

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Vegan stouts / NEIPAs / fruit smoothie sours

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Name
Patrick D. Cavanagh

Bio
Appman and/or Assman

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Carlsberg Special Brew
2) WHITE ACE
3) Hooch (Lemon)
4) Hooch (Prison)
5) Batemans Yella Belly Gold

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Beavertown – to infinity and beyond!

Beer Experience of 2018
Cleanup in Room 3

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Hard Brexit

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Super-strength lager – who wants a fight?

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Name
Andy Dann

Bio
General craft drinker, part-time Insta poster (the_beerded_apothecary)

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Lost Highway (patrons project 2.05) – Northern Monk
2) Swimming Giants – Burnt Mill x Finback
3) Pineapple + Lemon IPA – North Brew Co.
4) What Are The Odds – Magic Rock x Verdant
5) In All Formats – Wylam

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Burnt Mill

Beer Experience of 2018
Visiting Little Earth Project, having a long chat with Tom and sampling a few beers

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
That my wallet can keep up with the amount of bangers being released

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
I think there will be extremes, low ABV table beers will increase as will high ABV imperials, exports and T/Q IPAs. I think there may be an increase in different adjuncts too

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Name
Will Evans

Bio
Will Evans runs the Northern Distribution business for Cave Direct, a beer importation and distribution business named in the top 1000 businesses to inspire Britain in 2018. In 2019 Cave Direct will have been importing Belgian beers for 40 years with the company now also importing from Germany (Paulaner/Hacker Pschorr), Norway (Lervig), USA (CBA & Half Acre), Canada (Collective arts) and Spain (Garage) to name a few.

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Lervig House Party
2) Cascade Cherry Bourbonic
3) Garage Virtue Signal
4) Pilot Orange Green
5) Wild Beer Beyond Modus

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Lervig

Beer Experience of 2018
Drinking White Hag Black Pig Stout next to a freezing cold Sligo Bay eating oysters straight out of the oyster farm there.

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
It’s Cave’s 40th year so Nationally and regionally we will make it the best year ever – keep an eye out for a beermerchants.com beer festival to celebrate. I’m also part founder of Manchester Union lager and we’re launching in January 2019 so really excited to see that finally hit taps after over 3 years of planning

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Everyone has an eye on lager for 2019 but festivals are also strong with Saisons. last year many of them were real punchy sour saisons but could we also see a rise of more balanced sessionable spin offs?

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Name
Liam Clowes

Bio
Craft beer lover.

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Deya x Verdant – Eye of the Duck
2) Northern Monk x Other Half – Infinity Vortex
3) Lervig – Toasted Maple Stout
4) Cloudwater – BA Winberry Saison Brut
5) Northern Monk x Wylam – Moobin on Up

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Northern Monk

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC and Peakender

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More beer festivals.

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Name
PhilWillG

Bio
Beer fan. Cyclist

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Brouwerij Alvine – Cuvee Sofie Cloudberry
2) Wander Beyond – Jamaican Cake
3) Burning Sky – Cuvee
4) Buxton – Snap Gate
5) Garden Brewery – Croatian Impy Stout

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Burning Sky

Beer Experience of 2018
IMBC

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
People’s vote. Hop City & IMBC

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Heavily adjuncted impy stouts, sippers

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Name
Johnny

Bio
I once took a whizz next to Nigel Quashie

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) 42|02 DDH Pale Ale Number Two – BBNo
2) Enigma – Track
3) Rustique – Lervig X Magic Rock
4) Leeds Beer Week ’18 TDH Pale – Northern Monk
5) Barnstormer – Gipsy Hill

Favourite Brewery of 2018
CRAK

Beer Experience of 2018
Trying the Champagnebrus BA Tokaji from Warpigs at Moseley Beer Festival

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More west coast, more dry hopping and ABVs to continue falling.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
More low ABV beers knocking about

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Name
Kev Fenton

Bio
Internet princess

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Verdant – Howl
2) Loka Polly – Simcoe Waimea DIPA
3) Omnipollo – Gideon’s Pancake Stack
4) Beatnikz – Azzaca Extra pale
5) Evil Twin – Even More JCS

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Loka Polly

Beer Experience of 2018
Indy Man

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More Hops Less Hate

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Imperial milds

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Name
Aaron

Bio
I drink beers.

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Keep Left- Verdant
2) Cloudwater Dipa V1 one off
3) Fruit car sight. Verdant
4) Cascade Fruitopian Noyaux
5) Crooked Stave Le Brett De Apricot

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant

Beer Experience of 2018
Indyman

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
More of the same double IPA and face melting sours!

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Mild. Lol

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Name
Phill Coleman

Bio
I yell at computers, herd my children and try and sneak in a cheeky beer or two

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Acid Jam – Siren Craft
2) TIPA Citra BBC – Cloudwater
3) Sippin’ into Darkness – Lervig
4) Decadence 2017 2017 Bourbon BA – Marble
5) Speyside BA Imperial Stout – Cloudwater

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Verdant

Beer Experience of 2018
Cloudwater x R2BC – Focus on Fermentation

Hopes and dreams for 2019?
Big beer stops trying to do craft. Brewdog finally grow up.

What will be 2019’s beer trend?
Pushing boundaries – from edgy sours to big barrel aged beasts

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Name
Katy H

Favourite Beers of 2018 (in no particular order)
1) Siren Old Fashioned
2) Cloudwater Speyside Black Forest Stout
3) Cloudwater A Tool for Conviviality
4) Other Half Double Cream Get The Honey
5) Buxton Arran

Favourite Brewery of 2018
Cloudwater/Buxton

Beer Experience of 2018
Off Color Taproom, Chicago

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Thanks everyone! Happy 2019!

– Best of 2016

The results from our best beers of 2016 survey are IN! You guys filled in more forms than ever (well, than 2015 at least…I have a short memory) so below are your answers in full. 2016 was a great year for beer.

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JAMES MOFFAT
PSBH Manager