The February issue of Maxim Magazine hit the shelves late last week and for once included an article worth reading which wasn’t about hot girls. It was however about beer. The four-page spread was a run down of what Maxim decided are the 25 Best New Beers in America. No real explanation of what “new” means, since some of the beers on the list are decidedly not all together that new but it was a surprisingly good list all the same — especially given the source — and only one of the twenty-five brews is from one of the “big three” breweries. There also doesn’t seem to be any specific order to the list that I can decipher, but here it is:
- Porkslap Pale Ale – Butternuts Beer & Ale
- Drifter Pale Ale – Widmer Bros.
- Hoss (Rye Lager) – Great Divide
- Hoptober Golden Ale – New Belgium
- Haywire (Hefeweizen) – Pyramid
- Helios Ale (Saison) – Victory
- Noble Pils – Sam Adams
- Ten Fidy (Imperial Stout) – Oskar Blues
- Torpedo (Extra IPA) – Sierra Nevada
- MarzHon (Marzen) – Clipper City
- Bud Light Golden Wheat – Anheuser-Busch
- Sexual Chocolate (Imperial Stout) – Foothills Brewing
- Brew Free! Or Die (IPA) – 21st Amendment Brewing
- Green Lakes Organic Ale (Amber) – Deschutes
- Indian Brown – Dogfish Head
- Upslope Pale Ale – Upslope Brewery
- Old Stock – North Coast
- Blue Ball (Porter) – Intercourse Brewing Co.
- Calico (Amber) – Ballast Point
- Union Jack (IPA) – Firestone Walker
- Fat Squirrel (Brown Ale) – New Glarus
- UFO White – Harpoon (Boston)
- Local 1 (Pale) – Brooklyn
- Tumble Off (Pale Ale) – Barley Brown’s Brew Pub
- Phoenix (Pale Ale) – Sly Fox
I think it’s interesting to note that five of the twenty-five beers on the list (or a full 20%) were canned beers; certainly speaks volumes to the nationwide trend. What do you think of the list? Anything you’d add or subtract if you were a Maxim intern compiling lists of microbrews while the paid folks were off shooting Amanda Bynes for the cover?
11 Comments
Uh, sounds like a few of those were thrown in for the middle-school-sniggering properties: Blue Ball from Intercourse Brewing, Butternuts… from Porkslap and Sexual Chocolate. Hope they’re good beers too, at least.
Sexual Chocolate is great. Can’t speak to the others. I have a really hard time seeing Sexual Chocolate right next to Bud Light Golden Wheat, though.
By “new” I think they mean “new to them.”
@Kate I agree that Butternuts is one of the all-time worst names for a brewery but the Porkslap Pale is alright (not great). I can’t speak for Intercourse Brewing Co. but I hear amazing things about the Foothills Sexual Chocolate.
@erik Yeah, must be “new to them”
Porkslap is a decent Pale Ale, the ginger flavor is quite refreshing. I feel like this list is ridiculously safe for the most part. Nothing to crazy and nothing to obscure. What I don’t get is what Maxim constitutes as “new”. Ten Fidy has been around for years as has Sexual Chocolate as has Indian Brown, Phoenix Pale Ale and Helios (which was simply a rebranding of Saison V). Some good beers on there, personally as far as “New” beers goes I would have gone with something from The Bruery or Cigar City or perhaps A Little Sumpin Sumpin from Lagunitas….
One of the owners of the Butternuts Brewery just opened up another brewery Called Shawnee on the Deleware, I met him at one of my beer tastings. Nice guy, cool stories.
I haven’t read an issue of Maxim since probably 2004 but this list doesn’t surprise me. Bud Light Wheat? Seriously?
New Glarus Fat Squirrel is far from “new”. I wonder what criteria was used to determine “new”.
Is the Smokestack Series from Boulevard too “new” to make this list? Frankly that entire series should be listed.
Anyway, good to see a full article on beer in Maxim. Maybe they’re turning the corner…doubtful.
I’m a bit disappointed that Allagash didn’t get any mentions. But the rest of the beers that I’ve drank on the list are all decent bevs. Good to see an article about something other than boobs…not that boobs are bad.
I guess Allagash wasn’t “new” enough for them! 🙂
A good list. Usually Maxim and the like support stuff with big names and small taste. Wish I could get a copy here in Japan!
Love the blog and we link to it from Good Beer and Country Boys here in Japan!
http://www.jibeer.com
I’d add Pretty Things Jack D’Or and The Bruery Saison de Lente. Not sure what they constitute as new however. Pretty good list for a general purpose Men’s magazine though (for a beer geek I do see it as “safe”, but not everyone is a beer geek).
I am a huge fan of the DFH Indian Brown – malty sweet with a signature DFH kick of hops. Great balance. Check out my review of it here:
http://www.kegworks.com/blog/2009/05/08/dogfish-head-indian-brown-ale-beer-review/