Of all the year-end lists we do, this one is my favorite.
Why? Because it proves that the folks who use BeerMenus have fantastic taste. The list is always filled with outstanding breweries, and this year is no exception.
Alright. Enough with me enjoying it. It's your turn!
Note: "Most popular" is determined by pageviews. Every brewery has a BeerMenus brewery page, where you can see a list of all the beers that brewery produces. (From there you can click to see where you can get that beer near you.) The breweries on this list got the most views in 2018.
Image courtesy of Other Half.
Visiting Other Half's taproom is an exercise in hazy IPA perfection.
They'll usually have a few other styles available, but the main event is IPAs, and our neighbors put out a ton of them.
Once you arrive you'll no doubt be faced with a dilemma: which one should I have? The solution is two fold:
• You can't go wrong, so just order one of the 12+ IPAs on tap.
• Make sure you don't have just one.
Bonus: This year Other Half opened a location in Rochester, NY, so y'all up north can now get yours, too!
Evil Twin founder Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso at the site of Evil Twin's forthcoming location. The photo (from Evil Twin's Facebook page) is from at least a year ago. We're guessing there's much less rubble now.
Soon. Very soon. And we can't wait.
I'm talking about Evil Twin's physical location in Queens. It still feels a little strange to say, but hey—even gypsies have to settle down sometime.
Once it opens, Evil Twin will join the contingent of NYC breweries. Because the scene is already amazing, I wouldn't go so far as to say it needs Evil Twin. But one more outstanding brewery certainly won't hurt things.
Cheers to the [impending] opening!
Photo courtesy of @hillfarmstead.
Hill Farmstead is a regular on this list, even as the number of great American breweries continues to explode.
We all know the beers—my personal favorites are any of the Society and Solitude series—but the most remarkable thing about Hill Farmstead is that every single beer they make is top-of-the-line for that style.
Saison? Arthur is great. Pale ale? I don't need to say anything except Edward. Porter? Everett.
I could go on. So could you. And that's precisely the point.
Photo by Patrick Capriglione for Hudson Valley Brewery.
It is absolutely no surprise to see Hudson Valley (whose taproom was the most popular business on BeerMenus this year) near the top of this list.
Hudson Valley does a lot of things, and does all of them well: fantastic IPAs, really great sours and classy-ass visual design makes their beers a joy.
And, should you have the opportunity, drinking any of their great beers inside their tasteful, barrel filled taproom (pictured above) makes the experience all the better.
A recent release. Image courtesy of @interboronyc.
We've been huge fans of Interboro since founders Jesse and Laura opened their doors back in 2016, so we're thrilled to see our neighbors top off this list!
Outstanding NEIPAs, a multi-libation range that lets them ace spirits and cocktails, too (try their canned gin and tonic if you see it), and a propensity to bring hip hop into the mix in the form of collabs and beer names: what else could a gal or guy want or need?!
Congrats Interboro, we love ya!
Dylan Blake is the Head of Marketing at BeerMenus. He likes fitting words together, getting grammar to a place where only serious nitpickers can take umbrage, and taking walks in the woods.