We asked our writers to send in a few sentences about their favorite beers of the year. We asked them for a favorite local beer and a favorite out-of-town beer. Some of these have been around for years and some aren’t available in Houston. This isn’t meant to be a “best of 2015” article; it’s just us talking about the beers we like. Hopefully if you get to try these you’ll like them as much as we have.

What were your favorite beers of the year? Let us know on Twitter @HoustonBeer or on Facebook at Houston Beer Guide

Cody Lee

Photo: Brash Brewing Co.

Brash EZ-7 – The long anticipated homecoming of Brash Brewing brought with it a slew of new beers, and EZ-7 was my favorite of the bunch. A pale ale with a bite, this beer satisfies both the hop-head in me and my desire to drink for hours on end. I hope to see this in cans in the coming year.

de Garde Petit Desay – If you have an idealized version of a farmhouse ale in your head and you’re spinning your wheels looking for it, look no further. Subtly tart, perfectly effervescent, and wonderfully dry; at 5% ABV, this is my ideal beer to ring in the New Year.

Josh Frink

Photo: Karbach Brewing Co.

Karbach Mother in Lager – I know this wasn’t a new release for 2015, but somehow this was the first year I tried it. If it weren’t a seasonal beer, this dark lager would have a place in my fridge year-round. It is full of roast and biscuit flavors that give way to a light body and crisp German hops. That balance would make it a great year-round offering. Hopefully someone from Karbach is reading this.

Crooked Stave Wild Sage – My wife and I took the dream trip to Denver this year for the Great American Beer Festival. During that week, we tried more beers than we could count (don’t worry, the tasting glasses are only 2 ounces). Wild Sage was my favorite beer of the trip. The mix of brett beer and sage create a wonderful display of floral, earthy, and herbal flavors in a way that makes me feel like I’m discovering something lost in time.

Nathan Miller

My favorite Houston beer remains Fort Bend Texas Lightning. They may have closed back in February but the age on this flavorful IPA just adds to its wonderfulness. Balanced flavors of cardboard, stale grain, and oxidation contribute to a marvelous beverage. AHAHAHA just kidding. See attached picture.

Photo: Other Half Brewing Co.

This year I’ve been fortunate enough to try a lot of beers and picking a favorite from outside Houston is hard even if I limit it to 2015, but I think I’ll go with Mosaic from Brooklyn’s Other Half. It’s no secret mosaic is my favorite hop, and this showcases it *almost* as well as Yellow Rose.

Jose Luis Cubria

Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing Co.

Saint Arnold Bishop’s Barrel 12 – The first truly great barrel-aged beer from Houston. Funky, dry, vinous, tart and fruity. Way more interesting, complex and delicious than its forebears BB2 & BB2B. If this is an eye into the future of BA beers from Saint Arnold, then hold onto your butts.

Real Ale Tenebrae Aeterna – A standout among all the other great beers in RA’s Mysterium Verum series. “BA sour porter” doesn’t do it any sort of justice, although this is the beer that finally convinced me that sour porters/stouts can be greater than the sum of their parts.

Alice Hicks

Greg Manuel

St. Arnold Art Car IPA –  This may be my favorite “traditional” beer they’ve ever released in the permanent lineup. Really. It’s incredibly approachable, even for the “I don’t like IPA” people you may know (and we all have one or two of those hanging around; don’t ask me why we keep them around). It’s citrusy and tropical, finishes clean thanks to the low malt bill, and is not terribly bitter. This one drinks like a session IPA to me. While this dog roamed, as a result of this fantastic IPA, he has found his way home, and Arnold and I are happy to announce that we will be renewing our vows. You can have your Yellow Rose, I’m having an Art Car or three.*
*But I’ll still be having a Yellow Rose as well. And an Uber.

Photo: Parish Brewing Co.

Parish Brewing Co. Ghost in the Machine DIPA –  Welcome to the party, Louisiana! Even if you don’t travel frequently, odds are that you’ll still cruise on over to our neighbor’s place to the east every now and again to satisfy your urge to commit some of the deadly sins, making this non-local-but-still-sort-of-almost-local from Lafayette pretty attainable. Find this crushable DIPA and find it now — people will call me a blasphemer, but I’ll say it and stand by it (and even Twitter fight you): this beer is every bit as good as a certain famous and not-as-attainable not-too-malty hop explosion DIPA from Vermont that you may have heard of (hint: rhymes with Bready Flopper). While it used to be a pretty limited release, things have changed, and word on the streetswamp is that it will be released monthly in 2016. I need more of this beer in my life.

Ryan Mader

Tim Foley

What were your favorite beers of the year? Let us know on Twitter @HoustonBeer or on Facebook at Houston Beer Guide

The post Favorite Beers 2015 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Favorite Beers 2015 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.