Editors’ Picks
The review scores in this (and every) issue of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® are a result of blind tasting by our independent panel (staff do not participate in the scoring of the beers). But our editorial team tastes the same beers, and we have our own opinions of the brews. Most of the time, those opinions coincide with the review panel, but occasionally they diverge, so we’ve used the “Editors’ Pick” flags on the reviews in conjunction with this sidebar to point out some of our editors’ favorites from this issue.
Moonlight Meadery Utopian Batch #8
We’re big fans of grand gestures, and Moonlight Meadery’s Utopian series of meads is about as grand as you can get. It’s not just barrel-aged; it’s aged in barrels used to age Sam Adams Utopias. Then they let it rest in those barrels for a whopping four years (the longest a beer will typically sit in a barrel is about two years). The result is a unique mead with strong barrel notes from the spirit-like Utopias, and a whopping 18 percent ABV, despite the gorgeous light and crystal-clear body. It’s a pricey endeavor at $100 for a 375ml bottle but a fun experience if you can taste it back to back with some Utopias.
Glutenberg IPA
Glutenberg blew our expectations out of the water with their entire line of truly gluten-free beers. Eschewing sorghum for a mix of buckwheat, millet, corn, and black rice, Glutenberg has crafted beers that can legitimately stand up to some of their non-gluten-free brethren. The IPA delivered dank and citrusy hops in the nose and flavor backed up with the aforementioned grain bill that avoided the overtly cider-like notes so evident in sorghum-derived beers. There’s nothing we enjoy more than having our assumptions about a type or style of beer blown apart by a new experience, and it’s not overstating it to say that Glutenberg completely altered our opinions of what is possible with gluten-free beer. Other gluten-free brewers take note—these beers are game changers.
Moa Cider Apple
Is there anything Moa Founder Josh Scott can’t do? Head winemaker for the family-owned Allan Scott Wines in Marlborough, NZ, the younger Scott launched craft beer brand Moa from the family estate in 2003 because, as the familiar saw goes, “it’s takes a lot of beer to make a great wine.” Now Moa has expanded into cider, and the result is both artful and accessible. Fermented and aged with French oak, Moa cider balances the wood notes, green-apple nose, sweetness, and acidity in a manner you’d expect from one of the better white-wine producers in Marlborough. We’ve tasted ciders with more farmhouse/barnyard funk, but Moa shows that more isn’t necessarily better—those notes are perfectly integrated here in an eminently drinkable, enjoyable cider.