2025 has come and gone like a frat house beer bong, yet I remembered most of it unlike participation in said drinking vessel. In the recent tradition of everything occurring late once becoming a father of 2, I publish this Best Beers list over 2 weeks into 2026. That’s my life now – I get around to fun activities when the necessities are taken care of and what little free time I have opens up for recapping my drinking endeavors of the previous year. C’est la vie.
This past year saw me check in less overall beers than 2024 (1371 vs. 1431) although my Uniques were higher (1079 vs. 965) – probably pure randomness on that last front. A surprise non-craft beer (or perhaps not surprising) was my most drank in 2025, and that was Sapporo with 12 check-ins, reflective of my roughly monthly sushi meal with an accompanying Japanese Lager. Amalgam IPAs occupied the 2nd and 3rd spots with Coastal Bias (11 check-ins) and Mosaic Mansion (9 check-ins). I am proud to report that my share of Lagers increased from 25.3% to 26.3% of check-ins – your boy continues to love crispies. American IPAs were still my most checked-in style with 275(!!!) versus last year’s 205. Pilsner – Other once again made it into my Top 5 with 43 check-ins, good for 3rd place. I’d imagine most of those were West Coast Pils, a style I dearly love and seek out these days.
My 2025 Best Beers style count is 2 Stouts, 2 Barleywines, 2 Pilsners, 2 American IPAs, 1 Czech Lager, and 1 Kellerbier. This matches 2024 with the most Lagers (4) out of my list. 3 new breweries are appearing on my Best Beers for the first time.
And here we go: Brittski’s Best Beers of 2025!
10. everywhere robotic humans
I regret only purchasing one can of this. With the bonafides firmly settled between everywhere and Human Robots, I could tell this was going to be a banger, and I wasn’t disappointed. An unfiltered Kellerbier with an amped up hop profile is sure to satisfy me, and this was executed to perfection.
9. Cannonball Creek Alpha Blaster
Another regrettably low volume drink, I sampled Alpha Blaster a couple times at Collab Fest. It was the standout beer of the festival, and like the previous beer its collaborators set it up for success. Shred is well known for its great West Coast IPAs, and teaming up with the GABF darling purveyor of dankness in Cannonball was bound to be memorable. This beer provided everything I want in a West Coast IPA – big fruity hops with a strong malt backbone. Collab Fest delivered with this one.
8. Cohesion Ramona
I did not plan it, but this is the third straight collab beer to start off my list. The Denver Czech Lager masters at Cohesion teamed up with Mikerphone from Chicagoland for this 3.5% crusher. Utilizing a non-Czech hop in Nelson Sauvin, there is an added hop presence here not typically found in Cohesion beers. While malt is still the breadwinner (Get it? GET IT?!?), the New Zealand hops amp up the flavor profile.
7. Cellarmaker Double Barrel Batch 2000
This was a treat I got to try on tap at the Cellarmaker Oakland tasting room. Some would say that barrel aged Barleywines are life (#BIL), and it is hard to argue with that when encountering a beer this good. A combo of bourbon and rye barrels gives this batch deep complexity that dances atop the boozy Werther’s base. Does it hurt that I had Cellarmaker’s great pizza to go along with this beer? No. No it does not at all.
6. Fidens Universality
A brewery best known for their Hazy IPAs, Fidens can also knock it out of the park with a West Coast Pils. This is perhaps the dankest WC Pils I’ve ever had, bursting with tropical fruit and fully contained in a drinkable 5.1% package. I need to find a way to drink more quantity of all of my favorite beers. Brittski’s Best Beer box from Tavour perhaps?
5. Amalgam Mosaic Mansion
My third most drank beer of 2025 was also one of the best I had. Amalgam pumps out incredible West Coast IPAs, and Mosaic Mansion exemplifies that in all the best ways. A big bright juicy hop component is balanced by a clean bitterness, showcasing the greatness that can be modern West Coast IPAs. It doesn’t get much better than this.
4. Private Press Truth In Time
This small format bottle from Private Press exemplifies the careful thought that goes into their blending process. Huge depth of flavor is extracted from three different barrels, resulting in a 19% Barleywine that oozes in oak, vanilla, and slight char. If you didn’t bother to read through Brad’s essay on the genesis of this beer, just know that a lot of intentionality went into creating it.
3. Highland Park High 11 West Coast Pils
It almost feels like cheating to put a Highland Park West Coast Pils on my Best Beers list, yet they continually lead the way in exemplifying what this style should be. This collaboration with Uchu from Japan is packed full of bright citrus notes, tropical fruits, and a dankness unexpected in a 5.6% Lager. This is an anniversary celebration properly turned up to 11.
2. Horus PPR (Black Label)
A brewery / man well known for their extreme beers took it to another level with PPR (Black Label). Horus aged this 19% Stout in 5 different barrels for a total of 47 months before conditioning it on vanilla and coconut. Anyone familiar with my favorite beers knows that barrel aged baddies with coconut feature prominently, and this is one of the best combos I’ve ever had. 5 cheers for Kyle and his wonderful crazy creations!
1. Anchorage We’re All Replaceable
I broke No Beer January for this beast when I saw it being tapped at Finn’s Manor. Funny that one of (if not THE) first beer I tried in 2025 ended up being my favorite. Anchorage used a litany of various bourbon barrels (6 by my count), vanilla beans, and coconut to concoct this decadent Stout that managed to let all its elements shine, perfectly integrating barrel complexity with tasteful adjuncts. While it may seem boring to have my 2 Best Beers of 2025 both be ~19% BA Stouts with vanilla and coconut, that’s just the way the flavor train rode into the station last year.
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