The Best Beer of the Month: May 2021
June 4, 2021
The number one question we get asked at The Beer Travel Guide: “Had any good beers lately?” And the answer, invariably, is always yes. In the past, we’ve made our fair readers wait until the end of the year to find out our relatively recent favorites. However, this year, we’re going to let you know every month all of the new craft beers that have blown us away. We’ve selected ten beers that we feel are worthy of calling the best beers of May 2021!
Like our other lists, we’re only allowing ourselves to put one beer per brewery, so we can spread the love to as many fantastic breweries as possible. During this troubled time, your local craft breweries need your support more than ever. So please go support the ten breweries below and any others in your hometown to help them survive this pandemic and serve us amazing beer for years to come. Now, without further ado, our favorite beers this May!
Note: since Russell spent much of May traveling Florida and New England, you’ll discover that all of the selections this month come from those areas. Thanks to all of the breweries that showed us such hospitality on our travels this month– there were too many delicious beers to name here, but we’re grateful for each and every one of you.
I’d heard nothing but great things about the stouts at 3 Sons Brewing in Dania Beach, but I’d never had an opportunity to try them myself… until May. I got to try multiple flights at their Florida taproom, and while a number of beers could’ve made their way here– the Swag Juice, a black truffle salt gose, in particular– the JBM NOA 35 made me understand why I’d heard about 3 Sons stouts all the way across the country. It’s just unfairly smooth for a 14% ABV, giving you rich and creamy chocolate booze with a splash of coconut. I can’t remember the last time a barrel-aged stout had such a perfect combination of balanced sweetness and minimal burn.
Aardwolf Brewing: Cinnamon Whiskey Barrel Aged Early Bird Special
Aardwolf admittedly holds a special place in our hearts– it’s not only one of the closest breweries to my childhood home, but also the place where Emily and I held a big private party the night before our wedding. We have a lot of good memories here, and every time we return to visit, they’ve always got a bevy of new beer on tap. While they’ve got great options across a wide variety of styles, it’s hard to not return to their barrel aged stouts, which easily rank among the best in the state. The Cinnamon Whiskey Barrel Aged Early Bird Special takes their fantastic breakfast stout, ages it in cinnamon whiskey barrels for over a year, and conditions it on espresso beans. The result is a full-bodied, decadent, cinnamon coffee concoction that led me to write just one word in my notes: “BANGER.”
Buttonwoods Brewery: Learning Curve 8
It was tough for my friend Ronnie and me to find Buttonwoods’s taproom during our day in Rhode Island, but once we did, we felt we’d stumbled into heaven. We started with their bohemian pilsner and schwarzbier, both among the best of their respective styles that we’ve had recently. We then pivoted to the IPAs, all of which were exemplary. However, the one that stood out the most in our minds was Learning Curve 8, the latest in an experimental IPA series that we know nothing about. Literally. The taproom manager told us the brewer does not reveal the hops in the Learning Curve installments as he continues to tinker with the recipe. I respect the mystery, but I hope he doesn’t tinker too much with this one: it’s light and refreshing with notes of banana and peach, and it was perfect for sipping poolside the next day.
Civil Society Brewing Company: Beach to Myself
After a road trip to my grandmother’s house in southern Florida, it’s hard not to plan a quick detour to Jupiter to do some drinking at Civil Society Brewing Company. It’s appropriate that Civil Society is located in a city that shares its name with a planet, because the IPAs they’re serving are out of this world. I’d had a can or two of their work before, but nothing rivals having it fresh from the tap. It’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite IPA at Civil Society, but if I have to, I’ll go with Beach to Myself, their collab with Vitamin Sea Brewing– it’s simultaneously big and soft, boasting big tropical grapefruit juiciness. My only regret is not bringing more cans home with me to Los Angeles.
I went with Ronnie on a trip to Portland, Maine to enjoy a nice New England getaway (and to prep a future Portland, Maine article for the site!), and while so many of the breweries were terrific, Definitive Brewing was a clear standout. The entire flight we ordered contained winners, top-to-bottom– not a weak taster in the bunch, no matter the style. Still, the one I have to rave about here is Particles, their DDH double IPA: it’s pillowy soft, giving waves of melon and mango creamy juiciness before hitting you with that perfect little splash of bitterness right at the end. In a city filled with fantastic IPAs, this may be the best of them all. IPAs like this certainly help Definitive Brewing live up to its name.
King Maker Brewing: Pineapple Jalapeño Sour
King Maker Brewing opened in Jacksonville in March 2020… and the pandemic shut them down mere days after their opening. Despite this incredibly unfortunate timing, King Maker fought through, persevered, and, though they’d only been re-opened for a little less than a year, showed me a great time last month. When I asked for recommendations for my first visit, the bartender, Rachel, didn’t hesitate: “Get the Pineapple Jalapeño Sour. It’ll be gone in a day.” Say no more! Sure enough, the Pineapple Jalapeño Sour was the highlight of the flight, as the jalapeño flavor shines through with the pineapple tempering the spice. It’s one of the best fruited kettle sours I’ve had in ages. Great recommendation, Rachel!
Long Live Beerworks: DDH The All-Seeing Eye
Any trip to Providence requires a trip to Long Live Beerworks– it was my very first stop after flying into town! While I want to also give some quick love to their delicious fruited sour, Frozie Cup: Black Out,… unsurprisingly, much of my visit was spent trying every IPA they had on tap. If you’re unfamiliar with Long Live Beerworks, they make some of the very best New England IPAs in all of New England. Choosing a single beer from this list of bangers is impossible. I’ll side with DDH The All-Seeing Eye: big flavor, pleasing softness, lovely bitter back end, everything a New England IPA should be… but seriously, I could’ve chosen any of half a dozen options here. It’s unfair how loaded with tasty haze this menu is. Seek out Long Live Beerworks.
Odd Breed Wild Ales: Halo Kibbles
The Miami area is packed to the brim with craft breweries cranking out highly fruited “smoothie sours.” Some are delicious… but the best smoothie sours still can’t compare with the best barrel aged sours. And make no mistake, Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach is making some of the best barrel aged sours, not just in Florida, but in the whole country. It’s impossible to not try everything on tap when you find yourself in such a mecca of barrel-aged beauty. They put the wild in wild ale, as some of these beers are unlike anything you’ve had (they served a sherry barrel aged dark sour on nitro!). The one that sent me head over heels in love, though, was the Halo Kibbles, an oak-aged raspberry bonanza with fruity nose, bright flavor, and exceptional pucker. Just writing about it has my mouth watering– it’s easily a contender for the best sour beer I’ll have all year.
Stoneface Brewing: BA Mistadoppelina, Mr. Bock Doppelina (2019)
Throughout our road trip through New England, Ronnie and I kept thinking back to our very first stop: Stoneface Brewing in Newington, New Hampshire. The lagers were crisp and refreshing, and the IPAs were hoppy, dry, and delicious. However, the barrel-aged beers sent Stoneface into the stratosphere. Their rum barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout is one of the best I’ve had in a long time… but there was yet another stand-out I’ll choose for this list. The Barrel Aged Mistadoppelina, Mr. Bock Doppelina, to start, has one of the best beer names I can recall, a brilliant reference to a personal favorite song of mine, “Mistadobalina” by Del tha Funkee Homosapien. The beer, thankfully, lives up to the name, an outstanding and luxurious blend of toffee, raisin, caramel, and just the right amount of bourbon. I’ll definitely be begging my friends in New England to send me more Stoneface in the future.
Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending: Fire and Brimstone
Miami is filled with a variety of hyped craft breweries, but if a friend asked me to recommend only one brewery in the city itself, I’d tell them without hesitation to go to Unseen Creatures. Their taproom’s only been open around a year and a half, but they’re slinging some of the best beer in the state. Their flagship pale ale, Pursuance, is so great that I took a couple of four-packs with me for the rest of my road trip. Their hazy IPAs are the best in a city with many ballyhooed IPAs. However, their speciality is their wild ales, so it’s no surprise my favorite beer of my visit was Fire and Brimstone, a passionfruit and apricot sour with bright fruit flavor, nice barrel complexity, and some big time pucker. When you’re begging your Miami friends to send you beer mail, if you’re not asking for Unseen Creatures, you’re doing it wrong.
What was your favorite beer of May 2021? Leave it in the comments below! Also, follow Russell and Emily both on Instagram to find out what they’re drinking on a regular basis– and please check out our favorite beers of January, February, March, and April while you’re here. Thanks for supporting our site! Cheers!
