Hemingway once said, “I drink to make other people more interesting.” Here at CraftBeer.com, we drink to find the most interesting people.
2024 was a dynamic year of sharing stories within the craft beer world, and we’d like to raise a pint to all of you who read along. As we’re looking ahead to everything that 2025 will bring (readers: we’d love to hear from you about what you’re curious about this coming year), we’d also like to take a moment to look back at some of the stories and people who defined craft beer in 2024, and hopefully, will shape our future. (And yes, we are aware it is February. We got a slow start to 2025 just like everyone else.) So let’s get to it, shall we?
When it comes to looking ahead, no one’s planning for the future more than Doug Goettsch at Big Grove Brewery. We visited him in Iowa to witness everything he’s built in the past decade. His Golden Triangle (you’ll have to read the piece!) consists of beer, food, and hospitality. It’s a trifecta that we here at CraftBeer.com also spend a lot of time thinking about. Yes, we love beer, but we also appreciate all the things it pairs well with, the people it touches, and the places it takes us to.
Joshua M. Bernstein ate tacos in Yakima during hop harvest, finding Mexican food so good it closed the deal (he also answered the enduring question of why we stand for sitting on the most uncomfortable barstools). Aaron Goldfarb inserted craft into the beer can chicken conversation, and explained why we’re all wearing our Lager Lager Lager hats with honor. David Nilsen went afield and foraged for wild beer adjuncts. We paired beers with the likes of hot chicken, burgers, and ice cream, for the sake of research.
In New Orleans, Courtney Iseman traded craft cocktails for, you guessed it, craft beer and found the bayou’s best new breweries. And Buffalonian Anna Hezel joined the Bills Mafia, profiling the rise in Buffalo Pils(ners).
Beer has an earnest way of reaching beyond the glass, as detailed in Breana Lai Killeen’s piece about how The Women of Beer in Vermont banded together, and in another article by Iseman describing how another group of people found pride in what they do. An excellent article about AAPI beers by Jasmine Arielle Ting portrayed communities who put their true selves into what hits the shelves.
It can still be a struggle sometimes to get your beer brewed and out there. Mickey Lyons wrote about how to navigate the beer label bottleneck, and as a Detroit native, conveyed what we’ve learned from Motor City’s brewing history. We launched a new column called The New Nobles, shouting out the new hop cultures around the country, with Fred Cullin writing the first installment about the state of Michigan.
To close out the year, Jerard Fagerberg brought us song in this wonderful collective of beer choirs singing (and sipping) together in harmony and hymns. So why don’t we all toast to our shared interests, and find something more interesting to talk about … over craft beers, of course.
Cheers!
We went to our esteemed writers to get their picks for things to kick off a new year of beer. Here’s what they’re looking forward to and will be sipping on in 2025.
DAVID NILSEN
FUN FIND:
Somerville Chocolate Hops Dark Milk Chocolate Bar
This chocolatier operates out of Aeronaut Brewing’s facility in Somerville, Mass. This decadent bar is laced with Mosaic hops for something totally unexpected.
BEER OF THE YEAR:
I had this beauty over the Fourth of July weekend on their shaded patio, and it was sincerely one of the best German Pilsners I’ve ever had—dry and snappy, but bright and full of life.
JASMINE TING
FUN FIND:
Anyone who’s watched Will Ferrell’s Netflix documentary, Will & Harper, will understand why this beer can puffer is absolutely hilarious and absolutely essential. Would highly recommend getting matching coats for you and your beer bestie!
BEER OF THE YEAR:
I’d go with the Jolli Beer Peach Mango Lager.
JERARD FAGERBERG
FUN FIND:
JOSHUA M. BERNSTEIN
FUN FIND:
Perhaps I’m a bit biased here (guilty!), but I’m super proud of the revised 10th-anniversary edition of The Complete Beer Course. It’s a road map that helps both new and experienced drinkers understand the past, present, and delicious future of beer.
BEER OF THE YEAR:
In Columbus, I’m stocking up at Seventh Son and Columbus Brewing.
COURTNEY ISEMAN
FUN FIND:
Zines published by David Nilsen and Melinda Guerra under Bean to Barstool are such a fun discovery for any beer lover—you can find educational content like David’s “Pairing Beer & Chocolate”; insightful (and award-winning!) stories from some of the most brilliant beer writers connecting beer to travel, personal memories, culture, trends, and more in various “Final Gravity” issues; and I do have my own “Beer Tarot” zine I’d recommend for those with mystical leanings.
BEER OF THE YEAR:
The California West Coast IPA from Progression Brewing Company in Northampton, Mass. It was the platonic ideal of a WCIPA with all that bracing bitterness supported by some satisfying malt.
MICHAEL HARLAN TURKELL
FUN FIND:
These have been on my wish list ever since I reported our beer and ice cream pairing story, so I wouldn’t mind sharing a pint of any of these beer-infused ice creams from Goldbelly.
BEER OF THE YEAR:
A welcoming can of Big Grove’s Easy Eddy and its many iterations (e.g. West Eddy, Royal Eddy, Freezy Eddy…)
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
