In addition to reaching out to the Western New York craft scene to find out what everyone’s favorite beer, cider and mead of 2021 was, I also looked inwards, and asked the core members of Buffalo Beer League – co-founder Scott McMillan, founding member Jesse Walters and top lieutenant Mark Jowett – what beverages they remember the most in their glass from 2021. I also contributed a list, because I drank a lot of good stuff last year, naturally.

This is no easy task mind you, but someone’s got to do it and we don’t mind getting our hands dirty as it were. But just as we rack the furthest reaches of our dwindling memories to list each and every beer we loved from this past year, please do us the honor and courtesy of cracking something memorable yourself while reading along. Hopefully you’ve had a few of these and some good memories of drinking them with yours friends come flooding back.

Now, please, sit back and enjoy our favorite beers from 2021.

Brian: “Eli Fish Brewing Gin Barrel Aged Pillow Talk, 42 North Raspberry Macaron Pastry Gose, Forager and There Gose the Night, Thin Man Brewery Yuppie Cadillac and Fifth Anniversary NEIPA, Community Beer Works Even More Highly Suspicious, Strawberry Gold and Summer Playlist, First Line Brewing Beasts in the East, Pressure Drop Brewing Space Monkey Episode 6 Return of the Space Monkey IPA, Aunt Gladys and DDH Super Sticky IPA, Brickyard Brewing Company Oktoberfest, Dante Fiero and Stained Glass No. 1, OSB Ciderworks Weck Me Up Before You Go Go, Big Ditch Brewing Saison du Monde, Tequila Vision and Double Barrel 2020, West Shore Brewing Imperial Banana Cream Pie Stout, Lafayette Brewing Bethune Summer Brown, 12 Gates Brewing Skool Daze and Blueberry Danish, Flying Bison Brewery Brother Manto and Resurgence Brewing Dubbel Talk and Squad Car Megaphone, Southern Tier Brewing Blueberry Whirl MIPA, Belt Line Brewery Double Loop NEIPA, One-Eyed Cat Brewing The Lady Wore Black.”

Scott: “The Veil Brewing x Mikeller Sketchy Transfer, Other Half Wangies IPA, 42 North Raspberry Macaron Pastry Gose, Big Ditch Rare 2021, Brickyard Brewing Oktoberfest, Iron Tug Brewing Shore Leave Pineapple Upside Down Cake Sour, Community Beer Works Strawberry Gold, Thin Man Beyond the Final Horizon Barleywine and Zero Trade Value, Old First Ward Brewing Mangolorian.”

Jesse: “Bellwoods Brewery x Brasserie De La Senne Imperial Donkey, Brickyard Brewing It’s Okay To Not Be Okay DIPA, Community Beer Works Even More Highly Suspicious DIPA and That Strawberry IPA, Steuben Brewing Flora Pils, 42 North Brewing Houblon Sec, Big Ditch 2021 Bourbon Barrel Aged Towpath Imperial Stout, First Line Brewing Beasts in the East, Resurgence Brewing x DiCamillo Bakery Curly Loaf Pils, Pressure Drop Brewing x Big Ditch Aqua Flying Spaghetti Monster IPA.”

Mark: “Off the top of my head – Big Ditch Double Barrel, Old First Ward Brewing Oktoberfest, Thin Man Brewery Ask the Sky, Flying Bison Fenian Ale.”

Here’s to even more great beer in 2022! Cheers.

Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).