The Best Beers I Had in June 2026
June brought the unfortunate closing of my longtime favorite — Copper Kettle Brewing Company. In June, they celebrated their 15th Anniversary and then closed at the end of the month, but noe before I could stock up on all my favorites (Helles and every flavor in the Snowed In series). One of my favorite aspects of craft beer is that it builds community, and the community Copper Kettle built was just as good as their beer. They will be sorely missed.
Cooper’s Hop
Brewery Ommegang
Tripel IPA, 10.5% ABV
Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of Belgian IPAs. I don’t love the combination of hop bitterness and Belgian funk. This beer, however, combines my favorite aspects of both strong Belgian beers and American IPAs. Single-hopped with Mosaic, this beer hits you with ripe melon, sweet and tart berries, and just enough bitterness to balance with the malty sweetness and extra ABV. It’s surprisingly dry and refreshing for having such a high ABV.
Final Farewell
Copper Kettle Brewing Company
Imperial Stout, 14% ABV
This is the second-to-last beer I had at Copper Kettle — I ended with my go-to, their Helles lager. Aged for six months in Weller bourbon barrels, this beer is sweet, with noticeable alcohol, but it’s still incredibly smooth. I left with a couple bottles that I’ll be saving to see how the flavor changes over time.
How the West Was One – Simcoe
Westbound & Down Brewing Company
West Coast IPA, 7% ABV
The entire HTWWO series is great, but this is my favorite. Even with just the one hop variety, you get a variety of flavors like nectarine, pine and grapefruit bitterness. It’s crisp, refreshing and a great showcase for Simcoe.
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