The photos you liked the most on Instagram @BeerAffair in 2017.

Beer Affair 2017 Most Liked Photos on Instagram

The “2017 Best Nine.” I thought it was a silly trend at first, but eventually came around to see the value in what viewers liked the most on the @BeerAffair Instagram account over the course of 2017. Of course, every moment of my love affair with beer is special to me, and some of these moments are meaningful, but what I found really interesting is how many of them are, well, sorta not.Cracking a can of Oskar Blues Hotbox IPA before a shift at Brouwerij Lane. Interviewing Pete Lengyel for a personality profile in Ale Street News. Hoisting a pint at my favorite local pub, Keg and Lantern. Kicking back on the couch with a Lizard King. What really resonated with people, it seems, are the everyday moments of my experiences with beer.

Here’s What People Liked the Most in 2017

1. Unsurprisingly, the number one post was an artful shot of Other Half x Transmitter‘s Crystal Waves Pilsner. I was super excited about this beer because it was the first collaboration between the two breweries—two of New York’s best—and it was a pilsner, which was my jam pretty much all summer. As for the likes, I like to think it was the extra effort I put into the shot (matching teal backdrop, delicate crystal styling…), or maybe the inspiration I got thanks to the person who gave it to me, Miguel Rivas (AKA the Beer Trekker a pro beertographer). Or, let’s be honest: it’s because it’s an Other Half can.
2. Pat took this one at an Incubus concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey. I’m holding a tall, frosty can of Dogfish SeaQuench Ale, which I touted as the stadium’s best beer and which has since been named the 2017 winner of Brewbound‘s ‘Beer Product of the Year’ award, as well as noted Men’s Health ‘Best Low-Cal Beer.’ It was pouring rain, and the beer was like $19, but I savored every last chug.
3. This #selfie was taken before a Friday night shift at Brouwerij Lane, a badass beer shop in Greenpoint, where I was working at the time. I was checking out Oskar Blues‘ first release of Hotbox Coffee IPA, which I don’t think exists anymore, but I dug enough to post a photo of. Thanks for the beer mail, Oskar Blues! (I’m also wearing my sweet Telfar White Castle beanie, which may have boosted the likes on this one.)
4. I took this one AT Brouwerij Lane during a slow shift on a Tuesday afternoon. (Read: I was the only person in the bar and cleaned the shop, twice.) I popped a pic of the latest can release from Greenpoint Beer and Ale: SMaSH Street Extra Pale Ale, still a fave.
5. This punk photo of Pete Lengyel, co-owner and brewer at Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC), was taken after a three hour interview for a piece I was writing for Ale Street News. (Read it here, he’s a fascinating brewer!) Among the things that were awesome about this interview: Pete was wearing a bathing suit. #brewerlife
6. Although you wouldn’t know it by the 2017 Best Nine, posed photos of me are somewhat of a rarity on my Instagram. This one was taken at Cacao Prieto, a chocolate maker and distiller in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I was psyched because of the whiskey and chocolate, and also because there were peacocks and chickens behind me. Also of note: the only reason this picture ended up in my 2017 Best Nine is because Dave Kyrejko started an argument with the marketing people about their business story being bullsh*t. You’ll have to see the post to see what I’m talking about…
7. Here, I’m hoisting a half-pint at one of my favorite local places for a beer and a bite, Keg and Lantern. Living in Greenpoint, Keg and Lantern has become a bit of a home away from home for me, largely due to late night snacks after work when I was in need of a midnight dinner.
8. A shot of Draft Magazine (now defunct in print, after purchase by All About Beer) and Beer Advocate. I’m always excited to get my beer mags in the mail, sometimes so much so that I share a photo. Apparently, other people get excited, too, which is super neat. Support publishing!
9. Lying on the couch with a Lizard King, one of the best pale ales in the country courtesy of Pipeworks Brewing Co. At first glance, there’s not much to this shot, but there is a bit of a back story: I bought a can of Lizard King every time it came in at Brouwerij Lane. Yet, every time I did this, Pat would somehow end up drinking it before me when I wasn’t home. This time, mommy got hers.

   That’s a wrap! These photos aren’t necessarily a snapshot of my biggest moments in beer, but they do represent something that’s, perhaps, even more significant: the everyday adventures in the beer world, as a beer lover and a beer writer, on the clock and off. When work and pleasure become one and the same, almost indistinguishable from an Instagram standpoint, you really can’t complain.

Thanks to those who have followed me throughout my most ‘likable’ moments. Go out there and grab your own adventures!

Here’s to 2018’s Best Nine,

Beer Affair

For more adventures in my love affair with beer, find me on Instagram @beeraffair.