Wine Enthusiast has handed out its picks for the best 25 beers of 2009. This is a tremendous undertaking, and I think it would be awfully tough to rank beers on any scale, but I have to hand it to Lauren Buzzeo for giving the top 25 a go and coming up with quite a fair list. Turns out, only one beer we’ve reviewed, Deschutes Jubelale, shows up here. Guess we have some work to do.

I obviously have some qualms with the selections (Eliot Ness shouldn’t be anywhere near the top ten; any beer I’ve had from Southern Tier has been a little overblown in my opinion; Sierra Nevada Summerfest?!?), but I do agree with a number of the picks (Sam Adams’s Boston Lager has always been an incredibly underrated beer for what it is, and tastes marvelous out of a tap; love seeing the Jolly Pumpkin folks, and a fellow Michigan graduate, getting some respect) and I also love the diversity in brews selected. But really, what would a list be without a little debate? Be sure to check out Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s December issue for the full list, and also check out its Beer Buying Guide which ran back in June. Both are great reads.

I challenge everyone to make their own list of favorite brews before New Years. We’d love to have your take on the best beers in your eyes, er, tongues.

Wine Enthusiast Top 25 Beer Selections 2009:

25.  Victory Festbier (Marzen/Oktoberfest; Victory Brewing Company, PA; 5.6% ABV)

24.  Nuova Mattina (Saison/Farmhouse Ale; Birrificio Del Ducato, Italy; 5.8% ABV)

23.  Dogfish Head Festina Peche (Berliner Weissbier; Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Inc., DE; 4.5% ABV)

22.  Left Hand Oktoberfest Marzen Lager (Marzen/Oktoberfest; Left Hand Brewing Company, CO; 6.0% ABV)

21.  Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (Pumpkin Ale; Smuttynose Brewing Co., NH; 6.0% ABV)

20.  Sierra Nevada Summerfest (Czech Pilsener, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., CA; 5.0% ABV)

19.  Nostradamus (Belgian Dark Strong Ale; Brasserie Caracole, Belgium; 9.0% ABV)

18.  Samuel Adams Boston Lager (Vienna Lager; The Boston Beer Co., MA; 4.7% ABV)

17.  Bam Biere Farmhouse Ale (Saison/Farmhouse Ale; Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, MI; 4.5%)

16.  Allagash White (Witbier; Allagash Brewing Company, ME; 5.2% ABV)

15.  Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09 (Belgian Dark Strong Ale; Stone Brewing Co., CA; 8.9% ABV)

14.  Deschutes Jubelale (Winter Warmer; Deschutes Brewery, OR; 6.7% ABV)

13.  St. Bernardus Wit (Witbier, Brouwerij St. Bernardus, Belgium; 5.5%)

12.  The Lost Abbery Duck-Duck-Gooze Ale (American Wild Ale; The Lost Abbey, CA; 7.0% ABV)

11.  La Moneuse Saison (Saison/Farmhouse Ale; Brasserie de Blaugies, Belgium; 8.0% ABV)

Check below the jump for Wine Enthusiast’s top ten beers of 2009.

10.  Russian River Beatification (American Wild Ale; Russian Brewing Co., CA; 5.75% ABV)

9.  Nøgne-Ø-Jolly Pumpkin-Stone Special Holiday Ale (Winter Warmer; Nøgne-Ø, Norway; 8.5% ABV

8.  The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme (Belgian Dark Strong Ale; The Lost Abbey, CA; 11.0% ABV)

7.  Eliot Ness Lager (Vienna Lager; Great Lakes Brewing Co., OH; 6.2%)

6.  Trappistes Rochefort 8 (Belgian Dark Strong Ale; Brasserie de Rochefort, Belgium; 9.2% ABV)

5.  Southern Tier Imperial Pumking (Pumpkin Ale; Southern Tier Brewing Co., NY; 9.0% ABV)

4.  Avery the Maharaja (American Double/Imperial IPA; Avery Brewing Company, CO; 10.27% ABV)

3.  Orchard White (Witbier; The Bruery, CA; 5.7% ABV)

2.  Unibroue Maudite (Belgian Dark Strong Ale; Unibroue, Canada; 8.0% ABV)

1.  Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone (American Wild Ale; Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., NY; 10.0% ABV)

Top 25 Beers of 2009 from Wine Enthusiast