It was a great year for craft beer and a terrific year for cutting-edge television and we binged severely on both.  2015 a year that delivered some of the most artistic and adventuresome television dramas and comedies ever. 

So here (in no particular order) are some of our favorite television shows from 2015 along with a suggested beer pairing…

The Walking Dead (AMC) – It’s not just about its vision (which is awesome) or its story-telling (which just keeps getting better) – in the end this one’s about the motley crew of survivors who learn to love and sometimes lose one another in a world where making hard choices hurts. Who knew an apocalyptic zombie saga could be this smart – or this morally resonant. Suggested Beer Pairing: Ninkasi Dawn of the Red

Homeland (Showtime) – Although it has lost some of its brilliance over the years, the current season which relocates to Belin, has sharpened its story lines and returned the show back to its cutting edge roots as a “ripped-from-the headlines” international thriller. Claire Danes continues to shine as Carrie Matheson, a bipolar CIA operative up to her neck in European and Middle Eastern intrigue. But it’s Rupert Friend’s performance as the cynical lone wolf CIA operative, Peter Quinn that deserves an Emmy this year. Suggested Beer Pairing: DC Brau The Corruption

Game of Thrones (HBO) – Adult fantasy at its absolute best, Game of Thrones is adapted from George R. R. Martin’s not yet finished series of novels that tells the fictional tales of warring families in a mythical world of decade-long summers and endless winters. Sexy and unforgiving, this is fantasy for those of us who never want to see another hobbit. Suggested Beer Pairing: Ommegang Valar Morghulis

The Affair (Showtime) – Both richly observed and intriguingly elusive, The Affair explores the ongoing consequences of extramarital relationship between a struggling author (Dominic West) and a young waitress (Ruth Wilson) who is haunted by the death of her child. The first season was told in a “he said/ she said-style” and season two has been expanded to include two additional perspectives. Riveting television. Blue Point No Apologies

The Leftovers (HBO) – Created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Tom Perrotta, (author of the novel of the by the same name), The Leftovers takes place three years after a global event  known as the “Sudden Departure”, which caused the unexplainable disappearance of 140 million people. The second season shifts from the fictional town of Mapleton, New York to a small town in Texas that somehow escaped the global catastrophe and continue its focus on several families struggling to cope with their own lives and losses. Suggested Beer Pairing: Jester King Wytchmaker

Mad Men (AMC) – just when you’re thinking it’s not what it once was, Mad Men wrapped up its 7th and final season brilliantly. No show has ever taken on business (in this case the advertising biz) and 1960s in New York City, better. Throughout its run, Mad Men received widespread and well-deserved critical acclaim for its writing, acting, and historical authenticity. And in Don Draper, John Hamm has created an indelible character that will rival James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano in the annals of television history.  Suggested Beer Pairing: Brooklyn Lager or Schlitz

The Knick (Cinemax) – Director Steven Soderbergh’s first foray into the long-from television stars Clive Owen as Dr. John W. Thackery, a brilliant surgeon (and raging cocaine addict) struggling to save lives at New York City Hospital in the early part of the twentieth century. Suggested Beer Pairing: Fort Collins Brewery 1900 Amber Lager

Veep (HBO) – Forget House of Cards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, stars as Vice-President Selina Meyer, in this hilarious political satire that gets Washington, DC right. Suggested Beer Pairing: DC Brau The Citizen

• Honorable Mentions:
• Jessica Jones – Netflix
• The Americans – FX
• Mr. Robot – USA
• Fargo – FX
• Peaky Blinders – Netflix
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver – HBO
• Penny Dreadful – Showtime
• Better Call Saul – AMC