This year is coming to a close, what has been your favorite new beer that you have tried this year? Any local breweries killing it in your AO?

My favorite new beers this year have been from Weldwerks, in particular.

They are making some crazy good Berliner Weiss beers, Key Lime Pie Berliner, Blueberry Pie Berliner, and Cherry Cobbler Berliner were the best ones they made. The Raspberry Berliner was also decent, but the others were better.

My favorite new brewery this year is Outer Range brewing which is unfortunately 2-3 hour drive away from my house. They mainly make IPAs.
Their Hydrologic Session IPA is the best session IPA I've ever had.

I like beer.  Lager. 

Kona Longboard is a new favorite at the ranch. 

Fruity beer and Shandy tend to be chick beers.  Mostly a bad idea.  So, how does OP identify? 

(my wife despises chick beers)

Most of my local breweries are killing it, at least the ones that don't try to push out over hopped bitter IPAs. 

I love it. You try to disparage beer I like and then say you like lager BEER (as if other styles aren't beer).  BTW...

https://www.eater.com/2017/3/2/14789010/kona-brewing-beer-lawsuit-hawaii

And then you call my sexual orientation into question? Get a life.

Central waters in WI is killing it with their barrel aging program. They have the second largest barrel aging operation in the midwest and in the top 4/5 in the country and they just finished an addition doubling the size of their barrel warehouse. They did a very limited bourbon barrel maple stout back in march or so that was damn good and a 3 yr rye barrel aged stout around the same time. They’re releasing a new beer in their brewers reserve series in the next few weeks, a rum barrel aged coconut porter.

Tap takeover podcast did a really good 3 part interview with one of the owners and one of the brewers (head brewer maybe?). Some good insight into their beers and barrel aging in general. Some brewery history also.

In OKC, New brewery called twisted spike , their monks crossing beer is great .

NJ has some great new breweries. We need to drink to forget about the onerous gun laws.

Kane Brewing - Sneak Box (Pale Ale), Head High (IPA)

Carton Brewing - 077XX (DIPA), Cupid Stout, BDG

Icarus Brewing - Kalashnikov (Imperial Stout)

If your ever down in Bradenton, FL these are the 3 to check out.

Motorworks.  My favorite there is the V-Twin Lager.  I keep that one in the fridge at all times.  They have the largest selection of the 3 places.  Our friends really dug the Cruiser Kölsch.

3 Keys Brewing.  Rusty Knuckles was my favorite there.

Darwin's Brewing Co.  This was my least favorite place.  They are the hoppiest of the places, and that's not my thing.

Dragons milk Bourbon barrel aged stout

Sweet sweet nectar of the gods.