American Craft Beer Picks the Best Television Shows of 2014

It was a great year for craft beer and a terrific year for cutting-edge television and we overindulged in both.

, American Craft Beer Picks the Best Television Shows of 2014HD flat screens offering incredible sound and amazing options and have taken the home-viewing experience to a whole new level. Couple that with a year that delivered some of the most artistic and adventuresome television dramas and comedies ever, and it truly was an awesome year to stay home.

So here (in no particular order) are some of our favorite television shows from 2014, 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 had lost some of its mojo last year, the current season of this international espionage drama brought the show back to its roots as a superior action thriller. Claire Danes shines as Carrie Matheson, a bipolar CIA operative up to her neck in government politics and Middle Eastern intrigue. Suggested Beer Pairing: DC Brau The Citizen

, American Craft Beer Picks the Best Television Shows of 2014The Honorable Women (BBC / Sundance TV) – Completely different from Homeland in both tone and tenor, this British political spy thriller strikes right at the heart of the ongoing and endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Nessa Stein, a woman who inherits her father’s arms business and finds herself in an international maelstrom when as she continues to promote the reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Suggested Beer Pairing: Goldstar Dark Lager

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, Game of Thrones is fantasy for those of us who never want to see another hobbit. It’s a groundbreaking series with some of the best cinematography we’ve ever seen in a television production. Suggested Beer Pairing: Ommegang Valar Morghulis

The Affair (Showtime) – Both richly observed and intriguingly elusive, The Affair explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship from a “he-said” and “she-said” perspective. Noah (Dominic West) is a New York City schoolteacher and novelist who is happily married who meets Alison (Ruth Wilson), a young waitress trying to piece her life , American Craft Beer Picks the Best Television Shows of 2014and marriage back together in the wake of a tragedy. This Golden Globe nominated drama unfolds when they meet one summer in Montauk Long Island and oh yeah, there’s a mysterious death. Suggested Beer Pairing: Montauk Summer Ale

The Leftovers (HBO) – Created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Tom Perrotta (author of the novel of 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 story focuses on several families in the fictional town of Mapleton, New York, and their ability to cope with their own lives and losses. Suggested Beer Pairing: Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter

Mad Men (AMC) – Just when you’re thinking it’s not what it once was, Mad Men takes an unexpected turn and goes brilliant on you again. This season began slow but ended with a vengeance. John Hamm has created an indelible character in Don Draper and like James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, he’ll never be able to shake it. Suggested Beer Pairing: Schlitz

, American Craft Beer Picks the Best Television Shows of 2014True Detective (HBO) – A show about horror and death, substance abuse and madness, nihilism, godlessness, and violence – another boundary pusher from HBO. It’s also Matthew McConaughey’s best performance ever….and Woody Harrelson doesn’t suck either. Suggested Beer Pairing: Abita Purple Haze

The Knick (Cinemax) – This was Director Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s 11) first foray into long-form television and we hope that it won’t be his last. British actor Clive Owen stars as Dr. John W. Thackery, a brilliant surgeon (and 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: Presidente Lager

Honorable Mentions –

Penny Dreadful – Showtime

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver – HBO

Boardwalk Empire – HBO

The Missing – BBC / Starz

The Americans – FX

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