Cape May Brewing Co.'s The Topsail is the nation's best beer, according to Beer Connoisseur.

The sour blonde ale from the brewery's barrel-aged series was number one on the magazine's top 100 rated beers of 2017, and the brewery, located at Cape May Airport in Lower Township, was named second runner-up as the nation's best brewery.

Cape May Brewing was one of four finalists in our statewide craft beer showdown last year. The Topsail also earned the gold medal in the wood/barrel-aged sour beer category at the US Open Beer Championships in July.

"The aroma is inviting with lots of ripe pineapple, green mangoes, red apples, ripe pear and light citrus fruit esters,'' judge Dan Martich said of the Topsail. "The beer drinks more like a 4% beer in that it's very light, which is a difficult task given the actual ABV (9.9%).''

"This is truly an outstanding achievement," said Cape May Brewing CEO and co-owner Ryan Krill. "The Topsail has been uniformly well-received by our fans with glowing reviews from those closest to our hearts. However, the rating of 98, the designation as a World Class beer, and being named Beer Connoisseur's Best Beer is an honor beyond compare."

Cape May Brewing "has unquestionably demonstrated its place as one of the country's top brewers,'' according to Beer Connoisseur. "The brewery consistently delivers exceptional beers, and with this year's Top Rated Beer of 2017 - The Topsail - it has proven it can brew with the world's best."

Vintage 2015 from Brouwerji Rodenbach appeared no. 2 on the list, while an Imperial Brown IPA from a collaboration between Stone Brewing and Heavy Seas Beer came in third.

Heavy Seas, in Halethorpe, Md., was named best brewery, while Mother Earth Brew Co. in Vista, Ca. was named first runner-up.

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.