Terrapin Beer Company, Athens, Georgia, United States, American Indian Pale Ale, 7.3% ABV
I realized that I drink a lot of American IPAâs because I am having more difficulty coming up with puns I havenât used. This beer has a good orange color and a nice head when poured, I guess, although I donât think Iâve complained about enough nightclubs to have a valid opinion on that issue. I like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle on the can. The brewery is based out of Athens, which is the ideal city for a craft brewery to be based out of. There are 6 varieties of hops in this beer, which is the smallest positive integer with two prime factors, much like this beer has two prime factors: itâs commitment to scaring away people who only drink beer ârecreationallyâ, and the fact that itâs from the same city as R.E.M.
Small Town Brewery, Illiois, United States, Secret Blend of Herbed / Spiced Beer, 5.9% ABV
This is literally root beer. Everyone on beer advocate complains about how âthe head isnât frothy enoughâ or âthe coloration is too darkâ or âyouâll get diabetes before you get alcohol poisoningâ but câmon, itâs literally root beer. With alcohol though, so thatâs pretty redeeming. Itâs not your fatherâs root beer because itâs your drunk uncleâs root beer. It is to beer what Mikeâs Hard Lemonade is to vodka.
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster), Ye Olâ Pubbery, The Queen, Great Britain, Winter Warmer? You âardly know âer! 6.0% ABV
This beer is called a âWinter Warmerâ, which pretty much explains everything about it. It gets really good reviews on Beer Advocate, probably because itâs foreign (âIn America, we tend to like our hoppy IPAâs, funky saisons and roasty stouts, but this time of year, sometimes to give a shout out to a style that is often overlookedâ - Back_in_the_Saddle, Nov 19 2015) This is one of the few beers that I got at a liquor store instead of a grocery store, and I canât unassociate it from the jankyness of buying vodka from a drive-thru. I imagine that more than a few people have this beer in their refrigerator for the same reason Zooey Deschanel had a comedy tour, to show everyone how quirky and authentic they are despite not really taking it seriously. Whoever did the bottle art seemed inspired by Dr. Bronnerâs Castile soap. By shipping it to the United States, Samuel Smith shrewdly hones in on his target audience of Ren Fair attendees who have beer blogs.
New Belgium Brewing, Colorado, United States, AmeriCAN IPA (âMore flavorful than the withering English IPAâ according to Beer Advocate, suck on those tea bags England) 4.5% ABV
On the lighter side for an American IPA. It tastes a bit like apple. Itâs the kind of beer a beer snob would say is ânot very flavorfulâ because people actually like to drink it. The picture on the front is of a couch with a steering wheel, which is probably a play on âSlow Rideâ. A bit of a chicken and egg situation here though because itâs not clear if the name or the picture came first.
Monday Night Brewing, Georgia, United States, Scottish Ale (Not completely Scott, only Scott-ish) 7.2% ABV
Monday Night Brewing is the SweetWater Brewing Company of Atlanta Breweries. It tastes like air until it goes in your stomach, when it tastes like acid. Doesnât get fantastic reviews on Beer Advocate, but itâs still pretty good.
SweetWater Brewing Company, Georgia, United States, âMerican IPA, 6.3% ABV
SweetWater is about as big an Atlanta institution as Coca Cola or The Varsity. Pretty good, really hopsy. They served it at the PyData meetup at MailChip, along with non-chain store pizza.
Straight to Ale, Alabama, United States Kolsch (clear, with a bright yellow hue, warm fermented and conditioned by lagering, which means it was matured in cold storage; usually ABV of 4.4% to 5.2%, medium bitterness of 20 to 30 IBU) 5.1% ABV
It goes down pretty easily. It seems kind of nutty. Not something I would drink to get drunk, but good for drinking while doing work or hanging out. A lot of people on beeradvocate.com think it is fruity. It comes in a can, although I donât think it had the nitrogren thing on the lid, so it is either too mainstream or way, way underground. The can itself has some cool art on it, but not in-your-face avant garde art. The brewer, âStraight to Aleâ, might be a pun, but if it is, I donât get it. It tastes pretty good, though.
Pabst Brewing Company, California, United States, American Adjunct Lager (light bodied, pale, fizzy, less bitter with moderate (4.0% to 6.0%) alcohol, focus less on flavor and more on mass production; probably the beer your dad drinks) 4.74% ABV
As with anyone who likes craft beers, PBR is my go-to beverage of choice. Kind of meta-ironically, I drink it because at 67 cents a can (in 2016 adjusted dollars) it is the cheapest one at Krogers that doesnât advertise during the Super Bowl. Probably best if you want to get drunk, but donât want to be associated with people who get drunk.