Five Best Summer Beers (Today)

torpedo1. Sierra Nevada Torpedo (Extra IPA, 7.2% ABV) — One of spring’s true pleasures. Somehow, even on a mass-produced scale, the Torpedo hits the mark every time with an IPA perfectly balanced between aggressive hops, mild bitterness and just enough malt richness.

westbrook gose

2. Westbrook Brewing Co. Gose (Gose, 4% ABV) — It’s getting hot here in the South. After being out in the heat nothing is better  than coming into the AC and crushing one of these, classic in style (no fruit-added bullshit), crisp and slaking, mildly spicy and salty.

jekyll hop dang

3. Jekyll Brewing Hop Dang Diggity (IPA, 6.7% ABV) — I always come back to this as one of two or three go-to IPA’s, and its even better now in cans. One of the most drinkable IPA’s in the southeastern market, it’s carries a blast of clean fresh hops, a nice dose of pine and and overall easy balance.

brooklyn summer

4. Brooklyn Brewery Summer Ale (Pale Ale, 5.0% ABV) — Frankly a rather modest style of English Pale, but this easy-going brew is great in a background role, when you want a frank and clean sessionable beer for the ‘cue or cocktail hour. It gets the job done.

founders kbs 2

5. Founders Brewing Company KBS Barrel Aged Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2017 (Imperial Stout, 11.8% ABV) — Three words: Ho-ly Shit. This is like drinking a DQ hot fudge sundae spiked with coffee and Blanton’s, at once irresistible and overpowering. I like a rich stout as much as anyone, but I’m not sure who this is for — I’m treating it like an after dinner cordial, in place of madeira or vintage port. So good, yet so…much.

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