Revolution Brewing | Rosa Hibiscus Ale

While I understand that this is currently a tough-to-find-beverage, being that it’s only distributed in Illinois and Ohio, it’s well worth the mention. Honestly, when I first tasted the highly anticipated Rosa Hibiscus Ale, I came away with a different perspective. This initial judgement could have been my innate, strong affinity for copious amounts of hops in my beer, but as we all know we can’t always destroy (in the best of ways) our sense of taste with high ABV IPAs, especially this time of year, filled with hot day drinking, BBQ hopping, musical tailgating, etc. Session beers shine through. True to form with the season, like summer itself, it is best to just keep things simple. Subtle. The less is more approach.
Read More

Thomas Creek Brewery | Honeysuckle Saison

Thomas Creek Brewery of Greenville, SC has added a few new brews to their portfolio. These brews are so new that they are not yet on their official website. Among the newbies is Thomas Creek’s first and only Saison, Honeysuckle Saison ale.

Read More

Finkel & Garf Brewing Company | Dry Hopped Amber

Average Reading Time: 2 minutes

IBU: 50

ABV: 5.2%

When you think of a Colorado amber, Fat Tire is normally the beer that comes to mind. However, since opening in … Read More

Strange Craft Beer Company | Cherry Bomb Stout

IBU: N/A

ABV: 5.2%

Somehow, the year is already about half over and the official start of summer is only about a week away. Despite that fact, this may … Read More

Brasserie Dieu du Ciel | Rigor Mortis

Summer time is here, and aside from the scorching heat and long anticipated summer nights, I sometimes crave a darker style beer to balance the light lagers and pale ales that have come to be the norm. On this particular day I was in the mood for a beer I’ve had my eye on for awhile, the Rigor Mortis from Dieu du Ciel out of Canada. One thing I know is that everything I’ve had from this brewery rocks my socks, and I couldn’t help but be drawn toward their Abbey-style brown ale. Read More

Good People Brewing Co. | Brown Ale

Birmingham, Alabama’s Good People Brewing Company is growing, but the brewery is firmly rooted in the best of its past. The Brown Ale has been pouring from Good People’s cans and draft lines since the brewery opened in 2008, offering a sweeter take on this classic style.
Read More

Platform Beer Co. | Speed Merchant White IPA

6.6% ABV
60 IBU

Good day to all you fine folk. It is I, one of PD’s Cleveland beer reviewers, with another local beer for you to try if you ever make it to the Buckeye State, or NE Ohio. Platform Beer Co., one of the newcomers to the Cleveland beer scene with its one-year anniversary on July 4, has another wonderful summer brew for all the thirsty folk in town: Speed Merchant White IPA.

Read More

Odell Brewing | Myrcenario

On our far-too-few trips to the Centennial State, we continuously find more reasons to want to stay. From your endless walking trails linking the bustling city life to the eternal wonder of the great outdoors, we are left feeling like we are visiting our true home. We are truly lucky knowing we are a mere short flight or a beautiful drive through your mountains. The people have been friendly, the weather mostly sunny and housing the most amazing craft beer scene. Read More

O’Fallon Brewery | 5 Day IPA

ABV: 6.1%
IBU: 66

O’Fallon Brewery somehow manages to fly under my radar which is odd considering how tasty their beers are, including this 5 Day IPA. I’ve been on an IPA kick lately and have been getting rather snooty in my inspection of the labels to make sure it’s super fresh. This is extra ridiculous since I don’t recall what the bottled on date for this batch was. But I do recall that it was pretty damn good. Read More

Moab Brewery | Squeaky Bike Nut Brown Ale

4% ABV

Halfway through today’s 16-mile mountain bike ride in the 95 degree heat of the Moab desert, I looked down to check my water bottles; things were definitely half empty. I looked in vain for a tree or rock that might offer a bit of shade for a short rest, and I told my friends, Charlie and Stacia, “I $%&#ing hate mountain biking.” Read More

The Hourglass Brewery | Schizandra

The Hourglass Brewery (Longwood, FL) debuted their limited bottle selection May 16 with the brewery’s first bottle release of Schizandra. This is the first beer bottled by Sky Conley and Brett Mason’s brewery. Hourglass Brewery has been open and operating at capacity since they started in 2012. This year marks another milestone for Conley, Mason and the rest of the brewery family with this and many other changes at the brewery.  Read More

Black Raven Brewing | Trickster IPA

ABV: 6.9%  | IBU: 70

I’m pleased to announce the winner of the “Best Damn IPA in the World”™ award, according to the official 2015 Brad Hartsock “IPAs I Like”™ rankings, which I made up today while sitting on my couch. The award goes to Black Raven Trickster IPA and in honor of that glorious victory, I thought I’d sit down with myself and ask myself some questions about this special IPA.

Read More

High Hops Brewery | The Power of Zeus APA

High Hops Brewery | The Power of Zeus APA

ABV: 7%
IBUs: 69

High Hops use Zeus hops from their field to create this powerful pale ale. The hop is named after Zeus the Toad, who greeted the High Hops folks after they planted their very first Zeus plant! An American Pale Ale, the Power of Zeus is drinking so well right now on the proverbial porch. If you like dark caramel, grilled bread, pine and spruce resin, white flowers, big citrus peel flavors and a honeyed finish, then you need to get this pale ale in your face!

Read More

Peddler Brewing Company | On Your Left IPA

6.8% ABV
77 IBU

Biking culture, for the uninitiated, can be a very daunting subject to master. From practical information such as how to fix a flat, to the huge array of options for bikes, tires, saddles, and shoes, there’s a seemingly limitless amount of knowledge that one needs to acquire before purchasing a bike, let alone joining a group ride or a biking brewery tour. Fortunately, despite the many rules that simultaneously shadow and support the popularity of the sport, Peddler Brewing Company has figured out how to create a space that caters to cycling novices and connoisseurs alike. I stopped by the Ballard brewery to check out their new beer garden and have a glass of their flagship On Your Left IPA. Read More

Coppertail Brewing Co. | Free Dive IPA

ABV: 5.9%

I discovered the delicious Free Dive IPA on a recent vacation back to my hometown of Tampa, Florida. Coppertail Brewing was just getting underway when I moved to Chicago a little over a year ago, so I was excited to see their progress upon my return. Situated in a beautiful 50 barrel brewhouse and nautical-themed taproom in historic Ybor City, Coppertail has settled well into its surroundings over the past year. With four flagship beers in constant production and lots of creative, small-batch seasonals, Coppertail is picking up momentum as one of Tampa’s up-and-coming larger scale craft breweries.

Read More

Georgia’s Wild Heaven Brewery Adds Tequila-Aged Twist

Georgia’s Wild Heaven brewery busts into the barrel-aged release game with a tequila twist—and a little bit of heat—with the introduction of Height of Civilization. And true to form for this growing Atlanta-area brewery, Wild Heaven delivers.

Read More

4 Hands Brewing | Send Help

ABV: 4.5%

Send Help is not your typical summer seasonal. This blonde ale from 4 Hands Brewing was made in collaboration with Randy Ploesser and Todd Bratud of Send Help skateboards. And while it’s a bit unconventional, it does succeed in capturing summer in a can, which is appropriate for St. Louis since summer seems to land as early as April. I’ll be honest, I saw the purple-foam-hand-covered-skeleton waving to me from the beer shelf and couldn’t resist giving it a try.

Read More

Great Lakes Brewing | Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA

ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 40

Sometimes change can be scary and uncomfortable. We tend to embrace constancy in most situations. When something unfamiliar greets us, there may also be skepticism. I noticed this when Great Lakes Brewing Company revealed their brand refresh. There was some outcry, some fear, mainly from social media users who did not want the labels and the image of GLBC to change. With tried and true marketing and a strong presence in many parts of the United States, why become different? Despite those worries by some, I feel changing things up can also spark interest and excitement. Personally, I was more intrigued when I first learned about the brand refresh. Let me tell you why I like what GLBC has done: the changes that have taken place embrace the 25+ years that this brewery has been a strong presence in the N.E. Ohio craft beer community. The history behind the brewery, its location and its facilities, runs even earlier; and the artwork by Darren Booth pays homage to the brewery and to the city as well. Each label is a story, a collage of images that explores the rich history of Cleveland and also of the company’s presence. Along with the new brand, we now have a new seasonal beer from Great Lakes: the Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA. It is a tasty IPA that was tapped during the last week of May at GLBC’s brewpub and has just been released to distribution markets on June 1.

Read More

Shades Of Pale Brewing | Misdirected IPA

4% ABV- Session

If a bottle had a label that said ‘Beer’, would you be interested? We think some people might be, just because trying to ‘not to be cool’ seems to be a form of ‘cool’ these days. It is just as likely in the beer world if there isn’t something interesting on the label, it might not hit the table. These days, label art has been taken to a new level, which proves the unconditional love many brewers have with their liquid gold.

Read More

Deschutes Brewery | Foray Belgian Style IPA

ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 60

In a time when one out of every five craft beers sold in America is an IPA, it can be difficult to muster enthusiasm for yet another bottle containing something hoppy and golden. No? You’re still interested? Busted…me too. As much as I love other styles, when facing a beer menu, my eyes always wander towards the IPAs first. Perhaps it’s the promise of drinking an old favorite or maybe it’s the chance of seeing something new and intriguing. While still thriving, single and double IPAs find themselves sharing shelf space with triple IPAs, white IPAs, black IPAs, sour IPAs, and even Belgian-style IPAs. Read More