Sierra Nevada 2009 Early Spring Beer

Before Spring was officially over, I did pick this one up since the word "Spring" stared me in the face looking for a sign I may register the label in my head. This is a great one to try, it's got the mild ale taste with just enough carbonation to keep it crisp and refreshing. I can see this one pairing up with most foods well. This beer didn't leave any unpleasant aftertaste, I'd be happy if these were around the whole year instead of being seasonal.

Peak Organic Pale Ale

I like pale ales, they're usually lighter ales with a bit of a lager taste to them. What's not to like? I've never tried a Peak brew of any sort before and I was obviously drawn to it because it's labeled as organic. I actually didn't like the taste of this one, it had a bit of a sour aftertaste that I never really liked in any brew. The good is the weight balance of the brew, it wasn't water thin and didn't taste bitter, either. Luckily, I bought a single and didn't have to slowly drink them before they went stale. Since I like to buy up singles of things, I often forget that I've tried them. I managed to pick up a six pack of these for my folks to try and drank another before realizing I already tried this and did not like it. I didn't like it the second time around, either.

Brooklyn Summer Ale

Brooklyn is one of my favorite breweries because its brews are never water thin and offers seasonal stuff as well. Since Summer is quickly approaching, I noticed the summer brews popping up along the shelves of stores. I like summer brews because they're light and usually pretty refreshing. This one is no different, it's got a bit of the lemon zest going on, but overall it's very drinkable and would probably match well with all the great summer outdoor foods. I'm not a fan of light beers so much but summer ales manage to taste pretty light without actually being light which is a quite a balance to achieve.

Magic Hat HI.PA

I managed to get a single of these to try because I thought I wouldn't be able to tolerate a sixer of beers that may be too bitter and gritty. This one is a mild IPA and I'm feeling like I could have gotten six and would have been pretty satisfied to stash these in the fridge. Magic Hat calls this a Half IPA for the reason that it is milder than a full bodied IPA. There's definitely flavor in this, the taste of the hops are just strong enough to be flavorful but not overpowering. I prefer a milder brew like this one because I can actually drink the beer instead of taking sucker punched looking sips of a really strong IPA that leaves me incredibly thirsty. This one fits the bill pretty well as an easy beer to kick back with and not feel overwhelmed by the combination of flavors.

Hitachino Japanese Classic Ale

I remember picking of two types of Hitachino beers at once several months ago and after trying one and not liking it, I held off trying this. Fast forward many months later as this poor forgotten beer lingers in the back of the fridge, always being passed over by newer beers and favorites, it was time. I decided to open it and give it a shot one night and I knew it I did something bad when it poured out. The oxidation was terrible, it looked deep and rusty, with floating specks of orange, I could tell it was acidic by the smell. I took a sip and I can only describe the taste as pure acidic waste. My lesson learned is this stuff doesn't age well and if it wasn't good to begin with, it'll be even worse later. I don't want to say it is an awful beer because I didn't have it at its freshest state, but I can genuinely say I'm not really a fan of this brewery based on style of their beers. Along the east coast, I have never seen this served on tap or in the Japanese restaurants but I have seen an assortment of these at Japanese supermarkets.