Troeg's Hopback Amber Ale

Troeg's is based out in Harrisburg, PA, several hours from me but I haven't heard of them until I started combing around for craft beers. I really love the label design and liked even more that they were an east coast brewery. Normally, I'd be a bit wary of labels showcasing a giant hop, knowing that I'm not a huge fan of overly pungent beers. This is a good flavorful ale, easy on the carbonation, and not too thick. This beer is an easy sipper with some sweet caramel pop to it, really easy to drink and have with food and did not leave a bitter or gritty aftertaste. I'm looking for more of these or hoping to find a variety pack to sample all the brewery has to offer.

Wychwood Hobgoblin Dark English Ale

I'm a sucker for these types of labels. Usually things that come with bad-ass looking or cartoony labels aren't too good tasting, but I've had other Wychwood brews to know it's not so much of a gamble. This is a darker ale and there's quite a bit of alcohol in it. I'm not too big of a fan of beers with too much alcohol in them, but this isn't hard to drink. There's no denying there is bitterness and overall the beer isn't something you'd drink with a meal, it's a good after dinner beer. I can compare this to Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale, both being dark ales that aren't too bitter to drink and would recommend them both to someone who actually prefers a darker brew.

Blue Point Blueberry Ale

I love blueberry tarts, pies, muffins, and scones, but I've never had blueberry beer. I'm really not a fan of fruit infused brews because I find them a bit sickening after half a glass. Blue Point's Blueberry Ale is actually a very light beer with just hints of blueberry essence, it's so little that it comes up in the aftertaste more than when I'm actually drinking it. It's nice, refreshing and definitely a great summer beer. I prefer this over Magic Hat fruit fused beers because the taste of of it is more obvious and overwhelming than Blue Point's.

Samuel Adams Black Lager

I think out of the Sam Adams brews I tried this year, I liked this one best because they have the combination of taste, texture, and weight narrowed down to a science in this beer. The carbonation is just right with this beer, it's got the soda pops without the big burps. I prefer darker beers to light ones, and this one was very easy to drink and didn't leave a bitter aftertaste. The alcohol content in this one was average as well. I find that a lot of dark beers have too much alcohol in them that it is difficult to drink more than one of them in one sitting. If you're not usually drawn to Sam Adams brews, but like a dark beer, this is definitely a good one to try.