Long Trail Pollenator Spring Ale

My favorite beer seasons are Spring and Fall because those brews usually have the perfect combinations of flavor and carbonation. This Spring was definitely hard earned in the East coast this year, it was frigid all the way until early April. When the weather warmed up just enough, I was on a mission to gather the Spring brews. I am happy to write that I have sampled a handful of seasonals and none of them disappointed me.

Long Trail's Spring ale is very light with a sweet hoppy aftertaste and would pair great with a salad or burger. One of the nice things about this beer was the sweet factor did not overpower the beer. This is something I would pick up again but since it is seasonal and something I have already tried, I would choose a new seasonal to try when having to choose how much to buy.

Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat

I have never been to Vermont (not a fan of winter sports) or lived there, so there was a slim chance I would have known or heard of this small brewery. I do have a love for discovering brews along the East cost and this beer really surprised me in quality. This beer definitely reminded me a bit of the weight of Blue Point's type of brews and I knew instantly, the light flavoring of blackberry and lager was a winning combination. I am never a fan of heavily flavored things which kind of explains why I dislike things that are too sour, painfully spicy, or so sweet the my gums sting, I look for brews that manage to pull off being flavored but not categorized as a fruit beer. Long Trail has several seasonals and year round beers, and they seem to do a bit of everything from india pale ales, pale ales, and even porters. I do want to try most of them and would look for a sampler soon.

As I write this, the year is really closing in and winding down to the last days of 2010. Every year is important and profound as long as we make commitments to creating great memories for ourselves, loved ones, and communities. It's never easy to look forward without looking back on what could have been done better, more efficiently or handled more maturely, but overall, one the greatest things I have learned over the years is to always try new things, especially food - and beer happens to be a food item!