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.

Lagunitas Czech Style Pilsner

The problem with trying lagers is the better ones are pretty similar and the cheap ones are also very similar. I'm not quite sure how to really describe a great one besides the combination of getting the weight and carbonation balanced. The cheap ones are like club soda with a dash of sugary hop flavor but the better ones I've found manage to tune down the carbonation, pump up the flavor, and retain the consistency that makes these types of beers enjoyable for most occasions, especially outdoors in the summer. There are some great light beers out there that are cheap, but are truly enjoyable for barbecue type meals and sports game watching. Lagunitas does it right with this one, the perfect easy sipper for most meals and most days for the beer fan who isn't looking to be weighed down by a heavy brew.

Pinkus Organic Pilsner

I saw the words "organic" and "pilsner" together and I knew it was something I had to try. All the organic brews I've tried have been refreshing and good. When I mean refreshing, I don't mean cheap lager to wash down pizza with, I'm talking about the that unsweetened ice tea in the middle of summer feeling. For a beer with a name like this, it looked a bit cloudy and tasted more tart than I'd expect of a pilsner. There must have been some of that lemon and orange zest in this, which made me not like it as much as I could have. I was really looking for a more clean lightly carbonated beer with a bit of sweetness without the zest.

Sidenote: The label reminds me of Coney Island for some reason, the red, blue, and the lettering.

Wells Banana Nut Bread Beer

I saw this beer and didn't know what to make of it. It seemed like a one or zero type of thing. This would either taste like baked rotten bananas shoved in a bottle or turn out to be pretty good. I knew what I was getting into when I bought this, I'm a big fan of banana nut bread and muffins, but in a beer - that's new territory for me. When I opened the bottle, the smell of bananas was pretty strong but not in a sickening way. I had a few sips and slowly did taste the whole banana essence. It was pleasant in a strange way and I'm not a fan of too many fruit infused beers. This was a taller bottle than the sixer type of bottles so about slightly half of a glass later, I was over it. I think this is a good one to try, Wells does it right with the combination of flavor and balance of how strong it should taste.

Samuel Adams Honey Porter

I've never been a fan of any Sam Adams brews. I can't put my hand on what it is exactly but I will try the brews from time to time and still never feel the loyalty to buy them regularly. It's certainly not the brand name or the label, or any association, and I think it comes down to taste. I picked up a seasonal variety pack with all sorts of printed ribbons of excellence on it. The first one I tried was the Honey Porter because normally a lot of porters are a little too bitter to be truly enjoyable, I figured with a touch of sweetness this would be an easy sipper. I was right, this one has the obvious honey taste to it, it's a nice touch to counter the bitter bite and works well with this dark beer. Halfway through the glass, I started to grow used to the sweetness and really did not care for it, but I think this one is definitely a great beer to try because it balances texture, taste, and alcohol content very well.