Samuel Adams Irish Red
Boston, Mass.
Irish Red Ale
5.5% ABV
Most people know Sam Adams from its Boston Lager – a nice, go-to beer that’s so common today, you can’t help but take it for granted. Then there’s the extreme beer, like Utopias, that gets all the headlines. And then there’s these absolute masterpieces of understated perfection: Black Lager, Brown Ale and, now this, Irish Red. Smooth, creamy with a satisfying malt finish.
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Bell’s Hopslam
Kalamazoo, Mich.
Double IPA
9.3% ABV
I am so glad the big hops shortage didn’t scare off the folks at Bell’s. Hops in the nose, hops in the palate, hops in the finish – and somehow it comes off fairly balanced. You wouldn’t know it was so strong just from the taste.
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Otter Creek Sea Otter
Middlebury, Vt.
Baltic porter
This World Tour series from Otter Creek is becoming one of the huge surprises of the past year. I’ve always enjoyed Otter Creek ales as pretty basic sippers. But these big bottles are making me wonder who’s sneaking in at night and re-writing all the recipes. This Baltic Porter is hugely roasted with a perfectly balanced sweetness – a superb dark beer.
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