This might be the weirdest six pack I’ve ever put together. A gose, a sour, an esoteric old school English ale, a blonde ale that’s packed with chocolate and coffee…each beer is a little bit stranger than the last, and when you put them all together in a single sixer you get one wild and wonderful drinking experience. Naturally, when you’re presented with a range of beers so disparate, the only thing you can do is drink them one after the other. So that’s what I did. Here are my thoughts.
Deschutes Armory XPA
Technically, this is an “experimental pale ale,” but it feels like the most straight forward beer in the mix here. Back in 2008, Armory XPA was designed as a testing ground for experimental hops, and while the hop bill might feel commonplace now (Nugget, Northern Brewer, Citra, Cascade and Centennial), the combination is no less intoxicating almost a decade down the road. The beer pours rosy with a delicate and rapidly disappearing head. The nose is dominated by sweet fruits, like cantaloupe and mango, and the taste follows suit. It’s downright juicy, but has a subtle wave of caramel towards the end, all of which is washed away by a pleasant, hoppy bitterness and a dry, almost kolsh-like finish. I’m rarely blown away by pale ales, but this one is a must. It’s 5.9% ABV, and available in 12-ounce bottles.
Schlafly Double Bean Blonde
This late spring/summer limited release from Schlafly takes your standard, easy drinking blonde ale and crams a ton of coffee and chocolate into it. It might look like a straightforward blonde, but take one whiff and you’ll know there’s something more lingering inside this beer. The coffee and chocolate are pronounced both on the nose and in the sip. It’s a cool effect on the front end, but by the time I make my way through the first drink, I’m looking for the backbone of a stout or a porter to hold it all together. But of course, blondes don’t have that backbone, so it finishes all too thin. I should probably confess though, that I’m not a big fan of experimental blondes. I’m talking about beers here. I fully support experimental blonde women. But when it comes to beer, I like to keep my blondes traditional. You might disagree. If so, check this one out. ABV is 6.3%, look for it in 12-ounce bottles through August.
Reuben’s Brews Gose
Reuben’s Gose absolutely ruled the 2015 competition circuit, pulling in gold for the style at the Great American Beer Festival and silver at the World Beer Championship. That’s not a bad year. I was so conditioned for the gose’s signature saltiness, that I could already taste the salt on my lips before I even took a sip. The beer smells vinegary, and comes off a little thin, but there’s a cool briny element that goes beyond just salty into slightly meaty territory, like what you find when you eat a raw oyster. Is that weird? I don’t care, I like it. It’s not overtly tart, and it’s not as salty as other styles, but it’s refreshing, crisp and addictive. One sip leads to another. I’m three beers in, though, so it could be the booze talking. I’d label this one as a great gateway gose, if you’re looking to get someone into the style. Kind of like “gose light.” 4.3% ABV, available year round in cans starting right about now.
Breckinridge Brewery King’s Dish
What the hell is a Burton style ale? That’s the first question I had when I took a look at this bottle. The answer: an old school English style that’s described by Breckenridge Brewery as “dark, malty and strong.” That sums this beer up pretty well. You know how the English traditionally love their malty beers, and this beer comes through in spades. It pours blood red, almost black and has a roasted, coffee note on the nose. The sip is all malt, a bit of caramel, some chalky milk chocolate, that roasted coffee again…It’s incredibly pleasant, with a robust, round mouthfeel. I can see this being the choice of some badass King who’s prone to eating undercooked turkey legs and collecting taxes from his serfs. A quarter of the way through, I started craving savory meats. It’s part of Breckenridge’s Small Batch series, 6.8% ABV, and available in four pack bottles now.
Lagunitas Aunt Sally
Aunt Sally is a new entry in Lagunitas’ year round Unlimited Release series; the beer was introduced for the first time in March. It’s a hoppy sour, more specifically a dry hopped sweet tart sour mash ale. Lagunitas describes the beer as something akin to “chewing flavored vitamins or a bowl of fruit candy.” Neither description really whets my appetite or does the beer justice. It smells dank from the dry hopping. I don’t get hit over the head with sweetness like the description promises, but it’s not overly sour either. It’s really quite balanced, which is something I don’t say often about sours. It’s bright. It’s hoppy. It’s sour. And yeah, there’s a little bit of cherry sweetness in there too if you dig for it. It’s 5.7% ABV, available in Lagunitas’ squat little bottles all year long.
Tallgrass Sweet Tooth
Based on the style descriptor, “salted caramel Belgian dark strong ale,” (that’s a lot of words!) you’d think there’s a hell of a lot going on in this beer, and you’d be right. You’ve got some saltiness for sure, some brown sugar, some chocolate and caramel, maybe a little vanilla. Some licorice too. And if you put it all together, you know what you get? You get root beer. Seriously. This beer tastes like root beer. Except it’s also blatantly boozy. From the nose to the sip to the after affects, you feel that 9.2% ABV. And it works. So help me, boozy root beer is good. Sweet Tooth is part of Tallgrass’ limited Explorer Series. You can find it out now in cans.