+Top Microbrews 2011

+Top Microbrews 2011 Summer 2011 is officially here which means it’s time to discuss some of the top microbrews of the season. As a self-proclaimed ‘beer geek’ who has had many years of experience in the craft beer industry, I’m excited to share some of my favorite beers with you. Let me preface this next section by saying that all the top microbrews on my list are delicious and reasonably priced. However,  microbrews are typically more expensive than lagers produced at big name macrobreweries like Coors or PBR. Don’t shy away from trying some of these delicious beers for just this reason, however. I have some suggestions on how to enjoy craft beer on a budget at the end. +Top Microbrews 2011 Here is a list of some of my favorite beers. I’ve tried to pick interesting styles suitable for hot summer months. Troegs Nugget Nectar I love this hoppy red ale. It has a wonderful, flavorful malty backbone with a crisp hoppy finish. Absolutely delicious. If you’re like me and don’t like your beer’s body to be too light nor too heavy, this amber beer will definitely appeal to you. You also must love bitter beer as it jam packed with Nugget, Simcoe, Tomahawk, Palisade and Warrior hops. Nugget Nectar is not in season right now, but keep your eyes open in the future as it is such an amazing beer! Dogfishhead Festina Peche Anyone who is looking to really delve into the world of craft beer should consider Dogfishhead as the perfect gateway brewery. Their beer is consistently delicious as they continue to push the envelope in their style and flavor combinations. Festina Peche is a Berliner Weisse style beer. Berliner Weisse is a sour wheat beer that originates from (you guessed it) Berlin, Germany. It has that puckery-tart flavor that is well balanced with the fresh peach juice they add into the mix. On a hot summer day it is absolutely delicious. Greenflash West Coast IPA IPA is the acronym used for an Indian Pale Ale style beer. It is an extremely hoppy (bitter) beer that hails from the days of when the English were colonizing India. Hops are one of the four main ingredients of beer. They look like little green flowers and are added to the beer to give it flavor and to keep it fresher longer. The English had to hop up their beer when they were shipping it over to India to ensure that it wouldn’t spoil on the journey, and so the style was born. I love IPAs and have tried dozens different ones, however nothing quite compares to the rich, creamy, refreshing Greenflash West Coast IPA. Blackberry Wheat Wheat beers are typically drank in the summertime and so I added Long Trail’s Blackberry Wheat to the mix because it is light and fruity– great for hot weather. It’s not a typical wheat beer, which normally aren’t quite as light, but it is definitely refreshing. Ommegang Hennepin Ommegang is a microbrewery out of Cooperstown, New York that makes some great American adaptations of Belgian beer styles. Hennepin is by far one of my favorite beers as it is a great saison style beer. A saison is a farmhouse beer brewed at high temperatures throughout the summer to be drunk in autumn. It has a smooth, medium body and fruity, spicy, slightly sour flavors. Absolutely wonderful.