I celebrated the fourth by picking six and getting lit.
Cheers to America and these great summer beers from some great breweries. I leaned heavily toward juicy IPAs and sours, which both are perfect for this kind of muggy, summer sun.
Odell Brewing – Rupture – 6.00% – IPA
“Rupture was born out of our obsession with getting the most out of each and every hop. In fact, we built a machine in our brewery to incorporate a unique fresh grind process. By grinding the whole hop we “rupture” the lupulin inside – releasing the oils that give the beer its flavor. And what we grind that day we use that day. Leaving you a beer that’s fresh, aromatic, with a bright hoppy character.
The Rupture has a big, oily, hop profile. It’s an array of hop flavor, tasting like everything from piney, tropical, floral, and grapefruit. It’s a hophead’s dream beer. The bitterness is a bit on the stronger side, and it has a nice juicy finish.
‘Working all day
dreaming drinking all night
grinding away
drinking dreaming of life.’
Epic Brewing – RiNo – 5.8% – APA
“RiNo APA is the reimagining of RiNo Pale Ale, one of the first beers Epic brewed to season their Denver brewhouse. It’s updated with loads of juicy, late-addition, Centennial and Mosaic hops, just a bit of haze to soften the mouth-feel and a bright burst of colorful tropical aromas.”
And it’s named after the really cool river north neighborhood in Denver! I’m sold. I really enjoyed my trip out there, and all the great Colorado beer. The RiNo succeeds in what it was shooting for. It’s the juiciest APA I’ve ever had. It’s bursting with tropical hops, with flavors like pineapple and mango, and a very light, creamy sweet biscuit malt backend.
‘Does the sun set the same in the desert as it does the prairie?
glowing fire, spilled glass of cherry
wine, quick, ephemeral
yet divine?
Or does it last, longing, as it does my heart?
growing fire, roaring in the dark
for you, love, eternal
yet blue.’
Lakefront Brewery – Happy Glamper – 5.0% – APA
“Denali and Lemondrop hops, lavish lemon and tropical fruit accents, and ample honey malt.”
You can taste both Denali hops right away. The beer as a mix a of both pine and citrusy lemon bitterness, along with some nice spiced hops. The toasted malt gives it a good amount of sweetness that cuts the bitterness and makes it an easy-drinker.
‘Let’s give it up! Give it all away. Put behind us, the 8 hour day
break free, break down that office door
that traps us, and let’s go explore!
Pack up an airstream, you n I would make quite the team
As tin can tourists of the great outdoors!
camping out, park to park, shore to shore.’
New Belgium – Voodoo Ranger Guava Spruce – 7.6% – DIPA
“An exotic, hoppy double IPA dripping with delicious guava and wild-harvested, citrusy spruce tips.”
Hmm… I get the spruce more than anything. It’s light for a DIPA, but has a lot of pine hoppiness, it does have somewhat of a juicy finish, maybe from the guava? I think the problem here is I’ve never actually had guava, so I’m not sure what to be looking for. But, yea, it finishes smooth, with some nice fruit flavor to kind of balance out the pine bitterness.
‘What is the color of the dead
She said,
curiously
Is it somber-hued, perhaps plum purple
or a melancholy blue
or is it unexpected, a hoppy green
or lipstick red?’
Coronado Brewing – Art Series/Marine Dream – 6.5% – IPA
“Marine Dream IPA is brewed with oats and London III yeast for a smooth mouthfeel and hazy, New England-style appearance. Citra, Mosaic and Vic Secret give this beer a bright, tropical profile with a lingering juicy fruitiness.
This another great summer IPA. The hops give it a strong tropical hopped flavor, with juicy mango, pineapple, and citrus. It’s incredibly smooth, and I wonder if that’s because of the oats? It’s like drinking hopped up orange julius.
‘When I was young I read a book called Dove
about a robin that sailed along the world’s seas
at 16.
A crazy marine dream.’
Revolution – Freedom of Speach – 4.5% – Berliner Weiss
“Freedom of Speach is naturally soured in the brew kettle and fermented out dry with a lower alcohol level. Our easy-drinking session sour demonstrates a clean tartness, balanced out by an assembly of ripe peach flavor. Exercise your right to refreshment.”
I’ve been excited for this ever since I saw Revolution came out with it, and it’s both exactly everything I imagined and could have wanted in a summer sour. It’s like drinking a peach champagne, or some sort of tart white wine. It’s a mix of juicy peaches and white grape flavor. Sort of reminds me of Odells Sunny Rain, but with a bit more jaw stinging tartness, as well as the juiciness of added peaches. I love everything about it.
‘Adapted from Bucket*
The Fourth of July.
Levi denim skies.
Boom and Thunder. Flash Flash Flash
in the corner fading sliver, the Cheshire
grins
a hazy spell of desire
yearning
sparkler eyes, fire
works and roman candle bursts
city skylines and smoky spider legs
What a holiday.’
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Curious about what the hell a pick 6 poem is? Click here.)