Budde's- The Coolers Part 5

Well dear readers it is time to talk beer again. As you may have noticed many of these are beers you have never heard of from brewers who are not familiar to you. It is likely that will continue today.

This has been about beers that were often out of my comfort zone. This is another in that group. This is Mandarina from Almanac Beer Company. It is a farmhouse ale with a crisp tartness of tangerine. I think what saved this beer for me was that fruit tartness as this is one that I would drink again.

This is Dank Meme from Triptych Brewing. This is an American Pale Ale and it has some real citrus flavor from the abundant hops. You must like hops for this beer to work for you.

This is Buckle Down Brewing's Belt and Suspenders India Pale Ale. For those friends of mine who grew up on a farm I'm sure you all know that old guy. You know the one. Wore a belt and suspenders just in case one or the other gave out under the strain. Better safe than sorry. The brewers took that to heart with the hops. If you weren't sure the beer had enough hops, you should add more. They did and it worked. This beer is a hop lovers dream.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company uses Double Barrel Ale to test our resolve. This beer is partially fermented in their oak barrel brewing system. They use it to pay homage to the cask fermented English ales. You get flavors of toffee, caramel and toasted oak. While I'm on the subject of cask ales it is my opinion that too many folks in America want to drink their beer too cold. I attended the Real Ale Fest in Chicago one year and some of the best beers I ever had were served at "cellar" temperature which is about 55 degrees F. If you are having a great craft beer try letting in warm up just a bit in the glass if it is served ice cold. Be prepared for all the extra flavor it will send your way.

The final beer for today is Pseudo Sue Pale Ale from Toppling Goliath Brewing. This is a single hop ale featuring Citra hops. It is well balanced between the sweetness of malt and the bitterness of hops. It has aromas of citrus, mango and evergreen. If you want an introduction to hops this would be a good choice.