I really can’t believe that May is over. Memorial has come and gone; summer is here, my kids are out of school, and are already bored of summer.
But before we look forward to the long days of summer, we’ve got to take a look back at what May brought my way in terms of craft beer – you know I enjoyed some great beer just like any other month.
If you want to keep up with what I am drinking in real time, make sure that we connect on Untappd. Click that link or search for craftbeerjoe.
Don’t forget to take time to review your check-ins and think about what would make your list of the best craft beer. I’d love it if you sent me a message or chatted on social media about the best craft beer you had in May.
Here’s the Best Craft Beer I had last month:
La Folie (2016)
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing – Fort Collin, CO
Style: Sour Ale
ABV: 7% IBU: 18
Description
La Folie Wood-Aged Biere, is our original wood-conditioned beer, resting in French Oak barrels between one and three years before being bottled. Peter Bouckaert, came to us from Rodenbach home of the fabled sour red. Our La Folie emulates the spontaneous fermentation beers of Peter s beloved Flanders with sour apple notes, a dry effervescence, and earthy undertones.
Why it made the list?
There are beers that are good for specific situations and then there are beers that transcend time and place.
La Folie is the latter. It’s the kind of beer that I could enjoy in any kind of weather, with or without food, and it would compliment just about every social situation. I’d gladly drink the bottle by myself just as quickly as I’d split it among a group of friends.
This sour ale has an earthiness to it that is rich and sour. This is balanced by the dark fruit flavors. There’s no sweetness to hide the acetic nature of this sour ale. And I count that as one of the many things I enjoyed about it.
This is one of those beers that I’d be happy to drink over and over again.
Totally Hopped Out
Brewery: Listermann Brewing – Cincinnati, OH
Style: New England IPA
ABV: 6.8% IBU: N/A
Description
New England Milkshake IPA brewed with Citra and Wakatu with vanilla, lactose, mango, guava and pineapple added.
Why it made the list?
When two of your favorite local breweries collaborate to make one of the trendiest styles, you get pretty excited. But there’s a huge risk if the beer isn’t as good as everyone is expecting.
Luckily for everyone in Cincinnati, Listermann and Brink Brewing were able to make one of the best New England Milkshake IPAs I’ve had to date.
From the appearance to body to flavor, it had everything you would expect from this style. The sweet fruit flavors dominated and the “juicy” quality was amplified by the heavy body. My only hope is that this wasn’t a one-time brew and these guys will make this one again.
Ripe Nuggets
Brewery: 450 North Brewing – Columbus, IN
Style: New England IPA
ABV: 8.3% IBU: N/A
Description
Ripe Nuggets is DDH DIPA with Amarillo and Citra and then Mosaic and Ekuanot powder in the dry hop. We also conditioned it on some pineapple and mango.
Why it made the list?
The “haze craze” continues on and breweries are pushing more hop flavor with less bitterness than ever before. And to take it to the next level, fruit is being added in many cases.
Ripe Nuggets is exactly that. 450 North continues to develop their NE IPA releases with hazier, fruit-forward IPAs. This one is one of the heaviest bodies I’ve had and the intense fruit flavors really added to it.
There was a nice bite in the finish that I wasn’t able to tell if it was from the hops or from the acidic fruit flavors. And for better or worse, I couldn’t tell that this was above 8% ABV. The huge fruit notes masked the alcohol and made it really approachable; or as some may say “crushable”.
Rings Of Saturn
Brewery: Queen City Brewery – Cincinnati, OH
Style: IPA
ABV: 8.1% IBU: 67
Description
Originating in the primordial universe, it took billions of years for all the right elements to come together to form the Rings of Saturn. Citrus, Hop Resin, Floral Spice and Vanilla notes are all derived from the use of Admiral and Bravo Hops. She has a smooth body and a nice clean hop bite. The lacing will remind you of the many rings visible around our celestial neighbor.
Why it made the list?
With over 50 breweries in my local area, Cincinnati, it can be difficult to visit all of them. At the end of the day, I often visit the breweries that are convenient to where I live and work. Which means some get skipped.
So when I got the chance to visit Queen City Brewery for the first time, I was excited to check it off my list and discover what makes them unique. One thing I look for when visiting a new brewery is a beer that would make me want to come back and visit again.
And in the case of Queen City, it was their Rings Of Saturn IPA. The ABV made me think it was going to have a profile of a Double IPA but the smooth nature made me think otherwise.
For the flavor, it has a formidable bitterness that plays well with the earthy, floral, sweet hop flavors. It’s really unlike any other IPA I’ve had recently. And that’s easy to understand when you see that Bravo and Admiral hops were used.
While other breweries seem to use Citra, Galaxy, Centennial, Mosaic etc in all of their IPAs; Queen City used less known hops and brought out the best in them.
Pink Guava Dank Juice
Brewery: Odd Side Ales – Grand Haven, MI
Style: New England IPA
ABV: 7% IBU: 55
Description
New England IPA with Pink Guava. Sweet, creamy mouthfeel with notes of papaya, melon, and ripe pear.
Why it made the list?
As much as I love New England IPAs (they make my list of the Best Craft Beer every month), I’ve found that the style can vary quite a bit from brewery to brewery and beer to beer.
So I never know what to expect when I pick up this style and that was the case when I decided to try a few of the Dank Juice offerings from Odd Side Ales.
I tried the Pink Guava, Mango Peach, and Tangy versions of Dank Juice. My least favorite was the Mango Peach as it was a bit stinky in aroma and lacked a the strong peach flavor I had hoped for. The Tangy version was really interesting as it was blended with a sour beer.
But the clear winner was the Pink Guava. It had a sweet, smooth fruit flavor from the pink guava that was somewhere between tropical and melon. It really accentuated the profile that I’ve come to expect from a New England IPA.
Learn More About Craft Beer: Pale Ale Vs IPA: What’s The Difference?
Final Thoughts
Lots of IPAs and fruit based beers on my list of the Best Craft Beer for May. Sounds like the season is having its impact on my beer preferences.
But don’t worry; I plan on drinking my fair share of dark beers regardless of the heat. I just can’t guarantee that they make my list of best craft beer during the hot days of summer.
I’ve been thinking about what beer I’ll be reaching for this summer. My hope is to get into lagers more than I have in the past. Historically, it is the side of beer that I’m not as fond of but there’s some great lagers out there so I want to use the higher temperatures as an excuse to discover more of them.
What about you? What beer will you be drinking this summer?
As always, you can sound off in the comments below or send me a message.
