So July was fantastic for some of the best tastes of the Summer. Which ones were the best this month?:
Founders- All Day IPA:
There is something about this beer when it hits your lives you can taste the fresh hops as well a well-balanced floral mouthfeel. It is obvious why this is the beer that is now the flagship of Founders and why Founders is a top 10 Brewery. Even more impressive is that this is a session ale which registers at a crisp 4.3% abv.
Notch Session Ale:
If there is a beer that I was introduced to this month that was improved immensely it is this one. After speaking with the Head Brewer he said this one has more of a dry hop finish and it. After having this at Vert Sasquatch race and seeing there was only three cups of it left before it was kicked. Ironically those cups went into the winner trophies and if you were in the second group of winning runners you got and deserved a nice treat!
Slumbrew- Sittin’ on Hop of the World:
So last month I also reviewed a peach flavored beer. Being from South Carolina and having been raised in the middle of peach farms (figurative term but you can google “Gaffney Peach” for images from 15 miles from where I lived growing up) it would come across as my favorite fruit. That is far from the truth though. So knowing that Slumbrew was putting out a White IPA with Peach puree I knew I had to try it. It did not disappoint. It doesn’t come across as an overpowering IPA but it also doesn’t come off as a Fruity peach beer either. This beer has something that a lot of beers miss, that is balance. Grab this one because it won’t be around too long.
Night Shift- Citranation:
Night shift does some amazing things with Belgian yeast and that being said they also have one of the best double IPAs when it comes fresh from the draft. At 8.6% abv some beers and especially Double IPAs are very boozy and can have a cough syrup taste. This DIPA is not in that group! Citranation has a grapefruit and citrus zest that can’t be beat. I’m also eager to try Simcoenation that they have started filling growlers for recently as well!
Maine Beer Co. / Nogne O – Collaboration Time III:
Maine Beer Co. has always put out solid stuff and when “Lunch” comes around it goes out like Heady Topper once it hits the stores. I’ve also seen Nogne O but I have never had any of their beers. This one I must say though is top-notch. Very citrusy but also very full mouthfeelful saison. This is about as Top notch as it gets and if I seen more Nogne O available I will be picking it up!
That’s it for July. At the end of August there will be no pumpkin beer reviews. Just putting that one out there!
Craft Beer and Running 
Pretty much spot on with all of these. Each of these beers made it to my table this past month; All Day is great because I can have a few and not feel groggy like when I have a heavier IPA. Notch Session Ale was good, and the Peach/Belgian was a good combo although I thought the alcohol was really forward on it. Finally…NightShift is making some great beers and Citrination was great. I liked it for it’s balance; I tried Clownshoes Swagger, also a citra-hopped beer but Swagger felt like a one-note beer while Citrination had some depth to it.
Seth,
Thank you for the props. I have to agree with you on all of these. I don’t know about the Alcohol being that forward on the “Sittin on Hop of the World’ only because I have had a couple of other peach beers that have the taste of alcohol that ends up being very lasting. Citranation is really nice beer and I hope to try Simcoenation if they have it on draft this Saturday!
Cheers!
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