Contemporary Works by Stillwater Yacht
Stratford, Connecticut
Dry-hopped Session Lager
ABV: 4.2%
A slight touch of sulfur on the nose gives way to a smooth and accessible taste with a hint of sweetness, a light touch of dry hopping, and a bitterness that doesn’t bite but only develops as it lingers. Relatively clean and crisp, Yacht is a beer that’s far more accessible than its country-club name might suggest. — Jamie Bogner
Left Hand Brewing Introvert
Longmont, Colorado
Session IPA
ABV: 4.8%
Dank hops are the first thing to hit you in the nose, and my first thought was “this is a session IPA?” The hops regimen shares a spiritual connection to the Oregon IPAs we’ve been drinking a bunch of lately, with well-defined strawberry and peach notes. The malt bill is tidy and supportive without overwhelming, and the beer dries pleasantly as it lingers to encourage another sip. We’ll be drinking a lot of this beer this summer—it’s one of the most flavor-packed beers we’ve tasted with an ABV under 5%. — Jamie Bogner
Tallgrass Brewing 16-Bit DPA
Manhattan, Kansas
Double Pale Ale
ABV: 6.2%
The nose is thick and dank, like walking into a greenhouse full of hops, but the first sip is slightly sweet without the bitterness the nose suggests. A light spiciness grows in the mid-palate, but fades back into more dank stone-fruit hops notes in the linger. A light body lets those hops flavors shine without weighing it down—this fighter is light on its feet but punches hard. — John Bolton
Avery Brewing Liliko’i Kepolo
Boulder, Colorado
Witbier
ABV: 5.4%
For a couple years, Avery has served Liliko’i on occasion at the brewery and at festivals, and over that time it’s achieved a cult following of fans who love the creatively tart take on a wit. One taste of the recently-canned production version explains why—banana yeast and passion fruit with a hint of sweetness hit you in the nose, then tart passion fruit counters those yeast esters as you drink, offering a nicely balanced experience with layers of flavor. It’s a fun, fruity, summery beer that avoids flavor clichés. Both craft-beer novices and craft-beer geeks will enjoy this one. — John Bolton
Perennial Artisan Ales Hopfentea
St. Louis, Missouri
Berliner Weisse
ABV: 4.2%
A gorgeously sophisticated fruit salad of a nose is balanced with herbal notes that give way to a sharp tang in the first sip. Fruited Berliners have a tendency to overdo it on sweetness, but the earthy tea elements dry this out and let the fruit flavor (sans sweetness) shine through in a very pleasantly dry finish. — Jamie Bogner