Sloop Brewing
Cyber Punk
A spicy, slightly sweaty nose offers tightly edited notes of light kiwi and honeydew melon, with faint black pepper and an ever-so-soft diesel note for structure. It’s refreshing to taste heftier IPAs that stray from the sweet-citrus mainstream, while the bright, focused, expressive hops (and taut body) make it a DIPA you’ll enjoy pint after pint.
ABV: 8.3%
Loc: Hopewell Junction, New York
South County
Riff Mountain
Soft guava with a hint of white tea and crisp linen offer an enticing start, and the sip follows with waves of sweet, tropical fruit that quickly resolve into satisfyingly drying light-fruit esters. It’s impressive to find such sweetness that finishes so clean, highlighted by an impossibly light malt body.
ABV: 8.8%
Loc: Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania
Pinthouse Pizza
Fog Runner
The first thing you notice is the 100 percent base-malt body—for such a big beer, it’s intentionally pale. The nose belies the intensity, with heady orange and tangerine notes. While other beers might cave with cloying sweetness, Fog Runner maintains a firm but accessible bitterness from start to finish that—strangely—amplifies the citrus character throughout.
ABV: 9%
Loc: Austin, Texas