Sam’s Top Beer Picks

St. Bernardus Abt 12

This Belgian is one of the highest rated beers on ratebeer.com. It pours a dark cloudy brown with a frothy tan head. The aroma is of chocolate, plum and roasted nuts. The flavor is complex featuring a wide variety of dates, banana, figs, nuts, espresso and yeast. The beer finishes up dryly and excellently balanced. One of our staff favorites!

Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

The Oaked Arrogant Bastard ale is produced by Stone Brewing in California. The bright ruby colored body is topped by a beige head. The nose consists of sweet sugars, vanilla and piney hops. The flavor is sweet, full-bodied, oaky and hoppy all at once, with a malty, somewhat sweet finish. While this sounds like an odd combination, it results in very interesting, very drinkable ale.

Tilburgs Dutch Brown Ale

The first thing that catches your eye about this beer is the label. The character on the label is taken from Bosch’s famous painting The Garden of Earthly Delights. The beer pours a medium brown with little to no head. The aroma is nutty with slight hints of toffee, with flavors to match. It has a mild malty finish.

Stoudts’ Scarlet Lady ESB

This ESB, or Extra Special Bitter, is brought to us by Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, PA, one of a very few female owned breweries in the United States. It pours a nice red coppery color, with a slightly beige head. It has a somewhat sweet malty aroma with slight hints of a dark berry. The flavor is malty with hints of caramel, with a bitter finish. Nice and refreshing on a hot day.

Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier

Weihenstephan, the oldest functioning brewery in the world, has been “officially” brewing beer since the year 1040, although there are some clues that it may have been brewing as early as 768. This kristall weissbier, or crystal wheat beer, pours a clear golden color with a pure white head. The aroma is full of malts, yeast, bananas, and cloves, with flavors that match with citrus notes as well. It has a long, somewhat spicy finish.

Founders Breakfast Stout

This offering from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Michigan is truly deserving of the name “breakfast stout.” It is pitch black in color with a thick brown head when poured into a glass. Intense aromas of strong black coffee and dark, semi-sweet chocolate match the flavors. With a thick, creamy mouthfeel, this could easily be consumed for breakfast.

Boulder Hazed and Infused

This is a dry-hopped beer from Boulder. It derives its name because it is unfiltered, and therefore hazy, and infused with dry hops after the brewing process. It has a coppery color with a medium white head when poured into a glass. The aroma is very citrusy and hoppy, which comes from the Centennial hops used. The flavor is wonderfully balanced between hoppy bitterness and a slight maltiness. With a crisp finish, this is a great hot weather beer.

Orange Blossom Pilsner

This beer, despite being deemed “Florida’s Honey Beer,” is actually brewed in Greenville, SC. It uses Orange Blossom honey from Florida, which the yeast ferments into alcohol, giving it a subtle honey finish. This is a great “stepping stone” beer for those who want to go from their usual domestic to a craft beer, but are unsure of what to try.

New Holland Sundog

Sundog is an amber ale brewed by New Holland Brewery in Holland, Michigan. It has a nice, deep amber color. A yeasty, almost bread-like aroma leads into a mild nutty flavor with a slight sweet finish, which is derived from the Biscuit malt used.