The Forlorn Foghorn

Anchor Brewing Company: Old Foghorn Barley Wine Ale

Specs:

• Price: $11.99 (I know, a little steep)
• ABV: 9.4% (may go up depending on aging)
• Ingredients: Lots of Barley Malt and Cascade Hops
• Process: Takes 3 mashes to produce (only use the rich malty running of each mash), which means it should be way more expensive than it is.

Can we talk about Anchor Steam? No. Everyone already does, and that is why the dessert-like barley wine ale hasn't gotten the respect it deserves. It's a barley wine that uses top fermenting yeast to age and foam like a good champagne. Carmel and sugar. That's what you'll taste with this ale, but it will still taste like a beer because of the dry-hopping. It's another one of those blended-style brews that lets you enjoy a connoisseur-grade beverage at a brew for your buck price. This ale is a not-so-subtle almost 10% ABV reminder that the most renowned brew from a craft brewery is not the only one you should kick back and enjoy.http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beers/oldfoghorn.htm

A Good Kind of Imperialism

Matt Brewing Company: Saranac Imperial IPA

Specs:

• Price: $8.49 on sale ($8.99 if you didn't go to Harris Teeter when I did)
• ABV: 8.5%
• Ingredients: centennial and cascade hops (the good stuff that the peeps over at Sierra Nevada use a bunch)
• Process/ Techniques: 10 different malts and a variety of hops. A cornucopia of flavor. 

This was the best trip to my local Harris Teeter that I've had in a long time. Saranac is on most grocery shelves around the country, which makes sense since they have the sixth highest beer sales in volume of the craft breweries in the country. The best thing about a craft brewery getting distribution in high volume is that these guys, being in the industry for the love of the brew, will start distributing their special brews as soon as they can. Matt Brewing released the "High Peak Series" with an imperial IPA and an imperial stout, but when thinking brew for my buck, I gotta go with a beer that touts the 8.5% ABV and 85 IBU. Be forewarned: this is an IPA, but it is dark and malty. It almost looks like an amber ale, and it drinks like a full meal. http://www.saranac.com/page/pale-ale2

The Mad World of Beer

Mad River Brewing Co: Steelhead Double IPA

Specs:

• Price: $8.99
• ABV: 8.6%
• Ingredients: Amarillo hops. Lots of 'em.
• Process: More malt keeps the beer from being bitter, and instead is nicely crisp.

Mad River Brewing Company is based in Humboldt County, California. I don't know much about the area, but I do know the reputation Humboldt has for quality cannabis, which is in the same family of plants as hops. I'm gonna shoot from the hip here and say people in this county know everything about the plant family "Cannabaceae", or the pot smoking makes them great beer brewers. Maybe I'm wrong on both accounts, but all that matters is that Humboldt should also develop a reputation for the Mad River Brewing Company they are home to. A bold IPA at $8.99 and 8.6%? Awesome. I don't know how they do it. Maybe it's because they cut the funding on their website. Seriously, check out the geocities- looking web page of this great brewery (it's even got little theme songs for the specific ales). http://www.madriverbrewing.com/mad_river_brewing_the_remix_004.htm

Victory Brewing Co Golden Monkey

 Victory Brewing Co: Golden Monkey Tripel Belgian Ale

Specs:

•  Price:$9.49
• ABV:9.5%
• Ingredients: German malt (deeper golden color), Belgian yeast (a sweeter touch)
• Process: Not important. Tripel ales are just heavy pale ales and this one leaves a sexy Belgian lace on the glass, so you know it was done right

It's hot outside. Sticky hot. Like 'the last thing I want is a stout' kind-of hot. But I could still go for a 'barrel-chested man-beer' with some kick. I'm gonna be honest really quick: I love summer, but the seasonal 'Witbier' shit is always weak. wheat and Blonde ales are generally sweet, sugary, fruity, and low in ABV. Like a bitch beer. So what do I do about this seasonal bull-bird I've been presented with? Boo at summer wheat beers! At my local Earthfare I picked up Victory's Golden Monkey, a tripel style Belgian Ale. Instead of sipping a watery blonde ale this afternoon, I'll go three sheets with this rich golden ale that's got a little more brew for my buck than anything else I could sip in this heat. Victory's taken the silver medal in the International Beer Competition for this one, but during this heat wave a 9.5% affordable tripel ale I can kick back with earns the 'gold' in it's name. http://victorybeer.com/beers/golden-monkey/

Bitchin' Beer

 Raging Bitch: Belgian-Style India Pale Ale

Specs:

• price: $8.49 six-pack
• ABV: 8.3%
• ingredients: Belgian yeast (sweeter), Amarillo hops (a bitter twist)
• Process: dry hopping gives the cloudy Belgian appearance a surprising bitterness

 You'll find Flying Dog Beers at just about any grocery store. Most likely the 'Classic Pale Ale'. I suppose the CPA was the easiest to market because of it's generic American Pale Ale hops and moderate alcohol content (5.5% ABV). I'm not a fan, even the acronym CPA makes me uncomfortable. If I want a pale ale, it's gonna be an IPA. But I digress. Flying Dog had been around for 20 years come September 25th 2009, so how does an edgy microbrewery with a Gonzo-guise celebrate? By releasing the 'Raging Bitch' Belgian-Style India Pale Ale to tear up the shelves of beer joints across the country. Raging Bitch represents the blending of classically different styles of brewing, which is great because we all know separate but equal is never as good. At 8.3% and $8.49 at Phil's Gas Station a few blocks from me, cheers to you Flying Dog for making me wanna bring Raging Bitches with me everywhere I go. Raging Bitch official page