28
Jul
10

Featured Breweries: Virgin Island St. John Brewers – U.S. Virgin Islands

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VIRGIN ISLANDS ST. JOHN BREWERS, U.S. Virgin Islands

The Tap Room is St. John Brewery’s island microbrewery, and if you are fortunate enough to visit the Islands, don’t pass up the chance to visit. Located in Cruz Bay on St. John, it is the only craft beer draft bar on St. John or St. Thomas, home to the largest selection of microbrewed beers in the Caribbean. (They also offer their own root and ginger beers, and Green Flash energy drink.)

So how did it all get started? Two college buddies (one a NASA scientist, the other a physical therapist) quit their jobs, seeking the island life on St. John. Their first few weeks were spent bussing tables and calling an old boat with no electricity “home.” They graduated to being bartenders, and rented a tiny apartment. Then boredom set in – not with island life, but with island beer. Using Internet pointers and a $50 beer-making kit, they experimented with a mango pale ale and other brews, still keeping their bartending jobs.

BY 2004, their brews were being noticed, and they knew they were filling a void. The increased demand meant they needed to expand, needing a way to bottle and distribute the beer. (Early brews were housed in hand-sterilized glass water bottles; distribution was via a temperamental old Toyota.) Piece by piece, it all fell into place, and today they make killer brews, while maintaining the joy of island life and all it has to offer.

Island Summer Ale is an easy drinker, with a soft wheat body and a clean, crisp finish. It’s brewed with 2 Row British Pale Malted Wheat and Hallertau hops.

Liquid Sunshine presents refreshing flavors with notes of coriander and orange. You’ll like the smooth wheat mouthfeel.

Featured Beer from Virgin Islands St. John Brewers: Island Summer Ale and Liquid Sunshine Belgian Style Ale

www.stjohnbrewers.com

ALE – St. Johns Brewer’s Island Summer Ale – A soft, easy drinking, top-fermented ale that has a remarkably clean, crisp finish. This one, still expressive and complex, has the perfect personality to pair with tropical foods, grilled chicken and seafood.

BELGIAN PALE ALE – St. Johns Brewer’s Belgian Pale Ale – Belgian-style ales don’t fit neatly into any classic styles, but are in a top-fermented class of their own. They are brewed with herbs and spices, with light to medium body and a wide range of hop and malt levels. Excellent with salads, steamed mussels and light seafoods.

See some of our featured breweries in our Beer of the Month Club.

21
Jul
10

Featured Breweries: Uinta Brewery – Salt Lake City Utah

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UINTA BREWERY, Salt Lake City, Utah

The goal of Uinta Brewing when it was established in 1993 was to produce fresh, full-flavored beers for distribution. Uinta was the first distributing craft-brewed brewery in the city, and their brews quickly gained a strong following, as no other brewery was concentrating on supplying the demands of Utah’s many pubs and restaurants. Requests for bottled beer became louder and more frequent, so in 1996 Uinta began bottling its award-winning beers. It became the biggest craft brewery in Utah. Uinta’s flagship Cutthroat Pale Ale is the #1 selling craft beer in the state, and Uinta is one of the top 50 volume-producing craft breweries in the United States.

They moved to a new 26,000 square foot facility in 2001, and each of those square feet is dedicated to reducing negative impact on the environment using renewable energy. The Brewery is 100% wind powered, and they re-use their six pack carriers. Spent grain is donated to local ranchers for cattle feed, further reducing waste. This is just a sampling of how they protect the environment.

Proud of its many mottos, including “Keeping Utah the Way We Found It – Except with Beer,” and “Improving Utah’s Environment – Starting with Beer.” They provided comic relief during a major drought by coining the phrase, “Save Water – Drink Beer.”

We’re proud to bring you Uinta’s King’s Peak Porter, flavorful and complex. Dark mahogany with a creamy head, it’s rich with dark chocolate, fruit and coffee nuances. It brought home the coveted Gold Medal three years in a row, and is still going strong.

Solstice Kolsch Style Ale is a lighter style German ale, with refreshing, light, crisp hop character. Its subtle bitterness is invigorating.

Featured Beer from Uinta Brewery:
King’s Peak Porter and Solstice Kolsch
www.uintabrewing.com

PORTER – Uinta’s King’s Peak Porter – Porter was England’s first national beer, deriving its name from its popularity with street-market porters who drank it for its nourishment. Dark in color and robust, top-fermented porters are excellent with fresh raw oysters, shellfish, Porterhouse steak, chocolate and creamy fruit desserts.

ALE – Uinta’s Solstice Kolsch Style Ale – This is a light, crisp, top-fermented beer that uses a touch of bitterness to attain its spirited flavor. These beers of antiquity are known for their expressiveness and complexity. Enjoy this brew with grilled chicken or your favorite seafood.

Related: Join our Beer of the Month Club.

14
Jul
10

North, South, West, and Yeast

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It’s undeniable – no matter what direction you look, yeast is everywhere! It floats freely in the air, reproducing, metabolizing and being the reason for the creation of (depending on the type of yeast) mold, mildew, wine and beer!

Being that this is a beer newsletter, I’ll concentrate on the latter. Since ancient times, mankind has known that yeast can make an alcoholic drink out of nearly any plant, fruit or vegetable. Some archeologists claim that primitive forms of yeast selection were put into use by brewers as early as 1400 B.C.

When viewed under a microscope, brewer’s yeast appears to be a chain of little fungus organisms. (Their life’s work is to convert sugar to both carbon dioxide and alcohol.) Yeast was first viewed under a microscope by Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of that instrument. It is believed that beer yeast was the first thing Leeuwenhoek sought to observe under the lens!

By the mid 1800’s, it had been determined that malted barley was very receptive to yeast. And there were two primary strains of yeast that worked particularly well in the making of beer – one was successful in producing lagers, and the other was instrumental in creating ales.

Ale yeast gives beer its expressive, complex, fruit flavor. This yeast ferments at the top of the brew barrel in temperatures of 55 to 75 degrees F. In yeast past, this top-fermenting yeast lent itself to contamination as it worked in close proximity to the air where unwanted yeasts came into play.

Lager yeast is bottom-fermenting and works in a cooler environment of 32 to 55 degrees F. Lagers of today are stored for many weeks (even months) while the lager yeast works its magic, giving lagers their clean, soft taste.

Relates: Beer of the Month Club Is The Perfect Gift.

22
Jun
10

An Introduction to Cask Ale

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If you’re new to the microbrew culture, you’re probably realizing that’s it’s difficult to keep track of all the different styles of beer America’s microbreweries are putting out. What’s the difference between a Pale Ale and an India Pale Ale? A porter and a stout?  A dubbel and a tripel? Indeed, even for the veteran microbrew consumer, there’s always something to learn. Today we’re going to introduce you to an entirely different kind of beer: cask ale, or “real ale,” as some call it.

While a white ale and a stout are about as different as two beers can be, they still have a lot in common. Like virtually all beer consumed in the United States, these beers are filtered after fermentation is complete in order to remove sediment. Then, they’re pasteurized in order to extend the lifespan of the beer on store shelves or in the local watering hole. Next, they have additional carbonation added to them to appeal to the modern palate. Finally, they’re bottled (or canned) and shipped off for consumption.

But beer wasn’t always produced like this – indeed, only since the second half of the 20th century has “modern” beer production taken hold. Fortunately, beer purists have taken it upon themselves to preserve traditional ales. Cask ale can be hard to find, in part because it’s a risky offering for pubs to have available. Pubs have to sell it quickly, as it won’t keep nearly as long as a keg of Bud Light, and they have to commit to selling an entire keg, as cask ale is always served directly from the vessel in which it was conditioned (fermented). That said, it’s well worth the effort to find an opportunity to try cask ale.

Cask ale, unlike most beer you’ve likely ever had, isn’t filtered, pasteurized, artificially carbonated, or bottled. This means that it has a freshness unlike any beer you’ll find at the local convenience store. Also, it’s got a very different character – because it’s only naturally carbonated, cask ale tends to have a smoother, creamier “mouthfeel” than modern beer. While there’s a good chance you won’t find a cask ale in the first place you look, if you ask around, you’ll likely be able to find some, whether at a local brewery or at a pub specializing in craft beer.

In some ways, cask ale is simply a “traditional” mirror of many of the beers you know well. Cask ale can come in many styles; it’s not a “style” of beer in and of itself; it’s simply a method of producing beer, regardless of the style of the particular ale in question. If you’re a microbrew veteran, cask ale is a great next step in your exploration of beer. If you’re brand new to microbrews, cask ale will be a fun and very different experience for you. We recommend that you make the effort to track some down!

Have a look around and check out our Beer of the Month Club and Wine of the Month Club.

15
Jun
10

Beer for a Special Occassion

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If you’ve had a particularly good week in the office or you’re celebrating a special occasion, you may not feel like cracking open just another bottle of your usual beer (especially if you’re usual isn’t a tasty microbrew!). Maybe you’re looking for something a bit more exotic – something to enjoy as a special treat. Well, don’t worry. You don’t have to simply put down your $8.99 for a six-pack of a mid-range microbrew. Indeed, when you want something especially luxurious, here are a couple of beers to try that will require a much more sizeable investment.

90 Minute IPA – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Milton, DE ($10.99/four pack at Bevmo.com)

Even if you’ve never tried it, there’s a chance you’ve heard of Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA. Some beer enthusiasts go so far to refer to this brew as America’s finest microbrew. We’re not in the business of making such endorsements, but we can say that if you like a rich, complex, hoppy brew, you’ll probably enjoy 90 Minute IPA. While this beer is as hoppy as you’d expect from a Double IPA, it’s also remarkably well-balanced, with a maltiness and fruit-based sweetness that helps to round out the flavor profile. Note that it’s called “90 Minute” IPA for a reason – with an ABV of 9.0%, 90 minutes is how long Dogfish Head recommends that you spend enjoying this distinguished brew.

Bourbon County Stout – Goose Island Brewery – Chicago, IL ($19.99/four pack at Bevmo.com)

Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout is a rich, dark imperial stout that’s aged in used Jim Beam bourbon barrels. While this isn’t the only bourbon stout on the market, Goose Island claims that this was the first bourbon stout ever produced. Full of vanilla, chocolate, and caramel aromas and flavors, this is about as full-flavored and full-bodied a beer as you’re likely to find. Indeed, this brew is so rich and complex that you can even age it for up to five years! Whenever you choose to consume it, at 13% ABV, it’s certainly a “sipping beer” – you’re not likely to be tossing back several of these at a time – and works nicely as, or with, dessert.

Given the price points of these beers, they’re not likely to become your usual, but they’re certainly worth a try for a special occasion or a celebration. Treat yourself to one of these unique brews!

Have a look around and check out our Beer of the Month Club and Wine of the Month Club.

07
Jun
10

An Introduction to Barleywine

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If you’ve been through the aisles at your local beer emporium lately, you’ve likely noticed at least a few barleywines on the shelves. Indeed, many of America’s most popular microbreweries are starting to offer this unique, and, for most of us, foreign style. So what exactly is barleywine, and what should you expect if you decide to try one?

Beer or Wine?

First things first – is barleywine wine? Or is it beer? Or something else entirely? In reality, barleywine is simply a style of beer, whose origins can be traced back to England well over a century ago (and probably much farther back). Barleywine isn’t like the average beer you find at the megamart, though. Below, we’ve put together the beginner’s guide to barleywine. We think you’ll find that trying it for the first time will be well worth your while.

Flavor:

We’re guessing the most important question you have is “what does it taste like?” Barleywines have a wide range of flavor profiles. Some are rich with dominant flavors of stone fruit (think plums), and others are extremely hoppy, like an IPA. Whichever you choose, you’ll find that the alcohol in barleywine is much more noticeable than it is in the beer you’re used to. That’s because barleywines to tend to have an ABV% of anywhere between 8 and 13%!

Appearance:

Again, there’s a range with this style, but the lightest barleywines tend to begin with a rich, amber color. Barleywines can be as dark as a porter or stout, though, so if you like darker beers, choose a barleywine that fits your preferences. If you like a lighter brew, try a lighter-colored barleywine (likely to be hoppier with less of a rich, fruit flavor).

Aroma:

You’ll definitely notice the alcohol in the aroma, but aside from that, the aroma of a barleywine tends to follow the same rules as more typical beer. The darker the barleywine, the more likely the aroma is to be full of coffee, toffee, or chocolate notes. Conversely, with a lighter barleywine, you’re liable to find an in-your-face, hop-heavy aroma similar to an IPA.

Now that you know a thing or two about barleywine, which examples might be a good bet for a first experience with barleywine? We recommend trying one of the following, but a beer emporium or higher-end supermarket will likely give you the opportunity to browse a local selection.

XS Old Crustacean – Rogue Ales Brewery – Newport, OR

A deep, dark barleywine with rich notes of fruit and burnt sugar, but a healthy serving of hops to maintain a well-balanced flavor profile.

Olde School Barleywine – Dogfish Head Brewery – Milton, DE

This medium-bodied barleywine is bursting with fruity sweetness – think plums, dates, figs, etc. Be careful with this brew – it clocks in at 15% ABV, so this is definitely for sipping!

Have a look around and check out our Beer of the Month Club and Wine of the Month Club.

01
Jun
10

Summer Seasonal Beer Preview: East Coast

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Categories: Beer and Seasonal Beer
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Now that we’ve taken a look at some newly-available summer seasonal ales from the West Coast, it’s time to set our sights on the East Coast. Summer Beer seasonals tend to be similar regardless of where they come from, so there’s not necessarily a stylistic difference between East and West Coast summer brews. That said, we couldn’t leave you East Coasters out of the fun. Here are some of the best summer beers available out east.

Long Trail Belgian White – Long Trail Brewing Co., Bridgewater Corners, VT

Like many American summer seasonals, Long Trail’s Belgian White is light, citrusy, refreshing brew that’s a great beverage for the backyard or the beach. However, as the name of this brew suggests, Long Trail has modeled their summer offering on a classic Belgian style: white beer, or witbier. In addition to a reminiscent of lemons and oranges, you’ll find notes of spices like coriander. Don’t be alarmed if this brew pours a little hazy – it’s unfiltered, so it won’t be crystal clear. This a nice riff on a witbier and fits nicely into the family of American summer ales.

Where to find it: CT, MA, ME, NJ, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT

UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen – Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA

Harpoon is well-known and well-liked on the East Coast, but could rightfully be called Sam Adams’ lesser-known cousin. Like Sam Adams, Harpoon calls Boston home and puts out a wide selection of interesting microbrews. Harpoon might be best known for their “UFO” line – short for UnFiltered Object. Harpoon’s UFO Hefeweizen is a popular year-round offering, but for summer, Harpoon creates a special UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen. Like the witbier mentioned above, hefeweizen is a traditional European style, although hefeweizen originated in Germany.  “Hefs” are wheat beers, which gives them a sweet, bready aroma and a light, tart profile. Harpoon goes out on a limb and adds raspberries to their summer Hef, resulting in a slightly sweeter flavor profile. Some beer purists frown on so-called “flavored” beers, but you’ll find that Harpoon’s raspberry Hef isn’t overpowering. Like the Long Trail Belgian White, this is an unfiltered beer, so again, don’t worry about this beer’s cloudy appearance!

Where to find it: AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV

Summer Weizen – Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, NH

Looking for a more traditional summer ale? Don’t let this brewery’s odd name deter you – look no further than the Summer Weizen from Smuttynose. Along with the usual slightly sweet, slightly citrusy profile of this summer brew, you’ll find a surprisingly full body. The truly unique aspect of this brew, though, is the aroma of chamomile and honey, which makes for a pleasant, inviting, and very summery profile. If you’re out by the pool with a cooler full of Smuttynose Summer Weizen, it’d be tough to drink just one!

Where to find it: CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH,NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WI

Don’t be afraid to have a look around and check out our Beer of the Month Club.

20
May
10

Summer Seasonal Beer Preview – West Coast Addition

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Categories: Seasonal Beer
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Spring is in full force across the country, which means one very important thing. Many of America’s finest microbreweries’ summer seasonal offerings are hitting the shelves at your local megamart. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the best summer seasonals around, focusing on the West Coast. First, a word on seasonal brews.

Unlike the traditional American beer giants (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors), many microbreweries change their offerings with the change in the seasons. Summer beers, of course, tend to be lighter in color and body, with a focus on refreshment.  In the fall, rich ambers with a malty, full-bodied profile become available, while in the winter, dark styles like porters and stouts appear, full of chocolate and coffee-like flavors.

Next week we’ll preview the East Coast’s selection of summer brews, so don’t fret if you can’t get your hands on the beers featured below. For those of you who can, though, you’re in for a treat. To the beer!

Alaskan Summer Ale

Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK) puts out a wide selection of excellent beer year-round, and is best nown for its Alaskan Amber. However, Alaskan Summer Ale is, in my opinion, the best brew from this notable microbrewery. Alaskan Summer is a Kolsch – a traditional German styl e originating in Cologne. With its light body and excellent balance between malt and hops, Alaskan Summer is the quintessential “session beer.” It’s easy to knock back more than one!

Where to get it: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming.

Skinny Dip

Another summer brew from a brewery better known for another offering, Skinny Dip (New Belgium Brewing – Fort Collins, CO) is a lesser-known sibling of one of America’s favorite microbrews: Fat Tire. Like many summer brews, Skinny Dip is light-bodied with a citrusy flavor profile that’s very light on hops. Skinny Dip’s calling card is a rare ingredient – kaffir lime leaf. Kaffir limes originated in southeast Asia and impart an acidic, somewhat astringent flavor that is highly refreshing. Take a cooler full of Skinny Dip on a hike, or to the beach – you’ll be glad you did!

Where to get it: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Twilight Ale

If you’re looking a special summer offering that’s a bit more complex and sophisticated than the typical light, citrus-based summer brew, try Twlight Ale from Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR). With its golden, straw-like color and fluffy white head, this may look like a lot of other summer ales. However, unlike many of its beer cousins, Twilight Ale maintains a serious hop presence, with almost twice as many IBUs (International Bitterness Units) as the Alaskan Summer Ale mentioned above. If you’re looking for a summer ale that’s full-flavored without having to make the jump into IPA territory, for example, Twilight Ale is a great option.

Where to get it: Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

If you are looking to refresh yourself with a great selection of beer, check out our beer of the month club.

17
May
10

Just a Few Quirky, Fun, Microbrew Beer Names

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Categories: Beer

One of the biggest reasons microbrews have become so popular over the last 20 years is the wide variety of styles microbrewing has brought to the American palette. Whether you’re an avid beer drinker and subscribe to our beer of the month club, or just a weekend warrior, Americans are drawn to the creative, free-wheeling spirit of the microbrewing industry. Unlike the well-known American “macrobrews” put out by Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors, microbreweries are known for taking risks, innovating, and giving beer lovers the chance to try something new.

Many microbrews are also known for their quirky names. Let’s take a look at some prominent, oddly-named beers at the stories behind them.

“Fat Tire” – New Belgium (Fort Collins, Colorado)

Like many microbreweries, New Belgium Brewing is the outgrowth of a passionate homebrewer, Jeff Lebesch. To develop his homebrewing repertoire, Lebesch embarked on a cycling tour through Europe, where he acquired classical European ingredients and recipes. Back home in Colorado, Lebesch developed an amber ale he called Fat Tire – a nod to the tires on the mountain bike that carried him through Europe. Along with his wife Kim, Lebesch started New Belgium Brewing in the early 1990s; today, New Belgium is one of the most successful and well-known microbreweries in the country, and Fat Tire is its flagship brew.

“Boont Amber Ale” – Anderson Valley Brewing Company (Boonville, California)

Since we’re on the subject of amber ales with quirky names, we’d be remiss if we failed to mention Boont Amber Ale. Anderson Valley Brewing Company (AVBC) produces a wide variety of delicious brews, and is steeped in the heritage of its surroundings. Nestled in the Anderson Valley of Northern California’s Mendocino County, AVBC uses a historical local dialect known as “Boontling” in the naming of several of its beers. “Boont” Amber Ale simply means that the award-winning brew comes from Boonville.

Boonville, even today a sleepy town off the beaten path, historically has been a rural community based on agriculture and logging. Due to its isolated location, the locals were able to craft their own local dialect with over a thousand unique words. To honor that heritage, AVBC describes each of it’s beers as “bahl hornin’” – good drinking.

“Pliny the Elder” – Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, California)

Another California brew with a unique name, Pliny the Elder is a massively hoppy double IPA. Of course, Pliny the Elder was also a Roman naturalist and military commander you may remember from school. While probably not the most prominent Roman you can think of, Pliny the Elder is noteworthy for creating the first botanical name for hops, a key ingredient in all beers. Given the level of hops in this brew (100 out of a possible 100 IBUs – International Bitterness Units), the name is certainly well-deserved.

We could write an encyclopedia on microbrews with a quirky history, so check back soon for more!

13
May
10

Beer 101: A Primer in Beer Terminology

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Categories: Beer

The explosion of the microbrewing industry in America has led to a corresponding increase in beer lingo. When Anheuser Busch, Coors, and Miller were even more dominant in the American beer market than they are now, most people weren’t aware of terms like India Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, or Oatmeal Stout (that are often the favorites of beer of the month club memberships and small pubs), let alone able to tell the difference. We’ll dive into the definition of these and more styles later on, but for now, let’s start from the top. First, what exactly is beer? Second, what about things like “malt liquor” and “ice beer?” Do those even count as beer? Let’s take a look.

Beer – The Basics

Beer is the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, and in many countries it’s still the most popular alcoholic beverage. Given its prevalence, it can be surprisingly difficult to define what exactly beer is. Strictly speaking, beer is nothing more than water, some form of grain (traditionally barley), hops, and yeast. The well-known Bavarian purity law known as the Reinheitsgebot dates to the late 15th century and rules out any ingredients aside from the above. In fact, because the role of yeast was unknown at the time, even yeast was technically forbidden!

Today, the definition of beer is a bit more flexible, with ingredients like fruits or vegetables commonly used to add interesting flavors to beer. The grain component of beer can change from style to style too, with grains like wheat or rye often used to create distinct styles of beer. So why are some beer-like beverages referred to as “ice beer” or “malt liquor?”

Malt Liquor

Many of us know malt liquor as the clear, golden beverage that comes in 40-ounce glass bottles (“forties”) and have names like Olde English or Country Club. Typically malt liquors are beers that are brewed with the aim of producing a higher alcohol content. Because of the higher alcohol content, many U.S. jurisdictions require the beverage to be labeled as “malt liquor” rather than simply as beer. Because different states have different regulations, there’s no hard and fast rule, but many brews that have an alcohol content higher than 5 or 6 percent are labeled as malt liquor. Malt liquors also commonly include cheap “adjuncts” like corn or rice; these ingredients allow the producer to sell the beverage at a low price point, and also contribute to the higher alcohol content. Malt liquors are generally considered to be lower-quality beers, but some high-quality brews use the label “malt liquor” and can be quite interesting.

Ice Beer

Ice beer is an unique style of beer. Traditionally rooted in the German eisbock, ice beer is simply a beer (traditionally a German bock) that has been partially frozen. Because water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol, freezing a beer allows brewers to remove ice from the beer, thereby reducing the water content and concentrating the flavor and level of alcohol. Ice beers can have a much higher alcohol content than more typical beers.

Most Americans are aware of ice beer due to the ice beer trend of the 1990s. You may recall that Miller and Anheuser Busch both introduced ice beers during the 90s. While not generally regarded by connoisseurs as high-quality brews, the ice beers produced by America’s biggest brewers are popular with college students for their higher alcohol content.

If you’re like the many Americans who are growing more and more interested in micro-brewed beers, you’ll probably want to pass up malt liquor and ice beers; instead, try some of the interesting styles we mentioned earlier: whether you go for an India Pale Ale or a Hefeweizen, you’ll be getting a higher-quality, more flavorful, more complex, and more interesting beer!

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