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It’s barely 55 degrees outside and yet here I am, sitting on the back porch of my favorite dive shivering through a hop-loaded Pale Ale. Fall came early in Boone, North Carolina. With nightly temperatures dropping into the 40s this past week, I had plenty of time to warm up next to the early and awesome releases of some delicious Fall ale’s. Three in particular have stood out substantially against the rest. I present to you: the three ales you must try in the next three weeks.
1) Hop Crisis – 21st Amendment Brewery
I stumbled upon this beer accidentally at my favorite craft beer store in town. I was visually drawn in by the funky artwork and oddly foreign shape of the packaging. I broke into the bad boy immediately (it was after all Friday evening). Upon pour (and learning of the ABV), I knew I was gonna be in for a ride. Hop Crisis is a hophead’s fantasyland. The whole objective behind its brewing was to create a beer rich in hops during a period where high volume and high quality hops were difficult to come by in the brewing industry. Well, it paid off. This beer is loaded down with hops and at 9.4% ABV, the four-pack was more than plenty to get me through the weekend. Did I mention it’s also aged on oak? Yum….
2) New Dogtown Pale Ale – Lagunitas Brewing Company
And this beer is why this article is titled “the three ales” and not “the three IPAs.” Remember when I told you I was sitting outside when it was 55 degrees? Here, my friends, is why. New Dogtown Pale Ale offers the perfect transition from shorts and tank tops to scarfs and sweaters. Yes, she’s a pale, but she’s so well-hopped that you’ll find yourself doing double takes of the label to make sure you read it right. New Dogtown, like all Lagunitas productions, is one of those beers that tosses stereotypes to the side and reminds you to never judge a book (or beer style) by the cover.
And to save the best for last…Drumroll please.
3) Enjoy By 9.13.13 – Stone Brewing Company
Finding Enjoy By is like finding drugs – you have to know where to ask, who to ask, and when to ask. Luckily for us, Enjoy By is a completely legal alternative (Just Say Yes!) and if found, can lead to a sense of accomplishment and complete beer junkie ecstasy. I found mine at Peabody’s Beer and Wine and to my displeasure, was told there was a two-per-customer limit due to the fact that the shipment of eight cases (the largest shipment to any location in NC) was already 50% gone. Did I mention they were delivered that morning? No matter. I got my two bottles and immediately raced home to enjoy a beer that had been sent to the bottling line just 11 days before my hands had touched it. The only beer fresher is homebrewed. When you pop the top on this bottle, my recommendation is to find a tulip glass to fully embrace the fresh, frothy carbonation and mind-blowing aroma. The aroma alone, which is piney with a side of citrus, makes up half of the Enjoy By experience. Stone Enjoy By is a hop-heavy IPA that manages to be delightfully light in body, a combination that is sure to shock and pleasure even the most discerning of beer samplers. To find out exactly how many days, hours, and minutes you have left to get your hands on one, visit their website.
