We are in the teeth of the summer now and for cold weather folk like myself, it is a sticky and uncomfortable time but let’s distract from the rising thermometer by checking in on the best beers of the past 31 days…
And this month to shake things up, we have two competitors in two broad categories – hoppy and not hoppy.
In the not hoppy land, we have Cerveceria del Pueblo and their Gaviota Coffee Kolsch which I have had before but is tasting particularly well now vs. Highland Park and their Timbo Week Bortzbo Dark lager.
In the hop world, there is Cheeto & Puff brewery cat hazy IPA from Common Space Brewery and the big TIPA Integration from Replicant.
Bortzbo wins its bracket as it is a fine example of a dark lager with just the right balance of roast and lightness. Integration takes the hoppy side as it shows a fruit punch note that I was not expecting from a double digit ABV beer.
The grand winner is the Replicant. Anytime an IPA can be 10+% and not taste a whisper over 6% is an amazing trick and to add in a strong fruit note is just crazy.