New Belgium’s Heavy Melon Ale

Get this beer NOW!

Fruit-infused beers seem to be making a huge splash these days. I’ve seen grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, orange, and lime. Some are gimmicky or just don’t taste very good to me. Fortunately, this one is outstanding! For me, it ranks right up there with Ballast Point’s Grapefruit Sculpin.

I’ve shared this beer with my wife and a couple of friends who aren’t big beer drinkers to get some additional opinions. The resounding opinion, even from people who rarely drink beer is, “This is delicious, I could definitely enjoy this!”

The taste is so refreshing, smooth, and balanced. The watermelon and lime are just enough to tickle your taste buds. The ale itself is just an easy-drinking pale ale.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – This is THE beer of the summer. If you bring this to any parties this summer, you better bring an extra 6-pack for yourself because they’re sure to be a hit.

 

Pumpkin Ale Showdown featuring KBC, Mendocino Brewing, and New Belgium

There’s a meme circulating that the only way to enjoy pumpkin ale is to throw it in the trash. Hilarious! Of all the beers varieties, pumpkin ales are the most likely to get a thumbs-down from me too. I often wonder why anyone even thought it was a good idea beyond a holiday marketing exercise to pair pumpkin and beer. With this in mind, I took one for the collective team of beer drinkers and tried these three pumpkin ales. If the following reviews save a single taste bud this holiday season, then this research was worth it. (Spoiler alert: these beers were actually pretty good, each in their own way.)

Kennebunkport Brewing Company’s Pumpkin Ale – Strong pumpkin flavor – think pumpkin pie but less sweet and more carbonated. I can certainly image drinking this with a turkey and mashed potatoes dinner. Rating: 3 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – get it if you’re looking for the purest pumpkin-in-an-ale flavor.

Mendocino Brewing’s Engine 45 Pumpkin Ale – This is probably my favorite of these beers. The flavor was more brown ale than pumpkin ale. However, as I enjoyed more of this bottle, I noticed some sweeter pumpkin aftertaste that I really enjoyed. Rating: 4 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – Maybe not for the pumpkin ale purists but if you want to add a bit of pumpkin to your liquid diet, this is the one.

New Belgium’s Pumpkick – Perhaps the most “exotic” of the pumpkin ales listed here. It’s flavored with cranberry juice and lemongrass to create a flavor that is tart, a little sweet, and certainly unique. For me, this is a dessert beer. I can’t image drinking more than one in a sitting. However, my wife, who is an infrequent beer-drinker, loved this pumpkin beer most of those reviewed here. Rating: 3 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – worth a try but just prepare yourself for some serious cranberry flavor.

Golden Road Brewery’s Saison Pamplemousse

A beer that incorporates grapefruit? You had me at “beer.” This particular brew comes to us from Golden Road of Los Angeles. I’ve tried several Golden Road varieties over the years and this is by far my favorite yet. Saisons are not usually my preferred beer because the fruit flavor can be overwhelming to me. But I like to try new things and the combination of an ale with grapefruit (“pamplemousse” is French for grapefruit) was far too compelling to pass up. Golden Road nailed it with this effervescent and refreshing Saison Pamplemousse. It’s the perfect beer to relax with on a Sunday afternoon. The grapefruit flavor is slightly tart but not overpowering. My only regret was buying only a single can to try and not a full six-pack from TJ’s.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – Delicious and refreshing. If you enjoy saison or hefeweizen beers or even La Croixs, you’ll likely love this beer.

“Not Your Father’s Rootbeer” from Small Town Brewery

Spotted at TJ’s in West LA just yesterday, this beer was a complete surprise. I’m a big fan of root beer and to find an ale that promised similar flavor sounded like bottled perfection. Unfortunately, this particular brew from Small Town Brewery in Illinois didn’t quite meet my expectations. The flavor is undeniably root beer-ish with intense sweetness, spiciness, and carbonation that parties on the back of your taste-buds. The sweetness is a little overwhelming though and then there’s an slightly unpleasant but short-lived aftertaste. My taste buds adapted to the after-taste after just a couple of sips. It’s certainly not bad but I would only recommend this beer to people who really want to experience he novelty of a root beer that will give you a buzz. However, you will pay a premium for this experience as this 6-pack cost $12. At that price-point and below, there are many other beers I’d rather enjoy so I have to rate this beer pretty low.

Rating: 2 out of 5 Hawaiian shirts – Maybe it’s best used in a root beer float.