This Week in Beer: Cans, Beer Pollen and Hopshake-Style
With the first day of summer fast approaching, a variety of canned and tap craft brews are here to kick-start the season. Whether you enjoy them at a beach, barbeque, or your local brewery, there is sure to be a beer to enjoy for any occasion.
East Bay
Original Pattern Brewing – This week, the Triple Can Release dominates the canned beer scene. Oakland’s Original Pattern recently opened their brewing and tasting room in April. Their first ever can release welcomes three new beers. But act fast because availability is limited, they’re available in 4 packs of 16-ounce cans.
Oakland Gold German-Style Lager: A balanced and hoppy golden beer with 5 percent alcohol is sure to please most palates. With a smooth finish, it is easy to imagine this as a great summer sipper. Malt flavors, courtesy of Alameda’s Admiral Maltings, indicate a bright, bold taste.
Meta Hype Hazy New England-Style IPA: A hazy, tropical beer with 6 percent alcohol. Citrus notes, as well as a bitterness associated with most IPA’s are present to create this hop-forward brew.
Unique Arrangement Apricot-Peach Berliner Weissbier: A fruit-forward wheat beer infused with apricot and peach flavors. With 4.3 percent alcohol and a smooth finish, it may appeal to those seeking the perfect weekend afternoon beverage.
San Francisco
Sufferfest Beer – Another great canned beer option tops the list this week. Brewed with beer pollen, Sufferfest’s Repeat Kolsch offers honey aromas, as well as notes of fruit and citrus. With 95 calories, 5 carbs, and 3.5 percent alcohol, it’s an excellent option for those looking to maintain their summer beach bods.
North Bay
Crooked Goat Brewing – In Sebastopol, Crooked Goat is once again offering Shakedown, their first hopshake-style beer infused with strawberry. A hopshake-style beer is a flavorful, hop-forward IPA usually infused with fruit or floral flavors. Shakedown has 7 percent alcohol.
South Bay
Loma Brewing – Drawing from summer influence, Los Gatos’ Loma Brewing is now offering A Little Wet; it’s a unique IPA that combines American and New Zealand hops. The name is a play on the Spanish word mojadito, which translates to “a little wet.” Hints of lime, herbs, and tea flavor this full-bodied beer that deliver characteristics reminiscent of a mojito.
