Rivertown Brewing Co. – Wit Ale – This beer is a seasonal beer that got released in March. I hope it’s still being sold because it is a great summer beer. It is their take on a Belgian Wit beer. The famous B word is attached so is their yeast which helps bring about it’s cloudy yellow appearance. They use both orange peel and lemon zest to help spike this beer with a summery feel. Also pitching in to bring that Summer vibe is fresh coriander which helps to give the wheat malt a kick. They do use a dash of hops which comes in at a very low 15 IBU. The low dose of alcohol at 5.1% ABV helps to make it quench your thirst during the hot season. Rivertown has a small distribution area in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee so grab one of these if you can.

Seventh Son Brewing Co. – Golden Ratio IPA – Seventh Son seems to think of different ways to create IPAs in their sleep. This one is based off the golden ratio which if you’re not familiar is when two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. I became familiar with this because of architecture school. It is said that the Parthenon in Athens, Greece was designed using this ratio along with many buildings after it. I’m not sure if Seventh Son used the golden ratio on the malt to hops. They do use Southern Hemisphere hops which seem pretty mild to me. The hops aren’t overwhelming for an IPA but they don’t list the IBU so I have no way to confirm it. Unless one counts the 7.0% ABV for this bad boy. The malt doesn’t pop up much either so no sweet notes. To me, this adds up to a solid but not golden beer.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. – Hoppus Maximus – Amber ales used to be my favorite type of beer. That has changed in chronicling my beer consumption because it seems a heavy dose of hops interrupting the malt. This beer is the first one to bridge that gap for me. Part of the reason might be that it doesn’t quite live up to the name at 43 IBU. The 30-50 range really only lets the hops start getting out of the flavor box. The caramel malt does balance the hops out nicely with it’s sweetness. You won’t be slobbering after you drink this beer either since it sits at 5.9% ABV. Take a walk and see if you can find this beer in your area because they distribute throughout the Northeast.