399. Sun King (Indianapolis, IN) - Watermelon Sunlight Cream Ale

“Watermelon Sunlight puts a new twist on one of Indiana’s best-selling craft beers by combining watermelon flavor with smooth malt character and a crisp, clean finish.”

Much like the Orange Vanilla variant of Sunlight, this has no echo of the original Sunlight flavor at all. The watermelon flavor and aroma are huge and should probably be overpowering…but oddly enough, I don’t feel overpowered by them—and I don’t like watermelon. I shouldn’t like this beer, but I do.

397. Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, MO) - Tip Your Cap

“Tip Your Cap is a light and refreshing blonde ale perfect for afternoon baseball. Its subtle honey malt sweetness is rounded out with a touch of hops for a crisp finish.”

This is a nicely balanced blonde ale, with just a hint of honey, though that deepens as the beer warms up. I liked the two I had out of the cans while we were in Lenexa, but this one in the mug isn’t doing it for me.

396. Fernson Brewing Co. (Sioux Falls, SD) - Curio

“Curio is a sour ale full of intense citrus flavors that gives way to a lemonade and grapefruit finish. Spritzy and refreshing, this beer is perfect on a hot summer day.”

I don’t know if I get any specific fruit flavors, but it’s got a perfect balance of sour and grain, and it’s totally chuggable. Possibly the best sour I have ever tried—and it just so happens that I can check on that at the moment, because Black Acre recently tapped another batch of Cherry Ol’ Fritz, an exceptional sour that I have not seen for a couple of years. Regardless of whether it can top the Black Acre offering, this Fernson sour is the best thing I tried while we were in South Dakota.

395. City Barrel Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) - Stratasphere

“3, 2, 1 lift off to the Stratosphere! This experimental Gravity Project IPA was brewed with a brand new hop, called Strata. Bursting with layers of berry, grapefruit and dankness it is a truly delicious adventure. Whether your vessel is a glass or a crowler, you’re going to incredible places with this one.”

And when you’ve been on the road for eight hours and find that your sister-in-law has laid in a six-pack of this stuff, you’re a pretty happy guy. That 8.1% ABV is going to melt away all of that road stress while you nosh on some authentic Kansas City barbecue. (It’s just a damn shame they ran out of burnt ends before we rolled into town.) Oh, but you wanted to know about the beer? It’s nice and hazy, with a lot of fruit going on, and a pretty good punch from the alcohol—especially as it warms up. Very, very nice when you’ve been on the road all day, and even pretty good if you’ve only spent an hour on the phone with some idiot from AT&T who can’t manage to figure out that the reason your phone isn’t working is because your kid is using up all the bandwidth running two devices, at top volume, at the same time.

394. Fernson Brewing Co. (Sioux Falls, SD) - Shy Giant

“At 7% ABV and 55 IBUs, it’s a big beer. It’s brewed with a healthy dose of Belma® and Mosaic hops, and dry hopped with Mosaic® and Citra® hops. It sounds like a giant—and it is— but it’s a giant with a lighter side. Grapefruit and citrus flavors create a beautiful nose followed by a balance of hop character and maltiness. This is a beer that doesn’t need to beat its chest to prove how strong it is. This is a beer that understands bigness without balance will only make you stumble. Sometimes it’s the shy giant who stands tallest.”

I had one of these out of a can at a crappy Rapid City chain restaurant, and then stopped in Sioux Falls on our way home for a carry-out six-pack. I gave one to Shane, and this is the fourth of the remaining five. Each one has tasted a little bit different. The one at the restaurant tasted like sweet, juicy stone fruit; and the ones I brought home tasted more like pine and citrus—until this one, which tastes like stone fruit again (with a little bit of bite from the alcohol, which I hadn’t noticed before). The fifth one is pine and citrus again—and either way, it’s an excellent beer.

392. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Noxious Beast

“Imperial Rye India Pale Ale.”

Because apparently the world needed an even bigger version of the already-robust Saucy Intruder. Who the hell am I to judge? It’s kind of like Saucy, except with an alcohol bite (11.2%) instead of a flavor bite. It was a little bit overpowering, but good to try.

393. Surly Brewing Co. (Minneapolis, MN) - Furious

“The beer that built Surly. Aggressively hopped and citrusy, but with a chewy, caramel backbone.”

I’m not sure it’s “chewy” or “caramel,” but there’s a rich-ish malt component that complements a moderate grapefruit flavor and delivers a very fine bitter finish. Though not from a South Dakota brewery, it was one of the best beers I tried on our trip.

391. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - A Fine Soft Day

“Our Grissette [sic] was brewed using wind-dried Pilsner and Einkorn heritage wheat from Sugar Creek Malt Co. here in Indiana! Following traditions, A Fine Soft Day is a low-alcohol (4.3% ABV) beer that is light-bodied and slightly tart.”

Not quite refreshing, but almost. They’ve got it exactly right when they say “slightly tart.” There’s also a tiny little hint of funk in there. This is the first grisette I’ve ever tried, and it was a fine introduction to the style.

Deep Thoughts #266

If you believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election, then you are a stupid person who requires assistance. Seek professional help immediately.

390. St. Joseph Brewery (Indianapolis, IN) - Tangerine Wit

“This Belgian-style witbier is a light and refreshing wheat ale brewed with coriander, lemon peel and orange peel.”

That’s the description for their 64-Bit Wit, of which this is a tangerine variant with a pronounced, but not overpowering, flavor of tangerine on top of the bright coriander crispness of the witbier backbone. Possibly the best thing I’ve ever had from St. Joseph.

Deep Thoughts #265

Can this country even claim to have an education system if there are inbreeds who voted for Trump twice AND refuse to get the COVID vaccine?