I had seen Brooklyn’s BLAST! on the list but hadn’t heard about it previously, which is odd for a hometown brewer that I keep an eye on. Calling your beer a “San Diego Style IPA” is pretty bold, which is never a problem for Garrett Oliver, but delivering on such a claim is a whole ‘nother thing. I was definitely psyched to check it out since Green Flash’s IPA has been in heavy fridge rotation for me lately, but sadly this guy didn’t come close. There was enough hop aroma on the nose for sure, but mostly piney, and there was a woody and musty undertone that was immediately unsettling. Hop flavor was piney as well and very bitter, not balanced at all by any malt sweetness, and there was a bit of sourness to the brew as well that didn’t play at all. Total bummer vibe.

Another interesting item on the brew list for me was Magic Hat’s “experimental” Berliner Weiss, which they were serving with a squirt of either raspberry or woodruff syrup. I’ve been trying to get a handle on this style lately so I was definitely interested to see the perspective that an American craft brewer could bring to it. I tried it first without the syrup and had to take 3 sips to be sure I tasted anything. It did smell a bit sour, but the flavor was insipid, mildly wheaty if anything. The woodruff syrup wholly obliterated any flavor that might have been present and didn’t add to my enjoyment of the brew at all. Oh well, back to German Berliners.

I decided that giving the previously reviewed Southern Tier Cherry Saison another shot on draft would be a good way to see if the other brew dogs’ opinions about this one still held true. They did. On draft the oddness of the cherries on the nose seemed to be magnified. Flavor was still pretty straightforward saison, but I couldn’t get past the nose. Perhaps it was mental, but now that I’ve given this one it’s fair shake I’m ready to move on in the Southern Tier world. (Perhaps to this years Uber Sun, where is it guys?)

Stay tuned for the good stuff. And damn was there some good stuff.

I figured a nice tart low ABV brew like the Bayerischer would be the perfect way to ease into the day, and indeed it was. It poured a cloudy pale pale yellow with a light foamy white head which had some serious staying power. The nose was grapey and yeasty, almost like a crisp champagne, with hints of sourness and sweetness. Flavor was mellow mellow mellow; there was some citrus up front and some subtly complex tartness and it felt somewhat astringent. Definitely a refresher and one of the few beers I think I could drink a case of in this summer heat. I don’t have much experience with the Berliner Weiss style but I’d love to check out some more if anyone has an recommendations.

Continuing my Southern Tier kick, I chose to sample their just released Imperial Cherry Saison next. This one poured copper with a nice off-white head. I got a cocktail of fruit on the nose, dominated by cherry and banana, with some subtle spice, but nothing overwhelming. Nice balanced saison flavor without either the oak or the cherry coming on too strong, or very strong at all for that matter. Not too sweet, not too sour, not to spicy, just right for a saison, but not really as crisp or refreshing as i would have liked on such a hot day. A little stronger sour cherry profile might have helped cut the heaviness of the 8% ABV somewhat. I’m going to give it another shot when the heat is less oppressive to see what it does for me.