THE HOPRY SOMEBODY'S GOTTA DRINK OR IT WON'T GET DONE!

TOP FIVE BEERS # 3 | “Top Five Beers For Spring”

When the gloomy cold days of winter start to fade and the sunny days of spring start to shine, my spirit begins to change for the better. My palate, too, begins to look for lighter, brighter, and more refreshing beers to take in the longer days. I also look for beers that capture the new grassy and floral smells that come with those beautiful warming days. So here we are in March, a time when college basketball tournaments and St. Patrick’s Day are at the forefront of most people’s minds. With these two events typically comes a good amount of beer drinking as well. So here are several beers and styles that are perfect for spring. Hopefully you can track a couple of these down to enjoy. I think you’ll find that these beers truly represent this beautiful time of year that is spring.

# 1 Aprihop

Dogfish Head Brewery
American IPA

Leave it to Dogfish Head to create a beer that uses unique ingredients. At this point people either love or hate the brewery for this fact alone. For the most part I tend to find their beers to be form over function, which is not always a winning solution. With the exception of a few of their offerings, I generally tend to miss the point. With the Aprihop, however, I found myself very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the beer. Having had it last year while on vacation in southern Texas, I quickly realized that this was the perfect beer for spring. It gives you the hoppy characters you enjoy from a standard IPA. It also gives you a nice amount of light caramel sweetness underneath. However, it’s the apricots that really push this one over the edge and in to springtime. While I won’t argue with anyone that it comes across a bit too sweet after one 12-ounce bottle, I think one of these on a nice spring day is one of the best ways to put the cold gloomy days of winter in the rear view mirror.

# 2 Prima Pils

Victory Brewing Co.
German Pilsener

Pilsners have become one of my new obsessions. It’s probably because I spent so much time in the past trying to push them away. But the first time I had the Victory Prima Pils I realized that it was very easy for me to enjoy a Pilsner that has been made with care. We don’t get Victory in Kansas City, so when I was (once again) visiting Texas last year I thought I’d buy a six-pack of these to drink. The Prima Pils is a nice, clean, and refreshing Pilsner with a very healthy dose of hops. It pours about as golden as any beer I’ve seen and the soft head that forms on top indicates a very well-crafted beer. The aroma consists of white flowers, lemon, and some soft grassy hops. The taste, too, is very light and refreshing with the white flowers really showing you why this is a great beer for spring. What makes this one unique however, is the nice bite from those hops. You don’t normally see that in the Pilsners here, so this one is definitely one for spring if you want something that is light and refreshing but with a touch more flavor.

# 3 Cuvee Des Fleurs

Southampton Publick House
Saison/Farmhouse Ale

What is more indicative of spring than flowers? Not much. Well this beer by Southampton called Cuvee des Fleurs is actually brewed with flowers and rose water. They call these flowers out on the bottle, too: L. Augustifolia, A. Nobilis, C. Officinalis, R. Canina and H. Lupulus. I’m really only familiar with the last one and will not even attempt to research the others. Cuvee des Fleurs pours from the 750ml caged-n-corked bottle a nice warm sunshine yellow with a nice off-white head pushing out floral aromas before you even begin to get your nostrils in the glass. The obvious aroma of saison yeast pops up and is met with a nice floral character that brings rose petals, honeysuckle, and even a light bit of black pepper dusted across the top of it all. After taking the first sip, you enjoy its medium body and perfect carbonation, but then your attention turns to the flowers that are just so nice in this beer. Most Saisons were made in the winter months to be enjoyed in the summer months, but you’d be crazy not to open this one a touch sooner and enjoy the newfound joys of green grass and flowers that are certainly starting to show themselves in your area.

# 4 Tripel Karmeliet

Brouwerij Bosteels
Belgian Tripel

Belgian Tripels are probably not the first style of beer that comes to mind when you think of spring. However, the Tripel Karmeliet will quickly change this. Immediately upon sticking your nose in the glass of this great beer, a breath of fresh air just pummels your nostrils. The first thing you smell is a nice soft lemon peel, followed quickly by a very nice floral component. There is also (surprising enough) some vanilla that comes up out of the glass. On the palate, the Karmeliet is quite light for a Tripel. Its mouthfeel is quite soft and buttery, too, which helps facilitate those amazing flavors of lemon, orange, and vanilla right onto the tongue and down the throat. While the flavors I speak of here might seem generic to some, this beer still comes across as quite complex on the palate. And while you could virtually enjoy this one any time of the year, spring is when I always tend to pull one of these off the shelf for one of those nice late spring evenings on the porch.

# 5 Wisconsin Belgian Red

New Glarus Brewing Co.
Fruit/Vegetable Beer

While prime cherry season in Wisconsin doesn’t begin until well in to July and August, the clean cherry tartness of the New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red is absolutely perfect for spring. It is probably one of the easiest drinking beers to ever cross my lips. This lovely gem is not quite a sour ale, but you could easily substitute it for one. Hell…at 4% ABV you could almost substitute it for cool-aid. Because it’s made with a ton of whole Montgomery cherries, Wisconsin Belgian Red pours into the glass with a beautiful red color and has a nice off-white soft head that rests right on top. The taste is very light and refreshing with the perfect amount of cherry tartness. New Glarus is also notorious for their Raspberry Tart, but this one is probably the better of the two in my opinion. One thing is for sure; New Glarus is one of the best breweries around when it comes to producing great fruit beers. Unfortunately, these can be quite difficult to obtain, but if you can track one down I highly recommend saving this one for that absolutely perfect spring day. You’ll be glad you spent the time to get this one in your glass.