Hartford Better Brewing Co.'s Arch IPA
By Melissa Traynor
The transition month of April marks the switch from heavy things to lighter clothing, lighter colors, buoyant attitudes towards warmer weather, lighter workloads (maybe), but more importantly, brewing companies prepare to roll out their lighter summer beers.
Around this time of year, brewing companies still have their spring beers kicking around, but more importantly, they introduce their summer beers that rival the flavors of winter and spring seasonals, but don’t really retain their heaviness.
This year’s selection includes a lot of IPAs – India Pale Ales – that are distinguished by their bitter tastes and hops. Usually they make for a far more interesting choice than the average standard ale.
New Hampshire brewers Smuttynose and local Hartford Better Brewing Company make pretty remarkable IPAs. In terms of drinkability, IPAs are only great for the first few drinks of the night. They are relatively filling and by the time you make your way to the third or fourth, the taste is a little overwhelming. The year-round Smuttynose’s Big A IPA at 9.6 percent ABV is rich and bold, but probably not a great choice for the average partygoers, and certainly not ideal for the beer pong table. Smuttynose’s is comparable to a Dogfish Head 60-minute in its complexity and bitterness, but is hard to get down after a while.
Smuttynose's Big A IPA
Where the former beer lacks, Hartford Better Brewing Co., a brewer actually based at Shipyard in Portland, Maine, makes up for with their IPA – a beer with a serious aftertaste. While not extremely tasty at first, this beer has an intense kick at the end.
One of the better IPAs sold this spring is Dogfish Head’s own Aprihop. It has a bold reddish-amber color and smells like citrus hops.
Out of the bottle, at least, it’s a refreshing lighter IPA and tastes bitter and fruitier enough to qualify for a good spring choice. It’s made with apricots as the name suggests, but very little of the taste is evident. Aprihop is beyond ideal for backyard parties and it comes in pretty packaging. The colors pop like the season.
This season’s collection also comes with a few fairly unremarkable beers. I’m looking at you, Otter Creek spring ale, Smuttynose Summer Weizen and Magic Hat Vinyl lager. Way to taste like Bud Light after 3 sips.
Look for Part 2: Bring on the Hefeweizen!
