A six-pack of flavor

This article was originally published in January 2016

Once upon a time, beer came in two basic varieties: bitter and less bitter. Today’s creative brewmasters find every flavor on the spectrum a source of inspiration and do a remarkable job showcasing every category of taste your palate can register.

 

Umami

21st Amendment Sneak Attack

A crisp saison from California that was brewed with organic cardamom pods, this rich ale blends winter spices with barnyard funk. Pouring it out of its can and into a glass will properly release its full complexity.

Bitter

Double Mountain Hop Lava

An Oregon IPA featuring both Cascade and Centennial hops and Munich malt, this is a bitter (but balanced) beer in the classic Northwest style with assertive hoppiness with notes of citrus and wildflowers.

Spicy

Hollows & Fentimans All Natural Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Brewed with spicy Chinese ginger, this naturally cloudy, slow-fermented, low alcohol ginger beer has a light body and and enough gentle spice to keep you alert during boring football games. It’s gluten free and vegan.

Salty

Breakside Salted Caramel Stout

A surprisingly brilliant collaboration between the brewery and famed Salt & Straw Ice Cream, this creamy chocolate stout has a caramel finish with a distinctly salty edge that keeps you sipping. It’s far less sweet than the name implies.

Sweet

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout

Milk and cream stouts have added lactose, which provides lingering residual sugar and a distinctly creamy body, adding up to a beer that’s sweet without being unpleasantly so. The nitrogenation replaces the usual carbonation for a gorgeously velvety finish.

Sour

Schooner Exact Spike and Briar

This deliciously tart wheat beer is finished with the end-of-summer flavors of blackberry and lavender. The fruity sourness is so reminiscent of afternoon blackberry picking that this is the ideal beer to wash away winter.

Related reading

New Year's resolution: eat less sugar

If you had to pick one ingredient to keep an eye on when selecting foods in 2016, I would suggest reducing your intake of added sugars. The average American consumes 75 pounds of sugar each year — that translates to almost 1/2 cup of sugar each day!