Crooked Stave Hop Savant
Denver, Colorado
India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.7%
Hop Savant was the first Crooked Stave beer that I ever fell in love with—100 percent bottled hops love with a clean Brett fermentation and a massive dry-hopped nose. Don’t go in expecting “sour,” as the funk and sour play a distant second fiddle to the gorgeously presented flavor hops, but the supporting role they play adds crucial depth. It’s light and bright in the mouth with a balanced tartness, mild bitterness, and beautifully structured malt that let the hops flavors take center stage. As a showcase of what is possible with 100 percent Brett fermentation, the beer is fascinating, but it’s so much more than just a science project. I’m thrilled that Crooked Stave has overcome the production bottlenecks that kept this one out of the schedule for the past two years, as it’s a beer that any self-respecting hops fan should not miss. — _Jamie Bogner _
Breakside Brewery Amuse
Portland, Oregon
Saison
ABV: 5%
Amuse could be Breakside’s answer to global warming—as Portland’s formerly short summers continue to grow longer and warmer, beers like this one seem tailor-made for enjoying on a patio. With its light straw color, hefty head, balanced mouthfeel, and “session” strength, it’s a perfect outdoor sipper. Pepper and clove yeast notes provide a restrained hit in the middle of the palate without clobbering you with Belgian-ness, and the clean bitterness in the aftertaste balances the sweetness and invites another sip. It’s a simple beer that’s easy to understand—a great warm weather refresher. — Haydn Strauss
Grand Teton Sour Grand Saison
Victor, Idaho
Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 7.5%
Grand Teton’s latest evokes hazy days with peaches, apples, and bananas on the nose. Flavor? A bit one-note all the way through, with a significant green-apple character that overshadows any other depth we tried to find. Calling this one a “sour” might be a bit of a misnomer. Tart? Yes. Rustic? Yes. But sour? Not yet, at least. If we had a second bottle, we’d bury it in the cellar for a year or two and come back to it—the makings of a flavorful rustic saison are there, and this one will only get better with time. — Jamie Bogner
Off Color Brewing Apex Predator
Chicago, Illinois
Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 6.8%
Chicago is known for big-flavored beers, but Apex Predator took us aback, not with a flavor assault but with its restraint. It’s all you would expect from a well-crafted saison—pale color, slight yeast haze, and a musty brightness over slight honey sweetness with only the subtlest of funks. For a clean-fermented saison (no Brett here), the light lemony citrus notes are a pleasant surprise, and despite the “free rise” fermentation, the yeast esters are remarkably tame and well-placed. I imagine this is what a clean lion mane smells like, and I dig it. — Stephen Koenig
Jolly Pumpkin Baudelaire iO
Dexter, Michigan
Saison
ABV: 6.8%
With a light floral nose and a subtly sweet, almost proto-Flanders, flavor profile that hints of rich cherry, leather, and tobacco, Jolly Pumpkin’s Baudelaire iO might not deliver on every “saison” style expectation, but it sure delivers on enjoyable taste. The attractive red color sets the stage, and the absence of phenols pushes the juiciness forward with only a touch of funk. Yet despite these rich flavors, the delicate flower notes (rose, hibiscus) still reverberate throughout. It’s challenging to work floral ingredients into a beer with this much flavor, but Jolly Pumpkin does it with a deftness that is hard to match. — Austin Grippin