Long Trail IPA: The Whole Foods near us (Washington, DC) recently began featuring Long Trail brews. Hallelujah for that. Like Brooklyn Brewery and Bell’s Brewery, Inc., we tend to enjoy all the brews made by Long Trail. A six-pack of this IPA ran us $10. It’s not a hop bomb; rather, it is simply a medium bodied, flavorful ale with a nice malt-hop balance. We could easily see this becoming our house ale. (Rating ****1/4) You can learn more about this Long Trail ale at http://www.longtrail.com/family-of-ales/ales/long-trail-ale.aspx.
Innis & Gunn Independence Day 2012 Oak Aged Beer: Oh. My. God. We squealed with delight when this brew arrived. Every couple of weeks, we enjoyed one of the four bottles sent, and our esteem for it grew and grew. This Scottish brew is definitely old world in style—it is light on hops and carbonation. The flavor is lovely—the barrel aging has imparted a creamy texture and light vanilla note. Wow—lucky us for having had the chance to try it. We can only hope Innis & Gunn issue it again… soon. (Rating ****3/4) You may read more about it at http://www.innisandgunn.com/en/the-range/independence-day-2012.aspx.
