Review: 21st Amendment Sparkale Tropical
Sparkale Tropical was just released. It is crafted at 21st Amendment by Co-Founder and Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan. Shaun opened the distillery in 2000 with Co-Founder Nico Freccia. The brewery is named for, you guessed it the 21st Amendment. The repeal of Prohibition. Prohibition had shut down thousands of small breweries across America and the forty something that operated in and around San Francisco at the time. Sparkale Tropical joins a lineup that already includes Hell or High Watermelon, Brew Free or Die IPA, and 1966, a Coffee IPA brewed with Peet’s Ethiopian Supernatural whole coffee beans, just to mention a few. Sparkale is a Sparkling Rose Ale Style of beer and a followup to their Sparkale Sparkling Rose Ale made with apple, cranberry, peach, and cherries. Rose Ale is a new style of beer that typically uses grapes in the fermentation process but not always. Surly Brewing Company makes their Rose Lager with black currant and strawberry’s. Real premium fruit including pineapple, coconut, and apple are sourced from a longtime purveyor partner and used in crafting Sparkale Tropical, which is now available in 30 states. Read more 
Review: Two Hats Lime Light Beer
Two Hats Lime Light Beer joins Two Hats Pineapple Light Beer in the new MillerCoors beer lineup. Two Hats Lime is by no means the first lime flavored beer on the market. They follow Bud Light Lime, Labatt Blue Light Lime, Keystone Light Lime, Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus, and Miller Chill, a 100 calorie light beer with lime. Why is it all the lime flavored beers are light calorie beers? The 16 Oz. can I’m sampling this beer from describes Two Hats Lime as a Light Beer with a hint of Natural Lime flavor. I don’t know if the two head adornments worn by the two women pictured on the can, a crown, and a hair ribbon, qualify as hats. Maybe this is just the target market MIllerCoors is focused on with Two Hats. Read more
Review: Two Hats Pineapple Light Beer
Two Hats Pineapple Light Beer was recently released by MillerCoors along with Two Hats Lime Light Beer. Depending on your market area, Two Hats is sold in 4 and 6 packs of 16 Oz. cans. MillerCoors has targeted the 20 something drinker who may be more inclined to order a cocktail or glass of wine than a beer. Those watching their weight or living a healthier life style will be happy to learn Two Hats weighs in at 4.2 % alcohol with 112 calories per 12 Oz. serving. No doubt MillerCoors would also like to steal some of those currently consuming Bud Light Lime. Heads up, Bud Light Orange will soon be released. Could flavored light beer be the hot beer trend for 2018, following the wave of hard ciders, adult soft drinks, spiked iced teas, hard seltzers, and apple ales? Read more
Review: Schlafly Coconut Crème Ale
Schlafly Coconut Crème Ale was introduced in April 2017. It is crafted in St Louis Missouri at the St Louis Brewery. The St Louis Brewery was built in the former Swift Printing Company Building in 1991. Coconut Creme Ale is one of eight Seasonal Beers they create. They also bottle 6 year round and 7 special release beers. All told they brew over 50 beer styles each year. About half of them are only available on draft. Schlafly Coconut Crème Ale is made with Europils Malt, Unmalted Wheat, Flaked Corn, Flaked Oats, and Magnum PL Hops. It is fermented with coconut puree and pineapples and aged on lightly toasted coconut flakes. Read more
Review: Shock Top Ruby Fresh
Shock Top Ruby Fresh was introduced February 2017. It is a spring seasonal beer that is sold in six packs and The Shock Top 12 bottle Spring variety pack that also includes three bottle each of Lemon Shandy, Holy Citrus, and their original Belgian White. This is a refresh from last years Shock Top Summer Grapefruit. The Original Shock top was brewed in Ft Collins Colorado and released 2006 under the name Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. Shock Top Ruby Fresh is a Belgian style wheat ale brewed with citrus peels and coriander with natural grapefruit and orange flavors. Read more
Review: Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat Ale
Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat Ale is one of 11 year round and seasonal beers currently crafted in Eureka California at the Lost Coast Brewery. The Lost Coast Brewery was founded by Barbara Groom in 1990, and was first produced in a 100 year old building purchased from the Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias in downtown Eureka. Their beers are now brewed in a state of the art brewery they opened August 20, 2014 just south of Eureka. No longer a small brewer, this facility bottles up to 135,000 bottles and 1000 kegs each day. Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat is an unfiltered wheat beer brewed with wheat and crystal malts with natural watermelon essence. Read more
Review: Phoenix Ale Watermelon Ale
Phoenix Ale Watermelon Ale is one of six beers crafted at the Phoenix Ale Brewery. George Hancock and Greg Fretz opened the brewery in an old empty warehouse just north of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix Arizona June 2011. Phoenix Ale Watermelon Ale, is an unfiltered wheat ale infused with watermelon flavors added during conditioning in order to give a refreshing watermelon finish. It is sold in 6 packs of cans and bottles, and is also available on draft. Read more
Review: New Belgium Juicy Watermelon
New Belgium Juicy Watermelon is a special release watermelon lime ale that was recently introduced. It replaces Heavy Melon, last years seasonal watermelon flavored ale. While both are made with watermelon and lime zest, they are made with a different recipe. Last summer was the breakthrough year for watermelon ale as so many brewers released their own watermelon ale, it became the Spring/Summer version on Pumpkin Ale. New Belgium is crafted with ale yeast, nugget hops, pale and caramel-80 malts, watermelon, and lime peel. Read more
Review: Leinenkugels Watermelon Shandy
Leinenkugels Watermelon Shandy was introduced in 2016. It is one of four shandy flavors they currently produce in Chippewa Falls and Milwaukee Wisconsin. The other flavors include their original lemon flavored Summer Shandy, Grapefruit Shandy, and Harvest Patch a pumpkin spice shandy. At one time they also produced an Orange and a Cranberry Ginger Shandy. Like their other shandy flavors, Watermelon starts with a Weiss beer base brewed with honey and made with Pale and Wheat malts and Cluster Hops. Natural watermelon and other flavors are added. Leinenkugels Watermelon Shandy is available from March-August, or while supply lasts. Read more
Review: Over the Barrel Apple Ale
Over the Barrel Apple Ale was released September 2016. It joins five Over the Barrel Hard Soda flavors created by the Rhinelander Brewing Company. The Rhinelander Brewery opened in Rhinelander Wisconsin in 1845 and closed in 1967. Their beer continues to be contract brewed in Monroe Wisconsin. Very little information is available about this ale even four months after its release. The Rhinelander Brewing Company website has no information at all. The 11.16 Oz. bottle describes this as a malt beverage specialty ale with natural flavors including cane sugar and caramel color added. I stumbled across this ale, probably a bad description coming from someone reviewing alcohol, in Dubuque Iowa. Read more