Fall Beer: 10 Must Have Beers This Season

Posted on September 28, 2020 by AIH

Hello Autumn!

The season of colorful crunchy leaves, pumpkin patches, apple picking, hayrides and of course fall brews.

Whether you’re carving Jack O’ Lanterns or watching your favorite scary movie, here’s a list of our favorite beers to have this fall.
Oktoberfest Beers

Oktoberfest is the biggest beer festival held each year. And while we can’t really do as the German’s do this year, we can at least pretend!

We’ve got 3 great beers to kick off Oktoberfest.

Copper Legend – Jack’s Abby

ABV: 5.7%

This beer has a smooth body with a malt that’s crisp and sweet. *This pairs well with soft baked pretzels. Yum!

Avery Brewing Company – The Kaiser

ABV: 8%

This beer was a favorite during last year’s Oktoberfest. It’s low on hop bitterness, and instead carries more of a toasted bready flavor.

Left Hand Brewing Co. – Oktoberfest Marzen Lager

ABV: 6.6%

This beer gives a roasted grain and herbs aroma, and has flavors of spice, caramel and mild hops. By allowing it to age longer, this beer has a rich, full, and bready brew.

Pumpkin Ales

Who doesn’t love a perfect pumpkin beer during the cool, crips months?!

Here’s some pumpkin ales that pair perfectly with any fall activity.

Iron Hill – Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Iron Hill’s pumpkin ale is a fan favorite! Instead of using flavoring hops, Iron Hill uses pumpkin and vanilla spices to create this brew.

Blue Moon Harvest – Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 5.7%

This popular beer has multiple fall flavors mixed together for a nice smooth taste. These flavors include nutmeg, allspice, cloves, wheat, and of course, pumpkin.

Evolution – Jacques Au Lantern

ABV: 6.3%

The aroma of Jacques Au Lantern consists of fresh pumpkin, lemon grass, bready malt, and fall spices. Its taste has pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, nuts, and toasted malts.

Amber/Malt Ales

Malty beer with the warm amber color (also known as red ale) fits right into the fall theme. These beers go great with some Halloween candy!

Bear Republic Brewing Co. – Red Rocket Ale

ABV: 6.8%

Red Rocket ale is the perfect color of the brown leaves that fall during this season. It offers a sweet caramel flavor that also includes bitter hops to create an even balance in taste.

Victory Brewing Co. – Festbier

ABV: 5.6%

Festbier has a combination of German and Austrian grains to create a taste of chocolates and nuts, though this brew also has caramel, and a hint of pine.

Alesmith – Evil Dead Red

ABV: 6.66%

If you really want to get into the Halloween theme, this beer is for you. The color of the beer is blood with a ABV of 6.66%. (Spooky!) It has a well balanced taste with citrus hops and caramel hops.

Autumn/Maple Ales

Autumn ales carry the most maple taste out of these 4 categories, making this beer sweeter side.

Here are our favorites.

Ever Grain Brewing Co. – Whitetail

ABV: 8.6%

This amber colored beer is known as earthy, crispy, and bready. It is lightly carbonated so it gives a refreshing taste.

The Bruery – Autumn Maple

ABV: 10%

To get this bold and spicy Belgian-style ale, The Bruery uses maple syrup, yams, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, molasses, and a Belgian yeast strain.

We hope you enjoy these recommendations!

Make sure to try these beers during all your fall festivities, and let us know which ones you liked most.

Cheers!

Low Calorie Beer: Light and Refreshing for the Summer

Posted on August 5, 2020 by AIH

As summer is nearing an end and we reflect on the last few months, it’s hard to believe we’re closer to the end of 2020 than the beginning.

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t have made it this far without the help of my tried-and-true friends, Beer and Wine. And though these delightful libations have been great company, the “Quarantine 15” has definitely made its debut.

For those looking to cut back on the LBs while enjoying the remainder of summertime fun, low-calorie beer (AKA light beer) could be for you!

What is Light Beer?

Light beer has nothing to do with the color of the beer, and everything to do with the calories.

The main difference between light beer and “regular” beer is the alcohol content. Light beer contains less alcohol, putting the calorie count at less than 100. Average beers normally have more than 100 calories per serving.

Low calorie beer became prominent in the 70s and was originally marketed to people who enjoy beer, but also enjoy maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The jury’s still out on whether light beer is truly healthier, but there’s no doubt it contains less calories.

Best Low Calorie Beers:

Here are some of the best low calorie beers and our favorite ways to enjoy them!

Kona Light Bond Ale

ABV: 4.2%
Calories: 99 per 12oz
Style: American Pale Ale

Originating from Hawaii, the packaging gives off a tropical vibe and tropical flavors.

This American Pale Ale pairs well with a spicy dish. We recommend an ahi poke rice bowl to keep with the theme.

Yuengling Light Lager

ABV: 3.8%
Calories: 99 per 12oz
Style: Lager

At 99 calories, Yuengling Light Lager is made from a combination of Cluster and Cascade hops.

Lager style beer is best served with food made on a grill, such as a classic American burger. Yum!

Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty

ABV: 4%
Calories: 95 per 12oz
Style: IPA

This beer maintains its low calories by using monk fruit instead of regular sugars that creates immense flavoring in the beer.

IPA’s intense flavor profile is best paired with other strong flavors. Taco Tuesday anybody?

Gen!us

ABV: 3%
Calories: 79 per 330ml
Style: Lager

Gen!us created this 79 calorie beer specifically for those who want to drink “smarter”. It’s available in select UK bars, but you can order this beer online and have it shipped to you.

Since this is another lager style beer, it’s best paired with a juicy steak.

Tennents Light

ABV: 3.5%
Calories: 66 per 330ml
Style: Lager

Coming in at a shocking 66 calories (!!!)is Tennents Light. This beer originates from Scotland, and is mostly found in European countries.

If you’re able to get your hands on one of these, try pairing it with a shrimp fettuccine alfredo!

Whether you believe it’s healthier or not, these brands above are definitely tasty. Give these low calorie beers a try and let us know your thoughts.

Cheers!

How To Pair Beer With Food

Posted on July 5, 2012 by AIH

Image courtesy of https://www.scientificamerican.com/

For a beverage consisting of so few ingredients, beer makes a huge statement. Its rich diversity of flavors, aromas and textures make it the ideal partner for almost any meal. As a homebrewing citizen, one of the greatest challenges you might face is finding the right grub to compliment your brew. With so many possibilities, it can be a challenge to know where to begin.
The best place to start is with the profile of your beer since this will govern its interactivity with food. This is determined by three main ingredients: malt, hops, and yeast. Malt is sweet and often adds hints of chocolate or coffee to malt-heavy beers such as stouts and porters. Hops are considerably more dynamic and will add bitter, spicy, floral and/or fruity flavors to beers, most pronouncedly in India Pale Ales. Then there are the more yeasty beers, such as American wheat beers and German hefeweizens, which are generally lighter with heavy yeasty flavors. Together, these ingredients bring out the sweet, bitter, spicy and rich features in the product of your beer brewing experience.
The next step is determining how you want your food to relate to your beer. Oftentimes, the best partnerships arise from shared flavors and aromas. The key is finding the correct balance in the harmonies you wish to create through complementary or contrasting flavors. As a general rule of thumb you should keep the strength of your food and beer consistent, but there are otherwise no wrong answers. With homebrewing kits, the flavor creation possibilities are endless. In the end, the way in which you consume your brew is the final step in getting the most out of your beer brewing kits.