12 craft beer cans worth trying this summer (photos)

Marc Bona, cleveland.com

12 craft beer cans worth trying this summer

CLEVELAND, Ohio – With the Brewery Collectibles Club of America coming in to Cleveland soon for its annual can-vention, we stuck with all cans for our monthly beer review. They range in style, come from several states and abroad (two are from Belgium), and go from 4.2 percent alcohol to 8.2 percent. Some are old styles; others are ones made with some nontraditional ingredients (marshmallows anyone?). Stretch your palate and don’t let summer pass you by without sipping a few of these. Not a bad one in this bunch this month. As usual, we’ll show you a poured beer so you can see the color. Cheers!

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

A is for Apricot

Gose, brewed for Evil Twin Brewing by Dorchester Brewing, Boston, 4.5 percent alcohol.

Salt and apricot are added in this beer, a style perfect in summertime. Tartness hit right away with a bit of lemon; the apricot is fairly subtle in this mouth-watering ale that sour fans will enjoy.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Citra Ass Down

Double India Pale Ale, Against the Grain Brewery, Louisville, Kentucky, 8.2 percent alcohol.

This full name is Citra Ass Down and Crush this Beer. Despite the name, citrus is somewhat restrained. Usually with Citra in its hop profile or a beer’s name, you expect a citrus bomb. Very smooth sipper and ever-so-slightly boozy on the finish.

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Flash Lamp

Tart white ale, Urban Artifact, Cincinnati, 5.5 percent alcohol.

There is a lot going on here. Check out this specific creation: It's brewed with Trappist Seville orange marmalade, coriander and rose petals. Discerning palates will have fun with this one. There is a hint of that almost burnt orange flavor and slight dry spiciness. Each sip of this tart ale is worth pondering. (The brewery offers a good primer on sour and tart ales.)

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Monk's Cafe

Flemish Sour Ale, Van Steenberge, Belgium, 5.5 percent alcohol.

Fruit is definitely there, but the tartness is very restrained, so don’t expect an over-the-top sour ale. There’s almost a hint of root-beer flavor. This is an almost-training-wheels like ale that might entrap you into liking sour ales, but make no mistake: While refreshing, this is not very sour tasting at all.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Truck Trail

American Pale Ale, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, California, 5.5 percent alcohol.

Very drinkable, hoppy with a light finish from this brewery east of San Diego. No big citrus. You expect breweries from California to go as over the top as possible on hops, but this is nicely balanced.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Quinannan Falls

India Style Pale Lager, Bell's Brewery, Comstock, Michigan, 6.3 percent alcohol.

A hint of lemon trickles across the palate before a very long hoppy finish lingers in this refreshing, dry-hopped beer. Lagers are a great change of pace, and it’s nice to see craft breweries making them.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Willy

American Wheat Ale, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, California, 5 percent alcohol.

Incredibly smooth. With a slight sweetness it’s not dry and tough to tell this is a wheat ale, though the style can range in taste quite a bit. Decent carbonation and very refreshing. Definitely the best lawn-mower beer of the bunch.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Sun Crusher

Hoppy wheat ale, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, 5.3 percent alcohol.

Difficult for me to find a hoppy wheat ale I don’t like. This one has a big citrus aroma with a very smooth hoppiness. Incredibly refreshing this time of year. Well, for that matter, any time of year.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Lime Pilsner

Pilsner, Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah, 5.3 percent alcohol.

There’s only one message ringing loud and clear in this pilsner: You better like lime. While beers with fruit or fruit flavoring can range widely from subtle to strong, this one has a healthy dose of lime. If lime isn’t your thing, pass. Otherwise, cheers.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Unchained

Vienna-style Lager, Summit Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota, 5.1 percent alcohol.

While tasting notes suggest hops balance the “toast, biscuit and caramel notes,” it is the latter that dominates. Caramel is front and center, with hops taking a back seat. Not a bad thing once and again.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Fruitage

Flanders Red Ale, Rodenbach, Belgium, 4.2 percent alcohol.

This has a fresh fruit taste and is made with “9 percent red fruit.” The brewer touts its “sweet sourness” and it is just that. It meshes beer aged for two years in foeders with beer and fruit. Cherry juice and elderberry juice are used. Consider it a Belgian Radler.

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Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Shploing Mango S'Mores

India Pale Ale, brewed and canned for Omnipollo by Dorchester Brewing, Boston, 7 percent alcohol.

Wow this is the crazy one of the bunch. Brewed with marshmallows, graham crackers, salt and lactose sugar with mango and vanilla added in to the mix. Very creamy mouthfeel to this ale, which is hoppy and citrusy but not over the top in either taste. The wild concoction matches the bold lava-flowing label for this very tasty beer. I’d rather have one of these than actual s’mores around a fire any day.

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