3rd Turn Brewery Hefegerste At an easy 4.2-percent ABV, the Hefegerste is a hefeweisen style beer that is incredibly easy to drink. There is a Belgian vibe to this beer, which adds a nice, malt-forward flavor, both in terms of the aftertaste and the head, with a crisp wheaty finish that is incredibly juicy and refreshing.
Against the Grain Brewery Pig in a Fur Coat Pig in a Fur Coat is as strange and glamorous as advertised. With a 6-percent ABV and 52 IBU, this beer blends hearty spices with a robust body. A Norwegian Farmhouse Ale with fennel pollen, orange and Calabrian pepper, it features a body like a brown liquor, ringed by a fine soft foam head. The fennel comes across more like sage, which is calming in a way and pairs nicely with a creamy base. You won’t taste anything else like this.
Akasha Brewing Company Royal Feast in Helles A Helles lager with a relatively chill 5-percent ABV, Akasha has crafted another porch beer, easy to drink, with a domestic quality that makes this an inviting drink.
Apocalypse Brew Works Wheat Porter While porters are anything less than traditional as a Spring pick-me-up, the Apocalypse Wheat Porter is a wonderful exception. Here, the brewers play with the fundamental basics, combing the pitch-black body and a tan foam lattice with a crisp taste that goes down like a black ale, but with a hale and wheaty aftertaste.
Bluegrass Brewing Company Wheat The BBC has made its stamp on the city by continuing to produce high-quality specialty selections season after season, alongside a host of staples. Its wheat beer is one such staple. A light-colored beer that has a soft upfront flavor and refreshing body. There is a hint of creaminess to the brew, which adds a certain stout pop at the back end. Coming in at a 4.9-percent ABV and 22 IBU, the wheat is the perfect warm weather beer, light and easy to drink.
Cumberland Brewery Cream Another classic in the craft brew market, the Cumberland Cream is pleasing and deceptively simple, a flavorful staple that features a 5-percent ABV, and a mild malty sweetness. While the Cream seems a bit blunted up front, there is a juiciness that follows thereafter, which makes for a playful combo.
Donum Dei Brewery Alterplex It’s always a good day when you can find a Belgian-inspired ale, and the Donum Dei Belgian Double more than hits the spot. Clocking in at a hefty 8.8-percent ABV, this the kind of beer that will absolutely knock your socks off with its flavor profile and the alcohol content. The Alterplex has a deep-brown, spicy body, which is rich, although never overly malty flavored.
Falls City Brewing Co. Longball Perhaps best enjoyed gathered around the fire pit at their new taproom in Smoketown near Nulu, the Longball is the sort of ale you look for this time of year. A 4.8-percent ABV, the Longball is an American Wheat Ale, relaxing and with a satisfying aftertaste. With a light foam head lattice on the side of the glass and clear golden body, this is a lager-esque drink, albeit less watery.
Flat 12 Bierwerks Peach Kolsch An often-overlooked light beer variety, the Kolsch is a fantastic alternative to a lager or ale. The Flat 12 Peach Kolsch features a buttercup yellow body, cloudy, with a creamy head. As the name implies, this is of the fruitier variety, making it especially appealing to revisit. At 5 percent ABV, this is an imminently sessionable brew.
Floyd County Brewing Co. County Bavarian Rapture Hefeweizen Hefeweizen’s are an ideal beer to lift your post-winter spirits, a rejuvenating beverage perfect for the sun. Blonde in color, with a hazy body and virtually no head, the County Bavarian Rapture Hefeweizen is, as noted, a Bavarian style take on the brew, which carries notes of wheat and corn, with distinctive alcohol notes on the head. This is a hop-lite beer with citrusy undertones and a malty finish.
Goodwood Brewing Smoke Maibok There are malted notes here that remain subdued by the flavor palette, which is sweet but without ever overstaying its welcome. This is an especially picturesque brew with a deep mahogany body topped with soft foam rings that lightly graze the edge of the glass.
Gravely Brewing Co. Debaser Gravely has made its mark on the Louisville craft scene with fresh takes on the IPA. The Debaser is a Northeast IPA, a relatively thick and often heavily fruited variant that features a citrusy pop on the front end, cut by a sharp hoppy bitterness. You’re greeted with a soft foam head and deep golden body that is cloudy and translucent, for a brew that clocks in with an ABV of 7 percent and 50 IBU.
Great Flood Brewing Co. Citra Saison Citra Saison is destined to be a hit for Great Flood. You are welcomed by a clear, golden body with a soft cap of foam, and an inviting aroma. This is a remarkably juicy and refreshing brew, ideal for quenching your thirst during a conversation, or just enjoying a cool breeze at night.
Holsopple Strike the Gold The Strike the Gold Belgian Blonde at Holsopple has a deep golden body like mana from Heaven. Clocking in with a 6.8-percent ABV, this is certainly the type of brew that will sneak up by you, especially when juxtaposed against a malty sweetness and the rich aroma that entice you to imbibe. This is a hop forward take on a Belgian Blonde, but cut nicely by a citrusy sweetness.
Mile Wide Beer Co. Moxie Mile Wide never fails to deliver with its selection of delectable IPAs, which is the case here than with the Double Northeast IPA. Crafted with Citra Azacca hops and coming in with an 8-percent ABV, this is far less hop-forward than you might think. This is incredibly lush, biting and heavily fruited.
Monnik Beer Co. Voorjaar What makes the Voorjaar, a seasonal brew from Monnik so remarkable, is the mild variations from year-to-year. A saison brewed with cardamon, there is virtually no head to this brew, which is capped by what might be the finest foam head I’ve ever encountered. You’re greeted by a translucent golden body and a strong spiced head, which is definitely the cardamon, but with notes of cinnamon. The spice is such that you can almost taste the heat, before the other elements combine for a remarkably clean finish.
New Albanian Brewing Co. Hardcore Gore One of the heaviest brews on this list, the Hardcore Gore has the flavor palate of a Belgian IPA. Clocking in at a menacing 9.7-percent ABV and 120 IBU, this is a beer that is not to be fucked with lightly. With a deep brownish, kind-of-cloudy body, there is definitely a malted sweetness astringency here, mildly bitter, cut ably by what would seem to be Belgian yeasts.
Old Louisville Brewing Co. Old Louisville Barrel Aged Refurbished Red Nestled quietly away in their tiny brewery in the heart of Old Louisville, the OLB continues to craft some of the wildest beer in the city. The Refurbished Red is a barrel-aged red ale, with a nice bite and hale aroma. The traces of bourbon blunts the red flavor for a very mellow and warming finish, for an almost cider-like aftertaste.
Red Foot Coffee Vanilla Blonde Red Foot never fails to surprise with something fresh and original. The Coffee Vanilla Blonde is absolutely that, a light, oak-colored body with virtually no head and 5.9-percent ABV. As expected, the coffee flavor here is distinct, but not overbearing. The vanilla and coffee balance one another out, for a brew that is creamy and inviting.
