Belgian Pale Ale

Liquid Gold

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company ABV: 6%

A few years back, our buddy Aaron had a birthday BBQ for his wife, Meg. To celebrate, he bought a keg of Liquid Gold. For about 20 people. We took that as a challenge to drink as much of the spicy, peppery nectar as humanly possible. We abandoned count somewhere around pint number nine, lost in a thicket of bananas, cloves, oranges, and enough lively bubbles to lead me to pour yet another pint. Despite the next morning’s skull-imploding hangover, we returned to help kick the keg.

Taras Boulba

Brasserie de la Senne ABV: 4.5%

Brasserie de la Senne makes beers that are low in alcohol, highly drinkable, and as bitter as old men. Zinnebir is a light, yeasty blonde ale with a pronounced hop bite, while Stouterik is a chocolaty, coffee-flavored dream. Our favorite is Taras Boulba, a hazy-yellow stunner with a funky, fresh scent full of spicy yeast, lemons, and fruit. Boulba drinks dry, with malt sweetness that relents to grass, citrus, and hops, hops, hops.