Autumnal Equi-not

And my next post was supposed to be about summer beers. By now, you've probably seen Oktoberfest Märzen lagers and pumpkin ales filling half of our seasonal section. Magic Hat, the earliest of the early birds, snatched their worm on July 21st with the arrival of Hex - a full two weeks earlier than last year's winner (Sierra Nevada Tumbler; August 2nd, 2010).

But, hey, there's a reason the bird-and-worm proverb exists. The moment Hex was on the shelves it was moving faster than some summer beers we still have. I poured sand on the tiles, arrived to work in a bathing suit, and paced back and forth in front of the cooler to protest. However the delivery drivers simply pushed me out of the way, carting their damn Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Harpoon Octoberfest (and UFO Pumpkin), followed by Newport Storm, Sam Adams, and Warßteiner Oktoberfests. I got dressed, swept up most of the sand, left my protest sign on top of our fall beer display and got back to work.

If you don't find the leaves' colors changed enough, days short enough, or weather chilly enough, there's still hope! Plenty of summer beers remain, as well as summer days to enjoy them on. We've still got Southern Tier Hop Sun, Ithaca Partly Sunny, Long Trail Belgian White, summers from Dundee, Harpoon, Sam Adams, Smuttynose, and Saranac, and Blue Moon variety packs.
My recommendations: If you like hops, Hop Sun. If not, Partly Sunny. For something different, Smuttynose - it's brewed with chamomile for a light, floral accent to the familiar summer wheat style.

Coming soon: Bear Republic Brewing. Both a restaurant and brewery in Healdsburg, California, Bear Republic is a family-owned business with a solid A- rating from beeradvocate.com and more than a handful of awards earned by its many beers. Take a peek at their selection here; we'll be picking up Racer 5 IPA, Red Rocket Ale, Hop Rod Rye, and Big Bear Black Stout.