Phew, with our travels to Australia and New Zealand, March and April were some intense drinking months. With that in mind, did we take it easy in May? <\/p>\n
Well, I guess we\u2019ll let you decide. <\/p>\n
A quick trip to Indiana for the Craft Brewers Conference had us making our rounds at some of the best breweries in Indianapolis<\/a> and cheering on our favorite breweries in the world\u2019s most prestigious beer competition: World Beer Cup<\/a>. <\/p>\n After our team enjoyed a Kentucky Common<\/a> in Indy, we decided to dive deeper into this super historical style. <\/p>\n On a Friday afternoon, the Bay Area Hop Culture team finally made it to one of its \u201cBest New Breweries of 2021,\u201d<\/a> Wondrous Brewing<\/a>. <\/p>\n And we dug into some packages sent to us, finding gems with a smoked porter and Czech amber lager. <\/p>\n Spring has sprung, beers have been drunk, and guess what, we\u2019re off again traveling in June. So while May has been a nice break, the summer is about to get pretty intense. But before these next thirty days get off the ground, here\u2019s everything we drank this past month. <\/p>\n Charlton, MA<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie, Social Media Manager, Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n American Pale Ale<\/strong> \u2013 Although trading beer and ISO callouts may be the halcyon practice of the past, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s totally dead. This past month, our social media manager, who lives on the West Coast, and our senior graphic designer, who lives on the East Coast, did their own little beer swap. <\/p>\n From the east side of the country, a box of Root and Branch, Tree House, and Other Half. And from the west, a package of Russian River, Moonlight, and more. <\/p>\n An American pale ale with Nelson Sauvin and Hallertau Blanc hops, Earth Day<\/a> \u201cis a crisp, refreshing, hop-forward pale ale with notes of Sauvignon blanc, earthy citrus, and mixed tropical fruit,\u201d writes Tree House in the beer\u2019s Untappd description. <\/p>\n Released for the sustainable April holiday, Earth Day proceeds also benefited The Nature Conservancy. <\/p>\n Great beer, great cause, great exchange. <\/p>\n Plus, doesn\u2019t this beer just look phenomenal in our now-sold-out Steam Bier Willie glass?<\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n San Francisco, CA<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie, Social Media Manager, Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Smoked Beer<\/strong> \u2013 The brewery that eats, breathes, and brews San Francisco reached an incredible milestone last year\u2014ten years. Plus, they recently announced their merger with another NorCal icon, HenHouse<\/a>. <\/p>\n They celebrated a decade in style, bringing back some of their most popular styles from the vault for one-off releases almost monthly. <\/p>\n Including the return of Manzanita<\/a>, a smoked Altbier. <\/p>\n In 2024, we\u2019ve covered two of our favorite German styles\u2014Altbier<\/a> and rauchbier<\/a>. The former, a spellbindingly malty German ale, and the latter a smoked beer. <\/p>\n Both from different regions of Germany\u2014Dusseldorf for Altbier and Bamberg for rauchbier\u2014we haven\u2019t necessarily seen the two cozy up next to the campfire together to make s\u2019mores and hear a scary story. <\/p>\n Until now. <\/p>\n Appropriately, Fort Point calls Manzanita an \u201cimaginative take on the classic German rauchbier,\u201d adding charred Manzanita branches to the grist of classic Beechwood smoked malt to get that characteristic smoky essence. <\/p>\n Bamberg kept the tradition of rauchbier alive because of its proximity to the largest Beechwood forest in Germany. <\/p>\n Here in Northern California, the hardwood Manzanita shrub grows at around one thousand feet above sea level. The indigenous wood makes a perfect addition to Fort Point\u2019s take on a rauchbier. <\/p>\n Drinking this beer immediately reminded us of sipping hot cider around a crackling bonfire after a rainy day of picking apples. Our boots soaked through to our socks, our fingertips frosted over, the hot, mulled, sweet, spiced cider would warm us up from the core (sorry, apple pun). <\/p>\n Apt then that Fort Point calls Manzanita \u201ca beer for a campfire on a crisp fall night.\u201d <\/p>\n We couldn\u2019t agree more, and we wish Fort Point would make Manzanita a permanent addition to its lineup.<\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Emeryville, CA<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie, Social Media Manager, Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Helles<\/strong> \u2013 \u201c[We] don\u2019t f**k with our Hell,\u201d Wondrous Brewing<\/a> Founder Wynn Wisenhunt told me as we were hanging out in the back of his brewery on a Friday afternoon. <\/p>\n While Wondrous constantly switches up its tap list on Wisenhunt\u2019s whims, one beer always stays: Wondrous Hell<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the rock of my brewery,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n Could we cheekily say here that Wisenhunt is then always living in Hell?<\/p>\n Hey, if he has to live in Hell so we get Hell, we\u2019ll take that deal with the devil. <\/p>\n Inspired by Wisenhunt\u2019s favorite beer of all time, Augustiner Hell (something he drank a lot of while studying with the Siebel program in Munich), Wondrous Hell has become this tatted brewery owner\u2019s holy grail quest. <\/p>\n Whenever a tank frees up, Wisenhunt fills it with Hell. Everything revolves around Hell. <\/p>\n Starting with a base of German Weyermann light pilsner malt, Hell has a super simple mash schedule and a sixty-minute hop addition of Simcoe. <\/p>\n Originally serving Hell super traditionally and unfiltered, Wisenhunt thought he would just filter it to see what happens. <\/p>\n After running Hell through a plate-and-frame filter for the first time, he took a sample. \u201cHoly f**king shit,\u201d Wisenhunt thought. \u201cIt was just so beautiful and perfect.\u201d <\/p>\n To add a little more hop character, Wisenhunt included a five-minute addition of Hallertau Mittelfr\u00fch. <\/p>\n In 2024, Wondrous Hell won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the International Light Lager category. <\/p>\n We hope Wisenhunt sticks to his word and never takes this helles off the draft board. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Louisville, KY<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Dallas DuBose | Untappd<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kentucky Common<\/strong> \u2013 Look up the definition of Kentucky Common<\/a> on the Beer Judge Certification Program\u2019s website, and you\u2019ll find they recommend one commercial example as the epitome of the style\u2014Apocalypse Brew Works Oertel\u2019s 1912<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apocalypse Brew Works Head Brewer and Owner Leah Dienes recovered Oertel\u2019s original brewing logbook from a friend in her local homebrew club who knew the widow of one of Oertel\u2019s original brewers. <\/p>\n A pretty esoteric style today, Kentucky Common was once very, cough, common in Louisville in the mid-1800s and early 1900s. According to Dienes, the city\u2019s biggest brewery at the time, Oertel\u2019s, made 325 barrels of the dark cream ale every day. <\/p>\n Prohibition, unfortunately, killed the Kentucky Common business, but you\u2019ll still see this style pop up occasionally, especially in and around Louisville. <\/p>\n It\u2019s sort of a workhorse or working man\u2019s beer, a cheap-to-produce but low-ABV and full-flavored malty beer that people could drink after a shift or a long day. <\/p>\n Apocalypse Brew Works Oertel\u2019s 1912 uses corn grits, and six-row pale malt, caramel malt, and black malt to give this beer its characteristic copper to light brown color and slightly caramelly aroma and flavor. The American ale pours a dark copper with an off-white head. \u201cOurs has a slightly caramel aroma,\u201d explains Dienes. \u201cAnd when you drink it, you\u2019ll get a little bit of caramel and black malt. \u2026 Because it\u2019s a dry finish, it doesn\u2019t linger.\u201d <\/p>\n At 4.7% ABV, this dark cream ale\u2019s sessionability \u201cmakes you want to take another drink,\u201d says Dienes.<\/p>\n When the Louisville-based brewer first made this storied recipe, \u201cnobody had tasted this beer in seventy-five years,\u201d she told me. <\/p>\n If you\u2019re new to Kentucky Commons and looking for a great first version to try, this has to be it.<\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Newport, OR<\/em><\/p>\n Product graphic courtesy of Rogue<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hazy IPA<\/strong> \u2013 When Rogue brewed its first hazy IPA, the brewery knew it had to go big. <\/p>\n How much bigger can you get than \u201cbeerifying\u201d a cryptid that\u2019s part bat and part Sasquatch? <\/p>\n Allegedly reported flying around Mount St. Helens in the 1980s, the legend of Batsquatch remains\u2026well, a bit hazy. \u201cWhile there are many tales of Batsquatch, they are all a bit hazy on the details, which makes the truth such a juicy mystery,\u201d writes Rogue about Batsquatch. \u201cSo what better way to honor the elusive legend than with a hazy IPA?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBatsquatch<\/a> was our first foray into hazy IPA, so we wanted to make sure we did it well,\u201d says Joel Shields, brewmaster at Rogue Ales. Which meant Shields and his team took several years to dial in the recipe. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen hazy first started, it was \u2026 hard to get stable hazy, put it in a package, and make it look presentable after a month or so,\u201d says Shields. \u201cIt took a lot to figure out what ingredients and hops to use \u2026 to feel comfortable putting something in a package that tasted good and looked good.\u201d <\/p>\n Shields eventually settled on a mix of Mosaic, El Dorado, Belma, and a touch of BRU-1 hops.<\/p>\n Mosaic and El Dorado are common hazy hops, but BRU-1 \u201cgave a little more haze than others, and that one has a good pineapple note that blends well with the tropical notes of El Dorado,\u201d says Shields. <\/p>\n The real wildcard hop here, though, is Belma.<\/p>\n According to Shields, when Rogue first brewed Batsquatch, Peterborough Farms in Yakima, WA, was the only farm growing Belma. <\/p>\n Today, Peterborough Farms allows Rogue to cultivate a small portion of the wild hops on their own farm in Oregon. But it\u2019s still pretty exclusive. <\/p>\n \u201cIn light amounts, [Belma] has more strawberry, ripe melon, or overripe melon that blends well with tropical flavors and gives an extra fruity punch,\u201d says Shields. <\/p>\n Overall, the hop combination gives Batsquatch an incredibly juicy, \u201csmooth, almost sweet mouthfeel with just enough hops to balance out without being overly bitter,\u201d says Shields. <\/p>\n Pouring a slightly hazy light straw color with a nice thick white head, Batsquatch is just a damn fine, approachable hazy IPA.<\/p>\n And so far, fans agree. Batsquatch took flight pretty quickly, catching on in Oregon and around the country; the beer currently ranks as one of Rogue\u2019s best sellers.<\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Louisville, KY<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Hectare\u2019s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Delta 9 Craft Soda<\/strong> \u2013 In a world where cannabis consumption is growing rapidly, Hectare\u2019s<\/a> is carving out a space of its own. Based in Louisville, KY, Hectare\u2019s creates premium hemp-derived THC products that offer a fresh, natural alternative to traditional alcohol. Their lineup includes craft sodas, seltzers, gummies, and shots\u2014all thoughtfully crafted with natural ingredients, low-calorie options, low dosage, and a focus on full-bodied, sessionable flavors. <\/p>\n More than just a cannabis brand, Hectare\u2019s is rooted in a deep respect for the land and community. After all, it\u2019s in their name, which pays tribute to the hectare, a unit of land equivalent to 10,000 square metres. Reflecting their ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, Hectare\u2019s has partnered with 1% For The Planet, donating one percent of its annual revenue to improve the environment through Louisville Grows. <\/p>\n Hectare\u2019s strongly believes its craft soda line has the most potential for the future. <\/p>\n \u201cIt offers an alternative that, again, is low calorie, but is full-bodied when it comes to the taste,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a hint of something over water or cannabis. It is full of flavor, but it\u2019s not packed with sugar. It\u2019s not hundreds of calories. So again, it\u2019s something that can be enjoyed socially.\u201d <\/p>\n With its delta-9-based craft sodas, Hectare\u2019s offers some very complex profiles, including Stone Fruit, Dragon Fruit, Watermelon Cucumber Mint, and Blood Orange Vanilla. <\/p>\n Phillips says the Stone Fruit is the top seller and also Hectare\u2019s first recipe. <\/p>\n \u201cThat was a unique flavor profile for us,\u201d he says, describing it with undertones of bitters related to an Old Fashioned bourbon cocktail. <\/p>\n Could this be the future? I suppose we\u2019ll just have to drink and see. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Honolulu, HI<\/em><\/p>\n Hazy IPA<\/strong> \u2013 Here\u2019s an incredible stat for you: At the World Beer Cup<\/a>, a competition with 8,375 beers from 49 countries and 1,761 breweries, the beer that took silver in the most-entered category\u2014juicy or hazy india pale ale\u2014with 290 entries: How to Make Friends<\/a> from the Honolulu-based Hana Koa Brewing Co. <\/p>\n This soft, pillowy 6.9% New England-style IPA isn\u2019t just comfort in a can. Hana Koa gets to the very soul of what it means to be an adult. Spoiler alert: It\u2019s hard to make friends, but beer makes it easier. <\/p>\n \u201cBeer is a catalyst for conversation,\u201d writes Hana Koa on Untappd. \u201cBeer has led to many great friendships and ideas that have changed the world.\u201d <\/p>\n Yes, this beer won a prestigious award, so obviously it tastes amazing, but it\u2019s more than that; it\u2019s a reminder that over a pint, you can strike up a conversation with someone new, and who knows where it will lead. A future friend? A new pen pal? A potential business partner? <\/p>\n When you drink this beer, you aren\u2019t just enjoying an award-winning IPA, you\u2019re telling yourself to take the leap and try something new. And that\u2019s how you make friends. <\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Wheat Ridge, CO<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie, Social Media Manager, Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lambic<\/strong> \u2013 Back in October, when Hop Culture visited Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, we checked in with our friends Brandon and Lisa Boldt, co-founders of Primitive, one of the most incredible spontaneously fermented wild beer-making outfits in the country.<\/p>\n The duo had recently announced the closure of their taproom in Longmont and moved operations to New Image Brewing in Wheat Ridge, CO. <\/p>\n After catching up, the pair kindly sent us a package of some of their latest projects, including this stunner: Human Construct<\/a>. <\/p>\n A collaboration with Brewery Novalis, a brewery-in-planning in Upstate New York, Human Construct is a four-year golden blend finished in Family Jones Earl Grey gin casks. <\/p>\n A very lovely lambic, Human Construct drinks elegantly with surprising and nuanced flavors of earthy tea and tart tannins. <\/p>\n We still have a couple more beers to enjoy from this package, but if they\u2019re anything like Human Construct, we expect to be blown away. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Indianapolis, IN<\/em><\/p>\n Cream Ale<\/strong> \u2013 When Hop Culture visited Indianapolis at the end of April for the Craft Brewers Conference, it gave the team a chance to brush up on some of the best breweries in the Circle City<\/a>. <\/p>\n Like Metazoa Brewing, the 2021 Great American Beer Festival Brewery Group of the Year winner and animal-themed brewery that donates five percent of all its profits to animal and wildlife organizations. <\/p>\n If you go, you\u2019ll notice almost all of the beer names have playful animal associations, from the 2021 GABF gold-winning Trash Panda<\/a> to the 2023 Indiana Brewers Cup gold-medal-winning Mortal Wombat<\/a>. <\/p>\n We fell in love with Nap in a Hammock<\/a>, which we suppose is a more loose interpretation of an animal name (I mean, who hasn\u2019t fallen asleep in a hammock with their puppy, right?). <\/p>\n A cream ale<\/a>, Nap in a Hammock had that lovely corny sweetness paired with a straightlaced malty backbone that washed away quickly with a snappy finish. <\/p>\n You could crush a couple of these in your hammock and have an amazing afternoon. In fact, we did\u2014just minus the hammock and the nap. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Allen, TX<\/em><\/p>\n Smoked Porter<\/strong> \u2013 Last month, veteran-owned Armor Brewing Co. Head Brewer Brian Martin reached out to us about sending us a few beers to try. <\/p>\n When he mentioned that they do things like brew beer with Polish-grown hops never before used in the U.S., experiment with fonio<\/a> and smoked fruit, and like to make clean lagers and hop-forward American IPAs, we immediately wanted to know (and taste) more. <\/p>\n Martin sent us an incredible package of beers. While we enjoyed everything from the German pils with Polish Tomyski hops and an Altbier that won silver at the U.S. Beer Open in 2023 and gold in 2024, Armor\u2019s Smoked Session smoked porter<\/a> just edged everything out. <\/p>\n The 2024 Texas Craft Brewers Cup gold winner starts with pale ale, Beechwood smoked malt, chocolate malt, and Carafe 3 special malt. <\/p>\n That Beechwood, which is what smoked beer greats like Schlenkerla<\/a> use in its own beers, gives this porter so much char on the nose; it\u2019s like walking into a restaurant with an open flame in the kitchen. <\/p>\n But surprisingly and pleasantly on the sip, the smoke isn\u2019t overwhelming. We picked up roast, bacon fat drippings, and umami. <\/p>\n Balance is one of the hardest things to achieve in a rauchbier<\/a> (or smoked beer), and Armor just nailed it. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Suffolk, VA<\/em><\/p>\n Czech Amber Lager<\/strong> \u2013 Another package that showed up on our doorstep, Sojourn Fermentory in Suffolk, Virginia, only opened last August. Based on what we tasted, they\u2019re starting very strong. <\/p>\n A hefeweizen had emblematic notes of baking banana bread, popping bubble gum, and toasting clove, leaning towards the sweeter estery side without being too cloying. <\/p>\n Likewise, a Munich dunkel elegantly balanced chocolatey crusts with leftover bits of cake in the pan. <\/p>\n But our favorite? <\/p>\nHop Culture\u2019s Top 10 Beers We Drank in May 2025<\/h2>\n
Earth Day \u2013 Tree House Brewing Company<\/h3>\n
![\"tree](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tree-house-brewing-company-earth-day-v2-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nManzanita \u2013 Fort Point Beer Co.<\/h3>\n
![\"fort](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fort-point-beer-co-manzanita-smoked-altbier-v2-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWondrous Hell \u2013 Wondrous Brewing Company<\/h3>\n
![\"wondrous](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wondrous-brewing-wondrous-hell-helles-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-1000x1250-1-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOertel\u2019s 1912 \u2013 Apocalypse Brew Works<\/h3>\n
![\"apocalypse](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/apocalypse-brew-works-oertels-1912-kentucky-common-head-brewer-and-owner-leah-dienes-credit-untappd-dallas-DuBose-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBatsquatch \u2013 Rogue Ales<\/h3>\n
![\"rogue](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/rogue-batsquatch-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHectare\u2019s Stone Fruit \u2013 Hectare\u2019s<\/h3>\n
![\"hectare's](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/hectares-hemp-derived-beverages2-credit-hectares-LEAD-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow to Make Friends \u2013 Hana Koa Brewing Co.<\/h3>\n
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Human Construct \u2013 Primitive Beer<\/h3>\n
![\"primitive](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/primitive-beer-human-construct-lambic-v2-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-LEAD-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNap in the Hammock \u2013 Metazoa Brewing Co.<\/h3>\n
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Smoke Session \u2013 Armor Brewing Company<\/h3>\n
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Norbert \u2013 Sojourn Fermentory<\/h3>\n
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