Beer of the Week! 10/30/23

Basic City Soak

Normally $14.99 / Now on Sale for $13.96
Juicy Double IPA

If Basic City in Waynesboro ever stops making good IPAs, it will clearly be a sign of the End Times, so capable do they seem.

Recently, they introduced the Surf, which they’ve labeled “a Coastal IPA” (which might be becoming a thing) after the fact that it has characteristics from both East Coast and West Coast IPAs. They take the juiciness (that Basic City handles oh, so well) from New England Style IPAs, but they go low or non-existent on the haze for the crisp clarity of the West Coast. However, ‘cause Basic City keeps moving like a shark, they’ve immediately turned around and made the double version of the Surf — the Soak!

Off-dry so you can really wade into the juiciness, the Soak sends flavors of pineapple and pine washing up against you, leaving notes of mint in their blended wake. It’s a nice balance of flavors so that you have just enough tropical notes to make it pleasant and just enough bite to keep you from forgetting that it’s an IPA.

Bonus Beer of the Week (‘Cause after the Film Festival and Halloween, we figured you’d want one.)

Narrow Gauge Saphir Pilsner

Normally $15.99 / Now on Sale for $14.96
Pilsner-style Lager

Narrow Gauge Brewing Company is the labor of love of former mechanical engineer / homebrewer Jeff Hardesty. Hardesty has garnered notice and acclaim since 2017 for beer he was brewing in the basement of a local restaurant in Florissant, MO, in northwest greater St. Louis. Just this past March, he’s actually moved into his own building — although it still looks like the best place to get his beer is from the taps of that restaurant … and here, of course. (Seriously, though … how did Mr. Just-Moved-Out-of-the-Basement manage interstate distribution?)

The “Narrow Gauge” in Narrow Gauge refers to the rail line that connected Florissant to the big city, and the “Saphir” in Saphir Pils refers to the hops that Hardesty uses for this brew. Originally released in 2002, Saphir is a German hop developed in the Hop Research Center in Hüll. Containing low bittering elements, it’s useful as an aroma hop but also imparts a mix of spicy, floral, and fruity elements — all of which are in full effect in Hardesty’s appealing Pilsner. It’s still what we would call “crisp,” but there are enough floral notes to cut down on the sharpness. Here, the Saphir makes such a successful Pilsner, we’re surprised we don’t see more of them around.

Remember!

You can see our entire beer inventory on Untappd.com!