Spring has sprung and Joe Canal’s resident Beer Expert, Tom Broderick, is sharing his picks for the brews of the season.  Find out which beers are currently on tap so you can pick up your very own fresh growler of seasonal beer at their Woodbridge or Lawrenceville location.

A lot of craft beer drinkers, me included, tend to fall into the mindset that spring beer is merely a buffer between the beloved winter and summer beers and doesn’t have too much to offer. Fortunately that couldn’t be further from the truth. Some of the more flavorful and unique offerings are released this time of the year. Spring offerings can range from light and sweet (Sam Adams’ new Alpine Lager) to malty and smoky (Weyerbacher’s Fireside Ale).

There is also the connection between springtime and the Bock style – which were originally brewed to be drunk during spring beer festivals in Germany. The term “bock” is very general, though. Under the classification of bocks lie doppelbocks, maibocks/helles bocks, and eisbocks. Maibocks/Helles bocks are typically around 7% alcohol and showcase flavors of earthy hops and malty caramel sweetness. Eisbocks are rare in our market but are perfect to sip on a cool spring day. Eisbocks are made by partially freezing a doppelbock, enhancing the alcohol content to around 10% and creating flavors of dark fruits and baking chocolate. Spring is a perfect time to re-visit some old, forgotten favorites like Rogue Dead Guy (maibock/helles bock), Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock (eisbock), or Ayinger Celebrator (doppelbock).

Spring beer should be embraced like its Fall, Winter, and Summer counterparts. Re-visit some old German favorites or seek out one of the new and innovative domestic brews – you can’t go wrong either way.

Some highlights:

Great Divide Nomad – Their new Czech Pilsner is an absolute gem. Bright and crisp, this competes with Victory Prima Pils for the top pilsner on the market, in my opinion.

Abita Mardi Gras Bock – Abita’s maibock is lighter and easy drinking, perfect for anyone who is unfamiliar with the bock/maibock style and wants to try something new.

Dogfish Head Namaste – Dogfish Head’s Namaste isn’t necessarily a spring seasonal, but it seems perfect to sip on a warmer spring day. Brewed with coriander, oranges, and lemongrass, there’s no need to add an orange wedge – especially since that should never be done.

Stone Old Guardian – Again, not a spring seasonal, but Stone offers this barleywine up every February and it never fails to please. Buy two bottles – crack one now and cellar the other for the colder winter months ahead.

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