The neo-prohibitionists in our state senate were right - since the "Pop the Cap" initiative passed last month, my beer drinking habits have changed dramatically. I've been drinking more of the stuff, and at times have been in a kind of frenzy trying to taste (drink, really) all of the new products flooding the market. I imagine this first blush of enthusiasm will fade and I'll be able to get a night's rest or two. But at present the beer options are just too exiting. As a rank amateur beer taster I will not bore you with my half-witted tasting notes. What follows is a short list of products I highly recommend. Make sure to read fine print - many of these are equivalent alcohol-wise to kabinett-level German wines, and go down deceptively easy. Often the 11.2 oz. size is plenty of beer for this lightweight, though I do like the value-sized 750mls. As a final note underscoring the obvious, I'm not selling promoting beers because they're higher in alcohol, after all I could just drink booze if leglessness was on the agenda. I'm hyping these because they taste better than their lower-alcohol brethren. They're in a style that supports and benefits from the abv. Dive in and have fun. There are dozens more not listed below that are presently clogging up my fridge. If I get my act together (or suddenly have hours of uninterrupted free time) I'll post a list of more favorites in the future. Hope this is a helpful jumping-off point for the ocean of new beers suddenly around us.
Best of the New Beer:
Ferdinand Lager (Czech and 5%, but definitely worth exploring)$1.89/500ml
Ommegang Abbey Dubbel (Cooperstown, NY) $5.99/750ml
Ommegang Three Philosophers (Cooperstown, NY)$2.99/12oz.
DeProef Flemish Primitive #2 "Spoonwacker" (Belgium) $8.99/750ml
Fantome Pissenlit Dandelion Beer (Belgium($12.99/750ml
La Choulette Blonde (France) $7.50/750ml
Samuel Smith Imperial Stout (England)$4.50/550ml
Ayinger Celebrator (Germany)2.99/12oz
De Rocs Triple Imperiale (Belgium) $7.50/750ml
Nostradamus (Belgium) $7.50/750ml
Orval Trappist (Belgium) $4.99/11.2oz
Unibroue Maudite/Trois Pistoles/La Fin de Mond (Canada) $2.25/12oz.
Traquair Jacobite Ale (scotland) $5.99

And many more, as I mentioned above. Thanks for reading!