1. Porkslap
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery: Butternuts Beer & Ale, Garrattsville, NY

Don’t let the cartoon piggies tummy-thumping on the can fool you—Porkslap provides some serious suds action. Pour this classic American pale ale into a glass and you’ll notice its striking orange color. Take a sip and you’ll be struck by its malty, hoppy goodness. Pour some on your jeans and you’ll be all wet. Pork power!

2. Drifter
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery: Widmer Brothers, Portland, OR

A light and airy pale, Drifter is like an awesome roommate who pays the rent on time and can persuade any group of hot girls to head back to your place for an 
after-party. Move this guy into your fridge fast. Your sex life just may depend on it.

3. Hoss
Style: Rye Lager
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing, Denver

An old-world Bavarian brew style in which rye replaces some of the barley, this plaid-frocked fun 
punch epitomizes the genre: Sweet and crisp, with woody undertones.

 

 

1. Hoptober
Style: Golden Ale
Brewery: New Belgium, Fort Collins, CO

First thing you notice is the insanely strong hops aroma, then comes the crisp, honey-laced sweetness. Next thing you know, you’ve inhaled 17, your shirt is off, and you’re singing Counting Crows at karaoke with some cute Korean Air flight attendants.

2. Helios Ale
Style: Saison
Brewery: Victory, Downington, PA

From Pennsylvania, this Quaker-born brew pours out of a mega 22-ounce bottle cloudy but tastes clean. It’s orange in color, orange in taste, and orange you glad you drank it? Don’t like clever wordplay? Well, screw you!

3. Ten Fidy
Style: Imperial Stout
Brewery: Oskar Blues, Lyons, CO

This canned, oh-so-drinkable skull-crusher is thick and black like Texas tea, smells like sweet pipe tobacco, and has deep notes of maple bacon, cherries, and mesquite. Dudes: Curl your hippie hair behind your ears and say "Whoa!" The crunchy, fleece-wearing beer pros at Oskar have struck Black Gold.

 

 

1. Haywire
Style: Hefeweizen
Brewery: Pyramid, Seattle

This American-style wheat ale is light and refreshing, with just faint hints of citrus and caramel—but it ain’t no lady beer. The award winner has a muscular wheat flavor that makes it a suitable accompaniment for manly activities, like tailgating, scrapbooking, and needlepoint.

2. Samuel Adams Noble Pils
Style: Pilsner
Brewery: Boston Beer Co., Boston

Master brewer Jim Koch’s perfect summer beer is stiff with hops but has a clean and silky feel that never leaves you with cotton mouth—only the munchies.

3. Torpedo
Style: Extra IPA
Brewery: Sierra Nevada, Chico, CA

SN’s crew can’t miss, even when they tackle one of the boldest styles on the planet. This missile to the white meat is robust, but super easy thanks to heavy hints of apricot and Juicy Fruit gum flavors (seriously).

4. März Hon
Style: Märzen
Brewery: Clipper City, Baltimore

Based on a traditional Oktoberfest brew, this poundable Bodymore native has hints of syrup-drenched French toast, toffee, and street-corner shootings.