The ever-changing beer culture has continued to grow and is inviting more people into its realm. Gone are the days of ordering a light beer and getting whatever the venue had bought at the cheapest price. As a culture we always want the next best thing; we search high and low to find something that excites us. We want to continuously challenge our palates and open our taste buds to whole new experiences. Even an avid craft drinker like me gets a thrill when I try a new style of beer, or even a familiar style with a unique twist. 

The beer market has begun to adapt to our ever-dying thirst for something new; they have started to tweak already existing beers to keep us interested. A great example of this is Cigar City Brewing, whose number one selling beer is Jai Alai. They have begun to release the same beer aged in white oak. This is a limited run beer and can be at times very difficult to find. I have been lucky enough to have this beer, and I can attest that the white oak aging gives the beer a whole new flavor profile. The subtle oak flavors accent the citrus and pine notes that are present in the original Jai Alai, but the finish on this beer is entirely oak. Each year the beer is crafted a little bit differently, responding to the market reaction to create the best possible beer. I salute Cigar City for their innovations in beer—I just wish the Orlando market got a little bit more of the limited run beers. Fortunately we are only a hop, skip and a jump away from Tampa.

Another company that likes to tweak its already bestselling beers is Terrapin; they have an extremely popular Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. This drinks like a dream with hints of chocolate and even some coffee notes. This is a beer that can be difficult to find at times unless your local ABC has a staff who’s on the ball. With the success of this beer, Terrapin has made a limited release version. This is nearly impossible to find, but the Cinnamon Roll’d Wake-n-Bake is well worth the search. The beer comes in a 22 oz bottle with a white wax top that is reminiscent of a Maker’s Mark bottle. The beer itself has been loved by some and had others asking, “Where is the cinnamon?” I honestly prefer the original to the limited version, but I have only had one bottle of the cinnamon, so my sample size is very limited.

Terrapin also does a limited run of their Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout called the White Chocolate Moo-Hoo. This beer, like the Wake-n-Bake, comes in a 22 oz, limited run, wax-topped bottle. I really liked this beer, as I am a big fan of white chocolate, and this beer delivered. The vanilla undertones balanced perfectly with the bitterness of the stout.  

So I advise you to get out there and become a beer hunter like me. I promise the rewards are well worth it. Unlike a wine hunter, anyone can search out and get rare beers even on a small budget.  In closing I don’t have any Hopslam so keep looking and find your new favorite beer, I promise it’s out there. 

Mike Love, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits beer consultant

Follow me on Twitter @abcbeermikel