Crafty

Have you noticed how it's all 'craft beer this' and 'craft beer that,' lately? I never seem to hear the word 'micro brew' anymore. But no matter, I like them no matter what you call them, and today I will let you in on the very best of craft beers. The craftiest of the crafty.

I've been conducting my own March Madness, although I'm not going to crown just one winner. Nope, I've got a top five for you people.

Ready:

Stone Brewery Pale Ale*

This was hard for me, because I love their IPA as well. But I'm going with the pale. Both are excellent. And brewed here in San Diego.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin'

Again, a hard choice because I also love Lagunitas IPA and Lagunitas Pale Ale, all are excellent, but, as the Lagunitas Brewing Company marketing slogan goes, Everyone needs A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Sometimes. These guys are north of San Francisco, in Petaluma, California. (Although you can find the pale on tap at The Fargo in Aurora, New York, of all places, so keep your eyes out for it!)

Kona Brewing  Koko Brown Ale

This beer is DE-licious. It has toasted coconut,** and is a good alternative to dessert. You're not going to want to drink a whole six pack, but one, or possibly two, of these Koko Browns hits both your sweet tooth and your beer jones.

Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point Brewing

This is one tasty, citrusy IPA. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. This beer won the gold medal at the World Beer Cup in 2010 in the International Pale Ale category. Yum. It's brewed right here in San Diego as well.

Pliny the Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

Finally, let me introduce you to Pliny the Elder. This beer is excellent! Truly delicious. You can't find this brew in every liquor store. No you can't. There is actually a waiting list for stores to get on. Luckily my local store does carry it, but the bottles are tightly controlled. You cannot buy more than one a day! Isn't that crazy? Just goes to show you how yummy, this beer, this winner of my very own malty March Madness, is.

Yep, Pliny the Elder is the craftiest of the crafty. And Pliny the Younger is amazing as well.

So that's it folks, the results are in, the tournament is over. All that is left for you to do is toast the winners.

Cheers!

* There was one of these in the house last night, and it was my sincere intention to photograph it in the kitchen like I did all the others. But it's disappeared, been drunk, and thrown out I suppose. I spot checked  the recycling bin to see, but you know, not too deeply. I hope the stock photo will do.

** Which means that Jacquie will not be agreeing with the ranking of #3 here. She is not a coconut fan. Or is that Bill?