We’re grown up now, so Easter is no longer about hunting for eggs — unless they’re perfectly scrambled, done over easy, or sitting elegantly atop the two halves of an English muffin. Yes, Easter has usurped the giant chocolate bunnies, Easter baskets, and that impossible-to-vacuum-up plastic grass. Cadbury Eggs? We know some people love these things, but people love fried pork rinds, too. Let’s face it — no one really likes Peeps. Their sole purpose for existing is to entertain us by having duels in the microwave, complete with toothpick swords. Easter, at least to Peaks and Pints, is about craft beer — Holy and hoppy. Enjoy our Craft Beer Crosscut 4.16.17: A Flight of Easter. Hoppy Easter!
Holy Mountain The White Lodge
4.8% ABV
Old World meets New at Holy Mountain, where the beer styles range from pale ale to mixed-fermentation saisons and barrel-aged farmhouse ales. In the case of The White Lodge, the trinity of owners — Adam Paysse, Colin Lenfesty and Mike Murphy — went Old World. The Belgian Wit (white) beer is a style that dates back more than 400 years. The White Lodge is brewed with a large portion of wheat along with pilsner malt and oats. Holy Mountain uses coriander and orange peel in the kettle, lending a blend of citrus and floral characters, and ferment with a traditional Belgian strain. It’s smooth and dry, with coriander upfront, a little citrus and toasted biscuity malt, with a lightly spicy finish.
BeeHaven Ginger Coriander Mead
6% ABV
Mead is fermented honey, water and yeast. Also known as “honey wine,” mead is believed to be the world’s oldest alcoholic libation and one that’s generally associated with eras past. Mead-making likely started when a sack of honey would catch some rain, which leads to fermentation. Consuming what’s in the bag would create a state of inebriation, which of course led people to experiment with making more. A process evolved. But this fermented honey drink is tiptoeing out from the cave. BeeHaven Beverage of Tukwila uses clover honey to make his BeeHaven Ginger Coriander bubbly mead, which includes fresh ginger and ground coriander. It clocks in at a low percent alcohol with brisk acidity and a spicy finish.
Skookum Holy Trinity IPA
6% ABV
The idea that God is the ultimate hat-trick — that he is, at once, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is something that has always confused and challenged … well, anyone with a normal, binary-style brain. To Skookum Brewery in Arlington, the Holy Trinity is Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo. This beer is about the juicy tropical bitterness that pulls you in with aroma until the flavor of hops completely take over. There’s a touch of tartness to the finish that’s clean and avoids any palate-staining bitterness. This is an IPA that is assertive without destroying the taste buds.
Hop Valley Alphadelic IPA
6.7% ABV, 90 IBU
What’s life without hops? Sad and alone with only three Easter eggs, that’s what. But if there’s a Hop Valley Alphadelic in our Easter basket, we’re doing it right. Graham cracker malts smooth out a piney hop bouquet. On the tongue, sweet, bready malts connect with dynamic resiny, piney hops that flourish and linger into the finish. It has the threat of intense bitterness, you can feel it coming on, but it stops just short and delivers smooth, even hop character without overpowering the palate.
Sumerian Hopruption IPA
8% ABV, 95 IBU
If you load up a double IPA with Cascade and Centennial hops, dry hop it twice with Citra and Mosaic, it’s much more than an eruption of hops. What was known as Sumerian Brewing Eruption IPA is now Hopruption IPA. Sumerian Brewing changed the name to match the hop explosion, but honestly they could have called it Smoothruption. This crazy hopped double is well balance with a creamy body, lightly sweet and fruit forward.
