Beerasota: 100 Barrel Series #46 Kettle Cup 2013

Sarasota has beer. It has a lot of beer.  Our local bars feature an enormous selection of beers on tap that rotates almost weekly.

With so many options, choosing the perfect beer can be a challenge. Rest easy my fellow beer-guzzling brothers! In this sea of beers, your ship is not alone. Beerasota is a weekly column reviewing new beers on tap at local pubs. Let us drink for you, so you can drink better!

REVIEW: 100 Barrel Series #46 Kettle Cup 2013 at Growler's PubTHE PUB: Growler's Pub is a local craft beer pub right on Tamiami Trail close to New College and Ringling. It is a grayish building attached to a small strip of stores, and the only sign the bar has simply says, "PUB." I arrived at Growler's around about 4:45 p.m., and 15 minutes later the first few customers started trickling in. The bartender, Cabe Unger, is a friendly man who knows a lot about beer. Unger says the bar's selection boasts three to 10 different beers each week. Despite the rotation, Unger was able to find a great beer for each customer's different taste.

THE BREWERY: Harpoon Brewery started in 1986 in Windsor, Vt. Since then it has moved to Boston where it is currently located. The brewery currently features 15 beers, including its UFO line, featuring a pale ale, a hefeweizen, a raspberry hefeweizen and a white ale. Also included in the selection are a couple of ciders, IPAs and one interesting beer: the 100 Barrel Series #46 Kettle Cup 2013.THE BEER: Unger suggested I try the newest beer from Harpoon's 100 Barrel Series. That is the #46 Kettle Cup 2013, a Belgian blonde ale with more hops than your usual Belgian-style beer. The 100 barrel series is a series that produces a new beer each month, with the limited release of 100 barrels of that beer. What makes a beer Belgian? It's called a Belgian beer due to the yeast strain used to brew the beer. Most blonde ales are low in hops. This beer, however, has a generous serving, aimed to increase the flavor. The beer itself tastes extremely crisp. Harpoon Brewery's website says the taste is floral, fruity and grassy, but I'm not sure I'd agree. Although I found the beer an overall satisfying drink, there was a bit of a bitter end that some may not find appealing. Crisp and malty, in one simple word: refreshing. I didn't find the beer as full body as other beers, but on a summer day you could do a lot worse.