Beer Beer Beer Beer Beer Beer

Hello, everybody

Well, I guess Spring is really here. Heck, it's gonna be in the 60's this week! Yowza! So here at CapoPenn we are starting to transition out of the boozy, dark, sticky, malty beer zone and into the fruity, hoppy, poppy, easy-drinkin' beer dance party times.

We've got a case of Dogfish Heads "Aprihop" just waiting for all you fruit beer crazies to come in and snap it up. It balances herbacious, citrusy hop aromas and flavors with the Summery zing of stone fruits. It will conjure up memories of lying in warm grass with bees buzzing lazily about.

As soon as our keg of Smuttynose IPA kicks (and it will be soon), we will have Dogfish's 60 Minute IPA on. It's one of my favorite IPAs (Bell's Two Hearted is another) and makes me forget I'm not an IPA lover.

Just so the transition into sunny good times isn't too abrupt, we have plenty of Sly Fox's "Gang Aft Agly" ready to pour. "Gang Aft Agly" roughly translates to "oft go astray", referencing Robert Burn's famous bit about our best laid plans. At 7.5% abv, you just may go astray if you have too many pints of this Scotch "Wee Heavy" Ale; which is easy to do considering how lip-smackingly malty and deliciously easy to drink it is.

Also, we've been featuring a true butt-kicker of a beer at Penn that's become a bit of a staff favorite. Oskar Blue's "Gordon Ale" is an Imperial IPA that clocks in at a dangerous 8.7% abv. It will forever change your mind about what to expect from beers in a can. Again: proceed with caution. You will be lured in by the gorgeous red color and the caramelly malt richness. You'll be hooked by the snap of good hop flavor. Then, before you know it, you'll be singing Barry Manilow hits at top volume, arm-in-arm with some dental student from Iowa.

On the saner side, we're featuring a beer from Stone Brewing of Escondito, California for the first time. Most people know these guys for their insanely hoppy, head-exploding beers, but we are stocking bottles of their extremely sessionable Levitation Ale. It's an Amber Ale that you can kick back and drink with your pals without losing your mind. And, it's delicious.

And, because I want it to be Summer SO FREAKIN' BADLY, I just had to jump the gun and stock a Belgian White Ale. This one is from Allagash, and it's simply one of the most scrumptious, crisp and refreshing wheat beers out there. It really follows true to the Belgian style, with lots of spicy/fruity yeast character, so there's plenty of personality, too.

Okay! Let's get it on, people! Shuffle on in here in your flippy flops and Wayfarers and hoist a dag-gone pint in celebration of Spring! I, for one, am ready.