Allagash’s Latest IPA Is a Real Crowd-Pleaser — and One of the Best Things We Drank This Month

Every month, we’re tasting a huge amount of beer, whiskey and other beverages. In some cases, we’re taste-testing the industry’s best new products, and in others, we’re coming across hidden gems in the wild. Our favorites from the last four weeks are gathered here, in the best things we drank this month.

Allagash Hop Reach

Ryan Brower

The brewery that doesn’t really brew IPAs started 2023 off with a wonderful West Coast version for warmer days ahead. This modern take on the style (less bitterness in hops and more of those citrus flavors) blends together the two best styles of the IPA world — West Coast and New England — for a real crowd-pleaser. At 6.8 percent ABV, it’s a clean IPA that OG IPA drinkers can love and that hazy fans can broaden their palates on. — Ryan Brower, Senior Commerce Editor

Roku Gin

Matt Pastorious

Produced by Suntory and distilled in Osaka, this gin has become my new favorite sipper. I find it to be an excellent, slightly more nuanced alternative to London Dry gins when mixed in a martini, but it’s also quite nice on its own with a splash of club soda and lemon. What I find most interesting about it are the six botanicals (“Roku” means “six” in Japanese) native to Japan that are used in the distilling process – Sakura flower, Sakura leaf, Yuzu peel, Sanshō pepper, Sencha and Gyokuro green teas –combined with the other more traditional botanicals. All of those flavors contribute to a clean, complex, fragrant and bright gin. — Matt Pastorius, Business Development Manager

Calirosa Añejo Tequila

Will Porter

Lately, I’ve been finding myself looking for more than your workaday tequila blanco, which is my usual spirit of choice. In my hunt for something different, I “stumbled” across tequila añejo. I know it’s nothing new, but the aged amber spirit has tickled my fancy in a way I didn’t expect. My añejo of choice has been Calirosa, which is aged for 18 months in California red wine barrels, resulting in a caramel-forward liquor with hints of nutmeg and chocolate that is a delight to drink neat or on the rocks. — Will Porter, Associate Editor

WeldWerks Bamm Bamm Rubble Rubble

Grace Cooper

I recently moved to Colorado, and have since spent several nights out looking at miles-long draft lists and asking the bartender what their favorite beer is. One such night I was poured a glass of Bamm Bamm Rubble Rubble from a local brewery called WeldWerks, described to me as a sour that tasted like Fruity Pebbles cereal. It did — and it was (surprisingly) delicious. Behind the dominant fruity flavor are notes of milk sugar, vanilla and marshmallow, but the beer still doesn’t taste overly sweet and has a nice lightness to it. If you’re looking for something fun or a drink to share with someone who doesn’t love beer, then this is worth picking up where you can find it. Plus, it’s got killer packaging. — Grace Cooper, Commerce Writer

WhistlePig The Béhôlden 21-Year Single Malt Whiskey

Johnny Brayson

Vermont-based masters of rye WhistlePig can seemingly do no wrong of late, with recent limited releases including the 10-year-old PiggyBank Rye and the ninth rendition of the annual Boss Hog rye, Siren’s Song. I’ve tried and loved both of those whiskeys, but WhistlePig’s latest bottle absolutely blows both of them out of the water. The Béhôlden is a 21-year-old North American single malt, and it’s the best-tasting whiskey I drank this month and also ever. It’s sweet and viscous, like honey on the tongue, with an added dose of baking spices that make it more reminiscent of an oatmeal cookie than the Christmas-in-a-glass flavor of Siren’s Song. 10 out of 10, would drink again. — Johnny Brayson, Associate Editor

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