There's a Reason They Call It a Brewski

Six of America's Best Microbrews

The Brew:
Long Trail India Pale Ale
The Ski: Stowe, Vermont
Our Hopsmeister Says: "Keg beer in a bottle. Brings a flood of frat-party flashbacks, but with a smooth, cigarette-butt-free aftertaste. Call it a Foosball brew."

The Brew:
Deschutes Obsidian Stout
The Ski: Mount Bachelor, Oregon
Our Hopsmeister Says: "Nothing halfway about this one--it's all-the-way dark. Nutty, with a velvety molasses undertone. Proves that Guinness does not hold a monopoly on stout."

The Brew:
Wasatch Raspberry Wheat
The Ski: Park City, Utah
Our Hopsmeister Says: "The Earl Grey of beer: mountain-air scent, back-of-the-tongue taste. It's a little on the thin side, but finishes with a zing. The sun's shining, the snow's melting--it's spring skiing with a head!"

The Brew:
Snake River Lager
The Ski: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Our Hopsmeister Says: "Light, clean--a good drinking beer. Subtle, but not wispy, and satisfying, though not remarkably complex. The kind of beer that gets better as the evening goes on."

The Brew:
The Brewery at Lake Tahoe's Indian Pale Ale
The Ski: Heavenly Valley, California
Our Hopsmeister Says: "A sassy bite, with just a hint of apricot. Intricate, deep, inviting. Makes your taste buds stand up on edge. It says, "Deal with me on my own terms."

The Brew:
Breckenridge Mountain Wheat
The Ski: Breckenridge, Colorado
Our Hopsmeister Says: "A wheaty wheat, like a Kansas county fermented and bottled. Earthy, but also proud, proletarian. As dependable as a midwinter snowstorm on the banks of the Prairie Dog River."

Copyright 1996, Outside magazine