Where Spotted: Tenley Wine & Liquor, 4525 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Price: $9.99/six-pack
Loathe at First Sight
Everything about this package challenged my sensibilities as a serious beer journalist, from its fun-in-the-sun kitsch to its pandering iconography of my hometown, Philadelphia. But then I remembered that, marketing aside, this is Victory we’re talking about, and no amount of imagined nostalgia could change the fact that this is a surprisingly flavorful entry in the all-too-benign family of “summer ale.”
Love Quenches All
With tropical-fruit aroma and quickly fading sweetness, Summer Love follows in what is becoming Victory’s signature style: perfectly made beers that hover around a drinkable five percent alcohol by volume. I’ve gone back to the well for this six-pack many times this summer, and I dare say it’s indicative of a larger trend as more and more drinkers are opting for light beers that punch above their weight.