Anchor Liberty Ale
Where Spotted: Target, 3100 14th St. NW
Price: $8.99/six-pack
Remember Six Things: In high school, this was the first hoppy beer I ever tasted, when a friend’s older brother bought it for us to bring to a Dave Matthews concert. We were stoked. Almost everything about that is incredibly embarrassing now, but this pale ale holds up. It’s Sierra Nevada’s bronze, biscuity counterpart, with a noseful of greenhouse-fresh cascade hops. An underage drinker could do worse.
Under the Weather and Dreaming: Anchor and Sierra Nevada’s greatest victory is their ubiquity. These California veterans are the reason you could snowshoe your way to Target and find a six-pack of good beer while the store looked a scene from 28 Days Later. When your other options are Smirnoff Ice and light beer, count your lucky stars you have this.