Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Ale
Where Spotted: Westover Market, 5863 N. Washington Blvd., Arlington
Price: $85/sixtel (1/3 keg)
Grab an Old One: Before we were blessed with today’s bubbly abundance, good beer in Virginia meant Tuppers’. The pale ale, once contract-brewed by Old Dominion, went out of production in 2007, and the recipe was just revived in January by St. George Brewing Co. Times sure have changed; two years ago it was considered hoppy for an East Coast beer, but today its balanced pine notes and 6 percent abv are mild—and just right.
Birthday Keg? Ingredient prices and the small scale of St. George’s operation have driven up the price to about $10 for a four-pack (yes, a four-pack), but this is a workhorse, all-day-sports-watching beer. So while I can’t justify forking over almost $3 a bottle, the volume discount you get with a keg is just the reason I need to block off a whole Sunday for beer, friends, and TV. Hooray for economies of scale!