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Lagunitas a Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale
Where Spotted: Whole Foods, 1440 P St. NW
Price: $10.99/six-pack
Summer Slosh: Attention IPA fans: This summer seasonal is a serious entrant to the category. Imagine a perfect cross between Bells Two-Hearted Ale and Stone IPA. Straight out of the bottle, it effuses Two-Hearted’s honey sweetness and grapefruit bite, but slowly the Stone-like hops build around your tongue. Pretend you didn’t hear that it’s 7.3 percent abv—you’ll want to drink more than one.
Gateway Glug: The brewers say this beer has some wheat in it, and while I didn’t detect any, this is a good selling point for converting a friend who likes their beer with an orange slice and a parasol. You get plenty of hops, but they’re paired with an appealing, complex sweetness. Bells Two-Hearted got my mom to switch from chardonnay, so why not?