As previously mentioned, I’m now brewing my own beer, which is a hell of a lot of fun. Part of brewing one’s own beer, though, is knowing what different styles are out there and getting a feel for them. This requires a lot of research. So I’ve been buying - and drinking! - lots of interesting beers lately as part of my education. Now and again, I’ll be discussing some of the more interesting ones here.

One of my cooler recent finds is the Samuel Adams Brewer Patriot Collection. The folks at Samuel Adams are big supporters of the homebrewing community. Jim Koch, the president, is a huge fan of beer in its many forms and the whole company seems to encourage experimentation in brewing, as evidenced by their extensive list of commercially available beer styles.

In keeping with this tradition of experimentation, the brewery annually produces a special mixed four-pack that represents styles of beer brewed in our nation’s early days. An article in Zymurgy Magazine from last year talked a bit about the diversity in beer styles and ingredients found in these brews - the use of various herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables in the wort was not uncommon - and it seems the Brewer Patriot series does a pretty good job of reflecting that.

This year, the series included Traditional Ginger Honey Ale, Root Beer Brew, George Washington Porter and James Madison Dark Wheat. All four were fantastic. Here’s my rundown:

Traditional Ginger Honey Ale - I love a good hefeweizen on a hot day and, before I tried this ale, I thought that nothing could be more refreshing. But, oh man, this stuff is incredible. It’s light in body without being a “light” beer. The honey adds a nice, subtle hint of sweet floral to the taste and the ginger, while present, is in no way overpowering or even all that dominant. This brew is super crisp and refreshing.

Root Beer Brew - This had to be my favorite in the pack. I love root beer and I love ale. This is just two great tastes that go great together. Brewed using traditional root beer spices, including wintergreen, licorice and molasses, this tastes like a dry root beer with a hop characteristic. Very spicy and very tasty, though not as sweet as you might expect. I’ve been considering brewing an alcoholic root beer (traditional root beer, by the way, is created in a similar fashion to regular beer, it’s just not fermented all the way) and this one proved that it’s an exceptionally good idea. I’d ramp up the sweetness a touch, though. A bit more sweetness may convince my non-beer drinking wife that beer isn’t all that bad.

George Washington Porter - Very strong, very good. This is really more of a stout porter. A lot of the bitterness in this brew seems to come from the roasted malt, which is what you expect in a stout porter. The molasses adds an interesting depth to the character and really balances out the bitterness quite a bit. The licorice in it is very, very subtle and lends to a slight spiciness that rounds this brew out quite a bit.

James Madison Dark Wheat Ale - I already mentioned my love for hefeweizens. This is nothing like a hefe. Most wheat beers we’re used to are brewed for their light and crisp character. In a traditional hefe, you’ll get a lot of subtle banana and clove-like flavors and scents. This dark wheat, though, is bold, medium bodied and very, very tasty. It has a malty sweetness you don’t usually find in a wheat beer thanks ion large part to the use of malted rye and roasted barley malt. Not a true 100% wheat beer, but it does combine the lightness of a traditional wheat with the maltiness of a traditional barley ale. An excellently well balanced combo.

If you’re looking to try these yourself, try your local Beverages and More or other specialty liquor store. I just happened upon it at the BevMo in Danville. I’ll be going back for more.