There’s a satisfying little rebellion in drinking a rye-forward brew from a namesake West Coast IPA house: it feels like Sierra Nevada nudging tradition and saying, “Let’s spice things up.” Rye Torpedo is that nudge — a confident, approachable IPA that leans on an assertive rye backbone and classic piney-hop character to deliver something familiar with a wink. It’s not a revolution, but it’s a deliberate, well-executed spin that rewards repeated sips.

Rye Torpedo by Sierra Nevada

Appearance: Poured into a tulip, Rye Torpedo shows a clear amber-gold hue with a faint copper tint and a steady, off-white head that leaves a tidy lace as you work through the glass. The carbonation sits lively but not aggressive; at rest it presents the kind of clarity and color that says this beer knows its job and plans to do it without fuss.

Aroma: Upfront, the nose is a textbook Sierra Nevada blend of citrus rind, resinous pine, and floral hop perfume — think grapefruit peel, orange blossom, and fresh-cut spruce. Beneath that, the rye steps in with a subtle spiciness and a whisper of black pepper and dry biscuit that keeps the aroma from falling into one-note hop territory. There’s also a soft, bready malt sweetness that grounds the hops without weighing them down. It’s inviting and balanced: aromatic enough to promise a hop-forward ride but tempered by cereal warmth and rye tang.

Taste: First sip delivers the expected punch of citrus and resin, but the rye is the star of the mid-palate. It brings a peppery, slightly nutty snap that complements rather than competes with the hop bitterness. The bitterness is firm — assertive, but clean — and it plays nicely off a modest caramel malt base that gives the beer some chew and body. Hop flavors range from grapefruit and tangerine to a sapmy, piney undercurrent; they’re classic West Coast but tuned so the rye can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. The beer never feels overly sticky or sugary — instead, it’s brisk, with the rye adding a dry, spicy dimension that keeps each sip lively.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a crisp, dry finish, Rye Torpedo offers a pleasant contrast between weight and snap. There’s enough malt to give it substance, but the carbonation and rye’s dryness push it toward a finish that cleans the palate rather than clinging to it. That crispness is one reason the beer drinks easier than the hops’ aromatics might lead you to expect; you can comfortably have two without feeling overwhelmed.

Balance and complexity: Where Rye Torpedo earns its four stars is in the way it balances familiarity with a little adventurousness. Sierra Nevada doesn’t try to complicate the beer with exotic adjuncts or gimmicks — it pares the recipe down to a solid malt bill, a healthy dose of rye, and a hop program that leans classic. That combination produces more nuance than a straight IPA: you get peppery spice, piney resin, citrus tang, and just enough malt sweetness to keep things grounded. It’s not a hyper-complex craft IPA in the avant-garde sense, but it’s thoughtfully assembled and nuanced enough to reward repeated drinking and discussion.

Drinkability and food pairing: With its medium body and dry finish, Rye Torpedo is highly drinkable; it pairs especially well with spiced dishes and smoky proteins. Think pepper-crusted steak, grilled sausages with mustard, or a smoked gouda sandwich — the rye and hop bitterness will stand up to bold flavors without getting lost. For lighter fare, it also complements sharper cheeses and bright salads with citrus-forward dressings. In short, it’s versatile at the table and dependable in the hand.

Packaging and presentation: Brewed by a stalwart of American craft brewing, Rye Torpedo wears the Sierra Nevada badge with quiet confidence. Whether from a can or on draft, it pours true to style and carries a familiar label of quality — no theatrical packaging required. That steady presentation is part of the appeal: this is a brewery that knows how to execute a concept without needing to shout about it.

Who it’s for: If you like West Coast-style IPAs but are curious about something with a spicy twist, Rye Torpedo is a natural fit. It’s friendly enough for hop lovers who prefer balance over pure bitterness, and it has enough character to please drinkers who enjoy rye-forward beers or those looking for a little more texture than a straightforward pale. It’s also a good middle ground for folks who enjoy traditional Sierra Nevada offerings but want something with a touch more grit.

What could be better: The beer’s restraint is mostly a virtue, but it’s also the reason Rye Torpedo doesn’t earn a perfect score. For hop die-hards chasing maximalism or brewers pushing the envelope of acidity, haze, or experimental adjuncts, this will read as conservative — deliberately so. A slightly more adventurous hop profile or a bolder rye presence might tip this from “very good” to “unforgettable” for some palates. That said, the decision to keep it measured preserves broad appeal and drinkability.

Final thoughts: Rye Torpedo is a smart, well-balanced IPA that blends classic West Coast hop character with a spicy rye core for extra personality. It’s not a radical departure from what you expect from Sierra Nevada, but it’s a welcome variant — thoughtful, tasty, and thoroughly drinkable. For those reasons, it earns a solid four out of five stars: a reliable, characterful brew that hits the sweet spot between approachability and distinctiveness.

My Untappd Rating: **** out of 5
Global Untappd Rating: 3.85 out of 5 (as of 5.10.26)

Untappd Description:

Bold hop flavor and full-bodied malt combine in this IPA, inspired by our classic Torpedo but brewed with rye malt.

MALTS
C-60, Munich, Rye, Two-row Pale

HOPS
Chinook

YEAST
Ale

-B. Kline

Pennsylvania craft beer has always had a strong relationship with lagers, and Tröegs Pennsylvania Lager fits right into that tradition. It’s a beer that doesn’t try to force the issue or show off too hard; instead, it focuses on being clean, balanced, and easy to enjoy. That approach works especially well here, because this is the kind of beer that can quietly become a regular go-to.

Troegs Premium Lager (photo courtesy of Troegs Independent Brewing)

First Impressions

The beer pours with a bright, classic lager appearance that immediately suggests refreshment. It looks crisp in the glass, and that first visual impression lines up nicely with what the beer delivers once you take a sip. There’s a straightforward charm to it that makes it feel familiar in the best possible way.

Aroma

The nose is subtle but inviting, with grainy malt notes leading the way. There’s a clean, fresh quality to the aroma that keeps the beer from feeling too soft or too neutral. It gives you the sense that this is a carefully made lager, one that values precision and drinkability.

Flavor and Mouthfeel

The flavor profile is smooth and well-composed, centered around a solid malt backbone with a crisp finish. It doesn’t overload the palate, and that restraint is part of what makes it work so well. The body lands in a comfortable middle ground, giving the beer enough presence to feel satisfying without becoming heavy.

The mouthfeel is especially important here because it reinforces the beer’s overall sense of balance. Each sip feels clean and steady, which makes it easy to keep reaching for the glass. That kind of drinkability is often what separates a good lager from a forgettable one.

Overall Impression

Tröegs Pennsylvania Lager succeeds because it understands what it wants to be. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, and it doesn’t need to. Instead, it offers a polished, reliable lager experience with enough character to keep it interesting and enough restraint to make it highly drinkable.

For fans of well-made Pennsylvania beer, this one is worth checking out. It’s the kind of release that feels equally at home on a casual weeknight or alongside a good meal, and that versatility makes it an easy recommendation.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 pints

For More Information on Troegs Independent Craft Brewing

According to Untappd, Troegs Independent Craft Brewing is a regional brewery with 164 unique beers listed (despite their being over 500 Scratches). (A lot of vintage and variants get consolidated into single unique listings as well.) They have 2.4 Million ratings and a global average rating of 3.79 (as of 4.25.26). Their Untappd bio reads:

“Founded in Pennsylvania in 1997 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, Tröegs Independent Brewing is driven by a sense of adventure and curiosity. Our brewery has been built by family, friends and kindred spirits who share a love of great beer. Together, we all make Tröegs. You might know our Perpetual IPA, the best-selling IPA in Pennsylvania. Or the dark, malty and crisp Troegenator. You may have come across such iconic beers as Nugget Nectar or Mad Elf in your beer travels. Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to try one or two of the hundreds of experimental Scratch Series beers we’ve brewed over the years. Whether you’re already a member of our extended family or you’re just getting to know our brewery, there’s always something new to discover with Tröegs.“

You can find them at the following social media pages:

• Troegs.com (Official Website)
• Troegs Independent Craft Brewing (Facebook)
• Troegs Independent Craft Brewing (Instagram)
• Troegs Independent Craft Brewing @ Twitter
• Troegs Independent Craft Brewing (Untappd)

More Troegs Independent Craft Brewing Related Articles

Looking for more Troegs in your diet? Here’s some other Troegs Independent Craft Brewing related articles we’ve written:

• Troegs Brewing and Wigle Whiskey Team Up to Bring Peach Whiskey Back
• Troegs Independent Craft Brewing Adds 1,628 Solar Panels To Their Brewery
• Beer Review: Double Blizzard (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• The Mad Elf Gets a Face Lift – Troegs Independent Craft Brewing Changes The Mad Elf’s Look
• Troegs Brewing Releasing Cordial Elf
• Beer Review: Double Nugget Nectar (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Beer Review: Grand Cacao (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Beer Review: Scratch 417 (Orange Lemon Peel) (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Beer Review: Haze Charmer (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Beer Review: Scratch 400 (Pre – Prohibition Lager) (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Review: Scratch 394, Scratch 395, Scratch 396, and Mad Elf (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Two Beer Review: Fresh Fest and Trail Day Pale Ale (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Reviews: Fest Lager, Scratch 385 – Krausened Dunkel Lager, and Scratch 386 – Tangerine Passionfruit Guava Tart Ale (Troegs Independent Craft Brewery)
• Beer Review: Fuzzy Nudge (Troegs Independent Craft Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Reviews: Scratch 382 – Blackberry Lime Tart Ale, Scratch 383 – Hazy IPA (Citra, Galaxy & Simcoe), Dear Peter, and Naked Elf (Troegs Brewing Company)
• Multiple Beer Review – Brewery Flight (Troegs) – Beers – Scratch #379 – Krausened Keller Pilsner, Scratch #378 – DIPA, Scratch #377 – Oat IPA, and Scratch #376 – Passionfruit & Guava Tart Ale
• Beer Review: Scratch 375: Coco-Nator (Troegs Independent Brewing Company)
• From Philly to Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania’s Top Craft Breweries You Must Visit
• Hershey Bears Celebrate Calder Cup Championship at Troegs Brewery
• Troegs Brewing Company Adds Hopora IPA to Their Seasonal Hop Cycle Series
• Beer Review: Tropical Stout (Troegs Independent Brewing and Windy Bridges Brewing LLC)
• Oktoberfest Lager Returns to Troegs Independent Brewing (Troegs Independent Brewing’s Oktoberfest Lager Has Returned)
• Tröegs Hop Cyclone Releases Today
• Master of Pumpkins Returns for 2023 with Over 3,000 Pounds of Fresh Local Pumpkins
• The Naked Elf Returns for 2023
• Troegs Announces Gingerbread Cookie Stout
• Troegs Brewing Adding Graffiti Highway IPA and DIPA
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Triple Nator Releasing at Troegs Brewery
• Enchilada Stuffed Peppers and Sunshine Pilsner
• Troegs Brewing to Release Second Cut in Spring 2024
• Troegs Brewing Releasing Cyclops Teardrops This Thursday
• Hops and Vines for Hunger Kick-Off Event at Troegs Brewery
• Mad Elf Set to Release on October 9th
• Troegs Independent Brewing is Releasing Scratch 500 and Scratch 501 – Double Perpetual IPA and Triple Perpetual IPA
• Tröegs Independent Brewing Mad Elf Grand Cru Returns In Limited Cork and Cage Bottles
• Tröegs Brewing Releasing the Most Wonderful Beer of the Year Sampler on Monday
• Recipe: Crispy Beer Roast Turkey (using Troegenator)
• Troegs Brewing Releasing Night Gazer Stout
• Nugget Nectar Is Being Released the Day After Christmas
• Troegs Brewing to Release Sunshine Salt and Lime Lager in 2024
• Troegs and Patagonia Collaborate for Kernza Lager Release
• Troegs Brewing and Dewey Beer Releasing a Collaboration – Adventure Was Promised
• Troegs Brewing Releases Field Study Summer IPA
• First Cut – Mango IPA – Is Coming Out on Thursday February 22nd
• Troegs Brewing Releasing Leisure Cruise
• Troegs Brewing Teaming Up with Warwick Farm and Free Will For Releases
• Troegs Brewing, AntiFragile Brewing, Sworn Brewing, and Warwick Brewing Team Up for Storm the Field IPA
• Troegs Brewing and Tonewood Brewing Collaborate for Brothers Gotta Hug
• Troegs Brewing Creating Super Duper Juicer
• Troegs Brewing Releasing Second Cut Mango Double IPA
• Bikes and Brews Returns April 27th
• Troegs Brewing Releases 15 – Can Summer Variety Pack
• Hopora Returns for July 2024
• Troegs Brewing is Releasing Oktoberfest on August 5th
• Troegs Brewing to Release Double Perpetual IPA on August 19th
• Troegs Brewing and Sloop Brewing Collaborate on Sloop John T
• Unearthing the History of Harrisburg Brewing: From Barnitz to Troegs
• Troegs Brewing is Bringing Back a Fan Favorite – Java Head Stout
• Nimble Giant Set to Return on June 5th
• Leaf Seeker IPA: Tröegs Brewing’s Bold New West Coast-Style Seasonal Beer
• Beer Review: Leaf Seeker IPA (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• A Pennsylvania Craft Beer Thanksgiving: Maple-Brown Ale Glazed Turkey (Featuring Troegs, Victory, and More)
• Tröegs Delivers “A Smile With Every Sip” In Year-Round Pennsylvania Lager
• Beer Review: Tröegs Pennsylvania Lager (Troegs Independent Brewing)

New Trail drops a sessionable West Coast–inspired IPA that’s built for all-day adventures.

New Trail’s newest Session IPA – 24/7

A beautiful spring day in Dauphin County, the kind where you’re thinking about hitting the Susquehanna or just firing up the grill. I grabbed a 4-pack of New Trail’s latest — 24/7 Session — and figured it was time to see what the Williamsport crew cooked up this time. New Trail has been crushing it with hazies for years (Broken Heels fans know what’s up), but this one takes a different trail: a crisp, hop-forward session IPA with West Coast vibes. Let’s pop the can.

24/7 Hazy Session IPA by New Trail Brewing Co.

Beer: 24/7 Session Brewery: New Trail Brewing Co. (Williamsport, PA) Style: Session IPA (West Coast–inspired) ABV: 4.7% IBU: Not listed, but it carries a solid bite

Appearance: Pours a bright, clear golden hue with a tight white head that settles nicely. Good bubbles rising, and it leaves some solid lacing on the glass. Looks clean and inviting — exactly what you want when you’re planning on having a few without tapping out early.

Aroma: Big hop forward right away. Pine, citrus zest, and a touch of resin with some floral notes dancing around. Centennial, Amarillo, and Simcoe are doing the heavy lifting here, giving it that classic West Coast hop character without going overboard. It’s fresh and bright — makes you think of cracking it open on a hike or by the river.

Taste & Mouthfeel: First sip hits with a nice malt backbone that’s light but supportive — just enough sweetness to balance things out before the hops roll in. You get that firm, clean bitterness with grapefruit, pine, and herbal edges. It’s crisp, dry, and refreshing with a snappy finish that keeps you coming back. Mouthfeel is light-to-medium, highly carbonated, and super drinkable at 4.7%. No heaviness, no cloying sweetness, just pure sessionability. This is the beer you can drink from lunch through sunset and still feel human.

It’s got that “I could do this 24/7” energy without the next-morning regret. In a sea of super juicy hazies, this one stands out by going back to basics while still delivering big flavor.

Overall: New Trail continues to show why they’re one of the most reliable breweries in Pennsylvania. While everyone else is chasing the next pastry stout or milkshake IPA, they quietly drop a well-balanced session beer that actually tastes like it belongs in a cooler on the trail. It’s approachable for newer drinkers but hoppy enough to keep the nerds happy. Perfect for Central PA summers (or those rare warm Lancaster spring days).

My Untappd Rating: 4.0 — A crusher that’ll be in regular rotation.

For more New Trail Brewing News and Beer Reviews Click Here: New Trail Brewing Co. 

-B. Kline

Just yesterday we reported on Idiom Brewing in Frederick, MD shutting down, and now we have news that The Brewer’s Art has abruptly shut down in the outskirts of Baltimore, MD (“technically considered Mt. Vernon”).  Located at 1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201, yet another brewery closing in 2026, and another in Maryland, and still also another that Amy and I had visited.

The Brewer’s Art bar (photo courtesy of The Brewer’s Art website’s gallery)

Abrupt Closure

If you’ve ever ducked down the stairs into The Brewer’s Art’s basement bar — that low-ceilinged space where the wood got a little sticky by last call and the taps were always ready for another round — this one might sting a bit. After three decades in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, The Brewer’s Art has quietly closed its doors for good.

Opened back in 1996, it was more than just a brewpub. Upstairs, you’d flirt with a pint of Resurrection or Beazly between bites of duck-fat rosemary fries; downstairs, regulars found their corners and their folks. It was the sort of place you didn’t just go to drink — you went to belong

But earlier this week, staff got word in a way very few of us would have guessed: a text. Owner Volker Stewart told employees the business couldn’t continue — finances had taken a turn, strains that had been growing worse in recent months finally left them without a path forward. The doors were to stay closed, and payroll stopped with the last shift.

That abruptness has left a lot of folks reeling — not just the 20 or so people who worked there, but the community that somehow folded this spot into its own story. On Mount Vernon sidewalks and online forums alike, you see those memories surface: first legal pints, Friday night happy hours, quiet conversations over a hazy flight. Some are holding onto the hope the beer might live on somewhere else; others are just mourning the loss of a place that felt like home.

What happens next — whether the recipes get poured again under a new roof, or whether Resurrection quietly becomes a memory in fridges and growlers across town — isn’t yet clear. But for now, The Brewer’s Art is a name you’ll only bring up in stories and inside jokes and toasts.

Cheers to the years it was.

For More Information on The Brewer’s Art

The following comes via Untappd.

(Note: It is already listed as out of business, so the stats for number of unique beers has been removed.)

The Brewer’s Art is a brew pub located in Baltimore, MD. With (blanked out) unique beers and over 101,000 ratings, with a unique average rating of 3.64 globally (as of 2.2.26). Their Untappd description reads: House brewed beers and innovative cuisine in a 1901 mansion.

You can follow them at these social media platforms:

• The Brewer’s Art – Official Website
• The Brewer’s Art – Facebook
• The Brewer’s Art – Instagram
• The Brewer’s Art – Twitter
• The Brewer’s Art – Untappd

Their Facebook was last updated on January 29th, with no word of the closure (updated – as of 2.3.26, their Facebook page still hasn’t been updated).

Sources

• Brewer’s Association of Maryland
• The Banner
• CityBiz
• Reddit – Brewer’s Art Closing
• WMAR2 News

Idiom’s Final Days
(photo supplied by Idiom Brewing Company’s Facebook page)

Well, unfortunately, another favorite brewery (favorite of mine anyway) is closing. We previously wrote about Idiom here – Idiom Brewing’s Owner is Stepping Down – Michael Clements Bids Farewell to Idiom Brewing – but now it looks like its completely official and the count down to the final days are on. Seems like more and more of the favorite breweries my ex-girlfriend and I loved to visit are closing up shop. (Alementary, Big Bottom Brewing, Rocket Frog, Tattered Flag, Mellow Mink, Cox, etc.) But I suppose its like they say, all good things must come to an end.

Another light is dimming in the Mid-Atlantic craft beer landscape.

Idiom Brewing Co. has announced it will permanently close its doors on February 15, 2026, bringing an end to a seven-year run in downtown Frederick, Maryland. The news was shared directly by owner and head brewer Mike Clements in a heartfelt message posted to the brewery’s Facebook page — the kind of post that has become far too familiar in recent years.

Idiom opened with a simple but powerful mission: craft great beer and even better conversation. For seven years, they did exactly that, becoming a fixture in Frederick’s brewing identity and a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

But as Clements noted, the brewing industry is currently facing what many have described as a “perfect storm.” Rising ingredient costs, increased competition, shifting consumer habits, distribution challenges, and overall economic pressure have pushed even well-loved, well-run breweries to the brink. Idiom, despite best efforts to weather those forces, has reached the end of its road.

Located at 340 E Patrick St #104, Frederick, MD 21701 , be sure to stop in before they close.

A Community-Focused Farewell

Rather than quietly fading out, Idiom is choosing to go the way it came in — surrounded by friends.

The brewery will remain open through February 15, 2026, giving the community time to say goodbye, share stories, and help kick the remaining kegs. It’s a gesture that feels very on-brand for Idiom: transparent, communal, and rooted in gratitude rather than bitterness.

In his message, Clements made a point to center the people who made Idiom what it was:

• The staff, past and present, described as “the soul of Idiom”

• The guests, who brought their milestones, weekends, and lives into the taproom

• Frederick itself, whose brewing legacy Idiom proudly became part of

That sense of mutual ownership — where a brewery belongs as much to its patrons as its founders — is something you can’t manufacture. It has to be earned, pint by pint.

Visit Idiom Before They Close (photo courtesy of Idiom Brewing)

Another Data Point in a Troubling Trend

Idiom’s closure isn’t happening in isolation.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen an accelerating number of brewery closures across the country — including highly regarded, award-winning, and community-supported operations. This isn’t a story about bad beer or bad intentions. It’s a story about margins getting thinner, risks getting higher, and sustainability becoming harder to achieve in a market that once felt endlessly expandable.

Frederick, long celebrated as one of Maryland’s strongest beer towns, now joins a growing list of cities forced to reckon with what “craft beer maturity” really looks like. Not every brewery that deserves to survive will.

And that’s the part that hurts the most.

Final Pints, Final Thanks

If you’ve ever spent an afternoon at Idiom — laughing with friends, meeting strangers, celebrating something big or hiding from something heavy — the next few weeks matter.

Show up.
Tip well.
Thank the staff.
Raise a glass.

Because while the doors may be closing, the impact Idiom Brewing Co. had on Frederick’s beer scene — and on the people who passed through its taproom — won’t disappear with the last pour.

From all of us at The Beer Thrillers, we wish Mike, the Idiom team, and everyone connected to the brewery nothing but the best in whatever comes next.

Announcement

It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we announce Idiom Brewing Co. will be closing its doors for good.

Seven years ago, we opened with a simple mission: to craft great beer and even better conversation. Since then, you’ve shared your milestones, your weekends, and your lives with us. But as many of you know, the brewing industry has faced a “perfect storm” lately, and despite our best efforts to weather it, we’ve reached the end of our road.

We want to go out the way we came in, surrounded by friends. We’ll be open through 2/15/2026, and we’d love to see you one last time. Come help us kick the kegs, share a story, and say goodbye to the taproom we’ve called home.

To our staff, past and present: You are and have been the soul of Idiom. Thank you for every pint poured and every smile shared. To our friends and guests: Thank you for making us a part of your lives and the Frederick brewing legacy.

Please come out during our final weeks to show your support to the staff members you have gotten to know and love over the years.

It’s been an honor and a privilege.

Mike Clements

Owner / Head Brewer

– Idiom Brewing Company (Facebook Post)

There are some beers that feel engineered in a lab to hit every modern hazy IPA pleasure center imaginable. Then there are beers like Triforce from Black Flag Brewing Company that somehow manage to feel both hyper-modern and deeply nostalgic at the same time. The name alone immediately tells you what kind of experience you’re getting into: this is not just another haze bomb tossed onto shelves to disappear into Untappd oblivion. This is gamer beer culture meeting East Coast craft brewing obsession — and honestly, Black Flag might be one of the best breweries in the country at that intersection.

(See also: Zelda and Craft Beer)

Triforce IPA by Black Flag Brewing Company

Triforce is a 7.2% Hazy IPA brewed with Mosaic, Motueka, and Nelson Sauvin hops. The brewery describes it as bursting with passion fruit, pineapple, lime, mango, grapefruit, and white wine-like complexity.

And honestly? That description is pretty dead-on.

(See also:

• Book Review: Zelda and Theology
• Book Review: Zelda and Psychology)

Triforce Hazy IPA by Black Flag Brewing

From the first pour, this beer comes across with that glowing opaque orange-yellow haze that New England IPA fans practically worship. Thick without looking sludgy. Juicy without looking artificial. There’s a soft foam cap that hangs around long enough to suggest a proper protein-heavy body, and the aroma immediately jumps out of the glass with tropical intensity.

The Mosaic does a lot of the heavy lifting here. You get huge mango and overripe pineapple notes up front, but the Motueka adds a sharp lime zest brightness that keeps the beer from collapsing into sugary fruit puree territory. Then the Nelson Sauvin sneaks in underneath everything with that signature white grape / sauvignon blanc character that gives the beer a slightly more sophisticated edge than your average “orange juice IPA.”

That combination is where the beer really succeeds.

A lot of breweries throw Nelson into a hazy IPA and let it dominate the profile entirely, turning the beer into something that tastes like carbonated wine must. Black Flag keeps it restrained enough that it complements rather than overwhelms. The result is a layered IPA instead of a one-note juice smoothie.

The mouthfeel is classic modern haze: soft, rounded, pillowy, moderately creamy. Bitterness is intentionally restrained, but not absent. There’s still enough hop structure here to remind you that this is an IPA and not alcoholic tropical nectar. The finish carries lingering grapefruit pith and lime oils that help clean up the sweetness before it overstays its welcome.

What Black Flag continues to do exceptionally well — and Triforce is another example of this — is balance fandom aesthetics with genuinely high-level brewing. Their reputation for gaming, anime, comic, and pop-culture-inspired beers could easily become gimmicky in lesser hands, but they consistently back the branding up with serious execution. Reddit beer communities and Maryland craft beer fans regularly praise the brewery’s hazy IPAs and can art alike.

And the can art matters here.

Black Flag has built an identity around visually striking labels and nerd-culture references, working with artists to create some of the most recognizable cans in Maryland craft beer.

Triforce fits directly into that lineage. It feels like a beer designed for people who grew up with controllers in their hands and IPAs in their adulthood — the generation that went from Ocarina of Time to brewery bottle shares.

But thankfully, the beer itself isn’t relying on Zelda nostalgia to survive.

This is simply a very good hazy IPA.

Not groundbreaking. Not revolutionary. But highly polished and deeply enjoyable. It understands exactly what modern haze drinkers want while still showing enough hop nuance to reward experienced IPA fans.

If I had a criticism, it’s that the beer sits very comfortably inside the established New England IPA formula. It executes the style extremely well, but it doesn’t necessarily redefine it. You can taste echoes of Other Half, Equilibrium, and the broader East Coast haze movement throughout. That said, not every beer needs to reinvent the genre. Sometimes delivering an excellent version of a beloved style is enough.

And Triforce absolutely delivers.

Rating: 4.25 / 5
Untappd Global Average: 3.95 (as of 1.11.26)

For fans of:

• Nelson-forward hazy IPAs
• Juice-heavy but balanced NEIPAs
• Gaming-inspired craft beer culture
• Other Half-style tropical haze bombs
• Modern East Coast IPA brewing

If you’re already familiar with Black Flag Brewing Company, this will feel like another strong entry in their catalog. If you’ve never had them before, Triforce is actually a pretty ideal starting point: approachable, flavorful, visually memorable, and technically well-executed without becoming absurdly over-the-top.

And for fun: Mental Floss’s 15 Things You Might Not Know About The Legend of Zelda

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

• Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)
• Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing) (Batch 1)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: RAWRGWAWGGR (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Droid Juice (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Wookies and Cream (Tall Tales Brewing)
• Revenge of the Fifth / Cinco de Mayo
• May the Fourth Be With You
• Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet Brewing)
• Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)
• Beer Review: The Mangolorian (Brewery Fire)
• Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Mead Review: The Meadalorian (Space Time Mead and Cider Works)
• Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co)
• Book Review: The Jedi Path and The Book of the Sith (Daniel Wallace)
• Book Review: Guardians of the Whills (Greg Rucka)
• May the Fourth Be With You (2022)
• RAR Out of Order Star Wars Drop!
• Beer Review: Vader (Mispillion River Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Green Milk (RAR Brewing Company) (Batch 1)
• Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• RAR Brewing – Out of Order – Star Wars Can Drop (2023)
• May the Fourth Be With You (2023)
• Brewery Fire Celebrates Their Fourth Anniversary: The Power of the Fourth
• Crooked Crab – May the Fourth Be With You (2024)
• Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted (Rae Carlson)
• Beer Review: Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) (Delta Beer Lab)
• Beer Review: Chewbacca (Rotunda Brewing Company)
• May the Fourth Be With You – From a Non a Star Wars Lover at RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Fest (Amy’s Column)

Futurama

• Good News Everyone, Futurama is Back: Exploring Futurama – Inspired Craft Beers
• Book Review: Futurama and Philosophy (edited by Courtland Lewis)
• Futurama Episode Review – The Impossible Stream and Mead Review: Omicron Persei 8 (SpaceTime Meadery)
• Mead Review: Omicron Persei 8 (Space Time Mead and Cider Works)
• Futurama Episode Review – Children of a Lesser Bog and Beer Review: Stay on Target (Allusion Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Apologize For Nothing (Fourscore Beer Co.)
• Beer Review: Fing-Longer (Turning Point Beer)
• Futurama Episode Review – How the West was 1010001 (and Beer Review: The Shining by Foam Brewers)
• Futurama Episode Review – Parasites Regained
• Beer Review: Hop Bender (Local Craft Beer)
• Futurama Episode Review – I Know What You Did Next XMas and Beer Review: Bo Katan Red IPA (Brewery Fire)
• 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐰 on Draft and Cans at Intermission Beer Company
• Beer Review: I’m 40% Galaxy (Local Craft Beer)

Lord of the Rings:

• Book Review: An Atlas of Tolkien (David Day)
• Book Review: The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Magic the Gathering:

• New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

• Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

• Zelda and Craft Beer
• Beer Review: Motueka’s Mask (Black Flag Brewing Company)
• Book Review: The Psychology of Zelda (edited by Anthony M. Bean)
• Book Review: The Legend of Zelda and Theology (edited by Jonathan L. Walls)
• Beer Review: Triforce Hazy IPA (Black Flag Brewing Company)

Rick and Morty:

• Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

• Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

• Beer Review: Game of Thrones: My Watch Has Ended (Omnegang Brewery)
• Book Review: The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister (George R.R. Martin)

The Simpsons:

• Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Ned Flanders Red (AleCraft Brewery)

Back to the Future:

• Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

• Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

• Beer Review: Prognosticator Pils (Logyard Brewing Company)
• Logyard Brewing’s Prognosticator Pils is the Official Beer of Groundhog Day (2022)

A Christmas Story:

• Beer Review: The Soft Electric Glow of Sex (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out! (Eight and Sand Beer Co)

The Peanuts:

• Book Review: The Philosophy of Snoopy (Charles M. Schulz)
• Book Review: You Don’t Look 35, Charlie Brown! (Charles M. Schulz)

Pro Wrestling:

• Beer Review: Broken Skull – Stone Cold Steve Austin’s IPA (El Segundo Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Macho Man (Couch Brewery)
• Beer Review: Royal Rumble (Funk Brewing)
• Stone Cold Steve Austin and the WWE Are Celebrating 3:16 Day
• Human Robot and The Full Pint Are Hosting RoboMania
• Brawl in the Beer Hall at Lakefront Brewery
• Hulk Hogan Announces Real American Beer
• Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Negligence at Promotional Event

Soccer:

• Beer Review: Pulisic Pilsner (Jackass Brewing Company)
• Book Review: Pulisic – My Journey So Far (Christian Pulisic)

World Cup:

• Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales at World Cup in Last Second Decision
• Breweries Opening Early For the USA vs Netherlands World Cup Ga

Phillies:

• Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart
• Mystery Phillies fan buys rounds of beer for people in Section 103

Philadelphia Eagles:

• The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

• Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

• Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Mario:

• Beer Review: Level Up (Idiom Brewing)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

• Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

• Beer Review: Jon Voight’s Car (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Airing of Grievances (Black Flag Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Treats of Strength (Icarus Brewing)

The Muppets:

• RAR Brewing – Out of Order – Muppet Series Can Release
• RAR Brewing Brings the Nostalgia with Muppets Out of Order Series

Jason Voorhees / Friday the 13th:

• Beer Review: Juicin’ Voorhees (Pariah Brewing Company)
• Haunted Hops

Other:

• Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Pixels (Seminar Brewing)
• Beer Review: Villeinage (Elder Pine Brewing and Blending)
• Beer Review: Intergalactic Deals (Levante Brewing)
• Beer Review: Galactic Space Circus (Creature Comforts Brewing Co)
• Beer Review: The Death of Civilization in Slow Motion I (Ghost 907) (Adroit Theory)

By B. Kline | The Beer Thrillers

What Is Craft Beer?

Craft beer is beer produced by small, independent breweries that prioritize flavor, quality, creativity, and traditional brewing methods over mass production.

Unlike large macro-breweries that focus on consistency and volume, craft breweries often experiment with unique ingredients, brewing techniques, and beer styles. The result is a diverse range of flavors that can include everything from citrus-forward IPAs to rich imperial stouts and tart barrel-aged sours.

The modern craft beer movement has transformed the American beer landscape, giving consumers more choices than ever before.

What is Craft Beer in 2026

The Official Definition of Craft Beer

According to the Brewers Association, a craft brewer is:

• Small (producing less than 6 million barrels annually)
• Independent (less than 25% owned by a non-craft beverage company)
• Traditional (focused on brewing beer rather than primarily producing alternative beverages)

While many beer drinkers simply think of craft beer as “beer made by a local brewery,” the industry maintains specific guidelines to distinguish craft brewers from large multinational corporations.

How Is Craft Beer Different From Regular Beer?

The biggest difference is not necessarily quality—it’s philosophy.

Most large breweries focus on creating a consistent product that tastes identical whether you buy it in Pennsylvania, California, or Florida.

Craft breweries often focus on:

Innovation

Craft brewers regularly experiment with:

• New hop varieties
• Fruit additions
• Barrel aging
• Wild fermentation
• Specialty malts
• Locally sourced ingredients

Variety

A macro brewery may release a handful of beers each year.

Many craft breweries release dozens—or even hundreds—of different beers annually.

Community

Craft breweries frequently serve as community gathering spaces, hosting events, fundraisers, live music, trivia nights, and collaborations with local organizations.

The Most Popular Craft Beer Styles

India Pale Ale (IPA)

IPAs remain the dominant force in American craft beer.

Common IPA variations include:

• West Coast IPA
• New England IPA (Hazy IPA)
• Double IPA
• Triple IPA
• Cold IPA
• Session IPA

Most IPAs emphasize hop character, delivering flavors ranging from citrus and tropical fruit to pine, resin, and stone fruit.

Stout

Stouts are dark beers known for flavors of:

• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Roasted malt
• Caramel
• Dark fruit

Imperial stouts often reach higher alcohol levels and may be aged in bourbon, rum, or whiskey barrels.

Pilsner

Pilsners have experienced a major resurgence in craft beer.

These crisp, refreshing lagers showcase subtle malt sweetness balanced by floral or spicy hop notes.

Sour Beer

Sour beers intentionally incorporate acidity.

Popular examples include:

• Berliner Weisse
• Gose
• Lambic-inspired ales
• Fruited kettle sours

Lager

While once overshadowed by hop-heavy styles, lagers have become one of the fastest-growing segments of craft beer.

Many brewers view lagers as the ultimate test of brewing skill due to their simplicity and lack of flaws to hide behind.

Why Has Craft Beer Become So Popular?

Several factors have fueled craft beer’s growth.

Consumers Want Flavor

Modern drinkers increasingly seek unique experiences and stronger flavor profiles.

Craft beer provides endless opportunities for exploration.

Local Businesses Matter

Many consumers intentionally support local breweries because they contribute directly to local economies.

Brewery Tourism Is Growing

Breweries have become destinations.

Beer enthusiasts frequently travel specifically to visit renowned breweries, attend festivals, and collect unique beer experiences.

Is Craft Beer More Expensive?

Generally, yes.

Craft breweries operate on a much smaller scale than multinational brewing corporations.

Factors that increase costs include:

• Higher-quality ingredients
• Smaller production runs
• Specialized equipment
• Labor-intensive brewing methods
• Barrel-aging programs

However, many consumers view craft beer similarly to specialty coffee or artisan food products: a premium experience worth paying for.

How Should Beginners Start Exploring Craft Beer?

For newcomers, the best approach is simple:

Start Broad

Try:

• A pilsner
• A pale ale
• A hazy IPA
• A stout
• A sour beer

This provides a foundation for understanding personal preferences.

Visit Local Breweries

Nothing accelerates beer education like talking directly with brewers and brewery staff.

Most breweries offer flights, allowing visitors to sample multiple styles in a single visit.

Take Notes

Many enthusiasts eventually realize they cannot remember every beer they’ve tried.

Keeping a simple log can help identify favorite styles, breweries, and flavor profiles.

Is Craft Beer Still Growing?

The craft beer industry has matured considerably.

While the explosive growth of the 2010s has slowed, craft beer continues evolving.

Current trends include:

• Craft lagers
• Non-alcoholic craft beer
• Low-alcohol offerings
• Italian pilsners
• Hop water
• Mixed-culture fermentation
• Hyper-local brewery experiences

The future of craft beer appears less focused on chasing trends and more focused on producing exceptional beer while building strong local communities.

Final Thoughts

Craft beer is ultimately about exploration.

Whether you’re enjoying your first brewery visit or searching for the next great barrel-aged stout, craft beer offers a nearly endless world of flavors, stories, and experiences.

The best craft beer isn’t necessarily the rarest, highest-rated, or most expensive.

It’s the one that creates a memorable experience—shared with friends, discovered on a road trip, or enjoyed after a long day.

And that’s something worth raising a glass to.

What if your next pint could do more than just taste great — what if it protected you from disease? That’s the bold idea behind a controversial experiment from virologist Chris Buck, who literally brewed a beer that may act as a vaccine.

Chris Buck drinking his vaccine brew. (Photo credit: ScienceNews)

From Lab Coat to Home Brew

Chris Buck isn’t your typical home brewer — he’s a virologist at the National Cancer Institute, known for discovering several human polyomaviruses, a family of viruses linked to cancers and serious infections in people with weakened immune systems.

Buck’s day job involves developing vaccines against these viruses, but he took things in an unexpected direction: using yeast engineered to produce viral proteins, he brewed a beer that delivered those proteins orally. Drink a pint, and your body might make antibodies against polyomaviruses — that’s the theory.

The DIY Vaccine Brew

Buck’s vaccine beer isn’t a government-sanctioned product — he brewed it in his kitchen and drank it himself as part of a self-experiment. After consuming multiple batches, including his brother and other family members, blood tests showed they produced antibodies against some types of the virus without apparent side effects.

To share his work, he posted the brewing method and results on open science platforms, though these findings haven’t been peer-reviewed — meaning the wider scientific community hasn’t yet vetted the data formally.

The Debate Around Vaccine Beer

Unsurprisingly, this brew has sparked lively debate:

Skeptics Raise Safety Flags:
Experts point out that Buck’s experiment involved only a few people — not the large, structured clinical trials typically required to prove whether a vaccine is safe and effective. That’s especially critical for vulnerable groups like organ transplant patients, who are at higher risk from polyomaviruses.

Concerns About Public Trust:
Some ethicists and scientists worry that releasing a vaccine-style beer outside rigorous studies could fuel misinformation or undermine confidence in proven vaccines.

A Different Perspective:
Other voices see promise in making vaccines more approachable. If people could brew or drink something familiar like beer to get immunity, it might reduce fear and barriers around vaccination — if it could ever be properly validated.

What’s Next?

Back at the NIH, Buck continues traditional research on an injectable polyomavirus vaccine. Meanwhile, his yeast-based approach remains unapproved by regulatory bodies like the FDA and outside established vaccine development pathways.

Buck argues that innovative methods are worth exploring — and that if people want to brew their own vaccine beer at home, that’s their choice. Whether beer as medicine becomes legend or just a curiosity, it’s already sparked a fascinating conversation at the intersection of brewing culture and cutting-edge science.

Sources and Citations

• ScienceNews: He made beer that’s also a vaccine. Now controversy is brewing
• Twitter: NEXTA

Follow The Beer Thrillers

For more updates on Pennsylvania brewery news, closures, openings, and expansions, follow The Beer Thrillers on social media and subscribe for the latest articles on the state’s ever-evolving craft beer scene.

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server).

We also now have a SLACK channel – which acts as a hybrid chat room, message board, Reddit style; workspace and posting area for us. You can hang out with us there and chat about all kinds of things – not just beer, but “off topic” things like movies, TV, books, podcasts, hiking, sports, and more! Join us at: The Beer Thrillers on SLACK.

We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written. The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of May 2025.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

Every beer lover knows there are year-round classics and then there are seasonal legends. In Mexico, there’s one beer that truly belongs to the holiday season—a dark, rich brew that locals look forward to all year: Noche Buena.

A Beer Wrapped in Tradition

Translated literally as “Good Night,” Noche Buena references Christmas Eve, the most celebrated night of the yuletide season in Mexico. While most commercial Mexican lagers are pale and light, this beer stands apart. A dark Bock-style seasonal, it only appears on shelves late each year, usually from October through December, making it one of the most anticipated beer releases of the year south of the border.

Unlike Mexico’s ubiquitous pale lagers, Noche Buena leans into something deeper and richer—a malty character with a smooth body and complex flavor profile that pairs beautifully with hearty winter and festive foods.

From House Brew to Holiday Favorite

The story of Noche Buena stretches back to the early 20th century. Brewed by Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, a historic Mexican brewery now part of Heineken México, this beer was originally created as a special winter brew and has been produced as a holiday tradition for generations.

What makes it stand out is not just its seasonal scarcity, but the way it’s become culturally woven into the holiday calendar. For many Mexicans, opening a bottle of Noche Buena isn’t just having a beer—it’s a signal that the festive season has begun.

What to Expect in the Glass

Traditional Noche Buena pours a dark amber to deep reddish-brown, with aromas that evoke caramel, roasted malt, and gentle Christmas spices. On the palate, it carries a medium-to-full body with a balanced sweetness, light bitterness, and flavors that can include toasted malts, chocolate, and subtle fruit notes. Its alcohol content hovers around 5.9% ABV, giving it a warmth that suits cooler weather and festive gatherings.

This beer’s profile makes it a great companion to rich holiday fare—from spiced breads and roasted meats to darker desserts—but it’s also just as rewarding enjoyed slowly on its own as part of a seasonal beer tasting.

Why It Only Comes Once a Year

Like many winter seasonal beers both in Europe and North America, Noche Buena carries a tradition that ties it to specific climatic and cultural rhythms. Bocks historically were brewed for cold weather harvest and celebration seasons, and Noche Buena continues that pattern by appearing only during winter.

Its limited availability—combined with genuine affection from drinkers—means many beer lovers treat its release like the arrival of holiday lights: it just wouldn’t feel like December in Mexico without it.

Whether you’re lucky enough to track down a bottle in Mexico or see special seasonal imports crop up in select markets, Noche Buena is a fascinating example of how beer and tradition can become inseparable.

Sources

Sources and citations:

• Wikipedia – Beer in Mexico
• Wikipedia – Noche Buena
• Mexico News Daily
• BeerAdvocate
• El Financiero
• BBC: Noche Buena: The Mexican beer you can only buy at Christmas

Follow The Beer Thrillers

For more updates on Pennsylvania brewery news, closures, openings, and expansions, follow The Beer Thrillers on social media and subscribe for the latest articles on the state’s ever-evolving craft beer scene.

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server).

We also now have a SLACK channel – which acts as a hybrid chat room, message board, Reddit style; workspace and posting area for us. You can hang out with us there and chat about all kinds of things – not just beer, but “off topic” things like movies, TV, books, podcasts, hiking, sports, and more! Join us at: The Beer Thrillers on SLACK.

We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written. The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of May 2025.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

In shocking news, just moments ago (at 8:00 PM), ZeroDay Brewing announced that they will be closing their taproom on 3rd street in Harrisburg, PA. Located at 925 N. 3rd Street, Harrisburg, PA, United States, Pennsylvania, they stated that the taproom will be closing, but their brewery production will continue, and they will still maintain their outposts at the Broad Street Market and MidTown Cinema.

ZeroDay’s Announcement – Moving Forward with Gratitude

The Announcement

Just moments ago, at 8:00 PM on December 3rd, 2025, ZeroDay Brewing posted the following on their social media accounts:

Zeroday Brewing Company has made the very difficult decision to close the Zeroday Taproom on 3rd Street. Our final day of service will be Sunday, December 28, 2025.

Our brewing facility remains fully operational, and our Outposts at the @broadstreetmarket and @midtowncinema will continue serving the craft beer you know and love.

We are incredibly grateful for the community that gathered in our Taproom, for the celebrations, collaborations, concerts, dinners, and conversations that made the space so special. Thank you to our extraordinary staff and to every guest who walked through our doors.

Zeroday began with a belief that everyone deserves a moment to pause and find their own “zeroday.” That belief continues. We look forward to welcoming you at the Broad Street Market, Midtown Cinema, and events around town — and to sharing more moments with you at the Taproom through December 28.

#zerodaybrewing #ZerodayTaproom #findyourzerøday #craftbeer #supportlocal

– ZeroDay Brewing Facebook Post

For More Information on ZeroDay Brewing

The following comes via Untappd.

• ZeroDay Brewing – Official Website
• ZeroDay Brewing – Facebook
• ZeroDay Brewing – Instagram
• ZeroDay Brewing – Untappd