The Year in Beer

Name: Karma

Brewer: Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, Colo.

By the numbers: About 160 calories per 12 oz.; 5.3 percent alcohol by volume.

Notes: Karma, for those who may be unfamiliar with the concept, is central to most Indian religions - most notably Buddhism. Basically it can be explained with the common saying “what goes around comes around” and means if you do good things, good things will happen to you in return. The slogan for this beer from Avery, then, is “Good Ale Happens to Good People”. Anyway, here endeth the lesson; let’s talk about the beer. Karma is Avery’s summer seasonal and the brewer describes it as a Belgian Pale Ale in style. It pours a golden orange color and gives off a light fruit aroma. It has a crisp flavor like you’d want in a summer beer, but has fruity notes - honey and pear - and a lightly bitter finish. Belgian yeast and Sterling hops give it these tastes. This is a decent summer offering for people looking for something a little different.

Try it with: Doing some good, of course. My family and I participated in the local American Cancer Society Relay for Life event this weekend. The event is basically a year-long fundraising cycle punctuated with a 24-hour run/walk at a local high school track, replete with overnight camping. The hard part is that since it’s held at a school there’s no beer at this camp out, so you have to drink more when you get home.

    — Posted by Mike Freimann