Game Day Beer Review: Dark Horse Brewing Sapient Trip Ale Tripel Ale

(8.50% ABV). Poured into a styrofoam cup and smuggled into a Third Coast beach club, Sapient Trip Ale was a mellow orangish-gold, almost amber-like, as it entered the cup. The overwhelming smell was of ripe bananas and belgian candy sweetness.

Upon tasting, Sapient's burnt caramel and clove flavors were readily apparent.  It's a fairly straight forward tripel, and well balanced, but ultimately not great. B.

The Third Coast: A Mecca for Craft Beer Lovers

Quick quiz for you: Which U.S. State has the second longest coast line?  Bet you'd never guess it's Michigan, unless you grew up in the Midwest.  Often derisively referred to as "fly over country" by east and west coast types, Michigan is a jewel of a state placed smack in the middle of the country, and lined with white sandy beaches and pristine turquoise water -- and lots of it.  In fact, the Great Lakes region of the U.S. holds more than 20% of the earth's entire supply of fresh water.  And to visit it in the summer time, as I recently did, is to take an unexpected beach vacation in the midst of America's heartland.

The Caribbean, or Michigan?

Boasting 400 foot tall sand dunes left over from the last Glacier Age, crystal clear water, and small beach town after small beach town (at least during the summer), Michigan is surrounded by beautiful and very accessible white sand beaches.  In fact, Michigan was a complete revelation to this particular traveler.  Yes, the water was a bit chilly -- but refreshing is probably a more apt description, at least for this South Floridian.  And the sunsets over Lake Michigan, as viewed from Traverse City, rivaled those in Key West and Naples, Florida....