Today we’re flipping the ignition switch on a heretofore unseen consequence of science. Summit Brewing Company’s canned Hop Silo DIPA from their Unchained series is their first foray into the rapidly expanding world of explosively hopped beers. It is indeed a molecular powder keg of hop flavor (five kinds), but it’s justified by a trio of well-bonded malts.

Cans are on the up and up for flavorful beer, and flavors are on the rise within them. There will be casualties along the way, but it’s for the greater good of freedom-loving taste buds around the world.

-- Jim Dykstra

Beer: The Final Frontier – As we all mourn the loss of actor, writer, and all-around hero Leonard Nimoy, one beer springs to mind as a perfect liquid eulogy for Mr. Spock – Harpoon Brewery’s UnFiltered Offering, or UFO. This hazy wheat beer/hefeweizen hybrid explores the taste buds and boldly goes where no beer has gone before – beaming its creamy goodness to trekkies worldwide (or trekkers, as Nimoy preferred them to be called).

With the recent media fuss over "The Dress," now I question what color is this can? White and gold or blue and black? Who cares! This Heady Topper is a prime example of the statement "It's what's on the inside that counts!" Enough said.

Word to the wise, follow instructions. The Alchemist clearly recommends that you DRINK FROM THE CAN! I heeded their advice and enjoyed the delightful hop experience.

Tony Magee, the founder of Lagunitas, has a different outlook on his business.

He looks at it as a stream of consciousness. If you’ve ever read one of his rambling labels, that’s pretty evident, and he treats his beers the same way. The company's entire output has a natural progression, and when things get sticky, Tony rolls with the punches.

It’s gray, it’s dreary… it’s time for a Pint Break! Though a light dusting of snow still remains in some places, the winter wonderland of yesterday has been replaced by a bleakness that blankets the heavens.