belgica
The Brewers Association, an industry organization that provides support for craft breweries, recently told me that craft brewers aren’t just weathering the recession, but the best-selling style of microbrews are no longer IPAs—they’re seasonal beers.

Which means that us craft-beer drinkers can congratulate one another: We’ve proven to have creative palates that will sustain our scrappy microbrewing industry, and now we’ve shown we won’t just settle for our favorite beers; we want to know about the freshest, newest pours out there.

Cheap Thrills would also like to celebrate the fact that buying a seasonal six-pack saves on the bar tab and buys you some insider cred at your friend’s barbecue.

Great Divide Brewery‘s Belgica—a rich and unique blend of Belgian beer (think of that cloudy, yeasty flavor) and a crisp, cutting IPA—is the beer you need to know about right now. It weighs in heavy at 7.2 percent ABV (alcohol by volume), and the brewery recommends pairing the full-flavored beer with Thai curry mussels, crab cakes, or roast turkey. Belgica is available only from May through July, so grab a six-pack (or three) soon.