I typically recommend seasonal six-packs in this blog, but New Belgium Brewing's Hoptober has burst onto the scene with such popularity, I'm already seeing it on tap handles all over town. I don't typically choose New Belgium's beers. They tend to have a malty, sticky finish that my palate doesn't prefer. But when I recently visited one of my neighborhood bars, the bartender was intent to sell me on it. "Even people who like Coors or Bud are ordering this instead," she said emphatically. That made me want it even less. Did I look like a woman who regularly chugged down the Silver Bullet? But I acquiesced. After all, the beer has the word "hop" in its name, and as a certified hop-head that means I'll give it a try. Alas, New Belgium has made me drink my words. Hoptober is fantastic---a rich, golden ale that is clean, clean, clean through each drink. Rather than making it a bitter beer, the hops give it a nice crisp finish---giving me a new level of respect for New Belgium.