Today's Two Beers

Avery Salvation
This 14-year-old Boulder, Colo., brewery specializes in big beers. The 22-ounce Salvation is a Belgian-style golden ale that's fruity and easy to drink despite being 9% alcohol. The Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Russian River Brewing Company also has a Belgian-style beer called Salvation, but rather than fighting over the name, the two breweries decided to combine the two beers and release a limited-edition brew called Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. I had a bottle of it a little less than a year ago, and I loved it.

Breckenridge Small Batch: 471 IPA
Denver-based Breckenridge started life as a brewpub in 1990, and six years later opened a brewery. This double IPA is a limited-edition brew that's 9.2% alcohol and very hoppy. (This, of course, is a good thing.) It's not overwhelming, however, and is the kind of strong beer you can have more than one or two of. I've had similar beers than I liked better than this, but I wouldn't hesitate to get this one again.