For those of us over 21, I’m sure one of the first things you do once getting off the mountain is have a post-ski beer.

There’s nothing more relaxing than kicking up your feet, talking about the best parts of the day and, of course, the best wipe outs and slams. Switchback Brewing Company, located right in our backyard in its current Burlington residence, has a modest variety – when compared to other, smaller breweries – within their brewery. Despite the lack of variety, you gain perfection in all five different genres of beer. 

The regular Switchback ale, which only comes on tap or a 22-ounce bottle, goes down best during the recap of a day on the mountain. This mountain ale is one of the few beers that crosses a very contradictory category. While being a reddish amber ale, it has a thickness to it, similar to what you find in a pale ale, like Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale or Dale’s Pale Ale from the Oskar Blues Brewery. It is very smooth with a refreshing finish. 

For the avid beer drinker, this beer can be consumed all year round regardless of the temperature outside. The good, hearty taste of Switchback has a 28 on the International Bitterness Units scale, keeping the bitterness down with a relatively low alcohol content, weighing in at 5 percent. The danger, however, remains the same as every beer I mention – it is gulped down in seconds. The 22-ounce bottles can be drank in seconds and then you just want another.

The taste might even be too good for you to obey your best judgment. So while you go get more Switchback – because if you haven’t yet, get your life straight – think about the drunk tank. 

Safety first, then teamwork. Much aloha.