Mybeerbuzz .com Highlights Sufferfest Head Start, FKT & Repeat (Review)

I’ve been predicting for the last four months that “healthy” beer would become a major category in 2020.  Not that the category isn’t already very popular, but I think 2020 will see the health-conscious beers skyrocket.   I knew back in Feb 2019 when Sierra Nevada acquired Sufferfest Beer (a brewery solely dedicated to making “healthy beer”) that this was more than just a craze.  With that in mind, I was excited to get an opportunity to sample a new beer coming from Sufferfest Beer.
If you’re not familiar, Sufferfest Beer’s are made with post-workout, post-hike and post-ride consumption in mind.  These “athletic” beers are gluten-removed and they use ingredients like bee pollen, salt & black currant to aid in rehydration, muscle recovery and electrolyte replenishment.  The beers are created by brewer Caitlin Landesberg and the beer they sent today is actually a stout….so off we go.
Today we’ll be sampling Sufferfest Head Start Stout and it is brewed with fair-trade, French-roast coffee from Equator Coffees & Teas (a woman-owned, certified B-Corp coffee roaster).  Sufferfest recommends Head Start as the “perfect apres addition to your next ski adventure, snow-shoe trek, or grueling winter run,” so I’m sad to report I’m sampling this beer as I watch the snow coming down….from my couch! 
Head Start pours a deep mahogany color with subtle coconut aromas and a coffee punctuation mark at the and of each sniff.  The beer is brewed with coconut water for “sweet hydration” and a touch of coconut milk.  These flavors lead the way with each sip and the coconut not only provides a soft and drinkable mouthfeel, but it also serves to balance out the coffee flavors nicely.  The beer has a nice roasty presence and the overall balance of sweet, roasty and dry coffee really works well. 
I’m sure this is not the first time Sufferfest has heard the following statement, but; you’d never know this was a low-cal beer.  Head Start has 165 calories and 11g carbs per 12oz serving.  If that’s not enough, Head Start slides in at 4%-AbV so it is infinitely sessionable.  Overall Sufferfest Head Start is a really tasty and drinkable coconut coffee stout that just happens to be low-AbV, low-cal and low carb….and of course it’s a beer I know you’ll enjoy.
As a bonus I was able to also sample Sufferfest FKT & Sufferfest Repeat.  FKT stands for “Fastest Known Time” and it is a pale ale brewed with salt and black currant.  The beer pours a bright golden color with loads of black currant aromas.  The flavors follow with some slightly tart black currant and berries and just a bit of citrus hop flavor at the end.  Overall a really nicely balanced pale ale that just happens to have 165 calories & 12.5g carbs per 12oz serving.
Sufferfest Repeat is a Kolsch-style beer with bee pollen added that pours a crystal clear golden color.  I found some honey and floral notes in the nose as well as in the finish.  This is a pretty traditional tasting Kolsch with some added interesting honey sweetness and a slightly floral hop finish.  Overall this is a really drinkable beer and at 95 calories and 5g carbs per 12oz serving (as well as 3.5%-AbV), you’ll want to have more than just one.
Sufferfest Head Start, FKT and Repeat are available now in 12oz cans, so get out there, exercise first, and try these beers for yourself…and when you do try them, be sure to let us know what YOU think.