Close your eyes, take a sip and think dark chocolate. Case in point: all dark beers don't have to be dark and bitter. Don't be afraid of the dark!

This ale is an interpretation of a classic English pale ale using ingredients imported from the U.K., including Marris Otter pale malt and Sovereign hops. The taste is driven by malt flavors of caramel and toast with a fruity English-ale yeast character. Medium bodied.

Each year, Brewmaster John Pinkerton visits Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, Ga., to pick up approximately 550 gallons of juice from tart, late season apples, like Granny Smith, Pink Ladies and Rome Beauties. "I like these apples for their acidity, and I like to mix in some sweeter varieties — Fuji or Splendor — for the sugar content," he says. "For hard cider, the acidity gives the beverage a brightness on the palette that really enhances the drinkability, and the sugar content is important for fermentation. Our cider usually comes in between 5 and 6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV)."

Moon River Brewing won a 2009 Gold Metal for its Rosemary India Pale Ale in the "Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beer" category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. It beat out 90 other entries for the honor.