191. Southern Tier Pumking

For Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to host my family and provide the food and the beverages that we were going to consume for the event.  I had beer in mind for such an occasion, and it was Southern Tier's Pumking.  We didn't have it with dinner, but I opted to serve it as a dessert beer.  My brother and myself were the only two folks that actually drink beer, and my brother did not like the taste (he's pretty much a one-note lager guy) so I had the bomber to myself.  

The beer poured a burnt orange color into a pilsner glass.  One finger of off-white head that with low retention, leaving just a little bit of lacing.  The beer smells of sweet pumpkin pie - pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, graham cracker crust.  I could also pick up some butternut squash and caramel corn.  It's a fairly complex bouquet.  

The first thing that hits about the taste is the sweetness.  I know Southern Tier has a reputation for sweet beers and this is no different.  It's almost too sweet and straddles the line between acceptable and cloying.  Fortunately, as it warmed, it become more acceptable, less cloying.  The pumpkin pie elements are still in the taste, the sweetness lingering a little more than expected.  I'm glad I had this thing as a dessert beer.  The high alcohol content is masked incredibly well, I could barely taste the alcohol in it.  Medium bodied with light carbonation, it's a pretty easy drinker, and considering I had to leave for another engagement after hosting my family, I had to drink it down quick and had no problem with it.

I know this is considered one of the best pumpkin beers around, and I can see the appeal.  If it was toned down a couple notches on the sweet scale, I really would find this one a winner.  Unfortunately, it plays too sweet sometimes and it's a little unexpected when compared to some of the other pumpkin beers I've consumed lately.  Have a chance to enjoy some Pumking?  Should I have went with a different pumpkin beer for Thanksgiving?  Let me know!

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $7.69 (22 oz bomber)

190. Olde Hickory Bee Student Ale

I have more bombers than I have places to put them!  The racks to hold my various wine and beers are overflowing.  That said, I needed to reduce my inventory, starting with some beers I'd have no problem consuming sooner rather than later.  In this case, I was pining for a decent ale, nothing too complex, and thought that this would be the one to do the trick.  It says it is an ale brewed with honey; Beer Advocate has it labeled as a rye beer.  This is a first for me, outside of the Rye IPAs.

I don't know what was up with this one.  It was poured into a snifter glass and I got four fingers of frothy, off-white head that had long retention and left rings and a whole bunch of splotches on the side of the glass.  I don't know what happened with this one, but it reminded me of a shook up soda can.  I just know I didn't shake it up, it just seemed to be active from the get go.  When the head settled, I realized that I had a light copper, orange sunset colored brew that was pretty clear, for the most part.  I could detect light aromas of honey to go with some pine, grapefruit, and rye bread.

The taste was a little more hop forward than I had anticipated.  The grapefruit and pine flavors come to the forefront.  There's a touch of sweetness towards the end from the honey, along with some spicy, peppery notes that come from the rye.  There's a bitter finish that lingers for just a little bit.  Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, there's a certain type of refreshment that it brings.  

Overall, it's a decent beer, but it didn't strike me as anything impressive.  With the hop forward punch, I could almost see this as some sort of rye pale ale.  I probably won't find this around to give it another try, but I look forward to trying other beers to see how other styles stack up.  If you've tried this beer and you don't like what I have to say about it, or if you totally agree with me, just let me know!

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $3.99 (22 oz bomber) 

189. Weyerbacher Seventeen Anniversary Ale

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I had to do my civic duty and clean out the fridge to fit more food in.  I was hosting my family for Thanksgiving this year to spare my mom the duty of having to cook for us again.  I think of myself as a pretty good cook and wanted to show off my skills anyway.  Back to the point, to help clean out the fridge, I had to finish off my beer inventory.  I worked my way through most of that throughout the week, and this was the last one left.  

The beer was poured into a snifter glass, much like the one in this picture.  The vigorously poured beer provided an orange-yellow color and three fingers of off-white head that faded rapidly, leaving a smattering of lacing on the glass.  The beer was very cloudy and filled with yeast particulates.  Aromas of malt, sweet citrus (orange, candied grapefruit), banana, and pear, as well as some pepper notes.

The taste was shockingly sweeter than what I was expecting, to the point that I found it cloying.  The yeasty, funky notes are evident, as well as flavorful citrus and heavy doses of banana, pepper, and clove.  I could taste the alcohol in it, and it's certainly heavy in comparison to the other saisons I've had in the past.  Add in the light to moderate carbonation and I feel like this could have been better if it was fresher.  I ended up drinking the whole thing, but found that it was a hit and miss beer.  It started out favorable, just finished with a thud.  Agree or disagree?  Let me know!

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $4.30 (12 oz bottle)

188. Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

This beer was received as a gift to my wife from one of her clients.  She doesn't drink beer, but I do, so I get to reap the benefits.  The person that provided this beer also provided high recommendations for it, that he always tries to pick some of this stuff up when it's available.  Since it was a gift and not something I purchased, I tend to try and drink those sooner rather than later, mainly so I can provide some feedback and thank yous for the selection.  I remember drinking this one down before leaving for some function.  I knew that towards the end, I was drinking it down quite fast.  The beer hails from Germany (http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html), which isn't a country I get a lot of beer from, but I recognize the history that has been developed through the years and am looking forward to trying something that's not from the USA for a change.

The beer was poured into a pilsner glass.  It had a dark mahogany color.  A vigorous pour yielded about three fingers of khaki colored head, with moderate retention.  It left behind a sticky ring towards the top of the glass.  A rauchbier is classified as a smoked beer and it certainly does not disappoint.  Aromas of smoke, caramel, brisket, and liquid smoke dominate the nose.  For those that like the smell of smoke, it certainly gives a pleasing aroma.  The liquid smoke smell can be a little off-putting, it can remind me of some smells found in dog treats, but as long as I don't take it in too much, it's okay.

The taste is just as pleasing.  The base is a marzen, and it is evident in the tastes of caramel and no noticeable hop bite that the base is solid.  The smokey taste comes through in the beer, along with the meaty taste of brisket and pepper.  It's one of the more complex beers I've had in my short time as a beer enthusiast.  The smoke isn't too overpowering.  Light to medium bodied with light to medium carbonation, there's nothing here that will offend unless you absolutely hate smoke.  This is the first of this type I had, but this is indeed top notch beer.  I'm glad this was given as a gift, I'll definitely keep my eyes out in case I see it in the future.  Have you had one of the other rauchbier varieties?  Are they worth getting?  Just let me know!

Grade: A-

Price Paid: Free (500 mL bottle)

187. Founders Breakfast Stout

Mmm, come to Daddy!  I've had Founder's Breakfast Stout at least two or three different times already, but just realized that I had not made a review until I drank my last Breakfast Stout a couple of days ago, checked my archives, and saw nothing.  Anyway, I decided to have the beer for dessert.  I was with my wife, decorating the tree (she kept nagging about putting up the tree, and I relented, even if it's before Thanksgiving).  I took a break and helped myself to some merry goodness.

The beer was poured into a pilsner glass.  It had a nice almost black color, with really dark shades of brown when held to the light.  Half a finger of mocha colored head that had light retention.  Aromas of fresh espresso and dark chocolate dominate, with a little bit of vanilla.  I love this aroma, but I'm biased to this type of beer.

Tastes of coffee dominate, but there's chocolate, some dark cherry, toasted bread, and brown sugar.  It is a little lighter bodied than expected, but that doesn't make it a light body.  It's more of a moderate body.  It also had light carbonation, which I feel is desired with this type of flavor profile.  I don't know a lot of fizzy coffee drinks that I would enjoy.  This is easily a favorite of mine and I always enjoy having this beer when I can get my hands on it.  Before the end of the year, I'll have to load up on some more brews and hold them over the course of next year.

Grade: A

Price Paid: $2.29 (12 oz bottle)

186. Cisco Whale's Tale English Pale Ale

While I was in Providence, I had a dinner at the Public Kitchen and Bar, which is the restaurant within the Renaissance Providence Hotel.  I helped myself to some clam chowder (When you're in New England, you have to try the chowda!) and a flatbread pizza.  I paired it with Cisco Brewer's (http://www.ciscobrewers.com) Whale's Tale English Pale Ale.  

It was served in your standard pint glass with about half a finger of soapy, off-white head.  The restaurant was dimly lit, so it was difficult to discern the color.  I'd have to guess some type of amber color.  Aromas were primarily of caramel, toffee, malt, and some citrus notes.

The taste of sweet malt, biscuit, and caramel kicked things off, subtle tastes of pine, pear, and tangerine would develop in the slightly bitter aftertaste.  The bitter aftertaste isn't as predominant as expected in a pale ale.  I tend to assume that English pale ales are a bit more muted in the aftertaste department.  The beer also finished a little drier than expected.  Light to average body with moderate carbonation, this beer would suffice as a pretty good daily drinker.  I didn't find the beer to be very remarkable however.  A solid beer, but nothing remarkable or memorable about it.  

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $5.50 (16 oz draught)

185. Firestone Walker Pale 31 Cask

Some work responsibilities brought me to Providence, Rhode Island to participate in a conference.  I ended up leaving very early in the morning on a Sunday and had some time to kill.  A stop at Harry's Bar and Burger was in the cards, as I was itching to try some of their sliders and get a drink while I'm at it.  I noticed that they had a cask offering and was immediately drawn to it.  Even better, it was from Firestone Walker (http://www.firestonebeer.com), which I've heard a lot of good things about.

It took a couple minutes to get my beer..it must have been almost empty as it took some serious effort.  I guess I was lucky enough to get one of the last servings.  I was warned that the beer would seem flat and would be closer to room temperature, and I was fine with that.  The beer was served in your standard pint with a healthy two fingers of off-white head that had light retention but left a nice amount of splotchy lacing on the glass.  Aromas of tangerine, apple, flowers, caramel, honey, and grass are detected.  Casks always have this amazing way of making the aromas come out.  Smells wonderful.

The punch in the aroma doesn't translate in the taste, as everything seems a little more muted.  All the tastes are there, the citrus, caramel, pine, grass, and biscuit.  Unfortunately, I found the beer to be a little imbalanced, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste that lacked appeal.  Some might appreciate the funky aftertaste, I thought it to be more skunky than funky.  Maybe it's because I ended up getting the bottom of the barrel.  The brew was medium bodied, with little to no carbonation.  I'm glad I tried it, but it was a pretty hefty cost for a pint, and I probably could have done better.  That said, the draft selection was a little lacking and my curiosity got the best of me this round.  I'd love to try the Pale 31 in a bottle, see how it stands compared to the cask version.  Anybody else get a chance to try a Pale 31 cask?  What did you think?  Let me know!

Grade: C

Price Paid: $7.75 (16 oz draught)

184. Terrapin So Fresh And So Green Green

Since Terrapin's So Fresh & So Green, Green was identified as a fresh hop beer, I figured I would be doing a disservice if I didn't drink this relatively quickly.  As part of my after-dinner "dessert", I popped this baby in the fridge for a couple of hours, then cracked it open.  This is the 2013 version, if anyone is wondering.

The sunset orange colored liquid was vigorously poured into a pilsner glass.  I was able to get 3 fingers of beige colored head that had decent retention and left a nice ring of lacing around the sides, along with splotches randomly distributed around the glass.  I detected a noticeable wet hop aroma that included aromas of citrus (orange peel, pumelo) and pine/resin.  There's a little bit of caramel and bread as well, but the hop flavors dominate.

I could taste the sweetness of the bread and caramel at the beginning, followed by the spicy hop rush of citrus and pine, the pine lingering a bit more in the bitter finish.  It's not overly bitter and long-lasting, it'll ease off.  The fresh hops seem to give the beer a fresher flavor, the body seems to be more oily as a result.  Moderate bodied with light to average carbonation, it toes the line of being a sessionable beer.  Depends on what you like, I suppose.  

For an IPA, this was pretty good, but I wasn't floored or wowed as I've been with other beers of the similar variety.  There's just so many good ones out there, it's hard for a special one to stand out.  I'm glad I was able to try this one, but I'll probably not buy again, primarily due to the huge influx of other opportunities out there.  Think I should give it another go?  Have a better IPA I need to try?  Let me know!

Grade: B

Price Paid: $7.99 (22 oz bomber)

183. Flying Fish Oktoberfish

Still working backwards from the last beers I've enjoyed, this brew from Flying Fish (http://www.flyingfish.com) comes courtesy from Recovery Sports Grill from Westampton, NJ.  The plan was to order pizza, but then the pizza place we planned to get it from was closed and Recovery Sports Grill was the next best thing.  While ordering the food and waiting for it to come out, I figured I'd enjoy a beer to pass the time.  

First of all, the menu called for a small and a large beer.  I assumed small was 10 oz, large was 16 oz. Nope.  I ordered a large and ended up with this 24 oz whopper of a glass with half a finger of off white head.  It dissipated quickly, leaving a ring near the top of the glass.  It wasn't quite an amber or copper color, a little more on the brown side, something along the lines of a murky amber.  I detected aromas of toasted malt, caramel, slight grassy notes, and some cinnamon spice.  

I could taste the toasted malt, caramel, and light hops, but the finish was spicier than expected with pepper and cinnamon.  The light hops also gave the marzen a little more character.  It was light bodied with moderate carbonation, making this a very drinkable brew.  The only bad part was that my food finished early and I had to gulp down that beast of a beer, which takes considerable effort since I don't typically consume beers quickly.  Comparing this to the previous beer I just reviewed, I find this to be a notch better.  Have you had both and agree or disagree?  Let me know!

Grade: B

Price Paid: $6.50 (24 oz draught)

182. Triumph Brewing Oktoberfest

I'm about fifteen beers behind but felt like updating my more recent entries first since I wasn't able to write notes down on all of my beers and I'm having to go by memory with some of them.  While visiting Princeton, we had lunch at Triumph Brewing.  The food is amazing, by the way.  The best brewpub (in regards to food) that I've ever had.  I haven't been to many, but I do consider myself a foodie, and even I have to give high praise to this place.  While I was enjoying a fancy grilled cheese sandwich, I decided to pair it with their seasonal Oktoberfest beer.  

The beer was poured into your standard pint glass.  The head had already receded by the time I got the beer, not much lacing on the sides of the glass.  Had a really nice bronze color, aromas of toasted malt and caramel definitely giving me the impression of a marzen or Oktoberfest style beer. 

I could taste those slight bread notes to go with the caramel and toffee notes.  There was a slight metallic taste to it as well.  It seems like it would be a sweeter brew, but it's not.  I find that to be quite refreshing.  It's not an overly complex beer, pretty simple in style and execution.  Granted, for the style, I'm fine with that.  The beer was light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.  Overall, I found the beer to be enjoyable, although the aroma and look of the beer could be a little better.  Still, this is a pretty good beer and while I probably won't ever venture back to Triumph (being that I'm not from the area and all..), if I ever see a bottle down the road, I'll probably pick one up.  

Grade: B

Price Paid: $6.00 (16 oz draught)

Haul for 11/14

My last trip during my vacation for beer hauling took place in the Whole Foods in Glen Allen, Virginia.  I went to a different beer stop, only to find out that the place had closed down.  I could have gone to some other places, but I had dropped the wife off at a store and didn't need to be ten miles down the road in case she finished up early.  The Whole Foods was just half a mile up the street.  That said, this Whole Foods had a very good selection of local products and I was more than glad to stock up.  What did I get?  Here's the haul:

• Lagunitas The Censored Rich Copper Ale - Whole Foods had a pretty good selection, but not when it came to their mix-a-six pack going on.  I hadn't seen this one in my neck of the woods, but I'm pretty sure it exists down there.  Oh well, I haven't had this one from Lagunitas yet, so I figured I'd give it a go.  Price paid: $2.29
• Blue Mountain Lights Out Holiday Ale - I think I've had Blue Mountain before, or at least I've bought something from Blue Mountain before.  Haven't had this brew, and it's about that time to start stocking up holiday beer.  Price paid: $2.29
• Blue Mountain Full Nelson Virginia Pale Ale - It's still a Virginia beer that I don't see down in NC.  I'll try it.  Price paid: $2.29
• Parkway Bridge Building Blonde - Another VA brewery that I didn't know existed.  Look forward to seeing if they're worth keeping tabs on.  Price paid: $2.29
• Bold Rock Hard Cider - Everyone should know that I don't discriminate against ciders.  It's from Virginia too!  Price paid: $2.29
• Devil's Backbone Kilt Flasher Wee Heavy Scotch Ale - I like the name of the beer.  Another Virginia brewery that I've never heard of.  Time to work on getting educated!  Price paid: $2.29
• Crispin Georgia - I had tried to find this in Raleigh, but no luck.  When I went to Bottle Revolution for my haul on 11/1, this was my primary purpose, but it wasn't there.  I'm so glad I found it, but I'm wishing I bought two instead of one.  If this is anything like Bird on a Wire.. *Drooooool* Price paid: $5.99
• Lickinghole Creek Magic Beaver Belgian Style Pale Ale - Another VA brewery I never heard of, I had a pick of 2 or 3 different breweries to go with, but I stuck with this one.  I'll get the ones I missed later on down the line.  Price paid: $7.99
• Hardywood Barrel Series Rum Pumpkin - I heard of this beer and didn't think I'd have ever crossed it, until I did.  There were only a handful left in the store and I got my grubby fingers all over it.  I'm pretty sure this will be the last pumpkin beer I buy this year.  I can't wait to age these for a year or two and see what type of awesomeness I can achieve.  Price paid: $13.99

Haul for 11/12

Alright, here's some of the haul I pulled while on vacation.  I ended up going to Philadelphia and the Chesapeake Bay area.  Today, I found myself at the Beer Store in Southampton, Pennsylvania.  Pretty good selection, and I was targeting beer breweries I can't find here in the good ol' state of North Carolina.  Here's the haul:

• McKenzie's Black Cherry Hard Cider - Never heard of this brand before, but it's out of New York and it was offered as a single.  Price paid: $2.50
• Blue Star Wheat Beer - Blue Star is out of California, but I've found that not all of the California breweries sell their wares in NC.  The bigger, more obvious one that isn't in NC, or at least in my part of NC, is coming later.  Price paid: $2.50
• McKenzie's Green Apple Hard Cider - I wanted to try all the flavors they offered.  Green apple and black cherry were the only two.  Price paid: $2.50
• Stoudt's Pils - This is a Pennsylvania brew that I haven't seen before.  I've heard of them though, so I'm hoping for good things.  Price paid: $2.50
• Goose Island 25th Anniversary Ale - I can find Goose Island at home, but I haven't seen the 25th anniversary ale anywhere, so I figured I'd snag it.  Price paid: $2.50
• Southampton Publick House Biere De Mars - Not to be confused with Southampton, PA where I'm doing the shopping, this brewery is out of New York.  Price paid: $2.50
• Stoudt's Gold Lager - Another beer from Stoudt's, I have no problem buying multiple beers from unknown breweries.  Price paid: $2.50
• Speakeasy Tallulah Extra Pale Ale - Another California brewery I haven't heard of (but not the big one..!).  Price paid: $2.50
• River Horse Special Ale - This beer comes out of New Jersey.  I hope they don't use New Jersey water.  I keed, I keed.  Price paid: $2.50
• Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA - This brewery out of Oregon has some more popular offerings, but I couldn't find them here.  Still, looking forward to getting my mitts on some Oregon beer.  Price paid: $2.50
• Firestone Doubel Barrel Ale - This is the California brewery that tends to have a large following but I can't find in NC.  I could have bought more from them, but I wanted to share the love.  I hope I'm not disappointed.  Price paid: $2.50
• Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz - I haven't seen this one come down south yet, so I figured I'd grab it.  Price paid: $2.50
• Elysian The Great Pumpkin - I want to say that I will no longer buy any pumpkin beer after November until next year, but I might regret it.  Heard good reviews on this one, had to grab.  Price paid: $10.99
• Neshaminy Creek Tribute Tripel - Another local brewery, this was the last one remaining and I wasn't sure if there was a reason why there was only one left.  My urge to not feel left out got the best of me.  Price paid: $6.99
• Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter - Another Firestone offering, I bet this one is going to be delish.  Price paid: $7.99

Haul for 11/1

So I just got back from vacation and that'll give me some time to catch up on some posts.  I did do some drinking while I was away, and certainly some bear purchasing.  What did I get?  Well, let's start with the haul before I left on vacation.  We were in the area to go to a Carolina Hurricanes game.  Ended up not going to the game and went to dinner instead, but still got myself some treats.  Here's the haul:

• Ommegang Adoration Dark Winter Ale - I noticed this at Tasty Beverage, but they didn't have it offered as a single.  Saw it here and scooped it up.  Price paid: $3.29
• Woodchuck Winter Hard Cider - One of the few seasonals that I have yet to try from Woodchuck.  I bet it's still sweet.  Price paid: $1.99
• Big Boss Belle Wringer - Have I gone through all 12 seasonals this year?  I should be close if I'm not there yet.  Will need to count my inventory and my completed list.. Price paid: $4.49
• Ace Berry Hard Cider - Wife picked this one out, I figured I'd oblige her when she actually wants to try something.  I haven't had it yet myself either, so no complaints from me.  Price paid: $1.99
• Green Man Harvester Autumn Ale - Good to see that I'll be able to get Green Man seasonal releases out this way.  If I find one, I'll buy one.  Price paid: $2.29
• Ballast Point Sculpin IPA - I've heard so many good things about Sculpin that I've been biding my time.  Time to pull the trigger.  I'm looking forward to this bad boy.  Price paid: $2.99
• Mother Earth Windowpane Series Fig & Raisin - Missed out on blueberries for the second time, but I didn't miss on this one.  Now I have 3 of the 4 in the Windowpane Series and once I get my hands on Blueberry, the collection is complete..!  This was the hardest to find though, and I snagged the last one.  Price paid: $16.99