250. Southern Tier Creme Brulee

Merry Christmas folks!  Now's a pretty good time to come back to my own lil' blog here after being inactive for quite some time, right?  Work and life has left little time for smaller hobbies and time spent blogging has been next to none for some time now.  That said, travel related to work gets a little easier, family gets healthier, kids get older, and time becomes more available.  How about that?  Anyway, I have some bottles sitting out that need to be recycled and have my tasting notes, so I figured I'd put fingers to keyboard and get these things sent out so I can get ditch the bottles!

"The British founders of burnt cream & from Spain, crema catalana, both stand by their creative originality & we respect that.  But it was the French creme brulee that survived history.

A stout of great contention.

How would a brewery determine a likeness to hard-coated custard?  Our response is simple: resilience & finesse.  Pour Creme Brulee into a glass.  The incredibly dark & opaque beer reveals a thick head.  Aroma leaps forward; sweet, creamy & uncannily true to the namesake dessert.  Enjoy with - or as - your favorite after-dinner treat."

Ended up having this beer on Halloween to celebrate the holiday (why I have a beer bottle from Halloween still around is not to be questioned..)  I heard good things and wasn't sure what to expect since it had been a while since I had a dark beer.  The beer was poured into my Mystery Brewing snifter glass.  Almost black color with a finger of mocha colored head with average retention.  Leaves nice amount of lacing on the glass.  Aromas of toffee, vanilla, maple syrup, and milk chocolate.

Tastes of vanilla, burnt sugar, coffee, and milk chocolate come to mind upon tasting the beer.  I had pumking before and thought it would be incredibly sweet; I was pleased that it wasn't as sweet as expected.  Certainly not cloying in any way.  Even the sweetness plays out more on the finish.  Coupled with the very smooth body, it's a very satisfying finish.  Lightly carbonated.

It was easy to drink the entire bottle; I tried to share, but no one really likes dark beers - their loss.  It's the best beer I've had from Southern Tier so far.  I know they're not a one-trick pony with these dessert-type beers, so I'll try to get more of their other stuff when I get the chance.  

Grade: A-

Price Paid: $8.99 (22 oz bomber)

249. Brueprint Brue 32

"A pro bowl creamy pale ale finishing with a refreshing audible."

On a late Saturday night, I decided to have a beer, even though I was sleepy and probably should have went to bed without one.  Ah well.  Anyway, I had one beer still in the refrigerator, so I went and grabbed it.  Lo' and behold, it was Brueprint's Brue 32, which I believe is one of their seasonal offerings.  Brueprint is local, at least for me, based out of Apex, NC.  I've bought several of their beers, but I think this is the first time I've actually gotten around to consuming one.

The beer was poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint.  Got two fingers of soapy head that had low retention and left some film at the top and small random bits of lacing on the sides.  It has a dark golden color to it.  Mild aromas of biscuit, brown sugar, and a combination of grassy and piney hops.

Tastes are as expected, with more biscuit and grassy hops on the forefront, with a slightly sweet finish on the back end.  Goes down easy - light bodied and with light carbonation.  Crisp, clean, par for the course for a pale ale.  

It was a good beer, but it wasn't a 'wow' type beer either.  At 5.7% ABV, it would be pretty sessionable to drink during a football game.  Too bad I drank this one well after the Super Bowl, and the football motif probably doesn't translate all that great now that we're in the midst of March Madness.  I'm sure someone has already made a beer that references that wonderful two week stretch of college basketball.

Grade: C

Price Paid: $1.67 (12 oz can) 

248. Asahi Super Dry

On another night where I spent my evening with several co-workers, we ended up heading over to Red Ginger where I could enjoy some sushi goodness.  Since I was at an Asian restaurant, I thought I'd get an Asian beer.  That was after I talked myself out of a mixed drink to 'mix it up', as it were.  I have very limited information on Asahi, but my understanding was that like Kirin and Sapporo, they were comparable to Miller/Coors/Bud.  

The beer was offered up in the standard pint.  It had a nice lookin' golden color to it with a half finger of white head.  Low retention, it did manage to leave a few splotches of lacing upon the glass.  Mild aromas of biscuit, starch, and some light grass notes.  

Tastes of rice, malt, almonds, and light hops come to mind.  Light bodied, with moderate carbonation, it's clean, crisp, and lives up to the super dry mantra.  

For its style, I think it's a pretty worthy offering.  I thought it tasted better and had more personality than the typical Miller/Coors/Bud.  It paired great with my Sushi and when I'm in the mood for something light on the flavor spectrum, this one won't be too shabby.  

Grade: B

Price Paid: $5.00 (16 oz draught pint)

247. Magner's Irish Cider

My second drink from the aforementioned Murphy's Kitchen & Tap was a cider.  Just happened to be in the mood for one and it was a cider I haven't sampled yet and was still part of the $3 draught pint offering, so why not?  Also, it took me a while to drink the Sierra Nevada sidecar and it's easier for me to drink down a cider fast to catch up with my co-worker who was further along with his second beer.  

Served up in another pint, it had a dark amber color to it.  Aromas of well, you guessed it, apples.  Ok, not just apples, but apples and brown sugar.  Has a sweet essence to it.  

The taste is semi-sweet on the cider scale.  Not sweet upon first taste, it starts just a touch dry but finished with a sweet aftertaste.  Average body with average carbonation.  

I've leaned away from sweeter ciders in favor of drier ciders, but this one felt like a great balance between the two and would be a great go-to.  It's funny, I never heard of Magners before seeing it, but if I know that it'll be prevalent at most Irish restaurants, then I think I'll be getting my fill of corned beef and cabbage and shepherd's pie on a more frequent basis.

Grade: B+

Price Paid: $3.00 (16 oz draught pint)

246. Sierra Nevada Sidecar Orange Pale Ale

While working in Charlotte, I went with a co-worker to this Murphy's Kitchen & Tap in Uptown.  They were serving $3 draft pints, which meant I was going to help myself to a couple beers.  For the first one, I decided to go with the Sierra Nevada seasonal at the time, which happened to be the Sidecar.  

The beer was served in the standard pint with a half finger of head.  Average retention, leaving a few splotches of lacing on the glass.  I detect aromas of tangerine, pummelo, orange peel, and grassy hops.  Bitter finish lingers but not for too long.

The taste is less muted with the tropical essence, but the taste of tangerine, pummelo and grapefruit peel are still there, paired with some pale malts and some grassy and piney hops.  Average body with average carbonation.

It was a good beer, but not a great beer.  I've liked many of the offerings from Sierra Nevada and this one didn't strike me was anything memorable or special.  As someone who prefers more tropical flavors with my hoppy beers, this one should be right in my wheelhouse.  Instead, I'm just a little underwhelmed.  Can't quite put my finger on it.  Ah well, maybe it's the fact that I'm drinking it in the beginning of March.  Probably more quaffable in the Spring and Summer months.

Grade: B-
Price Paid: $3.00 (16 oz draught pint)

245. Lenny Brewing Burn Down Brown

I was at Cowbell Burger Bar in Uptown Charlotte for a dinner meeting and decided to get a beer with my meal.  I had initially ordered a sour beer, but this is what was brought to me.  I quickly figured out it wasn't a sour and figured that it was confused with this beer.  The sour was from Legion Brewing and this other L brewer was one line down.  Anyway, I figured I'd just drink what I received and go from there.  

The beer was provided in your standard pint with half a finger of off-white head.  Moderate retention, leaving some film on the surface.  Aromas of toffee, burnt toast, caramel and milk chocolate were prominent.  

The taste, which let me figure out it wasn't a sour, was more reminiscent of a brown ale.  Roasted malts, some caramel, some chocolate notes.  I also detected some coffee notes as well.  Light bodied and very smooth with light moderation, it was pretty easy to drink.

Even though it was listed as a Brown Ale on the menu, I could tell there were some subtle differences that didn't make it taste like other beers that are more reminiscent of what I think is the style.  It was pretty good overall, but it wasn't as good as some of the other offerings I've had.  I'd like to try again when I'm actually ready and wanting a brown ale instead of being disappointed that I was getting something that I didn't want.  Oh well, another time.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $6.00 (16 oz draught pint)

244. Bombshell Starlight Ale

"A crisp, clean, light colored ale, perfect for any occasion!"

Look at that, two posts in a week!  Told you that I was trying to get back on the right track!  I've got another beer here in front of me as I type up this review while idly watching the Bulls beat the Cavaliers.  I'm really not interested in the game, it's just there for background noise.  I'm paying more attention to apps on my phone.  

That said, I was a little torn between beer or root beer, but I've had a good brewski on the mind since this morning, so it won out.  The beer was poured into a Sam Adams' perfect pint.  It poured a pale, straw color with two fingers of soapy, white colored head.  With light retention, the head dissipated to a thin ring on the surface, leaving no lacing on the side of the glass.  Aromas of grass and buttered bread come to the forefront.

The taste is pretty simplistic, as expected.  Light malt flavors with a slight hop presence, providing a slight bitter finish.  I'm used to more flavor forward beers, which makes this one seems watery by comparison.  Light bodied with light carbonation, it's an easy to drink brew.  At 5.0% ABV, it's meant to be pretty sessionable.  I'd gladly take this over your typical macrobrews, but this one was just average to me; nothing overly memorable that would make me go back to it.

Grade: C

Price Paid: $1.67 (12 oz can)

243. Highland Mandarina IPA

"An adventure-loving and aromatic citrus IPA.  Brewed with nuanced German Mandarina Bavaria and Hull Melon hops and bold juicy American oranges, expect intense orange and tropical notes and a crisp, bright finish.  This one is a palate-pleaser!

Highland's name honors the Scots Irish who settled in the Appalachian mountains.  Founded in 1994, we are Asheville's first legal brewery since Prohibition."

Holy crap, I still exist?  I do!  I haven't done a lot of buying or drinking lately as I've needed to cull my inventory a wee bit.  I also was forced on a month long diet where I could not have beer.  And now I've decided to get in shape and run half-marathons, which means that I may drink less.  Lastly, I've got kids and they aren't cheap, which means I have less to fuel my hobbies.  It is what it is, but I will try to do better about posting my fun little tasting exploits.

Right now in front of me is Highland's Mandarina IPA, which is sitting in a Dogfish Head IPA glass.  I know I don't have a post where I mentioned where it came from, but I got a mix-six pack from Lowes Foods, with the plan to get more blonde colored beer since most of my stash is dark.  It poured a nice golden orange color with a finger of white head.  A thick ring of lacing and a thin layer of film is settled down.  Citrusy aromas of orange is prevalent, along with pineapple, a little bit of pine, and butter.

The taste doesn't punch you in the mouth, which was what I typically expect in an IPA.  The orange is more in the nose than in the taste.  It's pretty mild and more akin to orange peel than oranges.  There's a touch of sweetness and a light bitter finish which reminds me more of a pale ale than an IPA.  Light bodied with medium to high carbonation, it's zesty like a soda.  

If this is an IPA, it's definitely tailored to being more sessionable.  At 5.0% ABV, I reckon I'm right.  Definitely appealing, I can see myself having a couple of these on a hot summer day.  Excuse me while I finish the rest.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $1.67 (12 oz can)

242. Highland 20th Anniversary India Pale Ale

"Twenty years ago Highland opened its doors in a town otherwise bereft of breweries.  Our name anchors us here.  "Highland" honors Asheville's Scots Irish heritage.  With another nod to local history, we present our limited edition 20th Anniversary American India Pale Ale, the third of four in a bottled series.

Hop-forward, yet balanced by a strong malt foundation, this ale pours deep golden in color.  Two experimental hop varieties, currently named EXP-05256 and EXP-07270, as well as Amarillo, lend notes of citrus and tropical fruits and lead to a pleasant bitter finish."

Hey y'all.  I've been drinking, just haven't had much time for blogging.  Figured I'd take the opportunity to churn one out while I have a little bit of peace and quiet.  Now that I'm juggling a couple of kids, peace and quiet is very limited.  No complaints from me though, glad to be a parent.

I know that IPAs should be enjoyed fresh.  I have a few IPAs that I've had for a couple of years.  I just end up not in the mood for an IPA and it sits. And sits.  And sits.  So even though this bad boy was bottled on 9/9/14, I'm just getting around to drinking it over two years later.

The beer was poured into a Dogfish Head IPA glass.  It has a more amber/orange color to it.  One and a half fingers of off-white sea foam like head, leaving lacy splotches all over the sides of the glass and a film at the surface.  Aromas of malt, raisin, resin are predominant.  

The malt base of the beer is certainly on the sweet side, something I'd be more used to when dealing with a higher gravity IPA.  At 6.0% ABV, this is just your standard IPA.  Along with the taste of malt and brown sugar, there's a little bit of pine and fig.  The bitter finish is still there, although perhaps not as prominent as it could be if consumed fresh.  Aftertaste lingers a little bit, but it's not overpowering.  Slick on the tongue but not too oily.  Beer is lightly carbonated, if a little flat, probably another consequence of drinking a beer too late.  

Even though it shows it's age, I didn't hate the beer.  It certainly wasn't a drain pour for me.  And while I've been more than guilty of not finishing off my beers, especially my bombers, I can confidently say that I took care of this one.  Ultimately though, it's just okay, nothing overly memorable about it.  I reckon I should try Highland's standard IPA offering and compare against this one.

Grade: C

Price Paid: $8.99 (22 oz bomber)

241. Hi-Wire Contortionist Black IPA

"Contortionist.  We hope you enjoy this dark, hoppy beer.  As you experience the earthy and floral hops that give way to a roasted malt profile, The Contortionist will bend your perception of what a Black IPA can be."

Happy 4th of July everyone!  As we celebrate another year of our original independence, or as my brother-in-law would say, the "First Brexit", I figured I'd take the time to catch up on my blog and add at least a half dozen posts today.  To start off, I decided to grab the empty beer bottles and notes I keep on my shelves and start with those.  The first empty beer bottle happened to be the Hi-Wire Contortionist Black IPA.

The beer was poured into a snifter glass.  It has a near black color in appearance with a half-finger of tan colored head.  Average retention with a small ring of lacing.  Aromas of charred malt, earth, pine, and some fruity esters.

The roasted malts are front and center, followed by the bitter finish of earth and pine.  The bitter lingers for quite a while.  Light to medium bodied with average carbonation.  6.0% ABV and unfiltered.

This particular beer did not resonate with me.  I've had "Black IPAs" before and I've found them to be tasty, but this particular brew seemed to be in conflict and just didn't mesh together well.  

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $2.69 (12 oz bottle)

240. Ommegang Hop House

"Ommegang stands on an historic hop farm - our hop house ale combines the delicious aromas and flavors of Belgian-style ales with generous hopping, including dry-hopping.  Enjoy with salads and seafood, or with spicy foods, pizza, burgers.  Ommegang hop house is also a superb session-style ale."

I live!  So it seems I haven't posted in about six months.  I fell off the wagon.  Time to get back to being a little more consistent with my reviews.  I still have almost 90 that are in draft form that I need to complete.  And I have probably a dozen empty beer bottles in my man-cave, waiting to get put into draft form.  And let's not count the numerous beers I may have enjoyed at a restaurant or while visiting a brewery.  I'll get to them all, in due time.  

So let's start with a bottle of something that I have right in front of me.  I'm expecting a second child and I've been told that my man-cave is switching rooms..to a smaller room.  I'm expected to cull my alcohol stash by roughly 50% as I make the transition.  It means I'll be doing a good amount of drinking between now and October.  To that point, I just grabbed a random bottle, stuck it in the fridge, and these are the details.

The beer was poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint (I recently purchased some fancier glassware, this being one of them).  It pours a hazy orange color.  3 fingers of off-white colored head.  Soapy along the sides but more sea foam on top.  Heavy sticky lacing on the sides of the glass in randomized splotchy fashion.  Foam leaves a layer of film up top.  I can pull in aromas of grapefruit, grass, yeast, and some light pine.

The bitter is strong with this one.  More pronounced than I was expecting.  Tastes of orange, grapefruit, some grassy notes, some yeast.  Finishes dry.  On the light to medium side in regards to mouthfeel, with low carbonation.  At 6%, there's no noticable alcohol taste as it goes down.

I expected this to be sweeter and while I knew the hops would be a little more pronounced since it was dry-hopped, I didn't expect the beer to be so bitter.  It might be classified as a belgian pale ale but it could easily pass for its American version.  Might even pass as an IPA with some character.  That said, it is different, but I don't find it to be different in a good way.  I was able to finish the beer, but it didn't wow me and if I'm in the mood for a Belgian Pale Ale, I'd likely look in a different direction.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $2.78 (12 oz bottle)

Haul for 1/9/16

I figured I better put the year on these haul things for the sake of being able to better scan through some of my older posts.  I was back at the Triangle Wine Company in Cary since my wife needed to go next door to Whole Foods.  I said I'd go to the store real quick and take a quick look and be back in Whole Foods pronto.  Sure enough, I didn't take more than 7 minutes to make my choices and get out of there.  I gave myself a personal limit on how much to pay for beer and ultimately blew it.  Here's the haul:

• Wicked Weed Puzzle Pieces - I seriously thought of getting something different from Wicked Weed since this was just labeled as a barrel select sour ale.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be pretty neat to get a barrel select without a whole bunch of frills.  That, and after reading the bottle and understanding that some of the proceeds went to support the fight against autism, I made the decision to buy.  Price paid: $12.99
• Wicked Weed Cherry Go Lightly - Now this was an easier selection based on the amount of cherries that were used to make this bad boy.  Just another sour to age for a while.  Price paid: $14.99

Haul for 12/19 Part 2

While still Christmas shopping, I would drop by the Triangle Wine Company to get a few presents.  Me and my childhood friends usually gift alcohol to each other for Christmas.  While the usual gifts include hard liquor, my buddies requested some wine as a potential gift choice along with their usual selection of hard liquor.  I figured I'd buy them some wine and some (cheaper) liquor.  Of course, Triangle Wine Company sells more than just wine, and I ended up walking out with more beer.  Here's the haul:

• Stone Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard - I've never had a regular Arrogant Bastard, so I probably need to pick that up pretty soon so I can do a taste comparison.  That said, for a barrel aged brew, I thought the price was very reasonable and I opted to pick it up.  Price paid: $2.99
• Schilling Gold Cider - I've had a few ciders from Schilling and have had solid experiences.  This was a type I haven't had yet, so I figured I'd pick it up.  Price paid: $2.59
• Founders Devil Dancer IPA - A triple IPA?  I don't think I've had one of those before and wanted to give it a go.  Price paid: $3.99
• Mother Earth Snow Flurry Juniper Rye - I love the beer from Mother Earth and hadn't noticed this seasonal before.  Figured I'd grab it and try some time later in the future.  Price paid: $1.99
• Victory Mad King's Weisse - I wouldn't have picked it up if not for the fact that it was heavily discounted.  Perhaps it is an older seasonal and they're trying to get rid of stock or maybe it's a crap beer.  I don't know but considering the price I figured I'd give it a go.  Price paid: $2.99

Haul for 12/19 Part 1

For this particular haul, I was at World Market in Cary to pick up some Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers.  I had some ideas to grab some wine for Christmas or New Years festivities.  I couldn't just get some wine without looking at the beer selection and I ended up walking out with no wine (I'd come back a few days later and take care of that) and 2 bottles of cider.  Here's the haul:

• Doc's Cranberry Spice Apple Cider - I've had some of Doc's before and the idea of cranberry with cider sounded like a great seasonal alternative.  I'm a big fan of Oceanspray's Cran-Apple.  Easy choice.  Price paid: $5.99
• Crown Valley Gingerbread Cookie Cider - C'mon, the name itself should warrant enough intrigue for a purchase.  Cider?  Check.  Gingerbread cookie?  Really?  How can this possibly go together?  Maybe this will be a hot mess and be the nastiest thing I've ever had, or someone found a way to unlock the magic and make this work.  I figured it was worth a try.  Price paid: $5.99

Haul for 12/15

A week later, I was back in Charlotte and found myself back in Total Wine again.  And just like the last time, I couldn't drop in without getting a little something back for myself.  Here's the haul:

• Heavy Seas Yule Tide - I wanted to get at least one beer that was reminiscent of Christmas since we were less than 10 days away.  I went with this one, then proceeded to not drink it right away, because that's what I do.  I'm sure sometime in March or April of next year, I'll get around to drinking it.  Price paid: $8.99
• Stone/Bale/4 Hands Sorry Not Sorry - I was most intrigued by the idea of a peach IPA.  Otherwise, I probably would have given this a pass or at least opted for a different Stone collaboration.  Price paid: $9.99

Haul for 12/8

While working in Charlotte, I dropped by a nearby Total Wine to pick up some drinks to go with dinner.  Didn't get too much, but I certainly made sure I didn't walk away empty handed.  Here's the haul:

• Shmaltz/Terrapin Reunion Beer 2015 - I've picked up the 2012 and 2013 versions in the past and really didn't think I'd go back to the well again, but the description of pumpkin and other spices that were added to this concotion got the best of me.  Price paid: $8.99
• Grand Teton 5 O'clock Shadow Double Black Lager - This happened to be on the table and was advertised as some kind of special or price cut.  Don't know if that was the case, but I liked the label and had never tried Grand Teton before, so I decided to give it a shot.  Price paid: $9.99

239. Bell's 30th Anniversary Ale

"Brewed to celebrate 30 years of inspired brewing, this big, bold stout honors all that has gotten us to this point - hard work, authenticity, and our commitment to quality.  Whether you choose to celebrate now or later, here's to the next 30 years."

This was the other beer that I had while watching UNC beat down NC State early and never look back.

Beer was poured into a stemmed snifter glass.  Almost jet black liquid with motor oil consistency coming out of the bottle, leaving a half finger of mocha colored head.  The aromas are quite evident, full of chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, and licorice.  Boozy on the nose too.  It's 11% ABV, so it's packing quite a punch.

There are tastes of chocolate, cocoa powder, bitter coffee, molasses, some dark fruit, and toasted wood.  While the nose is boozy the booze in the taste is masked very well.This brew is full bodied, with little carbonation.  Slightly chewy with the mouthfeel. 

It has been a while since I've enjoyed one of these big, bold imperial stouts and I remembered why I'm so fond of them.  While I'm partial to the style, this one was hitting all the right notes for me.  That said, while it is complex, I did prefer the likes of a BCBS over this one.  Still, you really can't go wrong with this one, and for the price, it's definitely a better value.

Grade: A-

Price Paid: $3.49 (12 oz bottle)

238. The Duck-Rabbit Marzen

Cracked open this bad boy while watching my beloved NC State Wolfpack in a rivalry game against UNC.  Needless to say, I wasn't terribly interested in drinking after the 1st quarter.  But I'm not one to let a good beer to waste.

Beer was poured into a stemmed snifter glass.  One finger of dirty-white colored head.  Ended up getting moderate to long retention with this one, leaving splotches of lacing along the sides.  There are aromas of caramel, biscuit, maybe a faint whiff of apples.  

This doesn't taste quite like a marzen, although it hits many of the same notes.  It starts out with the caramel sweetness and the finish is more hoppy and bitter than I recall from other beers of this style.  The apple taste is also more pronounced at the end.  Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Imagine a marzen that's a little more extreme on the front and back end and I think this is what you would get.  To me, if I was served this at Oktoberfest or something, it would be a pretty good beer but I don't know how sessionable it would be for me.  That said, if I was comparing this not against this style but as a beer that I would drink, it's pretty good.

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz bottle)

  

Haul for 11/9

I had the chance to head to Whole Foods after my baby girl's visit to the doctor.  I didn't mean to get any beer, but I figured I'd splurge and grab at least one treat since I happened on be on vacation and everything.  Here's the quick haul:

• Wicked Weed Canvas Series Fille de Ferme - I had noticed this particular brew a week or two earlier but didn't want to pull the trigger and buy another beer.  This time, since I limited the purchase to this and this only, it was easier to justify.  The beer's description got my attention, with the only negative that the beer was refrigerated so I needed to consume quickly.  That said, a review is coming soon.  Price paid: $8.99

237. Elysian The Great Pumpkin

"Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  Ale brewed with pumpkin and pumpkin seeds and fermented with spices."

I had some family over at the house on Halloween night to just hang out, have a good time, and take my almost 5 month old daughter to her very first door-to-door trick-or-treat experience.  I stuck around to pass out candy.  When it was all over and everyone could just chill, it was time to crack open a beer and enjoy it.  Considering that it was Halloween, I thought it would be nice to get my hands on a pumpkin beer.

The beer was poured into a shaped pint.  It had a hazy amber shape to it.  I could see traces of sediment in the glass.  Maybe one finger of off-white colored head.  Average retention, left traces of lacing but not much else.  Very sweet on the nose with aromas of pumpkin, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, honey,  

Sweet tasting, but not as sweet as some other pumpkin beers I've had.  Not cloying.  Full of pumpkin flavor, along with tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, ginger, and even a little bit of cola.  Light to medium bodied with average carbonation.  I expected this one to be more lightly carbonated.  

Maybe it was too late in the night or something, but this one just wasn't connecting with me.  Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for something that tasted like liquid pumpkin pie.  I forced myself to drink it down, but I ultimately found it to be unsatisfying.  I know this was an older bottle, so maybe I made the mistake of letting it sit too long.  That said, while I likely won't buy myself another bottle (primarily because of price), if I get a chance for a second smaller tasting, I'll give it another go.

Grade: C-

Price Paid: $10.99 (22 oz bomber)