Carlow Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Ale

While at McGrath's, my coworker Mike ordered a Carlow Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer. I was so intrigued by the aroma, that I ordered one myself. The beer is gold in color and has a sweet smell, consisting of a strong hint of caramel. The taste was malty and had a powerful taste of caramel. I also picked up a slight banana flavor. There is a minor hop after taste. The alcohol content is 4.3% ABV. I was very surprised at the Curim with the caramel accent. I had not previously heard of it, but it is very high quality. Everyone that tried it that night really liked it. I suggest picking up a bottle and trying it.

Appalachian Brewing Company- ESB Cask

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company last night and they had an Extra Special Bitter in the cask. I have not previously had an ESB from ABC, nor is any ESB listed on their website. The beer is amber in color, and has a thick frothy head. There is not too much aroma to the beer, but what is present hints at malts. The beer is creamy and warm in temperature, due to the fact it is served from a cask. The taste is mostly malty and not really bitter at all. I believe that the cask has really rounded out this beer and removed the bitter finish. There is a faint hop accent on the end. The alcohol content is around 5.5%, according to the bartender. While I thought that this beer was decent, I would like to try it not in the cask. I feel that the cask may have softened the bitterness too much, not really making this beer an ESB by definition.

Stone Thirteenth Anniversary Ale

My coworker Ben asked if I wanted in on a case of Stone Thirteenth Anniversary Ale and I agreed. The beer pours a dark brown with reddish hint. The Ale is very opaque with a thick head after the pour. The aroma is floral and strong, warning of the hop content in the beer. This beer has hops all around on many levels. There is the minor hop bite at first, then a strong and powerful hop accent, and finally a hop finish, all complete with a slight chocolate under tone (it is very subtle and easier to pick up the warmer the beer is). The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. I had last year's anniversary ale, the Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, and was a huge fan. This year is a little more difficult to fall in love with, as the beer has a bitter taste, plenty of hops, and finishes with an alcohol kick. The beer attacks your taste buds and leaves them unable to taste anything for a couple of hours. I did find the overall experience enjoyable, but the beer is a little too high for my hop liking.

Troegs Java Head Oatmeal Stout

My 200th post!

Yesterday I picked up a couple of 22-ounce bottles of Troegs Java Head Oatmeal Stout. This product was released for the first time on August 25 (yesterday). It was an awesome experience, as they workers were literally pulling bottles off of the line and putting them into the refrigerator. I waited 10 minutes until they started to bottle, but it was well worth the wait. The beer is dark black with a chocolate aroma with a hint of coffee. The taste is smooth, milky, and slightly bitter. The coffee taste is not overpowering, but provides a nice accent. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I think Troegs hit a home run with their new coffee stout. The taste is bitter, but not in a bad way. There is a complimentary hop accent and the coffee rounds out the experience. The only thing Troegs has left to do is create a pint glass with the Java Head Oatmeal Stout logo, which I will immediately buy. Your move Troegs!

Bell's Oktoberfest

To my surprise, McGrath's in Harrisburg added Bell's Oktoberfest to their draft line-up. I had not previously been aware that Bell's had an Oktoberfest beer, but I was not reluctant to give it a try. The beer is copper in color with minimal aroma. I was not able to pick up any scent. The taste is smooth and malty with a subtle bite. It is very clean and smooth. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that Bell's delivers a very solid and enjoyable Oktoberfest. The quality that is put into their other beers has carried over to this one and leaves the drinker satisfied.

Troegs Breaking News

I stopped by Troegs today and picked up 22-ounce bottles of Nuggest Nectar (special release for this time of the year) and Java Head Oatmeal Stout (new seasonal release). They are available starting today, August 25. Be sure to stop by and pick up a bottle for yourself. Stay tuned for a review.

Weyerbacher Merry Monks

McGrath's in Harrisburg just added Weyerbacher Merry Monks to their draft list. The beer is gold in color with a sweet and spicy aroma. The taste is sweet at first with a spicy and dry after taste. The finish hints at bananas, which was very enjoyable. The alcohol content is 9.3% ABV. I thought this was a very enjoyable Belgian Triple, as it is multi-dimensional and the beer changes character as it gets acclimated to room temperature. The beer is light enough to drink in summer and has enough spice and alcohol content to warm you in the winter months. I feel it is a year round beer.

Southern Tier Crème Brulee Imperial Milk Stout

Furthering my love for McGrath's in downtown Harrisburg, they recently added Southern Tier Crème Brulee Imperial Milk Stout to their draft lineup. The beer is black in color and smells very sweet, mostly consisting of vanilla. The taste is very similar to the dessert (if you've had it, that's a good reference). The taste consists of vanilla and carmelized sugar with a light spice after taste. The finish is creamy and tasty. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I was very impressed with the Crème Brulee Imperial Milk Stout. It is difficult to drink several of them, as the beer is very sweet, but this is the perfect dessert beer. I will order this again!