Terrapin Side Project Volume 11- Boom Shakalager

I picked up a bottle of Terrapin Side Project Volume 11- Boom Shakalager from Al's of Hampden. This beer is a Bavarian Style Imperial Lager and it pours a copper color with an off-white foamy head. The aroma consists of sweet malts, sour hops, caramel, and toffee. The taste is smooth and delicious right off the bat. There is a good helping of caramel and toffee. The beer finishes with sour hops and a nice pepper kick to the sides out the mouth. The after taste lingers with pepper and a slight dryness. The alcohol content is 9.0 % ABV. This was a style of beer that I am not entirely familiar with, but it was quite delicious. It may come off a little syrupy and not very carbonated, it is quite delicious and very drinkable, dangerous for a 9.0% ABV beer.

Lagunitas Brown Shugga

I grabbed a bottle of Lagunitas Brown Shugga from Brass Rail in Campbelltown in a mixed six-pack. The beer pours a dark amber color with a small foamy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of maple syrup, brown sugar, and alcohol. The taste is very sweet at first and hits hard with molasses, caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon. The beer dries out on the finish with an alcohol kick. The alcohol content is 9.84% ABV, which also punches the tongue in the after taste. All I can say about this beer is “Wow!” Although it is a very sweet brew, the alcohol and carbonation balance nice to provide a (surprisingly) smooth drinking beer.

Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell

I grabbed a bottle of Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell from Al's of Hampden. The beer is described as a rustic golden ale brewed with barley, oats, wheat, and rye. The beer pours a vibrant golden color with a tall foamy white head that sticks to glass nicely as it subsides. The aroma consists of wheat with hints of lemon and orange peel. The taste is light and sweet with and nice wheat base and a great lemon accent. There is a great spicy accent from rye on the finish that balances out the sweetness. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The Field Mouse's Farewell was a very enjoyable brew that was light drinking but very complex. The rye spice really peeked through on the finish and completed the drinking experience very well.

Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale

I picked up a bottle of Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale, a Belgian style tripel from Brass Rail in Campbelltown, PA. The beer pours a yellow-orange color with a medium bodied foamy white head. The aroma consists of big on Belgian yeast, candisugar, and banana. The taste is sweet and smooth. The front end of this beer has a lot of Begian yeast and candisugar. Following the sweetness, the carbonation kicks in and bubbles on the tongue. The finish consists of an alcohol kick and a nice peppery hop bite. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. I thought that the Sapient Trip Ale was a solid performer in the tripel style. Nothing was overdone, but it was a little sweeter than I am used to drinking.

Irom Hill Tripel Au Ciel

The final beer I ordered on my last visit to Iron Hill in West Chester was the Tripel Au Ciel. This beer is a Belgian Tripel aged in Chardonnay barrels. The beer pours a straw color with a barely present filmy white head. The aroma consists of banana and Chardonnay. The taste is banana, pepper, and white grapes. On the finish, the Tripel Au Ciel has a light dry Chardonnay accent. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. I really enjoyed the Tripel Au Ciel, and it was the perfect dessert beer for a summer evening. The Chardonnay barrel aging really livened up this tripel, making it lighter on the tongue and giving it some grape flavors.

Iron Hill India Black Ale on cask

Another beer I ordered from Iron Hill on my last visit was the India Black Ale on cask. Not that I needed persuaded to order a beer on cask, but the India Black Ale was $6.25 for a 16oz glass or $6.00 for a 20oz glass on cask. Hmmm...there really much time taken to make a decision on this one. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly off-white head. The aroma consists of caramel and pine hops. The taste is smooth and creamy with some caramel, bits of oak, and a pine hop finish. There is also a flower taste at the very end, mostly likely a pine flower. The alcohol content is 7.9% ABV. The excessive flower taste was a little weird in this beer, as it stuck in the mouth and was recurring when I burped. I feel that the casking of this beer really brought out the flower flavor and it may be a little more subdued on draft.

Iron Hill Fe 10

It seems that when I go out to eat in West Chester, I usually end up going to Iron Hill. On my last visit, this was no different. The first beer I ordered was the Fe 10, a celebration beer for Iron Hill's 10th Anniversary. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate and fig. The taste is heavy on chocolate, but fig and dark fruits peek through. On the finish, there is a light and well hidden alcohol bite. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. I really enjoyed the Fe 10, as it provided a good helping of chocolate flavors without being too heavy to drink with a salad on a summer day.

Victory Summer Love Ale

While at the Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern, PA, my buddy Matt ordered a glass of Victory Summer Love Ale and he gave me some of it to try. This beer was created by Victory in collaboration with the Philadelphia Visitors Bureau. The beer pours a golden color with a thin foamy white head. The aroma is citrus, consisting of orange, lemon, and big helpings of grapefruit, and a bit of grass. The taste is light and sweet with a big pink grapefruit flavor. The finish on the Summer Love Ale is slightly bitter due to the grapefruit accents. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I thought that the Summer Love Ale was overly delicious and very refreshing.

Lancaster Brewing Company Rumspringa Golden Bock

While at TJ's in Paoli, I ordered a glass of Lancaster Brewing Company Rumspringa Golden Bock. The beer pours a golden color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma is sweet and malty, with the sweetness coming from honey. The taste is sweet and malty with plenty of lemon flavor and a little bit of lemon accent. The alcohol content is 6.6% ABV. This beer finishes very smoothly, most likely due to the honey addition. Despite being named for the wild time in an Amish teenager's life, it is rather tame, but not in a bad way.

New Holland Imperial Hatter

I ordered a glass of New Holland Imperial Hatter from TJ's in Paoli. The beer pours an amber color with a foamy white head. The aroma is malty, sweet, and has a good caramel accent to it. The taste is malty with caramel and a grapefruit punch that is much appreciated. There is also a subtle toasted malt flavor. The alcohol content is 9.4% ABV. I was not aware of the alcohol content while drinking this beer, which is surprising for a beer approaching 10% ABV. The sweetness of this beer was very enjoyable, especially given that it is balanced but a refreshing citrus hop flavor.

Brooklyn Buzz Bomb

I ordered a glass of Brooklyn Buzz Bomb Ale from Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern, PA. I was excited to come across this beer in Pennsylvania, since it only comes in draft form. The beer pours a straw yellow color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of hops and lemon. The taste is lemon, cream, and a touch of meringue. Overall, the beer is a smooth drinker and has a light peppery hop bite on the finish. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I thought the Buzz Bomb Ale was delicious and a great drinking beer. This beer is a great way to introduce someone who doesn't like a hop-heavy beer to the lemon and pepper flavors of hops without overwhelming them in hoppiness.

Dogfish Head Theobroma

I ordered a bottle of Dogfish Head Theobroma from Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern, PA. The beer pours an amber color that looks exactly like honey and has a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of honey, chocolate, and chili peppers. The taste is honey and sweet at first and evolves into a spicy chili pepper flavor. On the finish, the beer has a smooth dark chocolate taste. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that the Theobroma was very delicious and complex and was like nothing I have ever tasted. It leaves the mouth dry and bitter from chocolate, but the evolution of flavor from sweet to spicy to bitter is a full rollercoaster ride of flavor.

Saint Somewhere Saison Athene

I ordered a glass of Saint Somewhere Saison Athene at Brass Rail in Campbelltown. The beer pours a yellow golden color with a foamy and sticky white head. The aroma consists of pepper, orange, and pear. The taste is vibrant and fresh with lots of pear, apple, and orange. It has a dry finish with some rosemary accents. As far as mouth feel, the Saison Athene is nice and carbonated and is light on the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought that the Saison Athene was an amazing beer and very well equipped to refresh on a hot summer day. It is a light drinker and light on the tongue, but packs a good fruit punch and a nice spicy finish of rosemary.

AleSmith Grand Cru

I picked up a bottle of AleSmith Grand Cru at Al's of Hampden. I enjoyed the previous AleSmith beers that I had in San Diego, so I was looking forward to trying the Grand Cru. The beer pours a reddish brown color with lofty foamy off-white colored head. The aroma is malty and sweet with dark fruit and fig and definitely can pick out alcohol in the aroma as well. The taste is is sweet and malty with a good helping of raisin and fig, orange, dried apricot, and candisugar. The alcohol bites a good bit and the beer finishes with a slight hop flavor that dries the mouth out a bit. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I really enjoyed the amount of flavors included in the Grand Cru, especially the citrus ones. The alcohol content doesn't let you forget that this is a hefty beer, but it is completely enjoyable.

Founders Centennial IPA

I ordered a glass of Founders Centennial IPA at McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a golden orange color with a thick foamy white head. The aroma is lemon, pepper, grapefruit, and pine. The taste is smooth and creamy with a good helping of lemon and pepper. There is a light finish of grapefruit that is not dry. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. Founders has completely nailed the IPA on the head. The Centennial IPA has drinks very well for its alcohol content and the citrus flavors work well with the pine and pepper.