Anchor Special Christmas 2009

I noticed that McGrath's had Anchor Special Christmas Ale 2009 in their bottle selection so I ordered a bottle. The beer is a dark amber color with no head. It smells of cinnamon and allspice. The taste is full of allspice and ginger and is somewhat dry. It also has a slight piney flavor. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. My friend Alissa said that it “smells like Christmas in a glass.” I could not agree more, and this beer provides the entire Christmas memory experience. It takes you back to your childhood memories while enjoying a great beer in your adulthood.

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

McGrath's recently received Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale. I have previously had this beer but have not provided a review of it. The beer has a copper color with a light head. The smell is light and malty. The taste is sweet and malty with nice spice accent with a nice and easy dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought that this was an excellent beer and can really warm you up on a cold winter's night. I really like all of the Samuel Smith beers that I have had, and this one was no different.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Katie at McGrath's informed be that they had just received bottles of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, so I eagerly ordered a bottle. The beer has a deep black color with a tan foamy head. There was not too much to the aroma, but a slight chocolate hint could be detected. The taste is milk chocolate with a sweet and smooth finish. The alcohol content is 10.6% ABV. I thought that this beer was very excellent and I cannot say enough good things about this beer. The chocolate flavor was perfect without being overpowering and the mouth feel was not too dry. It has a nice alcohol content without hinting at it. This beer comes highly recommended by me.

Smuttynose Star Island Single

McGrath's in Harrisburg picked up Smuttynose Star Island Single on draft. The beer has a light gold color with no head. The smell is sweet and malty. The taste is light and lemony but no hop bite. I thought that the beer was decent overall, but not a great beer. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. The Star Island Single was a very drinkable beer, but not very memorable.

Troegs Scratch 25- Magical Moustache Rye

I stopped by the Troegs brewery today because I received a Twitter alert that Scratch 25- Magical Moustache Rye was released. The beer is an amber color with a lofty head that sticks to the glass. The aroma is lightly hoppy with pine accents. The taste is slightly creamy at first with a sweet malt accent. The taste then moves in with hops that leave a pine after taste in the mouth. I learned that the Bravo hops were bio-manufactured to have a pine taste and that they were a relatively new hop. Very few breweries have actually used these hops to date, so Troegs is a pioneer with this hop. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This beer has an excellent multi-dimensional flavor that really hits all areas of the palette. It will satisfy all types of beer lovers. It starts with the sweetness for the malt lovers, hits the hops for the hop lovers, and finishes with the pine flavor for those that are interested in the earthy flavors a beer can provide. I highly recommend that you stop by the brewery and grab this beer while it is available.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

I ordered a glass of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale at McGrath's in downtown Harrisburg. The beer has an amber color with a light bubbly head. The smell is slightly hoppy. The taste is very hoppy with lemon and pepper accents. Overall, it is a pretty dry beer with a decent taste. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I thought the hops were a little too overpowering in this IPA and it was not an enjoyable beer. After finishing the glass, I really wanted a water because my mouth was completely dry.

Bell's Christmas Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently added Bell's Christmas Ale to their draft lineup and I was eager to order a glass. The beer is amber in color with red hints and a light foamy head. The smell is light with spice accents. The taste is smooth with slight sour cherry bite and a touch of honey. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Christmas Ale was very good and smooth with the honey making the beer. The honey made the taste nice and sweet and made the beer very drinkable.