Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb

I need to give a shout out first to Hoptopia (Thanks Lee!) for pointing me in the direction of of Brewforia (Thanks Rick!) to order bottles of the Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head collaboration Life & Limb. The beer was extremely difficult to find, with PA rumored to only receive 30 cases for the entire state.

The beer is a dark brown color with lofty foamy head that sticks to the edges of the glass. The aroma is maple syrup smell and light hop accent. The taste is very sweet at first and is comprised of maple syrup with a light floral hop finish. It finishes really smooth and the added birch is detectable. The alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. I thought this was a really solid beer. I just wish it was not as limited or difficult to attain. I think the hype killed the enjoyment of the beer a little bit, as I expected it to be the best beer I had ever tasted. Having said that, this beer is very good and don't let the hype take anything away from it. Both breweries have their stamp on this beer, as the beer is malty and sweet like most Dogfish Head beers and has a nice hop bite like the Sierra Nevada beers. If you happen to find this beer, I highly recommend that you try it.

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

I picked up a bottle of Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Season Ale at Brass Rail. The beer has a brown color with red hues and a light bubbly head. The aroma is sweet with cherry and caramel accents. The taste is very malty and sweet with hints of honey and cinnamon and it has a light nutmeg finish but doesn't dry out the mouth. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. I thought this beer had an excellent balance of sweetness and spiciness. I really liked how smooth the beer is and the amount of flavors included in one bottle.

Selin's Grove Hoppy Monk

I made a trip up to Selin's Grove over the holiday weekend for a good lunch, a few good beers, and to pick up a couple of growlers. The first beer I tried was the Hoppy Monk. The beer has a light copper color with gold hues and minimal head. The aroma is filled with citrus and wheat. The taste light lemon and has a nice pepper hop spice. The beer finishes with an orange flavor and includes a grass tasting hop. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. I thought that this was a very good start to the meal and it paired very well with spicy mustard on soft pretzels.

Rock Art Vermonster

Following the much covered lawsuit between Rock Art Brewery and Monster Energy Drink, I decided that I had to give the Vermonster a try and I found a bottle of it at Brass Rail. The beer has a dark copper color with a frothy creamy head. The smell is spicy and hoppy with caramel hints. The taste is hoppy on the front consisting of pine hops. It then sweetens with caramel presence. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This beer is one of the better hoppy beers that I have ever had. Rock Art really understands the balance of hops and malts that make this beer very enjoyable.

Flying Fish Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout

When in New Jersey, I picked up a bottle of Flying Fish Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout. I was very impressed with the Exit 4 and Exit 11 to date, so I had high expectations for the Exit 1. The beer pours black with a tan head. The aroma is full of dark chocolate. The taste consists of chocolate at first but has accents of raisin and fig before it finishes dry in the mouth. According to Flying Fish, using oysters in the process gives the beer the dry finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that the beer was very smooth drinking and enjoyable. I will attempt to purchase some more bottles of the Exit 1 before they are sold out for good.

Flying Fish Grand Cru Golden Winter Ale

Another beer I ordered while out in Philadelphia was the Flying Fish Belgian Grand Cru Golden Winter Ale. The beer has a gold color with a light frothy head. The smell is full of malts and bananas. The taste is sweet, consisting of banana with hints of apple. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. I thought that the beer was not terrible but may be a little sweet. I thought that something might have been missing from the beer to balance out the sweetness.

Stoudt's Winter Ale 2009

While out in Philadelphia, I ordered a draft of Stoudt's Winter Ale. I had last year's version and thoroughly enjoyed it. The beer pours a dark amber color with no head. The smell is lightly floral and hoppy. The taste is malty with caramel hints and the hops taste like pine, lightly adding spice accents to the beer. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I thought that the beer was very enjoyable and as good as last year. I also liked that the beer finished with a minor citrus after taste, adding another dimension to the beer.