Matt and Mike's Homebrew

My friends Matt and Mike have their own homebrewing operation and asked if I would like to try their beer. I obviously accepted and offered to give them some blog space in return for the beers. I hope to venture into homebrewing in the near future, so the final product of a homebrew complete interests me.

The first beer I tried was the Oktoberfest. The beer has an amber color with a thin white bubbly head. It smells sweet and malty. The taste is sweet and malty with a slight sour finish. I liked the freshness and flavoring, and it had a perfect sour finish.

The second beer I had was the Dunkleweizen. The beer has a dark amber color with a thin filmy head. The smell consists of sweet malts and alcohol. The taste is malty and alcohol bite on finish. I thought that the Dunkleweisen was pretty tasty.

The third beer I had was the Belgian Abbey. The beer has a gold color with a light head. The smell consists of sweet malts. The taste is packed with alcohol and and malts. This was my favorite of the six-pack I was provided and is a very tasty abbey.

The fourth beer I tried was the Irish Stout. The beer has a dark brown color with a nice tan head. The beer smells of toasted malts. The taste is light chocolate with toasted malts. I thought the Irish Stout was a multidimensional stout and I really like it.

The fifth beer I had was the Bavarian Wheat with American Yeast. The beer has copper color with a lofty foamy white head. The smell is lightly hoppy and smells of wheat. The taste is sweet and full of yeast and light malts. It was a light beer with great taste.

The sixth and final beer I had was the Bavarian Wheat with Belgian Yeast. The beer has a copper color with a think bubbly head. The smell is malty and sweet. The taste is very good and sweet with a good alcohol finish. The interesting fact about the Bavarian Wheat beers is that the yeast was the only variation between the two beers and the character of the two beers is completely different.

Appalachian Brewing Company The Golden Toos

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company to check out a band and because I received an email about The Golden Toos. The Golden Toos is a Belgian strong ale and the description captivated me. The description:

A Belgian Strong Golden Ale that falls in line with the famous Belgian's - Duval, Delirium Tremens, and Piraat. This beer is stronger as the name announces but the burn is well hidden. The Belgian yeast provides a spiciness that is perfectly balance against the sweetness of the middle palate. Kris and Albert DeBock assisted on this beer so we named it after their dog, Toos.

The beer is a pale amber color with a lofty and foamy white head. The smell consists of banana and sweet malts. The taste is sweet with banana and pepper hints with a great alcohol bite on the finish. As the beer gets warmer, the alcohol bite becomes more prevalent. There is no alcohol content posted online, but I would guess around 10% ABV. The Golden Toos has an amazing taste and a great mouth feel. If you can, I highly suggest that you stop in to Appalachian Brewing Company and get a glass of this before it is gone. I assume that this is a one-off batch and we won't see it again unless the requests pour in.

Samuel Adams Noble Pils

I ordered a draft of Samuel Adams Noble Pils at Brewhouse in Camp Hill. The beer has a light gold color with a foamy white head. It has a very light hop aroma. The taste is smooth with a light malt on the front. The beer turns buttery in the taste in the middle of the experience and makes me think of Captain Wafers. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I thought that this pilsner was decent but was trying too hard and was not naturally great. The hop finish is overshadowed by the butter taste and too subtle.

Bell's HopSlam Ale

I was eagerly anticipating the release of Bell's HopSlam Ale, and I ordered a draft at McGrath's in Harrisburg. I noticed this beer was “on deck” at McGrath's, so I inquired which beer's keg had to be kicked to accommodate the HopSlam Ale. Katie, the bartender, responded that Corsendonk Christmas Ale had to be kicked, and my group of friends and I kicked the keg. Then on to the HopSlam. The beer has a yellow-gold color with a lofty and foamy white head. The smell is piney and floral with plenty of citrus accents. The taste is sweet with lemon and grapefruit accents with a decent hop finish. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I though that this beer was amazing and the hops were not overwhelming. I plan on ordering this beer whenever I see it out, and I highly recommend picking this up.

Appalachian Brewing Company Zoigl Lager

I picked up a draft of Appalachian Brewing Company Zoigl Lager that was January's release. The beer has an amber color with a light tan head. There is a light malty aroma. The taste is malty and smooth with a light floral hop bite in the finish. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I thought that the malt and hop flavors were very well balanced. The beer does however feel like it is missing something and isn't wholly satisfying.

Appalachian Brewing Company Fog of War Stout

I was excited on my last visit to Appalachian Brewing Company because they had a new creation called Fog of War Stout. The beer is a deep black color with no head. The smell consist of licorice, chocolate and toasted malts. The taste is the same as the aroma, and it finishes with a light hop finish, which comes from the Zeus hops. The alcohol content is not posted on the website, but I would guess around 6% ABV. I thought this was an amazing beer and definitely want to go back and have another glass of this beer.

Appalachian Brewing Company Vienna Lager

On my last stop to Appalachian Brewing Company, I ordered a draft of Vienna Lager. This beer was brewed in conjunction with the winners of ABC's home brewing contest. The beer has a dark amber color with a light floral aroma. The taste is smooth and malty with a very light hop finish. The alcohol content is not available, but my guess would be between 5% and 5.5% ABV. The Vienna Lager did not stand out, but was a decent beer. I would drink it again if I was at ABC, but would not make the trip for it.