Samuel Adams Latitude 48

At my co-worker's house for poker, he picked up a sampler pack of Samuel Adams Beers of Summer. In the sampler pack there was the Latitude 48, which is brewed with German, English, and American Hops. The beer has an amber color with a frothy cream colored head. The aroma is lightly hoppy but very fresh smelling. The taste is light on malts and caramel with a good lemon and hop accent. The hop bite is very mild, but very enjoyable. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. I thought that the mix of hops was very interesting and delicious, each bringing something different to the table in this beer.

Atlanta Brewing Company Red Brick Blonde

I picked up a bottle of Atlanta Brewing Company Red Brick Blonde when I was in South Carolina. The beer pours a light straw color. It has an extremely lofty frothy head that overwhelms the glass. The aroma is sour hops, some flowers, and light lemon accents. The taste is lightly lemon with a hop bitterness that worked on the finish The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought this was a pretty good blonde style beer that was light and very refreshing.

Charleston Brewing Company Lagerhead Lager

I picked up a bottle of Charleston Brewing Company [no website] Lagerhead Lager when I was in South Carolina. The beer pours a pale golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma has sweet malts and sour hops. The taste is heavy on the malts with a a light sour hops finish, but pretty clean overall taste. The alcohol content is not posted online, but I would it to be around 5.5% ABV. I really liked this beer, and am more impressed that it followed the German Purity Law. The result is a crisp, clean, and smooth tasting lager.

Highland Brewing Company Black Mocha Stout

I picked up a bottle of Highland Brewing Company Black Mocha Stout when I was in South Carolina, as the beer is brewed in Asheville, SC. The beer pours a dark black color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma is full of chocolate with bits of chocolate and cream in there, The taste is bitter chocolate at first with a hints of roasted malts. The beer then finishes with a dry coffee taste before leaving the mouth with a light cream finish.. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. This beer was my first from Highland Brewing Company, and I thought overall it was a solid coffee stout. There was a great balance of coffee and chocolate, without either overpowering each other. If I get another chance, I will try some other beers from Highland.

Stone Smoked Porter

Another beer I ordered when at Brewhouse in Camp Hill was the Stone Smoked Porter. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin filmy head. It smells oaky and nutty. The taste is smoky with lots of toasted malts. There is a light chocolate accent and a good hop bite, but mild enough not to overpower, on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I liked the Smoked Porter very much, as the smoky flavor really complimented the sweet chocolate flavors. Every beer I try from Stone makes me like them more and more.

Allagash Tripel Ale

On my last visit to Brewhouse in Camp Hill, I ordered an Allagash Tripel Ale to enjoy in the sunny warm weather. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly thin white head. The aroma is full of banana and pepper. The taste is sweet and smooth with lots of banana. It finishes with a good pepper hop bite. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. Overall, I thought the Tripel was very smooth and delicious, and really paired well with the warm spring day. The tingly alcohol bite and pepper spice actually went very well with the sunshine.

Troegs Hopback Amber Ale

When I last visited the Troegs tasting room, I decided to give Hopback Amber Ale a try. As my taste buds have evolved, I have been enjoying some hoppier beers, so I felt it was time to give Hopback a try. The beer pours an amber color with a filmy white head. The aroma is fresh and floral, a sign that I was going to really enjoy this beer. The taste is malty with some caramel and pepper, and the hops hit on the side of the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I may have avoided this beer in the past, but it is one of my favorite Troegs brews now. The caramel and hops really played well together in providing a great tasting beer experience.

Dogfish Head Aprihop

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently brought in a keg of Dogfish Head Aprihop, and I ordered a glass. I decided to re-review this beer, as I feel that my taste buds have matured. I previously had a glass of this beer at the Dogfish Head Ale House in Gaithersburg, MD. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is filled apricot and lightly hoppy. The taste is sweet and delicious, with a light hoppy finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. Overall, the beer tasted like dried apricots, but was overwhelmingly delicious. I really enjoyed the sweet apricot fruit balanced with the spicy hop bite.

Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently tapped a keg of Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale. The beer has a dark amber with a thin filmy head. The aroma is malty but faint. The taste is big on malts with a hefty dose of oak. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. Overall, I thought this beer was very tasty and I really enjoyed the heavy oak accent that came along with the beer, reminiscent of a humidor. I am a huge fan of this beer for my first Cigar City beer, and I look forward to trying many others in the future.

SweetWater Blue

I picked up a bottle of SweetWater Blue on my trip to South Carolina. The beer pours a pale yellow color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is filled with blueberries, similar to a muffin. The taste is light and sweet with a good blueberry accent. I was surprised that Sweetwater pulled off the blueberry accents without being too fruity, but not overly light either. The alcohol content is 4.9% ABV. I thought that the Sweetwater Blue had a good wheat flavor to compliment the blueberry in the beer, and nothing was lacking or overdone, which is very important in a fruity wheat beer.

Breckenridge Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA

I picked up a bottle of Breckenridge Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA when I was in Greenville, South Carolina. I have thoroughly enjoyed every Breckenridge beer that I have had in the past, and I had high hopes for this one as well. The beer pours an orange amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, citrus, and pepper. The taste is smooth and lemon with a light orange accent and a grapefruit finish. The beer is a little sugary on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. I thought that this was an excellent IPA, or even an ideal IPA. It was very tasty and smooth with a great hop balance with the citrus flavors. It did not have a powerful bite, but enough to know the hops are there.

Iron Hill Biere de Mars

The final and favorite beer that I had on my last visit to Iron Hill in Lancaster was the Biere de Mars. The beer pours a vibrant orange amber color with a think filmy white head. The aroma is full of orange and citrus. The taste is also orange and citrusy with a light hop accent. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought that the Biere de Mars was very tasty and amazing. It was great twist on a farmhouse ale, which can be paler in color and not as flavorful. This beer is highly recommended by me and you should try it if you are near an Iron Hill that has it on tap.

Iron Hill Alt Bier on Cask

Another beer I had on my recent trip to Iron Hill in Lancaster was their Alt Bier on cask. The beer has a dark reddish amber color with a creamy thick head. The aroma is malty and sweet with caramel accents. The taste is sweet, malty and creamy with a bitter hop accent on finish. The alcohol content is 4.5% ABV. I thought that the Alt Bier was very delicious, especially on cask as it brought added a creaminess to the beer. In addition, a faint oak accent was also detectable.

Iron Hill Dortmunder

I made a trip to Iron Hill in Lancaster prior to the Manchester Orchestra concert for dinner, and one of the beers that I ordered was the Dortmunder. The beer pours a golden color with a light bubbly white head. The aroma has sour hops and sweet malts. The taste is malty and sweet at first, but transitions into sour and bitter hops. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought that the Dortmunder was pretty good and presented itself as a great German-style lager. The sweet malts and sour hops balanced nicely and it wasn't too sweet or too sour.