Voodoo Love Child

My girlfriend raved about the Voodoo Love Child that she had at a beer fest, and so she insisted on buying a bottle for me to try. The beer pours a golden color with light orange hues and a very lofty and foamy white head. The aroma consists a wheat base with cherry, raspberry, and a hint of sweet passion fruit. The taste is dry, light and bubbly with wheat on the bottom of a good sour cherry and raspberry kick. Some Belgian spices and yeast come up next with breadiness on the back of the mouth. On the finish, some passion fruit dries out the mouth a bit and leaves a passion fruit after taste. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. The Love Child was an excellent Belgian beer with good sour fruit accents that dry the mouth out nicely without being too dry.

The Brew Works Rude Elf's Reserve (2009)

I picked up a bottle of The Brew Works Rude Elf's Reserve from Al's of Hampden. Based on the release date in the middle of October 2010, it was clearly a 2009 batch since The Brew Works does not release the new batch until November1. The beer pours a cranberry-amber color with a foamy and solid beige colored head. The aroma consists of lots of cherries with Belgian spices, yeast, and faint hints of banana. The taste is big and powerful with lots of alcohol on the forefront before the sweetness of cherry and candisugar kicks in. The Belgian spices and yeast hit on the finish, leaving a bready and banana taste in the mouth. The beer carbonation bubbles and the spices kick back in on the after taste and tingle the tongue playfully and is very warming on the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. This beer, being packed in a small 12-ounce bottle, packs a big punch on the tongue. The alcohol really kicks in without being overwhelming, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Belgian aspect of this beer.

Bube's Brewery Pumpkin Ale

I ordered a glass of Bube's Brewery Pumpkin Ale on my last visit for dinner. The beer pours an orange amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of sweet pumpkin with a perfect cinnamon balance. The taste is big on pumpkin with good cinnamon accents and a nutmeg bite on the side of the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. While the Pumpkin Ale was well balanced, I thought it was a little too sweet, but it did not interfere with me enjoying it.

Bube's Brewery Nick's Altbier

While going to dinner at Bube's Brewery, I ordered Nick's Altbier. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin filmy brown head. The aroma consists of sweet malts and smoke and light hints of chocolate. This beer doesn't come with a powerful aroma, but there is some there. The weight of the beer is light on the tongue but the taste is big and malty with a perfect smoke balance. Chocolate and caramel flavors also come through, as they are not overpowered by the smoke. The beer doesn't finish dry, but has a light pine after taste. I couldn't locate the alcohol content online but I would guess it to be around 6.0% ABV. I thought that Nick's Altbier was really good and not too sweet with a perfect smoke balance that cannot be ignored.

Copper Crow Chocolate Thunder Porter

I ordered a glass of Copper Crow [no website, formerly the General Lafayette Inn & Brewery) Chocolate Thunder Porter while at The Brewhouse in Camp Hill. The beer pours a black color with a foamy tan head. The aroma consists of vanilla, chocolate, milk, and toffee. The taste is big on chocolate with a light vanilla undertone that transitions into coffee with toffee accents. Then comes a light alcohol bite before a finish that is a little dry with toasted malts. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I really enjoyed the sweet vanilla and toffee accents that came through in the beer without overwhelming the chocolate and coffee focus of the beer.

Bell's Amber Ale

In my mixed six-pack that I got from Al's of Hampden, I grabbed a bottle of Bell's Amber Ale, mostly based on the recommendation of my roommate Adam. The beer pours an amber color (duh!) with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of lots of sweet caramel and toffee. The taste is sweet and smooth with a large mouth presence. There is a lot of caramel and toffee flavors in this beer. There are some hints of some toasted caramel as well as the beer finishes. The after taste lingers a bit with some fresh lemon and orange flavors from the hops. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. If you are looking for a beer that is somewhat sweet with good helping of toffee and caramel, this is your beer. It is very enjoyable and not overly sweet, as it is nicely balanced with some citrus notes.

Penn Brewing Company Allegheny Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Pennsylvania Brewing Company Allegheny Pale Ale from Al's of Hampden as part of a mixed six-pack. The beer pours a copper color with a foamy white head that dissipates fairly quickly. The aroma is faint but consists of pale malts and light hops. The taste is bitter with fresh hops and a light malty backbone that doesn't exert itself very much. Bits of pine, spruce, and lemon make their way through on the finish, and a dry after taste lingers. I couldn't locate the alcohol content online but would guess it be around 6.0% ABV. This pale ale definitely drinks a lot smoother than most pale ales, as it does not have an overwhelming hop presence that bites at the tongue. It is pretty smooth and probably won't satisfy most hop heads, but it still a decent drinking beer. However, one note: if you eat this beer with some sharp cheddar cheese, it really brings out the sour hop flavor.

Victory St. Boisterous

I picked up a bottle of Victory St. Boisterous from Al's of Hampden as part of a mixed six-pack. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a thick foamy white head. I took notice as to how creamy the beer looked as it was being poured. The aroma consists of sweet malts, some caramel, and fresh hops. The taste is smooth, round and sweet with lots of caramel on the tongue, balanced by some orange and tangerine, and finished with a bitter and fresh hop bite. The alcohol content is 7.4% ABV. Victory has provided an excellent Helles Bock, which happens to be one of my favorite styles, that is well balanced and has plenty of flavors for the tongue to decipher. The entire experience is enjoyable, from the fresh smell, to the sweet start on the tongue, a great citrus balance, and the bitter bitey finish.

Lancaster Brewing Company Double Chocolate Milk Stout

I went to Al's of Hampden to order a glass of Lancaster Double Chocolate Milk Stout. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of lots of chocolate with milk accents. The taste is big on chocolate, some oak hidden in there, and toasted malts. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I thought the Double Chocolate Milk Stout was very delicious but does come off a little dry for a milk stout.