Troegs Scratch 42- Razz-ma-dizzle

I stopped in to Troegs to pick up a case of Troegs Scratch 42- Razz-ma-dizzle. The beer pours a brown color with lots of red hues with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of raspberries and a sweet yeast, exactly like the Mad Elf. The taste is smooth and sweet with a slightly sour raspberry bite and a sweet yeast balance. There is a bit of an alcohol pinch on the sides of the mouth. On the finish, the pinch is smoothed out with a sweet vanilla flavor and bits of dark chocolate dry out the mouth. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This beer contains the memories of Mad Elf but instead of the sweet cherry accent, a sour raspberry twist has been inserted. I really enjoyed the balance of sweet and sour contained in this beer and look forward to finishing off the case.

Magic Hat Demo

My buddy Zack brought the spring mixed pack of Magic Hat beers, and I tried the Demo, part of the IPA on Tour series. The beer pours a dark amber color with a lofty and frothy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, caramel, grass, and weeds. The taste is roasted with burnt malts, caramel, and a light pine finish. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought that the Demo was a little too roasted for an IPA, but was a decent beer overall. Don’t expect this beer to be your typical IPA, and the grass and weed flavors might catch some people off guard.

Mad Fox India Ink

While in DC visiting some friends, we stopped in to Mad Fox Brewing Company and I ordered a glass of India Ink, a black IPA. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma is big on pine with some chocolate and lemon undertones. The taste is smoothly and lemony, and I mean it is big on lemon, with a good pine hop accent. There is a bit of chocolate that dries the mouth on the finish. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. The India Ink was a solid black IPA with plenty of lemon freshness, keeping similar in style to its IPA cousins.

Brasserie Duyck Jenlain Biere de Noel

I ordered a glass of Brasserie Duyck Jenlain Biere de Noel at T. Brendan O’Reilly’s on a whim. The beer pours a red amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of fresh pine hops and light malts. Where this beer excels is in the taste, as it is smooth and caramel-y with a slight sour malt accent. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. The Jenlain Biere de Noel was a very smooth and good beer with a light alcohol bite. This beer will go well with any season, as it is refreshing and crisp.

Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock

At T. Brendan O'Reilly's, I ordered a glass of Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock while out with friends. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy off-white head. The aroma consists of toasted malts with a freshly steeped coffee accent. The taste is big and bold with lots of toasted malts and a sweet coffee finish. There are hints of raisin and caramel lingering in the after taste. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. Drinking the Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock is like drinking a fresh cup of coffee with wonderful caramel and malt accents. I highly recommend this beer, especially if you need a little pick-me-up and want it to be alcoholic.

Roy Pitz Doc's Double Pale Ale

While meeting up with a friend from out of town, I ordered a glass of Roy Pitz Doc’s Double Pale Ale from T. Brendan O’Reilly’s in Harrisburg. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head that laces on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon and caramel, but isn’t very intense. The taste has a good caramel and pale malt base. The finish is drying with pine hops, balanced perfectly with the caramel and pale malts. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. The Doc’s Double Pale Ale was delicious and smooth pale ale that I downed rather quickly, making it a refreshing and tasting beverage.

Flying Fish Exit 13- Chocolate Stout

I ordered a bottle of Flying Fish Exit 13 Chocolate Stout from Queen Ann Wines & Spirits. The beer pours a deep black color with a frothy tan head that dissipates rather rapidly. The aroma consists of dark chocolate and espresso and a hint of vanilla. The taste is smooth and perfectly sweet with chocolate and toasted malts, perfectly smoked for this beer. The finish has a bit of vanilla sweetness and a coffee after taste lingers on the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I’m not sure that I’ve had a smoother chocolate stout that had a wonderfully balanced smoked flavor. This beer is a must try if you can still find it.

Black Diamond Peak XV Imperial Porter

I saw Black Diamond Peak XV Imperial Porter on the Beer on the Wall website and I ordered a bottle. I must say that the wax seal might have been the most difficult I have ever tried to open. The beer pours a dark brown color with an extremely lofty tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, oak, coffee, dry dark chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. The taste is big and bold with lots of dark chocolate flavors and plenty of toasted malts. There is a nice complimentary vanilla undertone and a dry coffee finish. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. Being my first beer from Black Diamond, I was quite impressed with the Peak XV Imperial Porter. It was quite smooth but has a roasted edge to gives it a great balance.

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

I ordered a bottle of Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout from Beer on the Wall. The beer pours a black color with a thin frothy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts with a faint background of caramel. The taste is dry but smooth with a hefty helping of chocolate, coffee, and espresso. The beer finishes with a toasted malt flavor, some vanilla, and a milky flavor. The alcohol content is 8.8% ABV. The Cappuccino Stout was a wonderfully smooth drinking beer with great chocolate and coffee flavors, as expected.

The Brew Works Belgian Tripel

While at The Brew Works in Bethlehem, I ordered a glass of the Belgian Tripel. I had ordered Belgian crab cakes, so I felt this was the perfect compliment. The beer pours a yellow-gold color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of banana and green apple with some candisugar rounding out the nose. The taste is bubbly with a pepper bite, light banana, and a big green apple flavor. On the finish lies a good amount of candisugar. The alcohol content is 8.8% ABV. Wow, what a great tripel Brew Works has created. I have not had very many that were so prevalent on the green apple, but it was a welcomed addition and one I would order again.

The Brew Works Barrel Aged Insidious Imperial Stout

With the announcement of a Bourbon Barrel Aged Insidious, I decided that trip to The Brew Works in Bethlehem was in order. The beer pours a black color with thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate with oak and Bourbon. The taste is lively and bitey with plenty of bubbles and a sharp Bourbon pinch on the front end. Next, the chocolate, toasted malts, and light coffee flavors kick in. The best part of the beer was the oak and vanilla finish, which was both sweet and smooth and balanced the Bourbon perfectly. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. As stated before, the finish on this beer was immaculate, and the Bourbon was a welcomed addition to the Insidious profile.

Black Diamond Rampage Imperial IPA

I ordered a bottle of Black Diamond Rampage Imperial IPA from Beer on the Wall. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that laces to the glass. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, lemon, and pine. The taste is bitter but slightly sweet with grapefruit, orange, tangerine, and lemon flavors. The beer dries a little on the finish with fresh pine and spruce hops. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This was wonderfully done Imperial IPA with all the right citrus flavors and hop balance. It was not overly sweet or bitter, but struck the perfect balance.