Intercourse Brewing Blue Ball Porter

As part of a mixed case I picked up for poker, I had a glass Intercourse Blue Ball Porter. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head that laves on the glass. The aroma consists of milk chocolate, toasted malts, and a hint of blueberry. The taste is smooth and chocolaty with with a nice toasted malted undertone. On the finish, there is hints of vanilla and blueberries. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I really enjoyed the toasted malt flavor balance with the slight blueberry balance.

Boulder Mojo Risin' Double IPA

While at Al’s of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Boulder Mojo Risin’ Double IPA on nitro. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head. This beer was poured with nitrogen, so lots of foam accompanied the pour and it settled similar to watching a Guinness. The aroma consisted of lemon and pine. The taste was creamy but smooth with lots of lemon and pine flavor. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. The Mojo Risin’ had a wonderful citrus flavor and was very smooth, most likely due to the nitro pour. If you love lemon flavors, this could be the beer for you.

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

I picked up a bottle of Sierra Nevada Hoptimum from Al’s of Hampton, and was very excited to try it. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a lofty and frothy off-white head. The aroma consists of fresh pine hops with lemon on top of a caramel backbone. The taste is smooth with caramel at first before the hop oils take over the tongue, dry it out, and leave a delicious lemon, grapefruit, and pine flavor behind. These oils do not subside quickly and linger on the tongue for several minutes of enjoyment. The alcohol content is 10.4% ABV. The Hoptimum was a wonderful beer that oozes with hop oil and a wonderful, fresh pine and citrus flavors.

Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier Ale

I ordered a glass of Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier Ale from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a black color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma is faint but contains chocolate and toasted malts. The taste is big on dry chocolate and toasted malts with hints of coffee mixed in to the beer. The Black Bier Ale also has a dry finish that is quite pleasant. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought this beer had a great flavor without being too complex; it just simply balanced the chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts perfectly.

Lost Abbey Angel's Share Bourbon Barrel

I picked up a bottle of Lost Abbey Angel’s Share Bourbon Barrel from Al’s of Hampden, and was really excited to try it. The beer pours a reddish brown color with an almost existent tan bubbly head that dissipates quickly. The aroma consists of raisin, caramel, alcohol, and fig. The taste is intense and really an eye opener. There is a huge kick of alcohol and bourbon right up front before the flavors subside a little and caramel, fig, and raisin peeks through. The after taste allows the bourbon to linger on the tongue and a bit of oak and vanilla come out and make it pleasant. The alcohol content is 12.5% ABV. This beer is extremely intense and full of flavors. I will say that I was not expecting the punch of the bourbon, but I quite enjoyed it.

Stoudt's Brewers Reserve 2X Chocolate Porter

Two friends and I were halfway to TJ’s in Paoli to get Pliny the Younger when it kicked, so we decided to stop into Stoudt's rather than just turn around. While there, i ordered a glass of the Brewers Reserve 2X Chocolate Porter. The beer pours a black color with a tan foamy head. The aroma consists of chocolate and toasted malts; not overly complex, but it tells you what’s in the beer. The taste is smooth at first before a toasted bite kicks in on a carbonation wave. There is smooth and very tasty chocolate finish with hints of oak and caramel. As the beer warms, a delightful licorice flavors peaks through. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I really enjoyed this beer, especially as it warmed and left a lingering licorice flavor in the mouth. It isn’t overwhelmed by roasted flavors and the chocolate perfectly balances the malts.

Full Sail Session Black Lager

I received a bottle of Full Sail Session Black Lager with my beer of the month club subscription from Beer on the Wall. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy off-white head. The aroma consists of sweet toasted malts with a sour hop accent. The taste is smooth and slightly sour with malts and a roasted malt flavor. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I really enjoyed the toasted malt flavor associated with this beer, making a wonderful and very drinkable lager.

Intercourse Brewing Paradise Pale Ale

I picked up a case of the Intercourse Brewing Company sampler pack, and the first beer I tried was the Paradise Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a think filmy white head. The aroma consists of sweet pale malts and an intrusive caramel accent. The taste is smooth and sweet with a big caramel base and a wonderful sour lemon hop bite. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I would say this beer fits in the sweeter pale ale category, but it’s not sweet; it simply is not bitter. This is a well crafted beer with a wonderful fruity finish built upon a caramel base.

Full Sail LTD 04

I received a bottle of Full Sail LTD 04 as part of my beer of the month club from Beer on the Wall. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of sweet malts with a light sour hop accent. The taste is smooth at first before a big malty bite jumps out of the beer. That taste then dries out a bit on the finish with sour hops. The after taste leaves a bit of buttered cookies lingering in the mouth. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was, by far, one of the best lagers I have ever had. Never before has a lager popped with flavor in my mouth and left a wonderful after taste. This is a must try beer, especially for lager fans.

Full Sail IPA

As part of my beer of the month club, I got a bottle of Full Sail IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head that has nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of sweet caramel malts with a fresh infusion of lemon and grass hops. The taste is dry and bitter on the front end with fresh pine and grass hops. The beer finishes with the sweeter taste of caramel and lemon. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This IPA was delicately balanced with a great citrus profile and wonderful caramel, all very fresh.

Sweetwater Tavern Giddyup Stout

Another beer I tried while in DC at Sweetwater Tavern was the Giddyup Stout. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate with hints of toasted malts and coffee. The taste is big on dry chocolate and coffee and the finish has a nice helping of caramel and toffee. The alcohol content is 4.25% ABV. The Giddyup Stout was a warm and toasty beer that was thoroughly delicious. I enjoyed the amount of coffee in this beer, and it was perfectly balanced with the chocolate flavors.

Sweetwater Tavern Great American Pale Ale

While visiting friends in DC, we stopped in to Sweetwater Tavern, and one of the beers I tried was the Great American Pale Ale. This beer won a gold medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Fest, which I attended, so I was excited to try it. The beer pours a reddish amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, pine, grapefruit, and lots of caramel. The taste is dry but has a great pine and lemon punch on the front end. The caramel base really shines through in this beer, and it leaves a grapefruit and lemon after taste. The alcohol content is 5.75% ABV. This pale ale was wonderful with plenty of citrus and caramel flavors, all well-balanced, and in perfect harmony with a great aroma.

Mad Fox Orange Whip IPA

While at Mad Fox Brewing Company outside of DC, I ordered a glass of Orange Whip IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly beige head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, and pineapple. The taste is big on grapefruit with a pineapple finish. Intertwined in the taste are accents of orange and tangerine, with some pine coming through on the finish. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. The Orange Whip was a wonderful IPA with plenty of flavors, and I especially enjoyed the pineapple. This beer was so good that we got a growler of it to go.

Magic Hat Vinyl Spring Lager

At my buddy Ryan’s house, I tried a bottle of Magic Hat Vinyl Spring Lager. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of sweet malts and a light hop accent. The taste is sweet and malty with a dry and slightly bitter after taste. There are hints of sour hops and a caramel after taste. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. This was a solid lager, with nothing overdone. I wouldn’t say it it was extreme or memorable, but it was a well done beer.