Harpoon Leviathan Quad

While at the Harpoon brewery, I picked up a four-pack of Harpoon Leviathan Quad. The beer pours a dark amber color with red hues and a thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of lots of sweet raisins with fig and hints of chocolate. The taste is smooth and sweet with a nice alcohol bite. Lots of raisins, fig, and dark fruits linger in the after taste, and a bit of orange hits in the after taste. The alcohol content is 11.75% ABV. This beer is a great quad, but fall on the slightly sweet side of things. I like it, but finishing an entire glass could be a little difficult.

Captain Lawrence Nor' Easter Winter Warmer

I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Nor’ Easter Winter Warmer from Lee of Hoptopia in a beer trade. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head that has minimal lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of elderberries, chocolate, toasted malts, vanilla, and coffee. The taste is smooth and chocolaty before a biting toasted malts kicks in. The finish brings out the elderberries with a slight tartness and vanilla, coffee, and oak accents. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. The elderberry tart accents nestled into the chocolate and toasted malts made for a great workout on the tongue and a very enjoyable drink.

Troegs Scratch 43- India Pale Ale (5 of 4)

I stopped in to Troegs to pick up a case of Troegs Scratch 43- India Pale Ale (Number 5?! in a series of 4) in advance of the Perpetual IPA. The beer pours a straw yellow color, which was very surprising, with a frothy white head that laces to the glass. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, faint caramel, and pine. The taste is dry and bitter with lots of grapefruit, tangerine, orange peel, caramel, and pine on the tongue. The finish is very bready and and biscuity, with bitter pine and a hint of butterscotch. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. When I poured this beer, I was less than impressed when compared to the other four beers in the series, but after trying it, I really enjoyed the flavor and bitterness of the IPA.I wouldn’t say it was the best of the IPA series (here’s looking at you, Scratch 39), but it was still very enjoyable.

Samuel Adams Imperial Stout

My buddy Brad picked up a four pack of the Samuel Adams Imperial Stout when I visited him in Blairsville, and I gladly accepted a bottle to try. The beer pours a black color with a frothy team head. The aroma consists of lots of chocolate malts, oak, vanilla, alcohol, and molasses. The taste is filled with dark chocolate and plenty of malts, some oak and vanilla flavors, and molasses. The finish is dry with with lots of oak and coffee. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. This beer has a surprising smooth and milky chocolate flavor with a good alcohol bite, drying out on the finish.

Voodoo Black Magick

I was in Boston for Extreme Beer Fest when Al’s of Hampden released a case of Voodoo Black Magick, so I had my dad pick me up a bottle to try. The beer pours a deep black color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of lots of alcohol, chocolate, licorice, bourbon, and a hint of toasted malts. The taste is bold and takes over the mouth. Big on chocolate, this beer also contains some molasses and licorice. The alcohol kicks in with a warming bourbon finish, with hints of vanilla and caramel coming through in the after taste. The alcohol content is 15.5% ABV. Overall, this warming and delicious brew had a very bold profile with lots of chocolate, all finishing with a good bourbon kick to the tongue.

Terrapin Hop Karma Brown IPA

While out in Downtown Harrisburg for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, I stopped in to Anthony’s to order a glass of Terrapin Hop Karma Brown IPA. The beer pours a dark amber color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of pine and lemon. The taste is malty with a caramel base, some lemon and pine accents, and has a dry and bitter finish. The after taste brings in some toasted malts to balance out the bitterness. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I liked how the toasted malt flavors were balanced nicely with the citrus flavors of the IPA, making a very interesting but enjoyable mix.

Ithaca Excelsior Thirteen

I picked up a bottle of Ithaca Excelsior Thirteen in a beer trade with Lee from Hoptopia. The beer pours a a golden color with a frothy white head that laces on the glass. The aroma consists of orange and lemon peel, wheat, pepper, and lemongrass. The taste is smooth and sweet with lots of wheat accented nicely with lemon and orange peel. The finish bites a little bit with pepper, but balances nicely. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I enjoyed the citrus sweetness balanced nicely with the pepper hops, all combining for a refreshing and complex beer.

Great Divide Claymore

For St. Patrick’s Day, I ordered a glass of Great Divide Claymore at Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts and caramel; nothing too intense here. The taste is smooth and sweet with caramel at first before some roasted malts and chocolate kick in. There is a light, dry, and biting finish with the Claymore. The alcohol content is 7.7% ABV. This was the perfect beer for St. Patrick’s Day, and it had a wonderful sweet caramel base with a wonderful toasted accents from the malts.

Brouwerij De Musketiers Troubadour Magma

I ordered a glass of Brouwerij De Musketiers Troubadour Magma from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours an orange amber color with a thin foamy white head. The aroma consists grapefruit, sugar, banana, Belgian yeast, and pepper. The taste is smooth and sweet with orange, banana, pepper, Belgian yeast, and a hint of honey. The alcohol is big and bold and lingers for while, burning the tongue a little bite. The alcohol content is 9% ABV. I really enjoyed the Magma, especially the warming alcohol sensation that came on the tongue.

High Point Ramstein Winter Wheat

I stopped in to Al’s of Hampden for dinner and to try a glass of High Point Ramstein Winter Wheat, an Eisbock. The beer pours a dark black color with a thin filmy tab head. The aroma consists of wheat, chocolate, and toasted malts. The taste is big and malty with lots of caramel and a good chocolate malt balance. On the finish, some toffee and caramel come out to sweeten the tongue. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. This beer is smooth and delicious with plenty of malts on the palate, and is an extremely well done brew.

Mad River Jamaica Sunset India Pale Ale

Another of the beers I received from the Beer on the Wall beer of the month club was Mad River Jamaica Sunset India Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden-orange color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, orange, pine, and pepper. The taste is sweet and bitter all at the same time, starting with a sweet orange and grapefruit with sugar taste before transferring to a bitter lemon, pine, and pepper flavor. The finish is dry and has a peppercorn and lemon peel flavor. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. Overall, this is a solid IPA, not shying to either the sweet or bitter side. It may be considered tame by some standards, but I find it a very enjoyable and drinkable beer.

Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale

As part of my beer of the month club from Beer on the Wall, I received a bottle of Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale. The beer pours an extremely pale yellow color with a frothy white head. Thar aroma consists of sweet pale malts with a faint hop accent. The taste is sweet and quite tasty with sweet malts, light lemon accents and a light butterscotch hint. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. While a decent pale ale, it does lean slightly on the light side and could use a little extra flavor.

St. Feuillien Saison

I picked up a bottle of St. Feuillien Saison from Al’s of Hampden, having heard good things about the beer. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a lively and lofty white bubbly head. The aroma consists of banana, Belgian yeast, grass, orange peel, and nice earthy hops. The taste is smooth and yeasty but with a wonderful hop accent. The hops come right to the front of the tongue, which is not typical of a saison. Other flavors that accents this beer are pepper, banana, Belgian yeast, lemon, and orange peel. The finish is very earthy and the after taste leaves some grass flavors in the mouth. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This is definitely one of the more hopped saisons that I have had, and I really enjoyed that aspect. I also was impressed with the amount of citrus flavors and how it finished with a wonderful earthy flavor.