Dark Horse Plead the 5th

On the menu at Bocktown was Dark Horse Plead the 5th, and I knew I had tasted it at Extreme Beer Fest but not fully reviewed it, so I ordered a glass. The beer pours a black color with a foamy tan head. The aroma is filled with chocolate, toasted malts, cream, and has a hint of oak. The taste is smooth and chocolaty, bringing out bold flavors that are robust. There are plenty of toasted malts in here with a hint of cream in the finish. The finish is also dry with some charcoal and a light alcohol tinge on the tongue, but the alcohol content is hidden well despite being 12.0% ABV. This beer continues to impress me each time I drink it with its great toasted flavor and chocolaty smoothness.

Penn Brewery 25th Anniversary Imperial Pilsner

I went to Bocktown in Pittsburgh for lunch and I noticed they had the Penn Brewery 25th Anniversary Imperial Pilsner on tap, so I jumped at the chance to try it. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of caramel and lemon, but is somewhat faint. The taste is bitter with lemon and peppery hops on the front end with a caramel and toffee base. There is a dry grassy finish, with a lingering dryness. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would guess it to be approximately 7.5% ABV. This was a great beer that is refreshing and really builds on the Penn Pilsner that has been a staple in my Pittsburgh drinking experiences.

Avery Anniversary Ale- Eighteen (Dry Hopped Rye Saison)

On tap at Mad Mex in Robinson I noticed Avery Anniversary Ale- Eighteen (Dry Hopped Rye Saison), so I decided to order a glass and try it. The beer pours an amber color with a foamy off-white colored head. The aroma is spicy and peppery with lemon, rosemary, oregano, and rose petal, making it very enticing to the nostrils. The taste is spicy and biting on the tongue with pepper, rose petals, dry rye, and a good lemon and yeast base. Rosemary comes out on the finish on the finish. The alcohol content is 8.11% ABV. The wonderful flavors that make up this beer are extremely enjoyable, and I thought the rye, rose petals, and rosemary went very well together.

New Holland Existential Hopwine

I ordered a glass of New Holland Existential Hopwine from Mad Mex in Robinson. The beer pours an orange-tinted color with a thin white colored head. The aroma is sweet with lots of malts, yeast, banana, cherry, and yeast. The taste is also really sweet with caramel, toffee, and yeast at first before a large hop presence with a bitter grapefruit bite kicks the tongue. There is also some pepper spice and a marijuana taste as well. A cherry and biscuit undertone surfaces before an alcohol burn on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. This was a powerful and interesting beer, but very enjoyable. It had a variety of flavors, and marijuana was not a flavor I’m used to picking up in a beer.

Appalachian Brewing Company Double IPA Series

On my last visit to Appalachian Brewing Company, I decided to try their new Double IPA series that is comprised of three different single-hop Double IPAs. All three beers have an alcohol content of 7.57% ABV, but have varying bitterness. The first beer I tried was the Nugget version. At 82 IBUs, it is second-most bitter of the three. The beer pours an amber color with foamy white head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, pine, caramel, and lemon. The taste is bitter and fresh with grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and a pine finish.

The second beer I had was the Summit version. It rings in at 87 IBUs, making it the bitterest of the three in the series. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma oily and bitter with a large grapefruit profile and some orange. The taste is big on orange, tangerine, and grapefruit, providing an excellent citrus offering before a pine finish with hints of pepper. This was my favorite of the three with its full body and oily mouth feel, it was sure to please the hop heads out there.

The final beer in the series was the Cascade version. It rings in at 72 IBUs and is the least bitter of the three. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, pine, and caramel. The taste is light on the tongue with a little bitterness that comprises of some grapefruit and tangerine. Of the three, this was my least favorite, as it lacked the pizazz of flavor and bitterness.

Spring House Planet Bean on cask with Starbucks Breakfast Blend and Vanilla Beans

Al’s of Hampden recently received a cask of Spring House Planet Bean with Starbucks Breakfast Blend and Vanilla Beans, so I ordered a glass. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of fresh coffee grounds, cream, and chocolate. The taste is dry and filled with fresh coffee grounds and a light bodied light vanilla accent. There is plenty of silky smooth chocolate that lies underneath the surface and a creamy after taste. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The Planet Bean on cask is wonderful and fresh tasting, especially with the inclusion of the Breakfast Blend. It almost tasted like having a fresh cup of coffee in the morning, with the slight addition of chocolate and vanilla.

Brouwerij Lindemans Faro Lambic

I ordered a glass of Brouwerij Lindemans Faro Lambic from Al’s of Hampden on a recent visit. The beer pours a brown-amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of cherry, vinegar, malts, yeast, and powdered candy. The taste has a big brown sugar profile and has a lightly tart cherry flavor which yields a small pucker. There is a yeast and light biscuit after taste. The alcohol content is 4.2% ABV. This sessionable beer has quite a delectable flavor, namely the brown sugar sweetness, but that is balanced quite well with the tart cherry flavor.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Clutch

My buddy slipped in to Honeygo Wines and Spirits to grab a bottle of New Belgium Lips of Faith Clutch, a beer made for the rock band. The beer pours a dark brown color with a think filmy tan head. The aroma consists of dark chocolate, toffee, caramel, and a slight sour tinge. The taste has a burnt profile with lots of malts, chocolate, toffee, and caramel. There is a slight sour tinge to it, but not very much or as advertised. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I enjoyed how burnt and toasty this beer was accompanied with a slight sour accent. It was enjoyable, but not quite what I was expecting, not that that was a bad thing.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Super Cru

I ordered a bottle of New Belgium Lips of Faith Super Cru from France 44, the supercharged version of Fat Tire. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of sweet pears and malts with a slight cherry accent. The taste is extremely sweet with plenty of malts and lots of pear juice as well. There is a faint hint of peppery hops and an alcohol warmth on the finish. The after taste leaves some caramel and burnt malts. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I would say that I enjoyed drinking this beer, but I was glad I shared it with another person, as it was rather on the sweet side. An entire 22-ounce bottle would be difficult to finish.

St. Feuillien-Green Flash Biere de L’amitie

​My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of the St. Feuillien-Green Flash collaboration Biere de L’amitie. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white head. The aroma consists of lemon peel, meringue, pepper, and orange. The taste is spicy with lots of citrus flavors as well. There is orange, lemon, and wheat flavors before some meringue comes in to sweeten up the flavor. A biscuit flavor comes out before there is pepper, grassy hops, and oregano. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. The beer was light on the tongue and quite refreshing with plenty of citrus flavors. The spices that come through are intense, but quite enjoyable.

Coast Brewing 32/50 Kolsch

As part of a beer trade with SCBeerGuy, I received a bottle of Coast Brewing 32/50 Kolsch. The beer pours a clear golden color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, wheat, pepper, and grassy hops. The taste is light on the tongue with a nice compliment of lemon and pepper on a wheat base. The grassy hops come out in the finish and leads to a nice clean after taste. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. This is by far one of the cleanest and smoothest Kolsches that I have had and I consider it to be a benchmark of the style.

Jolly Pumpkin Luciernage

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin Luciernage to share. The beer pours a orange-tinted gold color with a frothy white head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of orange, lemon, yeast, barnyard funk, and a slight sour twist. The taste has a lot of barnyard funk, hay, and horse blanket. There is some lemon and a sourness about it as well. The finish brings out some pepper and grassy hops. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I really liked the funk contained in this bottle with a nice sourness. The grassy hops were a perfect balance to the sourness and lemon flavors.

Coast Brewing Hop Art India Pale Ale

As part of a beer trade with SCBeerGuy, I received a bottle of Coast Brewing Hop Art India Pale Ale. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, grass, and pine. The taste is dry and bitter with lots of pink grapefruit, tangerine, and orange citrus flavors. The finish brings out pine and grass flavors with some pepper as well. The after taste consists of caramel, which is a night sweet touch. The taste is 7.7% ABV. This is one of the cleanest IPAs that I’ve had and it has a nice robust offering of citrus flavors. There were other great spice flavors as well, but it is all about the citrus.