Widmer O'Ryely IPA

Another beer that I tried on St. Patrick’s Day at O’Reilly’s Tap Room was Widmer O’Ryely IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of rye, caramel, bread, lemon, and pepper. The taste is dry and filled with a dry rye flavor and a caramel undertone. Hints of lemon and pepper peek through before the beer leaves a spicy aftertaste. The alcohol content is 6.4% ABV. I was rather impressed with the flavors in this beer and the nice bitterness attached to it. The rye gave the beer a bready dryness and a slightly creamy mouth feel, and everyone that sipped the beer was quite impressed.

Three Floyds-Mikkeller Boogoop

I stopped in to O’Reilly’s Tap Room in Harrisburg for St. Patrick’s Day and was excited to ordered a glass of the Three Floyds-Mikkeller collaboration Boogoop. The beer pours an orange-tinted amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, yeast, and orange. The taste is very sweet with caramel, toffee, and orange candy. Lots of alcohol dryness balances sweetness, and bitter lemon and pine hop flavors comes out on finish. The alcohol content is 10.4% ABV. This was a solid beer, and the best part was the orange candy flavors that hit the palate before the dry alcohol and hop bitterness.

Victory Ranch R

I went out with some friends to watch the Penguins game at the new Arooga’s Draft House and Sports Bar, and the first beer I ordered was the Victory Ranch R. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, spruce, and pine. The taste is bitter and oily with lots of orange flavors. There are hints of bitter tangerine and grapefruit in the background, and the beer is speckled with pepper and a nice spruce profile. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I put this in the solid performing Double IPA category. It has a bit of a sweetness to it, but not from caramel flavors; it comes from the orange citrus flavor. Following that, it gives an excellent oily and bitter finish to it as the hops envelop the mouth.

Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer

One of the Clown Shoes beers that I picked up at Al’s of Hampden was the Vampire Slayer, an Imperial American Stout. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head that leaves a faint lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, cream, caramel, and toffee. The taste is smooth and chocolaty with lots of coffee and toasted malts. Cream and sugar accents the flavors with a roasty finish. There are hints of pine hops in the background. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV.This was a smooth and easy drinking beer that had plenty of chocolate and coffee flavors, with a great finish. It definitely is one of the better Imperial American Stouts that I have had. Make sure you check this beer out if you have the chance.

Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet

I picked up a bottle of Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet, a Black IPA, from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves a remnant of a lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of toasted malts, caramel, coffee, chocolate, and pine. The taste is toasty and malty with plenty of caramel and roasted malt flavor. The finish has a dry lemon and pepper flavor. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This beer hit the solid notes of a Black IPA that I like, and it definitely had a large roasted malt profile.

Clown Shoes Muffin Top

Another one of the beers I picked up from Al’s of Hampden was the Clown Shoes Muffin Top, A Belgian-style Tripel India Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy off-white colored head that leaves speckles of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, and tangerine. The taste is large on passion fruit on the front end with some pineapple and mixed fruit cup. Bit of tangerine and orange peek through, and the hops are accented mostly by grass and a hint of pepper. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a rather interesting beer and had plenty of passion fruit flavors on the front end. The yeast was very present, and had an overall great mouth feel.

Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp

I picked up the six bottles of Clown Shoes beers, and the first one I tried was Tramp Stamp, a Belgian-style India Pale Ale. The beer pours a orange-amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of orange, tangerine, passion fruit, pineapple, and banana. The taste light but dry with a grass forward flavor, banana, and pepper. Some orange and tangerine adds plenty of bitterness on the finish. A light banana undertone compliments the beer nicely and also helps bring out an earthiness. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I was quite impressed with this Belgian IPA, as it was much more bitter than most in the style that I have tried. It mixed earthiness very well with citrus flavors and spicy pepper and grass.