Pennichuk Brewing Pozharnik Russian Imperial Stout

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of Pennichuk Brewing (Closed) Pozharnik Russian Imperial Stout. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of coffee, espresso, vanilla, and chocolate. The taste is bold and has a roasted coffee flavor. Espresso, vanilla, and chocolate hits the mouth pretty strongly. The finish is dry and has a large roasty flavor. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a nice coffee infused beer that had plenty of chocolate background with a nice vanilla accent.

Burley Oak Hugs and Nugs

My buddy Matt brought over a growler of Burley Oak Hugs and Nugs to share. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, lemon, orange, and caramel. The taste is smooth with lots of citrus including orange, lemon, and tangerine. There is a solid caramel base with toasted toffee notes and a peppery finish. The after taste leaves some grapefruit behind on the tongue. The alcohol content is 8.8% ABV. This was a very nice IPA with great citrus flavors and a nice bitterness that was balanced well with a caramel background.

Stone 16th Anniversary IPA

I picked up a bottle of Stone 16th Anniversary IPA from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a light amber color with a lofty and frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, pine, spruce, tangerine, and a hint of caramel. The taste is very bitter on the front end with lots of pine and citrus flavors. A refreshing lemon citrus flavor takes over the mouth with an oily feel to it. There is a taste of toasted toffee in the background and hints of caramel. The finish is very peppery, floral, and grassy. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. The lemon flavors in this beer really jumped out of the glass and gave it an extra oily mouthfeel to it. I loved how piny and coniferous this beer was.

Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA

In a beer trade, my fiancee secured a bottle of Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA as a surprise to me. The beer pours an amber color with a lofty and frothy colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, malts, tea, pepper, and toasted caramel. The taste is lightly bitter with some lemon and pine but has a pretty strong caramel and sweet base. The finish has some grass and a good helping of pepper. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. This IPA was not terrible, but not too memorable either. It has some nice bitterness, but definitely fell on the sweet side of things.

Beach Brewing Hammerhead IPA

My sister and her husband picked up a grenade of Beach Brewing Hammerhead IPA from the brewery in Virginia Beach. The beer pours an amber color with a lofty and frothy off-white colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of tangerine, lemon, orange, caramel, and marijuana. The taste is fresh with pine, lemon, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit. A pepper spice and marijuana funk hit the tongue. A dryness lingers on the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was citrus bomb with plenty of hop bitterness and even a bit of marijuana funk to make it an excellent beer.

Beach Brewing SeaDevil Stout

Following a beach trip to Virginia Beach, my sister and her husband brought be a grenade of Beach Brewing SeaDevil Stout. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, coffee, toasted malts, and caramel. The taste is bold with strong coffee and toasted malt flavors on the front end before revealing a dark chocolate and caramel backbone. Dry and toasted malts linger in the after taste. The alcohol content is 10% ABV. I thought this beer struck the balance between hops and chocolate very well while maintaining a toasted malt and coffee presence that made it memorable.

Helltown Idle Hands Double IPA

I went to Pittsburgh Bottleshop Cafe one day for lunch and I ordered a glass of Helltown Idle Hands Double IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma is full of tangerine, pink grapefruit, orange, and lemon. From the nose, this beer is basically a citrus bomb. The taste is full of citrus flavors including grapefruit with sugar, tangerine, orange, and passion fruit. There is good caramel backbone in that it doesn't stand out and make its presence known. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I was more than impressed with this offering from Helltown and it hit every note of expectation from a Double IPA. If you get the chance to try it, do not pass on the opportunity.

Troegs Naked Elf

I ordered a glass of Troegs Naked Elf at a recent trip to the brewery. This beer has graduated from Scratch Beer to brewery-only seasonal, and I look forward to it every year. The beer pours a red-tinted amber color with a frothy off-white colored head. The aroma is sweet and consists of Belgian yeast, spice, and earth. The taste is sweet and yeasty with a Belgian spice, pepper, and a biscuity base. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. While it’s hard not to make comparisons of this beer to Mad Elf, it does a nice job of standing by itself with solid earthy flavors and a great Belgian yeast taste.

Terrapin Phlux Capacitor

I was able to go out to dinner in Greensburg at the Headkeeper Tapas bar, so I ordered a bottle of Terrapin Phlux Capacitor. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy cream colored head. The aroma consists of oak, pine, lemon, lots of caramel, and some toffee. The taste provides caramel and toffee sweetness with a light lemon accent. There is a dry and very oaky finish. Overall, it tastes like sawdust and eating wood. The alcohol content is 9.8% ABV. IF you are looking for an oaked beer, this is the one for you. I like most of the flavors in this beer, but I did think that the oak got in the way a little bit and was overdone.

Troegs Scratch 74- American Brown Ale

While at Troegs for the American Homebrewers Association rally, I got a class of Scratch 74- American Brown Ale on cask. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy beige head. The aroma consists of toasted malt, pine, lemon, and toffee. The taste is dry and toasted malts, but most notable it is pretty hoppy with lemon, pine, and spruce flavors abound. There is a nice chocolate finish to round out all of the flavors. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. While this isn’t your typical brown ale, it was rather delicious given the elevated hop content, dialing in at a whopping 68 IBUs.

Brouwerij De Graal Triverius Belgian Wheat Ale

As part of the July shipment from the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month Club, I received a bottle of Brouwerij De Graal Triverius Belgian Wheat Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves a faint lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of wheat, lemon, grass, hay, and a light barnyard funk. The taste is spicy and refreshing with a light base. Lemon, grass, and pepper all attack the tongue at first before a funk takes over the back of the mouth on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. This was a very refreshing beer with great spices and a light funk to make it very dynamic. For summer, it was a perfect fit.

Duck-Rabbit Duck-Rabbator Doppelbock

Another beer I received at a beer pairing dinner at The Black Gryphon in Elizabethtown was the Duck-Rabbit Duck-Rabbator Doppelbock. The beer pours a dark amber/brown color with a thin bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, raisin, fig, malt, grass. The taste is bold with burnt caramel, toasted toffee, and raisin. The finish has a dry malt flavor with some grass and pepper accents. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. This had some great flavors associated with it, and it was balanced quite exceptionally well. There was just enough spices to dull down the powerful sweetness in the beer, and it was more than enjoyable to drink.

Brasserie Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles

At a beer pairing dinner at the Black Gryphon in Elizabethtown, I received a glass of Brasserie Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles with the first course. The beer pours a pale yellow color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma is lemon, wheat, light tartness, and grass. The taste is sweet and sugary, lemon and wheat flavor. Hints of grass on the finish and it has a foamy mouth feel. The alcohol content is 4.5% ABV. The flavor of this beer was great, although a little sweeter than I expected. My only knock on the beer would be the foamy mouth feel seems out of places, but that can be taken care of with the proper food pairing.

Bullfrog Brewing Peche Panache

My buddy Adam brought a growler of Bullfrog Brewing Peche Panache to share at our weekly bottle share. It is described as a farmbic, or a farmhouse -lambic blend. The beer pours a yellow color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of peach, vinegar, grass, barnyard funk, and horse blanket. The taste is light and tart with a good peach flavor. This really has a barnyard funk and horse blanket flavor on the finish with a hint of vinegar. The after taste is a little dry and grassy. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I liked how dry and funky this beer was, and it really drove home that so-called “horse blanket” flavor, as it was ever present.