Green Flash Double Stout Black Ale

My buddy Adam brought over a bottle of Green Flash Double Stout Black Ale to share. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, vanilla, toasted malts, and caramel. The taste is smooth and chocolaty with a bold flavor. Some toasted malts come into play with a dry finish that has a touch of caramel and vanilla. The alcohol content is 8.8% ABV. This was a wonderful stout with robust chocolate flavors and a nice, dry finish with plenty of toasted malts.

Jester King Gotlandsbricka

With the October shipment from the Michael Jackson Rare Beer Club, I received a bottle of Jester King Gotlandsbricka. The aroma consists of bacon, smoke, lemon, pepper, and grass. The taste is bold and smoky with some barbeque, and bacon flavors. Hints of lemon, pepper, hay, and grass peek through before a charcoal grill arrives and takes over the finish. The alcohol content is 6.6% ABV. I’m not quite sure how I felt about a smoked malt pilsner, but it was definitely interesting. It would make sense if it was the traditional drink of the Vikings as it will put some hair on your chest.

Troegs Scratch 79- Master of Pumpkins

I stopped in to the Troegs tasting room to try Scratch 79- Master of Pumpkins. I was thoroughly happy that after years of refusing to make a pumpkin beer that Troegs finally caved and created one, especially using locally grown pumpkins. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, and pepper. The taste is bold on pumpkin that has some light roasted flavors to it. Spicy cinnamon and nutmeg are paired with a peppery and dry finish that leaves hints of vanilla behind. The alcohol content is 8.4% ABV. The saison yeast provided an interesting spiciness to this beer. I’d say if they kept that and pulled back on a few of the other spices, this would be an absolute winner. For a first attempt at a pumpkin ale, I loved it and can hope for another version next year.

Crooked Stave Batch Number 1 Wild Wild Brett Burgundy Ale with Raspberries

With my Cellar Reserve membership, I received a bottle of Crooked Stave Batch Number 1 Wild Wild Brett Burgundy Ale With Raspberries. The beer pours a red-amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head that subsides with a fizzling. The aroma consists of tart raspberries, sugar, pie crust, vinegar, cherries, and brett. The taste is tart with raspberries and vinegar that causes quite a pucker. There is a nice sugary pie crust flavor on the finish with a cherry hint. The after taste lingers with a bit of oak and vinegar. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This beer was amazing with a great raspberry tart flavor that was exactly like pie. It was definitely one of the better sour beers that I have had.

Crooked Stave Surette Reserva Farmhouse Ale

I ordered a bottle of Crooked Stave Surette Reserva Farmhouse Ale as part of my Cellar Reserve membership. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head that recedes rapidly. The aroma consists of lemon, grass, oak, and candy. The taste is lightly puckering with lemon candy flavors. Hidden behind is a little bit of grass, hay, and barnyard funk. An oak dryness comes out on the finish and it leaves behind a touch of pepper. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I loved the slightly sour accents in the spin on a traditional saison. It made it extremely dimensional and kept the tongue dancing throughout the drinking experience.

Atwater Conniption Fit Double IPA

The final beer I ordered at Mad Mex in Shadyside was Atwater Conniption Fit Double IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and passion fruit. The taste brings out pineapple, orange, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, and passion fruit. Pepper and spruce arrives on the finish to attempt to balance out the hop flavors. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. While I love pineapple, I feel like its presence in this beer was too profound and took over the beer. This wasn’t a terrible Double IPA, but not one really worth going back to for another drink.

Brooklyn Brewmaster's Series Mary's Maple Porter

I ordered a glass of Brooklyn Brewmaster’s Series Mary’s Maple Porter from Mad Mex in Shadyside. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of strong maple syrup, toasted malts, and coffee. The taste is full of roasted malts accompanied by plenty of maple syrup. A hint of coffee appears before a dry finish that is very robust. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. I thought the maple syrup provided a great flavor to this beer, but there wasn’t enough of a backbone to balance out the sweetness. I’d probably drink it again, but I can only drink one of these per sitting.

Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale

After several attempts to try the beer, I finally ordered a glass of Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale at Mad Mex in Shadyside. The beer pours a orange-tinted golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla. The taste is smooth and sweet with lots of pumpkin. Better yet, very light cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg accents appear and balance the sweetness with a hint of graham cracker. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I’d say this was another solid performer in the pumpkin ale category. While it wasn’t the best I’ve had, I would definitely order this beer again next fall.http://flyingdogbrewery.com/

Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

The final beer I ordered at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh was the Pumpkin Ale from Rivertown. The beer pours an orange-tinted color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, and allspice. The taste is light bodied with a sweet pumpkin flavor on the front end. A nice compliment of light spices- cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg- work together and there is a vanilla accent on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. As far as pumpkin ales, this beer was neither too spicy nor too sweet. The balance was well played, but I can’t say it was overly memorable.

Stoudt's Achluophobia Black Kolsch

Another beer I ordered at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh was Stoudt’s Achluophobia Black Kolsch. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves a lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, caramel, coffee, and lemon. The taste is light bodied with chocolate, lemon, coffee, toasted malts, grass, and pepper. All of the flavors you would expect from a stout were combined with those of a kolsch, and it blended really well. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I thought this was a really good beer that brought two distinct and unique styles together in one glass, similar to a black and tan. The grassy finish on top of chocolate flavors is what sold it to me.

Fat Head's Hop Juju Double IPA

While in Pittsburgh, I went to Fat Head’s (like usual) and ordered a glass of Hop Juju Double IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, orange, pine, spruce, and caramel. The taste is bitter and oily with plenty of citrus flavors including grapefruit, tangerine, and orange. Pine, spruce, and pepper comprise the finish with a wonderful oily after taste. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. This was an exceptional Double IPA that I would come back to again and again. It packs a great citrus hop punch and leaves plenty of oils on the tongue, making it a very memorable beer.

Crooked Stave Blackberry Petite Sour

As part of my Cellar Reserve Membership at Crooked Stave, I received a bottle of Blackberry Petite Sour. The beer pours a red tinted amber color with a bubbly white colored head that fizzles away. The aroma consists of vinegar, blackberries, sugar, and pie crust. The taste is tart and puckering with a dry blackberry flavor. A tartness settles in on the finish with vinegar and a touch of sugar and pie crust on the after taste. A lingering oak flavor and dryness also comes out. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. This was a wonderful fruit-infused sour with a lovely tartness and a light oak dryness. Another winner from Crooked Stave!