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.

Pittsburgh Brewfest 2009

I went to the Pittsburgh Brewfest to help support the Pittsburgh Rugby Club. It was hosted at the Steelhouse, Bar Room, and Saddle Ridge in Station Square. I thought the event was well organized and had good food for all to enjoy. Below you will find my tasting notes of the beers I had from the night.

Erie Brewing Company Ol' Red Cease & Desist- The beer is a red amber color with a malty aroma. The taste is sweet at first with a hop and spice bite on the finish. It has a slight dryness due to the alcohol content. The alcohol content is 10.1% ABV. I thought the taste was great for the high alcohol content, as it was not apparently that it was that high.

Erie Brewing Company Mad Anthony's APA- The beer is yellow in color and is cloudy and unfiltered. There is a slight yeast aroma. The taste is very light with mild hops. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought this wasn't a bad pale ale, but it was light on the flavor. However, it makes it very easy to drink.

Erie Brewing Company Misery Bay IPA- The beer has a copper color with no head. The taste is dry and hoppy with a slight malt undertone. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I drinks a little bit creamy and is very enjoyable.

Rivertowne White Lightning- The beer is a cloudy white with a sweet coriander aroma. I thought it had an excellent taste, consisting of coriander with grapefruit accents. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV.

Bud Light Golden Wheat- Due to the fact that it was free, I decided to give the Golden Wheat a try. It has an unfiltered gold color with a minimal wheat aroma. The taste is lemony, but very light. There is no aftertaste. The alcohol content is 4.1% ABV. At first, I thought that it was not as bad as I expected it to be but it was not great. However, it did get worse the more I drank it and I would not recommend this beer.

Boulder Mojo IPA- The beer had a decent head and a gold color. The aroma consisted mostly of floral hops. The taste is smooth with lemon and pepper accents and it finishes with plenty of hops. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I thought that the beer was pretty good, but it was a little too carbonated.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter- The beer is amber in color with light head. The smell is sweet with a light vanilla hint. The taste consists of toasted malts with a sweet vanilla undertone, but the vanilla is faint. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. I found that as I let the beer warm up it got better, so if you try this beer drink it after it has warmed up.

Southern Tier Phin & Matt's- The beer has a pale gold color with a lemon aroma. The taste consists of lemon with a slight pepper accent. It finishes dry due to the hops. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV.

Great Lakes Eliot Ness- The beer is dark amber in color with a lofty head. It has a light malt aroma. The taste is malty with hints of caramel and a dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I really liked the flavor and the drinkability of the beer.

Penn Brewery Kaiser Pils- The beer has a golden color with no head or aroma. The beer has a light crisp taste. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I thought that this was a decent pilsner. It is very light drinking, but still has enough flavor to make it enjoyable.

North Coast Brewing Company Old Rasputen Russian Imperial Stout- The beer has a black color with a tan head. The smell has hints of chocolate. The taste is hoppy with toasted malt and chocolate flavor. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I really liked this beer and plan on having more in the future.

Three Rivers Underground Brewers Smoked Porter- The beer is dark brown in color with a light smoke aroma. The taste is malty and sweet with a light smoke finish. There are chocolate and toffee hints. I am not sure what the alcohol content is due to it being a home brew. This beer ended up being my second favorite beer of the night and it was full of flavor.

Three Rivers Underground Brewers British Ale- The beer is a dark brown color with a lofty creamy head. It smells very fresh and lightly hoppy. The taste is sweet and dry with a nice malt flavor. I am not sure what the alcohol content is due to it being a home brew.

Three Rivers Underground Brewers Slutty Red Head- The beer is a dark amber color with a frothy head. It has a light hop aroma. The taste is smooth and round and finishes slightly dry. It has a light cream taste. I am not sure what the alcohol content is due to it being a home brew.

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter- The beer is a dark brown color with a lofty tan head. It smells like coffee with cream. The taste is full of chocolate, java, and vanilla. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought this was the best beer at the brewfest. The flavors were so dynamic and pleasing that I had to have several glasses of this beer. This is definitely a recommended beer.

Atwater Blocktoberfest

I picked up a bottle of Atwater Bloktoberfest from Barley's and Hop's. The beer is dark amber in color with a sweet caramel aroma. There a frothy thick head from the pour. It has a sweet malty taste with a carmel undertone. There is a slight sour finish. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. I thought that this is a good oktoberfest, and the caramel accent is delicately balanced with the other flavors in the beer.