Breckenridge 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout

My most anticipated destination in Denver was the new Alehouse at Amato's, run by Breckenridge Brewing. One of the beers I ordered there was the Breckenridge 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout. The beer pours a black color with a thin tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, and vanilla. The taste is smooth with lots of chocolate and vanilla, and a few underlyings of cream. The finish brings out toasted malts and oak. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. Overall, this was a smooth and delicious beer with a velvety mouth feel, which was very pleasant. I also highly recommend going to the new Alehouse the time you are in Denver.

Breckenridge Avalance

I ordered a glass of Breckenridge Avalanche from McGrath’s in downtown Harrisburg. The beer pours a copper color with a frothy off-white head. The is faint but aroma consists of caramel, malts, and lemon. The taste is bitter at first with lemon and pine hops. A sweet caramel kick cones into play but is a little watered down. The finish is dry and toasted but what lingers is a watery after taste. The alcohol content is 5.41% ABV. This beer, at best, could be described as decent and nowhere near the memorable category. Well, it could be memorable in that I thought it was terrible and tasted extremely watered down. I am a big Breckenridge fan, but steer clear of this offering from them.

Breckenridge Small Batch Regal Pilsner

While in Denver for Great American Beer Fest, I stopped into the Breckenridge Ballpark Pub for lunch and a few brews. Having had a such positive impression from the Small Batch 471 IPA, I jumped at the chance to try another Small Batch offering, the Regal Pilsner. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy white head. The aroma is crisp and fresh with a good hop offering, more so than a typical pilsner. The taste is smooth and crisp with a good malty backbone and a sour hop bite. The finish is lemony and pine hops, with a dry and bitter after taste. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The Regal Pilsner provided a very good experience and was extremely enjoyable with a surprising hop transition.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

I picked up a bottle of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter when I was in South Carolina. The beer pours a dark amber color and has a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate with light hints of vanilla. The taste is very chocolaty but has an excellent dose of vanilla flavor. The vanilla helps add a creamy finish to the beer. The alcohol content is 4.75 ABV. I thought that this beer was thoroughly delicious and satisfying, with great flavors of chocolate and vanilla.

Breckenridge Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA

I picked up a bottle of Breckenridge Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA when I was in Greenville, South Carolina. I have thoroughly enjoyed every Breckenridge beer that I have had in the past, and I had high hopes for this one as well. The beer pours an orange amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, citrus, and pepper. The taste is smooth and lemon with a light orange accent and a grapefruit finish. The beer is a little sugary on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. I thought that this was an excellent IPA, or even an ideal IPA. It was very tasty and smooth with a great hop balance with the citrus flavors. It did not have a powerful bite, but enough to know the hops are there.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale

I picked up a bottle of Breckenridge Christmas Ale at D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh. The beer has an amber color with a foamy white head. The smell is malty and full of spices. The taste is sweet and is comprised of cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and a dash of cinnamon. The alcohol content is 7.4% ABV. The taste is very good and smooth with the right amount of spices. Nothing here is overdone and is a very quality Christmas beer.

Breckenridge Autumn Ale

I grabbed a bottle of Breckenridge Autumn Ale because I liked their Vanilla Porter. The beer is a dark brown color with a thin tan colored head. It smells is malty with hints of toffee. The taste is sweet and malty with an undertone of chocolate and toffee. There are also some mahogony accents. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer with the sweet caramel accents on top of the chocolate flavored base. I would recommend this beer and I look forward to trying additional Breckenridge beers.

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.