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.

Fat Head's Spooky Tooth Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I ordered a glass of Fat Head's Spooky Tooth Imperial Pumpkin Ale while at Fat Heads in Pittsburgh. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, pumpkin, and nutmeg. The taste is dry with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and pie crust. The finish has slight peppery spice with a brown sugar after taste and a lingering pumpkin flavor that also gives it a creamy mouth feel. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. Fat Heads has provided a rather delicious pumpkin beer and while I wouldn't say it's the best one on the market, it's worth getting again if you find yourself in the restaurant.

Fat Head's Hop Stalker Wet Hop IPA

While in Pittsburgh for business, I went to Fat Head's for dinner and ordered a glass of Hop Stalker Wet Hop IPA. The pours an amber color a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, tangerine, orange, hop oil, and caramel. The taste is fresh and dry with lots of hop oils, tangerine, orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Pine and spruce come out on the finish with lots of pepper bite. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. I loved the hop content of this beer and freshness of it. If I had one complaint, it would be that the body may have been a little light and didn't help balance the hops.

Fat Head's Sunshine Daydream Session IPA

Between a wedding and the reception in Pittsburgh, I stopped in to Mad Mex in Monroeville to order a glass of Fat Head’s Sunshine Daydream Session IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, lemon, orange, grapefruit, and caramel. The taste is bitter, light, and refreshing with citrus flavors abound. Tangerine,  orange, lemon, and grapefruit make up the citrus flavors before spruce and pine arrive on the finish. All of this is built upon a light caramel background. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. If I may, I would call this beer Head Hunter Lite, as it has a very similar flavor profile to Head Hunter without being as high in alcohol content or as intense.

Stone-Bear Republic-Fat Head's TBA (Texas Brown Ale)

As part of a trade with my buddy Rich in San Diego, I received a bottle of the Stone-Bear Republic-Fat Head’s collaboration TBA (Texas Brown Ale). The beer pours a brown color with a lofty and frothy cream colored head that lingers for a really long time. The aroma consists of lemon, pepper, caramel, toasted malts, coffee, and pine. The taste is nicely bitter with a toasted malt flavor and caramel backbone. The hops bring out lemon, pepper, and pine. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. I like the added hoppiness to this brown ale, and it was an aggressive representative of the style. If this is brew true to historical style, I would like to see more of these made in the future.

Troegs-Fat Head's Scratch 51- Fat Scratch 51

I stopped in to the new Troegs tasting room to try Scratch 51- Fat Scratch Fever, the collaboration with Fat Head’s. The collaboration came about by Troegs letting Fat Head’s take the old brewing equipment for a spin before it was moved to Fat Head’s. When I arrived, the keg had just kicked, but thankfully my friend Justin gave me some of his beer to try. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head that leaves a little lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, and pepper. The taste is dry and bitter and is grapefruit forward before some tangerine and orange come out as well. The finish has pepper and pine with the slightest hints of caramel. In the after taste, there is some lingering hops oils on the tongue. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a wonderful beer and I would hope that Troegs and Fat Head’s get together again to make this beer, as it was the hop heaven I would expect from these two brewers. Note: I stopped back in to the tasting room when another keg was tapped and got myself a full glass.

Fat Head's Autumn Fire

Another beer I tried while at Fat Head's in Pittsburgh recently was the Autumn Fire, a smoked marzen. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma is malty with some caramel notes and a hint of smoke. The taste is dry and smoky with caramel,  a hint of orange, vanilla, pepper and grass. Overall, it’s put together like a campfire. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would guess it to be around 5.5% ABV. Yet another solid beer from Fat Heads, this one incorporates the perfect amount of smoke to what can be a non-experimental style. The extra addition really rounds out all of the flavors and is quite enjoyable.

Fat Head's Stone Age

I stopped in to Fat Head's in Pittsburgh like I always do when I am in town and ordered a glass of Stone Age, their imperial stout. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, cream, and caramel. The taste is smooth but bitter with lots of chocolate on the front end. There is a nice helping of toasted malts with some caramel and a vanilla finish. The alcohol content is 9.1% ABV. I would say this is another solid performer for Fat Head's, as it is a very drinkable beer despite the alcohol content is full of wonderful flavors.

Fat Head's Head Trip

Another beer I ordered while at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh was their own Head Trip, a tripel. The beer pours a pale golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, thyme, and light lemon accents. The taste is dry and slightly bitter with lots of pepper and dry hops on the front end. The finish is sweetened with yeast and banana and the after taste is dry with pepper and grass. The alcohol content is 11.3% ABV. This was a great tripel, but take note that it is on the dry and bitter side rather than the sweet and yeasty side that most tripels adhere to.

Fat Head's Voodoo Monkey Chocolate Stout

When visiting Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh, I decided to try their own Voodoo Monkey Chocolate Stout. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma is big on chocolate and has some toasted malts, vanilla, and caramel. The taste is smooth with chocolate at first before a toasted malt bite kicks in and caramel and vanilla sweeten up the finish. The after taste is dry and has a slightly bitter chocolate flavor. The alcohol content is 6.1% ABV. The Voodoo Monkey Chocolate Stout has great sweet flavors with a bitter and dry balance that was both smooth and bitey, a nice package inside of a beer.

Fat Head's Phantom Pumpkin

I made a special trip to Fat Head's in Pittsburgh on my last visit to the city for the Phantom Pumpkin, The beer pours an orange amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of pumpkin and cinnamon with hints of nutmeg. The taste is light and malty with a surprising caramel base and a healthy helping of pumpkin. The beer dries a bit on the finish with cinnamon and an after taste of nutmeg. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. Fatheads has provided a very solid pumpkin beer without over-experimenting on it and it makes you think of Thanksgivings past when drinking it.

Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA

I ordered a glass of Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA when I was last in Pittsburgh. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of lemon and pine. The taste is lemon and pine with bits of caramel, pineapple, and grapefruit. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that the Head Hunter was a delicious IPA and really well done. This is a quality IPA and should be tried by those of you who like hops.