J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Calvados Barrel Aged)

Once inside of TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery for their anniversary party, I ordered a glass of J.W. Lees Harvest Ale aged in Calvados Barrels. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white color. The aroma consists of caramel, apple, oak, brandy, and smoke. The taste is sweet at first with caramel, toffee, apple, cinnamon, and raisin before transitioning into an alcohol bite with hints of smoke. Naturally, these flavors dry the mouth and leave behind a lingering smoke and oak flavor. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. I enjoyed this version of the Harvest Ale, as I have with the others that I have tried. The brandy was faint and more complementary rather than overbearing, but it was quite enjoyable.

J.W. Lees Harvest Ale 2011

I’m not quite sure, but it took me this long to finally get my first J.W. Lees Harvest Ale, a 2011 vintage.  The beer pours an amber color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves a light lacing on the glass on the way down. The aroma consists of honey, raisin, fig, earth, and candisugar. The taste is smooth with caramel, honey, and malts up front with raisin and fig flavors mixed in as well. An earthy spice takes over with pepper and grass as well. The finish has toffee and Belgian yeast sweetness. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavors in this beer and how the sweetness worked so well with the spices. I would absolutely get another one or two and lay it down to see how it ages.

Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

I ordered a glass of Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale on a recent visit to Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, and pine. The taste is bitter and dry with lots of citrus including orange, grapefruit, and tangerine. There is a pepper and pine finish, with hints of toffee lingering behind. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I really enjoyed the Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, but I would say that I preferred the Southern Hemisphere version from Sierra Nevada a little bit more. However, if you love bitter and citrusy hops, this is the perfect beer for you.

Founders Harvest Ale

At the suggestion of the owner of Carson Street Deli, I tried the Founders Harvest Ale. Although I drank one there, I didn’t pour it into a glass, so I ordered another one while at Bocktown because I enjoyed it so much. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head. The aroma is hoppy and has plenty of grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon. The taste is oily and sticky with grapefruit, tangerine, lemon pepper, and a good resin finish. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. Founders provided a beer that was one of the most fresh tasting that I have had, and it was smooth and oily, lingering on the tongue for a while to enjoy the hoppy goodness.

Weyerbacher Harvest Ale

While stopping in to Buffalo Blues in Pittsburgh for some East End beers, I also ordered a glass of Weyerbacher Harvest Ale. The beer pours an amber color with thin filmy white head. The aroma is faint but consists of light malts and fresh hops. The taste is malty with a good caramel and toffee base. Fresh earthy hops kick in but are complimentary and not overpowering. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I really enjoyed the sweet backbone that comes with this beer and it was easy to tell that the goal of Weyerbacher was to balance that sweetness with the fresh hops, a task that they succeeded in completing.

East End Big Hop Harvest Ale

On my last trip to Pittsburgh, I picked up a growler of East End Big Hop Harvest Ale from the brewery. The coolest part of this growler pick up is that they added fresh hops into the growler before sealing the lid. This way, the hops will be able to soak into the beer and bring out a little more of a hop profile. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a foamy off-white head. The aroma is piney and hoppy with some caramel and lemon hints. The taste is sweet and smooth with caramel with a good delicate pine and pepper hop balance. The beer then finishes smooth with a pepper bite on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.4% ABV. This has become one of my all time favorite IPAs. The balance that East End achieved with this beer was perfect and the hops bit perfectly on the back of the tongue.