New Holland Blue Sunday

At Belgium Comes to West Chester, Iron Hill had on tap New Holland Blue Sunday. The beer pours a reddish amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of sour raspberry, cherry, tartness, and vinegar. The taste is tart and sour with raspberry and cherry with a surprising light smoked malt background. Vanilla comes out on the finish. The alcohol content is  9.0% ABV. Blue Sunday had a great overall flavor and couldn’t be described as just sour and done. The smoked malt background really added another dimension to this beer, making more than just another sour. It was quite memorable, and unlike any other sour that I have had to date.

New Holland Beerhive Tripel

My buddy Matt decided to share of bottle of New Holland Beerhive Tripel with some friends and me. The beer pours a dark honey color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of honey, caramel, ginger, banana, and has a nice earthiness to it. The taste is sweet and built upon a solid honey and caramel flavor with a subtle banana flavor that has a ginger kick. Due to the honey, there is a smooth finish with earthy tones to it. The alcohol content is 8.47% ABV. This beer was quite delicious, especially for the price point, and provides a sweeter approach to a tripel. I really liked the honey additions and what it provided, but the ginger spice was what balanced everything and brought the beer together.

New Holland Envious Vintage 2010

I picked up a bottle of New Holland Envious Vintage 2010 from Discount Wine and Liquors in Booton, NJ. The beer pours a purple-ish amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, pear, malts, and raspberries. The taste is malty up front with some raspberry juice. The finish brings out some pear flavors, with plenty of caramel lingering behind. The after taste has the oak accents that the bottle advertises. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This beer didn’t do it for me. The fruit flavors were too sweet and not balanced at all. The one redeeming factor was the oak accent, but it wasn’t enough.

New Holland Oak Aged Hatter

I picked up a bottle of New Holland Oak Aged Hatter from Brass Rail in Campbelltown. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head that leaves a hint of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, lemon, grapefruit, oak, and pepper. The taste is dry and oaky with plenty of caramel on the front end with some lemon and grapefruit. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. I would say that the oak aging definitely killed off the dry and hoppiness of this beer, for the better or worse. While it was a good beer, The Mad Hatter on its own was much better.

New Holland Existential Hopwine

I ordered a glass of New Holland Existential Hopwine from Mad Mex in Robinson. The beer pours an orange-tinted color with a thin white colored head. The aroma is sweet with lots of malts, yeast, banana, cherry, and yeast. The taste is also really sweet with caramel, toffee, and yeast at first before a large hop presence with a bitter grapefruit bite kicks the tongue. There is also some pepper spice and a marijuana taste as well. A cherry and biscuit undertone surfaces before an alcohol burn on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. This was a powerful and interesting beer, but very enjoyable. It had a variety of flavors, and marijuana was not a flavor I’m used to picking up in a beer.

New Holland Charkoota Rye Smoked Doppelbock Lager

I picked up a bottle of New Holland Charkoota Rye Smoked Doppelbock Lager from Latimer Deli in Philadelphia, PA. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin tan head. The aroma consists of a great smoke aroma with a nice malty base with some caramel. The taste is bold and smoky with plenty of toasted malts. The base of this beer has a wonderful caramel flavor. The finish sweetens before the after taste brings back the dry smoky flavor. The alcohol content is 8.17% ABV. This smoked doppelbock was wonderful and had an excellent smoked flavor, all built on a sweet and enjoyable caramel flavor.

New Holland Hopquila

Falling Rock Tap House in Denver was fortunate to have some New Holland Hopquila for serving during the Great American Beer Fest. The Hopquila is as follows: a fermented wash of 100% barley is twice distilled, then steeped with Centennial hops. The vivacious spirit features a grain-centric body framed by citrus-laden hop character in the nose and finish. The tequila pours a yellow clear color. The aroma is potent, being very big on tequila, and a slight hop accent. As expected, the taste is big on tequila that attacks the tongue furiously. However, quite pleasantly, the finish consists of citrus and hops. While I found the information on the Hopquila quite interesting, drinking straight tequila can really make your night take a turn for the worse. I enjoyed the hop and citrus flavors, but I'm not sure how often I would drink this.

New Holland Imperial Hatter

I ordered a glass of New Holland Imperial Hatter from TJ's in Paoli. The beer pours an amber color with a foamy white head. The aroma is malty, sweet, and has a good caramel accent to it. The taste is malty with caramel and a grapefruit punch that is much appreciated. There is also a subtle toasted malt flavor. The alcohol content is 9.4% ABV. I was not aware of the alcohol content while drinking this beer, which is surprising for a beer approaching 10% ABV. The sweetness of this beer was very enjoyable, especially given that it is balanced but a refreshing citrus hop flavor.

Harrisburg Brewers Fest 2010

I attended Harrisburg Brewers Fest 2010, hosted by Troegs and for the benefit of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was an extremely hot day, but cold beers definitely helped the situation. Below are my tasting notes and pictures of the beers to accompany. Keep in mind that with smaller samples and an expedited schedule, my tasting notes a bit more brief than normal. If I get the chance to review these beers again, I will expand on them.

Bullfrog Fran-tastique Saison- The beer pours a cloudy yellow color. The aroma consists of wheat and lemon. The taste follows the aroma with lemon and wheat and nice slight hop bite. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought overall that this was a very good saison that was clean and refreshing

Duck-Rabbit Marzen- The beer pours a nice amber color. The aroma is very malty with a slight sour hint. The taste is smooth and malty with great sour hops finishing off the flavor. The alcohol content is not available online.

Smuttynose Barleywine- The beer pours a golden amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is malty with a light citrus zest. The taste is malty and bitey (great hops included) with caramel and some orange and spice accents. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a great barleywine and I would like to get an entire bottle of it rather than just a taste.

21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA- The beer pours a clear yellow color with a bubbly white head. There is a lemon aroma that is pretty faint. The taste is mostly lemon with some light pepper accents. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that this was a tame IPA, making it great to an IPA newbie, but still pretty good and easy drinking.

Market Cross Pub Red Ale- This beer was the winner of the home brew contest that Market Cross held previous to Brewer's Fest and it was available on hand pump. The beer pours an orange amber color with a bubbly white head. There is a nice malty aroma. The taste is malty, smooth, and creamy. There is no alcohol content available online. I thought that the Red Ale was delicious and one of my favorites, if not my favorite, beer of the day.

Erie Presque Isle Pilsner- The beer pours a yellow color with a bubbly white head. There is minimal aroma. The taste is sweet and wheat and overall light bodied. The alcohol content is 4.2% ABV. I thought that this pilsner was pretty decent but not mind blowing. I would definitely order this beer again for its easy drinking on a hot day.

Swashbuckler Mocha Stout- The beer pours a dark black color with a tan bubbly head. The aroma is coffee and chocolate with a bit of cream. The taste is coffee and cream with some good chocolate taste holding together the backbone. There is no alcohol content available online. This beer was excellent and smooth and made my list of great beers for the day. I would make this my second favorite beer of the day behind the Red Ale of Market Cross.

Otto's Pilsner- The beer pours a clear yellow color with a thick bubbly head. The aroma is filled with sour malts. The taste is malty and crisp with a good helping of sour hops. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. This pilsner was very refreshing and again is a great choice for a hot summer day.

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe- The beer pours a reddish amber color with a bubbly foamy white head. The aroma is filled with grapefruit, just the way I like my IPAs. The taste is really well balanced with caramel and grapefruit and a sweet sugary finish. The alcohol content is 9%. The Double Simcoe was an extremely delicious beer and I plan on tracking this beer down for home consumption.

Flying Dog Woody Crick White- The beer pours a yellow color and cloudy with a bubbly white head. The aroma is filled with wheat and light hints of lemon. The taste is lemon and wheat. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I thought that this witbier was really good but might have been slightly over-carbonated. However, this is less intrusive on a hot day as the beer is very refreshing.

New Holland El Mole Ocho- The beer pours a dark amber color. There is a chocolate and sour hop aroma. The taste is filled with chili and coffee, but in a great balance. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I was very surprised as to how good this beer was. It was my first experience with a spiced beer and I really enjoyed it.

Thirsty Dog Siberian Night- The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan bubbly head. The aroma consists of coffee, chocolate, and oak. The taste is the same as the aroma, mostly with the coffee and the chocolate. The oak provides a nice finishing touch. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. Overall, this beer is very delicious and I enjoyed the oak accents.

Marzoni's Avalanche IPA- The beer pours a dark amber color which was very surprising with a bubbly head. The aroma is filled with grapefruit. The taste consists of toasted malts and grapefruit. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. Overall, a decent IPA, as it contained a great bit of grapefruit flavors and the toasted malts gave an interesting but pleasing balance.

New Holland Black Tulip Trippel Ale

I picked up a bottle of New Holland Black Tulip Trippel Ale in Greenville, South Carolina on my last visit due to my favorable experiences with New Holland. The beer pours a golden-orange color with a lofty, bubbly white head. The aroma is filled with bananas and yeast. The taste is sweet with candisugar and almost too smooth. It was lightly creamy, with majority banana flavor. The finish is lightly dry with an alcohol and hop bite. The aftertaste is similar to rock candy. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This was an excellent trippel, especially with how smooth it drinks. I especially enjoyed this on a very warm spring day.

New Holland Cabin Fever Brown Ale

I grabbed a bottle of New Holland Cabin Fever Brown Ale the last time I was at D's Six Pax and Dogz. The beer has a deep brown color with a light foamy white head. The smell is malty with heavy hints of alcohol. The taste is very powerful with the alcohol accents on the front and has a light malty finish with a toffee undertone. There is a faint oak accent on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.25% ABV. I thought that the beer tastes much more like alcohol than I expected, especially for 6.25%ABV. I did like the flavor and overall experience, but the oak and alcohol taste is a bit powerful.

New Holland Dragon's Milk

Another bottle I picked up from D's Six Pax and Dogz was New Holland Dragon's Milk. I had heard great things about this beer and was anticipating it greatly. The beer pours a deep black color with a lofty tan head. It smells of sweet milk chocolate. The taste is sweet with chocolate flavor and a bitter alcohol bite. There is an underlying vanilla flavor and there are oak hints in the alcohol bite. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. I thought that Dragon's Milk was an amazing beer, as it is very sweet and tasty with great alcohol bite. If you get the chance to pick up a bottle or get this on draft, I would not pass it up.