Church Brew Works-Penn Brewery-Hofbrauhaus Inaugural Ale

The final Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week collaboration beer on tap at Bocktown in Robinson that I tried was the Inaugural Ale. The sour mash red ale was brewed at Church Brew Works with assistance from staff at Penn Brewery and Hofbrauhaus. The beer pours a red tinted brown color with a foamy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of cherry, malts, caramel, and chocolate. The taste is dark chocolate with a light cherry tart accent. Toasted malts make their way through this beer before a dry grassy finish takes over the beer. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 7.5% ABV. This was my favorite of the three collaboration beers. I think some people expected this beer to be a sour beer, but it only claimed to be a sour mash, providing a light tart hint in the background.

Jailhouse Brewing Conjugal Visit Red Ale

My buddy Ed picked me up a bottle of Jailhouse Brewing Conjugal Visit Red Ale while in Atlanta. The beer pours a dark red color with a frothy off-white colored head with some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, toasted malts, and a hint of grassy hops. The taste is dry and lightly bitter with some lemon, but it is all built upon a solid caramel and toffee base. There are some toasted malts that really shine in the background, and the finish brings out some pepper. The after taste leaves a grassy hop flavor that will stay on the tongue for a while. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was a solid red ale with a great bitter lemon and grassy hop flavor. I really enjoyed the base of the beer, but the bitterness is what makes the beer.

Murphy's Red Ale

Yet another beer in the mixed case that I got was Murphy's Red Ale (Yes, they make more than the Stout). The beer pours a golden color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma consists of sour hops and sweet malts. The taste is malty and sweet and heavy on the biscuit flavors. It also has a sour hop bite and finishes a little dry with hops. The is no alcohol content posted, but I would guess around 5.0% ABV. I thought this was a rather pedestrian beer, but it was not terrible.