Selin's Grove Brewing Hop Nouveau

(I apologize about the lack of picture, but it was on my previous cell phone and I have since lost it) Another beer I ordered on a recent visit to Selin’s Grove Brewing Company was the Hop Nouveau. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, tangerine, caramel, and hop oil. The taste is built upon a solid caramel base with lemon, tangerine, a hint of grapefruit, and orange. An oily finish with pepper and spruce really brings the beer full circle. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a rather delicious wet hopped pale ale that focused on the hops but had a good backbone as well.

Selin's Grove Brewing Pumpkin Ale

(I apologize about the lack of picture, but it was on my previous cell phone and I have since lost it) I stopped in to Selin’s Grove Brewing company for lunch and to order a glass of the Pumpkin Ale. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a solid frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cream, nitrogen, and light spices. The taste is creamy with pumpkin, graham cracker, light cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cream. A lightly dry finish rounds out the beer. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. At first I wasn’t too impressed with this beer, but it gets better as it warms so wait for that to happen. I’ve heard that this is the “best pumpkin beer” and while I can’t endorse that statement, I thought it was pretty good after it warmed up a bit.

Selin's Grove Brewing Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout

The final beer I ordered at Selin’s Grove Brewing Company on The Beer Circle Central PA Beer Tour was the Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout. The beer pours a dark brown color with a creamy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, molasses, chocolate, and milk. The taste is dry and chocolaty with toasted malts, roasted flavor, and a bitter hop finish. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. While this beer has a great focus on chocolate and molasses, the bitter hop finish is what makes this beer an excellent one. The milky accents as well make it very easy to drink and quite tasty.

Selin's Grove Brewing American Pale Ale

I ordered a glass of Selin’s Grove Brewing Company American Pale Ale while on The Beer Circle Central PA Beer Tour. The beer pours a cloudy amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, pine, caramel, orange, and tangerine. The taste is bitter with lemon on the front end and a good caramel base. A dry finish appears with pepper spices and leaves behind some pine, orange, and tangerine. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. This was very nice pale ale with a perfect balance of bitter and sweet.

Selin's Grove Brewing Wit

On The Beer Circle Central PA Beer Tour, I ordered a glass of Wit at Selin’s Grove Brewing Company. The beer pours a golden color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, grass, and a few barnyard hints. The taste is big on lemon with a nice grassy undertone. Earthiness comes out on the finish and gives great character to this beer. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 4.5% ABV. This was a wonderful beer for drinking outside on the patio in the summer, as it was refreshing and complex.

Selin's Grove Whole Hop IPA

Another beer I tried on a recent trip to Selin’s Grove Brewing was the Whole Hop IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of tangerine, orange, grapefruit, lemon, and has a dankness. The taste is smooth and very rounded with a caramel base. Good tangerine, grapefruit, and orange accents shine through, providing a fresh, dry, and bitter flavor that has a peppery finish. Hints of spruce also linger behind and were quite enjoyable. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This was an excellent IPA that had a wide variety of flavors, resulting in a fresh tasting beer that is a must try.

Selin's Grove Brewing Laird Apple Brandy Barrel Blonde

When the Selin’s Grove Brewing Laird Apple Brandy Barrel Blonde was tapped, a trip to Selinsgrove was triggered. The beer pours a golden color with specks of white head. The aroma consists of apple, brandy, yeast, and lemon. The taste is light and sweet with plenty of yeast on the front end, yielding a nice earthiness to the beer. The  apple brandy lightly burns on the finish and a toasted oak flavor appears in the after taste, but it takes a while to arrive. Light bubbles also tickle the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I really loved the flavors in the beer, and absolutely appreciated how long the toasted oak flavor took to arrive on the tongue. However, the body was a little lacking, and I think this beer could have benefited from more time spent in the barrel. Either way, it is worth drinking, I just think more time would have made this beer a home run.

Selin's Grove Black IPA

On the way home from Ithaca, my buddies and I decided to get dinner at Selin’s Grove Brewing Company. The first beer I ordered was the new Black IPA. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of lemon, chocolate, pine, and caramel. The taste is smooth and chocolaty at first with some caramel and lemon accents. Pine and pepper spice up the finish and it is a little dry as roasted malts linger behind. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 7.0% ABV. This was a wonderful example of the Black IPA style with great balance, a hop forward profile, and a solid chocolate and toasted malt backbone.

Selin's Grove Snake Drive Stout

I ordered a glass of Selin’s Grove Snake Drive Stout on cask on a recent visit to Selin’s Grove Brewing Company. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. The taste is smooth and chocolaty with a nice toasted malt balance. A bitter dark chocolate finish with a lemon and pepper hop bite rounds out the flavor with caramel and vanilla lingering behind. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. The Snake Drive Stout was a well done dry stout with lots of bitter chocolate flavor. Having it on cask really brought out all of the flavors, including the light hop balance.

Selin's Grove Simon's Private Stock Porter

I ordered a glass of the Selin’s Grove Simon’s Private Stock Porter, which is a bourbon barrel aged porter, while at the brewpub. The beer pours a murky dark brown color with a frothy off-white colored head. The aroma is bourbon up front with toasted malts, chocolate, and oak falling in line like soldiers. The taste is dry and malty with a chocolate taste similar to a chocolate powder. There is a smooth and light bourbon finish, but it is very faint. The beer ends with a vanilla and oak after taste. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. While this beer is bourbon barrel aged, I wouldn’t say that the bourbon really makes its presence known. It adds a little vanilla and warmth to the beer, but the main focus here is still the beer and not the bourbon.

Selin's Grove Sour Red

While at Selin’s Grove, I ordered a glass of the Sour Red, a new beer and first attempt for the brewpub at a sour. The beer pours a red tinted brown color with a thin filmy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of vinegar, cherry, and yeast, typical for a Flemish red. The taste is slightly dry with hint of sour vinegar before lots of cherry flavor explodes in the mouth. There is a warming finish before the biggest part of the flavor profile comes out, the dry oak flavor. I would liken the oak finish to a red wine dryness, but it is wonderful. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 5.0% ABV. As a first attempt at a sour beer, this was a complete win for Selin’s Grove. I would liken its flavor to the F*Red from Iron Hill, which I also add it a major compliment. If you see this beer on tap at the brewpub, make sure to order a glass before it is gone.

Selin's Grove The Phoenix Kriek

I heard from a little birdie that after The Phoenix Kriek was kicked at Selin’s Gove Brewpub, another one mysteriously appeared, so I made the trip up to make sure I got to try some of this year’s batch. The beer pours a cranberry color with a thin white head. The aroma consists of cherry, cranberry, light vinegar, and sweet malts. The taste is sweet and smooth with a surprising maple syrup flavor on the front end. There are also cranberry, cherry, honey, and sweet malt flavors. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a wonderful kriek and I completely loved the maple syrup and honey accents, as they were a surprise and added a nice sweet kick without being too sweet.

Selin's Grove Mai Bock

Being that I visited Selin’s Grove Brewery in May, I had to order a glass of the Mai Bock. The beer pours an orange-amber with a thin bubbly white color. The aroma consists of sweet malts, lemon, and tangerine. The taste is sweet and smooth at first with a nice alcohol bite before a bitter lemon finish with some pepper accents kicks in to play. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a surprisingly hoppy and dry Mai Bock, but also quite excellent. The caramel backbone is wonderful, which was expected, but the bitterness that is also present gave a new perspective on this style.

Selin's Grove Organic Bourbon Barrel Mud Puppy Brown

I recently went on a Route 15 brewery trek, and one of the stops was Selin’s Grove Brewery. While there, I ordered a glass of the Organic Bourbon Barrel Mud Puppy Brown Ale on hand pull. The beer pours a reddish-brown color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of light bourbon, toasted malts, raisin, and sweet malts. The taste is sweet and malty and has a surprising slight cherry twist. The bourbon provides a nice light accent and is not overpowering. The finish dries the mouth a little bit, mostly due to the bourbon. The alcohol content is of the non-bourbon barrel aged beer is 4.9% ABV, so I would assume this beer to be similar. The Bourbon Barrel Mud Puppy Brown was a wonderfully accented beer that keeps the bourbon as an accent and does not allow it come to the forefront, which was most welcomed for this style of beer.

Selin's Grove Ambition

While at Selin’s Grove Brewing on a recent trip, I tried the Ambition. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is sweet with Belgian yeast and some earthy grass and pepper hops. The taste is sweet and smooth with pepper and banana making up a large part of the flavor. There is a light grassy finish that dries the mouth. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a wonderfully bitter and dry blonde ale, one that would make me consider going back to the brewery just to order another glass.

Selin's Grove Snafu IPA

I took a trip to Selin's Grove Brewing Company with the girlfriend, and one of the beer I ordered there was the Snafu IPA. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy off-white head. The aroma consists of caramel with lots of pine hops and lemon. The taste is bitter with lemon and pine at first before some sweet caramel kicks in. The finish is dry and bitter with spruce. 7.2% ABV. The IPA came out darker than expected, but was excellent beer with lots of hop bitterness and pine flavors.

Selin's Grove Hoppy Monk

I made a trip up to Selin's Grove over the holiday weekend for a good lunch, a few good beers, and to pick up a couple of growlers. The first beer I tried was the Hoppy Monk. The beer has a light copper color with gold hues and minimal head. The aroma is filled with citrus and wheat. The taste light lemon and has a nice pepper hop spice. The beer finishes with an orange flavor and includes a grass tasting hop. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. I thought that this was a very good start to the meal and it paired very well with spicy mustard on soft pretzels.

Selin's Grove Brewing Company

From Kupko's Mind. Bottled.

On Friday, three friends and I decided to return to Selin's Grove Brewing Company. You may have read my previous post from my first visit to the brewery. On this trip, I decided to try some new beers.

The first beer I ordered was the Kriek. This beer has won several awards and has been compared to a lambic, but it is not a lambic. The beer is almost a purple color with a fruity aroma. Upon tasting the Kriek, you mouth is taken over by an intense fruit flavor. There was a sweet bite in the after taste, due to the high alcohol content. The alcohol content was listed in the beer menu as "we'd be guessing?", so I will assume it is in the double digits. I am a big fan of this beer and plan to go back and try it again. The brewery is worth the trip alone for this beer.

The second beer I ordered was the Steamer Triple. The beer is a dark gold color, which is very enticing. The aroma was very faint but had a light spice accent to it. The flavor was fully rounded with spices, yet surprisingly smooth. At the end of the taste, the bite from the alcohol hits you in the throat. The brewery limits each customer to three of these, as the alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I enjoyed the Triple thoroughly and thought it went really well with the soft pretzels that we ordered (which are excellent!).

My final beer, which was ordered in part for dessert, was the Organic Baltic Porter. As expected, the porter comes dark brown with a roasted aroma. The head on the porter was frothy, but not too thick. The taste includes chocolate and toffee flavors, making this beer an excellent meal ender. However, the warmer the beer got, the better the beer taste. As the temperature increased, the chocolate and toffee flavors became more present and changed the complexion of the beer. By the end of the glass, the sweetness of the porter was completely satisfying. The alcohol content is 7.9% ABV.

After my second review of Selin's Grove Brewing Company, I really hope you give it a try. And definitely order the food there as it might be the best brew-pub food I have ever had.

Selin's Grove Brewing Company

A couple of friends and I took a road trip up US 11/15 to three breweries on Valentine's Day. It was a great day, and this post is the first of three, each one relating to one brewery. 

The first brewery on the trip was Selin's Grove Brewery, located in Selinsgrove, PA. It's pretty easy to find, right on Main Street, and is a very quaint little brew-pub. We did not eat there, but the food looked amazing, especially the bread used for the sandwiches. On to the beers:

Solstice Dubbel

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

The first beer I had was the Solstice Dubbel. This beer was well rounded. The spice that is added to the beer was soft, but very complementary of the beer. I really liked the darker color of the beer, but it was a light tasting beer.

Scottish Ale

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

The Scottish Ale was a decent light tasting beer, but I felt it was missing some flavor. It was still a good beer, but tasted more like it was from a mainstream brewer than a craft brewery.

Saint Fillian's Wee Heavy

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

I really liked this beer and how it was served out of a gravity tap. Since it comes from the gravity tap, it was served rather warm, which allows the drinker to experience the full flavor of the beer. It had a nice compliment of hops and definitely had a warming property about it.

Dunkle Weizen

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

I was looking forward to tasting this beer, but it did not live up to my expectations. It had a decent flavor, but it tasted a little empty, like one ingredient is missing.

Framboise

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

This is one of the better Framboises that I have tasted. It was very fruity and sweet. We all felt we could get in trouble with this drink as it tasted like juice.

Organic PILS

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

The pilsner was a very clean tasting beer with no after taste. This is a great beer for the warmer weather, as it is not filling and it is refreshing. I definitely recommend, especially to people who like lighter beers.

Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

The Oatmeal Stout was good tasting, but it was very similar to other stouts on the market. It's not that it wasn't an impressive beer, it just wasn't that memorable.

White Horse Porter

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

The White House Porter was an excellent tasting beer and full flavored.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Porter, and I definitely recommend on your visit.

Mud Puppy Brown Ale

From 2-14-08 Selingsgrove and Williamsport

The Brown Ale was excellent. It is a lighter brown ale that does not have an over-powering hop flavor. I think was threw me off is that the brown ale drinks a lot like a porter, as it is smooth and a little thicker. I think this was the most impressive beer out of all of them.

I really recommend checking out Selin's Grove Brewing Company. It is a small town brewery with big tastes. I will be going back and definitely checking out the food.