Smuttynose Imperial Stout

(I apologize about the lack of picture, but it was on my previous cell phone and I have since lost it) I ordered a glass of Smuttynose Imperial Stout while out to dinner at Brewhouse Grille in Camp Hill. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, caramel, toasted malts, coffee, and vanilla. The taste is smooth with dark chocolate, vanilla, toasted malts, and caramel. The finish has a slight spice with pepper and spruce, and the after taste is reminiscent of toast. The alcohol content is 9.8% ABV. Overall, this was a solid performer in the Imperial Stout category, as the flavors were bold and robust. I would absolutely come back to this one.

Smuttynose Scotch Red Wine Barrel

Another beer I ordered at Max's in Baltimore was the Smuttynose Scotch Red Wine Barrel. The beer pours a brown color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of caramel, oak, and red wine. The taste is dry with a light caramel background that is overshadowed by red wine. An oak finish with toffee surfaces with some earth tones and a touch of vanilla. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. The wine and oak flavors in this beer were very prevalent, but also quite enjoyable. The scotch ale gave the beer enough of a base to not be overpowered while providing a good backbone.

Smuttynose Ry(e)an Ale

My friend Casey picked me up a bottle of Smuttynose Ry(e)an Ale, which was brewed exclusively for Julio’s Liquors. The beer pours a dark caramel color with a frothy beige-colored head that leaves a hint of lacing on the glass. The aroma is caramel, rye, sweet bourbon, vanilla, pepper, and cherry. The taste is sweet at first with lots of caramel and toffee before it bitters with rye quickly. A sweep of dry bourbon takes over the tongue, leaving some honey, vanilla, and cherry lingering on the tongue. A hint of flowers remains in the after taste, which was quite enjoyable. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. The beer was put together extremely well and it did not let down in the flavor offering throughout the tasting experience. It was bold and peppery with a smooth and delicious bourbon flavor.

Smuttynose Robust Porter

While at Al’s of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Smuttynose Robust Porter. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, caramel, and nuts. The taste is dry and roasty with a solid chocolate malt base, a caramel accent, and some coffee as well. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. The Robust Porter was a delicious beer that is well smoked and flavored without having too much smoky flavor that is overpowering. This was rather easy drinking and had plenty of flavors to entertain the tongue.

Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale, part of the Big Beer Series, from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a golden yellow color with a lively, lofty, and foamy white head. Be careful when pouring this beer, as it will leap out of the glass quickly. The aroma consists of banana, yeast, lemon, orange, tangerine, spices, and grass. The taste is smooth and bubbly with good banana, yeast, lemon, and orange flavors on the front end. The taste transitions into a lightly spicy finish with a dry, grassy after taste. The alcohol content is 9.3% ABV. The spices are big in this beer, just like the alcohol content. However, the alcohol does not make its presence known like the spices do, and the spices are well balanced with the sweet fruity taste of banana, lemon, and orange. This is a solid saison, and I highly recommend it.

Fuel & Fuddle Pumphouse Pale Ale

I ordered a Fuel & Fuddle Pumphouse Pale Ale while at Fuel & Fuddle in Pittsburgh. This beer is brewed by Smuttynose for Fuel & Fuddle. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly off-white head. The aroma consists of lemon and pepper hops with malty base. The taste is malty with lemon and bitter grapefruit but a good bitter hop finish. There is a pretty dry aftertaste. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought that the Pumphouse Pale Ale was a good pale ale but not for non hop-heads. The hops were more in the foreground than in the background, but very enjoyable.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

As part of a six-pack, I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale at Pinocchio's in Media, PA. The beer pours a orange-gold color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of of pumpkin and sweet malts with a light hint of nutmeg, The taste is smooth but bites with nutmeg. The finish is where the pumpkin actually comes into play, sweet and smooth. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This beer was excellent and really tasted like pumpkin pie, especially with the crust accents. While not my favorite pumpkin beer, this was a solid play and would make my starting 11 of pumpkin beers.

Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale from Brass Rail in Campbelltown, PA. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gravitation brew from the BIG BEER series, so I was anxious to try the Barleywine. The beer pours an orange amber color with a foamy white head with some noticeable lacing. The aroma consists of orange, coriander, lemon zest, and a background of caramel and toffee. The taste is powerful is sweet, hitting first with a sweet orange punch and a powerful caramel and toffee base. The lemon comes in on the finish and a nice pepper and pine accent hits the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. The barleywine was perfectly balanced, and the fruitiness was very welcomed as well. The orange and lemon kept the sweet caramel and toffee in check, and made for an excellent drinking beer, of which the alcohol content wasn't overly noticeable.

Smuttynose Gravitation

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Gravitation from Brass Rail in Campbelltown. The beer pours a dark caramel color with a thin bubbly off-white head. The aroma consists of alcohol, dark fruit, fig, raisin, and a hint of oak. The taste is very bountiful, consisting of raisin and fig, an underlying of dark fruit, sweet malts, and even a bit of chocolate as the beer warmed up. The alcohol has a very powerful bite in this beer that dries out the mouth. The hint of oak in the aroma surfaces in the taste towards the end of the experience on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. While the alcohol was not hidden at all in this beer, it is a quite delicious quadrupel. The balance with the other flavors is perfect, and the raisin and fig really have a big presence.

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.

Smuttynose IPA

I ordered a glass of Smuttynose IPA on my last visit to Brew House in Camp Hill. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is faint but what is there is big on lemon and pepper. The taste is very lemony with sugar with a hint of grapefruit and pepper. The finish is dry on the back of the mouth and lingers. There is also some orange too with hints of pine. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. This was a solid performer as an IPA and was very enjoyable. I like the grapefruit hints in the beer that really added to the lemon and pepper base.

Smuttynose Star Island Single

McGrath's in Harrisburg picked up Smuttynose Star Island Single on draft. The beer has a light gold color with no head. The smell is sweet and malty. The taste is light and lemony but no hop bite. I thought that the beer was decent overall, but not a great beer. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. The Star Island Single was a very drinkable beer, but not very memorable.