Widmer Rotator Spiced IPA

I ordered a glass of Widmer Rotator Spiced IPA at Al’s Pub in Enola. The beer pours a golden color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of tea, ginger, cinnamon, lemon, and pepper. The taste is dry and full of tea with a spicy ginger bite. Light lemon and pepper hop bitterness balances out the beer and some cinnamon comes out on the on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.47% ABV. I thought that was a rather good, refreshing, and delicious beer with plenty of flavoring for an IPA.

Widmer O'Ryely IPA

Another beer that I tried on St. Patrick’s Day at O’Reilly’s Tap Room was Widmer O’Ryely IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of rye, caramel, bread, lemon, and pepper. The taste is dry and filled with a dry rye flavor and a caramel undertone. Hints of lemon and pepper peek through before the beer leaves a spicy aftertaste. The alcohol content is 6.4% ABV. I was rather impressed with the flavors in this beer and the nice bitterness attached to it. The rye gave the beer a bready dryness and a slightly creamy mouth feel, and everyone that sipped the beer was quite impressed.

Widmer Brothers X-114 IPA

As part of #IPADay, I ordered a glass of Widmer X-114 IPA at O’Reilly’s Taproom in Harrisburg. The beer pours an orange-tinted copper color with an orange tint with a frothy white head that leaves a light lace on the glass. The aroma consists of a solid caramel base with orange, tangerine, lemon, and grass. The taste is rather sweet up front with lots of caramel flavor before some bitterness comes out to play in the form of grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon. There is a light grassy hop bit with some pepper as well. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I was surprised at how smooth and sweet this IPA was, rather than being overly bitter and hoppy. It was a rather nice beer to drink and celebrate the world of IPAs.

Widmer Hefeweizen

I went out for my friend Tom's birthday when he was in town and we went to The Warwick Hotel & Restaurant in Hummelstown, PA. I ordered a glass of Widmer Hefeweizen while there. The beer pours a golden color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, wheat, and and hint of pepper. The taste is surprisingly smoky with some lemon and wheat accents. The after taste retains the smoke flavor and it lingers for a while. The alcohol content is 4.9% ABV. I'm not sure if there was something in the line or not, but I had to reference Beer Advocate to see if others picked up the smokiness; no one else has with the exception of the two other people with me at The Wick. The beer had a bit of a BBQ style taste in the mouth, and was not what I expecting, but a decent tasting beer.

Widmer Pitch Black IPA

I ordered a glass of Widmer Pitch Black IPA while out to dinner at The Brewhouse Grille in Camp Hill (apologies for the picture: it is of Pitch Black at GABF, but I apparently didn't take a photo when I drank it with dinner). The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin filmy off-white head. The aroma consists of toasted malts and lots of caramel. The taste is big and toasty with a nice caramel base, some coffee, and a light bit of chocolate. The lemon and pine hops come into play on the finish. This beer’s mouth feel is light and bubbly on the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I really enjoyed the coffee and chocolate flavors that came out in this beer as it warmed up, and it was balanced really well with lemon and pine hop flavors.

Widmer Brothers Brrrbon

On a recent visit to Al's of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Widmer Brothers Brrrbon, which is barrel aged in bourbon barrels. The beer pours a copper color with a bubbly off white head. The aroma is malty with caramel and hints of bourbon. The taste is big and bold with lots of malts and caramel. The beer hits hard with bourbon and then the finish has a good helping of pine. The alcohol content is 9.4% ABV. I thought that the Brrrbon had a really good transition between malts and the bourbon accents, amounting to an overall delicious brew.

Widmer Brothers Deadlift Imperial IPA

I ordered a glass of Widmer Brothers Deadlift Imperial IPA from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy white head. The aroma is full of grapefruit and sugar with hints of pine in the background. The taste has lots of grapefruit and is slightly bitter with a nice accent of sugar and some orange hidden in there as well. There is a pine hop finish that dries the mouth somewhat. The alcohol content is 8.6% ABV. Overall, Deadlift tastes like a fresh grapefruit with some sprinkled on top. This Imperial IPA hit every note in a beer that I thoroughly enjoy, making it a top beer for me.