Sea Dog Raspberry Wheat Ale

My sister and I decided to split a case of Sea Dog sampler pack. The first beer I tried out of the bunch was the Raspberry Wheat Ale. The beer is golden in color with a hint of redness. It has a sweet aroma consisting of fruit and sugar. I got an immediate raspberry taste, with a clean refreshing after taste. The Raspberry Wheat Ale was dry with slight bitterness on the end. The alcohol content is 4.5% ABV. I thought the beer wasn't terrible, but tasted a little too much like water for me. It was very light in the beer flavorings (malt, hops, yeast) and focused too much on the fruit, which was not multi-dimensional or satisfying.

Bear Republic Hop Rod Ale

The other night I ordered a Bear Republic Hop Rod Ale at The Brewhouse Gille. The beer is dark brown in color, which surprised me for an IPA (I realize that I have been reviewing a lot of IPAs lately, which is not usually my favorite style of beer). The beer has a light floral aroma. The taste has a minimal sweetness with a hop overtone. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. Despite the amount of hops included in this beer, I thought the overall taste was enjoyable. It is slightly too hoppy for my liking, but I would order it again.

Beckham vs. His Duty

So here is my latest problem with David Beckham. Shaq has recently called out Beckham to shoot free kicks on him for Shaq's new show "Shaq vs." David has declined, saying that "Kobe could score against him." I don't have a problem with his words, but I have a major problem with his action of declining. Here is a man who was brought into America and was quoted as wanting to be the Ambassador of Soccer for America. Following that logic, why is Beckham declining to go on a show with one of the most popular basketball players? If he were to go on the show, he has one more opportunity to expose the country to soccer, and the basketball market is a large one. What the gaLAxy and MLS are paying Beckham for is exposure, and he cerainly has not been helping them as of late with fighting with fans and wanting to go back to Milan. The least he could do is go one Shaq's show, which will take a day of his life, get paid for it, and help expose America to soccer, especially Beckham's notable free kicks. What does he have to lose? It is clear to me that he does not want to be in this country anymore and is finished trying to expose America to soccer.

Great Divide Titan IPA

At a local joint that has a great selection of beer, The Brewhouse Grille, I ordered a Great Divide Titan IPA. In the Cental Pennsylvania area, it can be difficult to find any Great Divide beers. The Titan IPA is dark amber in color and has a light pine-like aroma. The beer has a a malty front taste to it, and a spicy hop finish. The after taste is slightly hoppy, but the malts in the beer balance the beer delicately. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. I thought this was a solid IPA and wasn't overpowering with the hop content. Great Divide makes some decent beers, and I would add this to the list of regular beers that I would try again.

Poperings Hommel Ale

A new draft popped up McGrath's in Harrisburg: Poperings Hommel Ale. I had not previously heard of this brewer or this beer. The beer has has a gold color with a fresh wheat aroma. The taste is very clean and smooth, with a spicy after taste. There is a bit of a hop bite in this beer, which separates it from other Belgian beers. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. The word hommel means hop in the local dialect where the beer is brewed, and a having a hop finish is distinct and enjoyable for a Belgian beer. I was very surprised about this beer, and will make a return trip to get another draft.

Southern Tier Jah*va

At a local bar McGrath's, they picked up Souther Tier Jah*va on draft. Having previously enjoyed the Mokah, I was excited to try the Jah*va. The beer is dark black in color, with a strong coffee aroma. It has a rich coffee taste with an undertone of coffee. There is a slight nutty after taste. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. I wouldn't say I like this beer better than the Mokah, but it is a great beer and it provides a great pick-me-up, so drink it early in the evening or it may keep you up.

Appalachian Brewing Company- August 2009

Since it is August, Appalachian Brewing Company just released Kipona Fest and a group of my friends decided it was time for a visit. The Kipona Fest is an Octoberfest style Marzen, which is becoming one of my favorite styles of beer. The beer is a dark amber with a sweet and malty aroma. The taste is also sweet and it has a fresh hop finish. The after taste consists of a mild hop taste with a sweet malty undertone. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I like this beer and the style and I think that ABC has nailed this style.

Appalachian Brewing Company supposedly retired the Major Hops Olde Ale, but it was available on draft when I was there. They also had a cask conditioned version of the beer, which is what I ordered. The beer is opaque and amber in color with a floral aroma. The beer is very smooth with a light taste. The after taste is where the hops kick in, but not too overpowering. There was a taste of grass hops that warmed the throat. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I felt that this beer was best described as a roller coaster ride of beer. At first, the hops are minimal and calm. Then they pick up speed, but don't ruin the experience. Then at the end, they linger to let you down gently. If you have the chance to check out this beer, I highly suggest that you do.

Dogfish Head Brew Pub- Rehoboth Beach

While on vacation, a group of us went to the Dogfish Head Brew Pub in Rehoboth Beach. The first beer I had was Ryehoboth, which was exclusive to the Brew Pub. The beer is light gold in color with a creamy, thick head. There was no aroma with this beer, which didn't surprise me too much because mose rye beers do not have an aroma. It had a light rye taste with a creamy after taste. The alcohol content is 5.5%. I was surprised at this beer, as I was not expecting much out of a rye beer and did not expect it to be so creamy. I thought it was pretty smooth drinking and very enjoyable.

At the Dogfish Head Brew Pub, they had a special brew of Whusahht IPA. This IPA is an imperial black IPA. The color is dark brown with a thick head. There is an overpowering floral aroma, which led me to bevieve that this was going to be a really hoppy beer. However, it has a thick creamy taste. The finish is very clean with a warming hop accent. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. Despite thinking that this beer was going extremely hoppy, I was pleasantly surprised and I thoroughly enjoyed the Whusahht IPA. The imperial black IPA was a new style to me, and I would like to try additional imperial black IPAs.

Stoudt Triple

While in Ocean City, I was surprised that the distributor had a nice selection of Stoudt beers. We picked up a six-pack of the Triple. The beer is gold in color with a sweet aroma. The taste is also pretty sweet with a hint of alcohol. I thought it was a little bitter on the finish, but very enjoyable. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. While this may not have been the best triple I have ever had, I thought it was solid and enjoyable. I would consider purchasing this beer in the future.

Troegs Scratch 22- It's Wit

For the beach, I had my boy Matt pick up a growler of Troegs Scratch 22- It's Wit. The beer is dark gold in color and has a spicy aroma. The taste is very clean, spicy with a hint of citrus undertone. Most of the taste comes from the coriander I belive, and it is a welcome additive. The after taste hints of citrus. I thought this was a very good beer and the taste sticks with you after drinking the beer. The alcohol content is 5.5%. This is a very different beer than Troegs usually offers, and I hope they continue experimenting in this type of beer more often. I would also like to see a beer of this sort make it into regular rotation from Troegs.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra

In Ocean City, I was able to come across a bottle of Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra. This is similar to the Raison D'Etre, but there are more raisons in it, increasing the alcohol content. The beer is brownish in color, almost chocolate looking. It has a powerfully sweet aroma. The taste is extremely sweet, and definitely tastes of raisons. There is a major alcohol after taste. The alcohol content is 18.0% ABV (wow!). I think that I like it better than the Raison D'Etre, but due to its sweetness, I do not think that I could drink more than 2 in one sitting. I could drink the Raison D'Etre all night.

Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale

While at the beach, I picked up a four-pack of the newly released Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale. It is orange and amber in color. The aroma is packed with cinnamon and nutmeg. The taste full of pumpkin flavor, with the nutmeg providing a nice backbone. The after taste is slightly spicy and dry, most likely due to the cinnamon content. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I am a big fan of this beer, although it is not my favorite Pumpkin Ale ever; that belongs to Shipyard.

McKenzie Brew House

On the way to the beach, my boy Matt and I stopped at McKenzie Brewhouse in West Chester. The first beer I ordered was the Abbey 6. The beer is a dark amber color with a light floral aroma. It has a sweet taste and a clean hop finish. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I enjoyed this beer and it was a good start to the meal. The hops decently accented the sweetness of the beer.

The second beer I had was the Unicorn Amber Ale. It (obviously) is amber in color with a sweet aroma. The taste is sweet at first, but has a spicy finish. The after taste was malty and very reminiscent of Troegs Rugged Trail. The alcohol content is 4.6% ABV. I have had this beer before when I went to McKenzie and it is one of my favorites by them. Matt brought up the Rugged Trail reference and it makes sense. I highly recommend making a stop here is you are traveling through West Chester.

Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, and Silversun Pickups

I recently went to Baltimore to Rams Head Live to check out Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, and Silversun Pickups.

I had high expectations for Cage the Elephant, as I have really been digging their album recently. They hit the airwaves with "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" and their most recent single "In One Ear" is starting to pick up steam [It's my favorite song on the album]. Cage the Elephant had great energy from the start, but it took a while for the crowd to respond. I will assume this is due to their lack of exposure to Cage the Elephant. However, after "Wicked" started, the crowd got into the music and fed off their energy. The greatest moment of the whole show came when the lead singer of Cage the Elephant climbed up a speaker to the second floor and sang the second half of the last song. Following the conclusion of the song, the singer jumped from the balcony onto waiting concert-goers, and proceeded to surf to the stage. It was an amazing time and I thoroughly enjoyed this band.

The second set of the night was by Manchester Orchestra. I love their new album, and had heard very good things about them live. I was absolutely impressed with their sound and technical ability. It was amazing how close to their album sound they sounded. My only complaint is that they did not play any older songs. Every song of their set was from the new album. While I thoroughly enjoy the new album, I would liked to at least heard "Wolves at Night" and "Golden Ticket." However, hearing almost the entire new album was a great experience and I want to see them again.

The closer for the night was Silversun Pickups. Their new album is receiving regular play in my car, so I was very excited to see them live. The lead singer impressed me most, as his voice is in no way modified on the album; he sounds the same live as he does on the album. I went absolutely nuts when they broke into "The Royal We," my favorite song off of the new album. I thought their set was very well laid out, mixing slower songs among faster songs to keep the crowd pumped up. The songs "Lazy Eye" and "Panic Switch" were very well executed kept the set moving along.

Overall, the concert was well worth the $40. I enjoyed all three bands and would see each of them again. My only wish is that Manchester Orchestra would have played last with a little more older stuff mixed in.

Fordham Helles Lager

At the Silversun Pickups, Manchester Orchestra, and Cage the Elephant concert, I stumbled upon a new brewery that I had not previously heard about. I ordered a Fordham Helles Lager from the bar in the Ram's Head Live out of the choices that they had. The color of the lager is dark amber and it does not have a noticeable aroma. The taste is sweet and clean. There is a caramel after taste that really accents the beer nicely. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. Baltimore Magazine voted it Best Local Beer, so this beer also carries some reputation behind it. I really liked this beer, and I plan on taking a brewery tour on the way home from the beach next week, as the brewery is just off of Route 1 in Dover, Delaware.