Urthel Samaranth Quadrium

Perusing the bottle list at McGrath's, I decided to select Urthel Samaranth Quadrium. The beer is golden brown in color with a sweet alcohol aroma. It has a sweet malty taste with an alcohol kick on the end. The Samaranth finishes dry due to alcohol in the beer. The alcohol content is 11% ABV. This is a very powerful beer and it lets you know that from the start with the aroma. In a way, it tastes like mixed drink; think bourbon and coke. It was very enjoyable and a couple of these would put you on the floor.

Flying Fish Exit 1

In what is most likely a direct response from my tweet and several others, I enquired about Flying Fish's next release in the Exit Series: Exit 1 Oyster Stout. I will admit I am totally virgin to the oyster stouts, and it did not really sound too appetizing. I basically questioned if the beer would taste like oysters and if that would be drinkable. Flying Fish's response on twitter is as follows:

Exit Series 1--in case you're not familiar, oyster stouts don't taste like oysters, the calcium and minerals give the beer a tasty dryness.

This should clear the air for any of you who are reluctant to try the next release in the Exit Series. I admit that I was reluctant at first, but I will definitely give this beer a try. It sounds intriguing. Look for it on shelves in November.

Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

McGrath's in Harrisburg had Old Scratch Amber Lager from Flying Dog on tap so I gave it a try. The beer is amber in color and has almost no aroma. The taste is sweet and malty, with a crisp hop accent. The finish remains sweet despite the bitter hops and is thoroughly enjoyable. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. The Old Scratch is one of my favorite beers on draft at McGrath's and I will be sad to see it go when the keg is kicked (which has happened since I got around to posting this review). However, I plan on picking up a case of it in the future.

Spaten Oktoberfest

I was at McGrath's when they tapped Spaten Oktoberfest, so I decided to order a glass of it. The beer is dark amber in color with no head or aroma. The taste is sweet and malty with a slight hop bitterness. The malts and hops are balanced nicely. The beer finishes a little too sour, which surprised me. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I thought Spaten's Oktoberfest was mediocre and not really too memorable, with the exception of the sour notes on the end. I don't really like it as much as other Oktoberfest beers out there, but I'm glad I tried a glass of it before buying a case of it.

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale

At Wegman's, I picked up a case of Post Road Pumpkin Ale from Brooklyn Brewery. The beer is amber in color and smells sweet of pumpkin. The beer tastes mostly of pumpkin and has a slight spice bite on the finish, but not prevalent. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. The beer was ok, but not one of my favorites. I am glad I only purchased a six-pack and not a case. The Post Road Pumpkin Ale is more focused on the pumpkin than spices, and I prefer a delicate balance of pumpkin and spices. I would drink it again if it was available at a bar, but not pick up a case of it or choose it over other pumpkin ales.

Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I grew tired of waiting for McGrath's to add Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale to the draft list, so I picked up two 22-ounce bottles at Wegman's. The beer is orange in color with a ginger aroma. There is a sweet pumpkin flavor with heavy ginger accent. I think that it tastes just like pumpkin pie. The beer is a little dry on the finish with cinnamon and vanilla. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This is by far one of my favorite pumpkin beers. The flavors in the beer are excellent, and none of them are overpowering. Each flavor accents the others nicely and provides a round flavor. If you only select one beer this fall, try this one. I am going to make a trip back to Wegman's just to get more bottles of the Pumking.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I stopped by Wegman's and picked up a four-pack of Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale. I am currently in my pumpkin beer phase, so Weyerbacher was a must try. The beer is an orange-tinted amber color with a delicate cinnamon and nutmeg aroma. The taste is slightly sweet at first with pumpkin flavor. The beer then hits with allspice and finishes slightly dry with a cinnamon taste. The clovers are slightly detectable as well on the finish. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. While the alcohol wasn't too detectable drinking the beer, it is definitely noticeable after drinking the first glass. I enjoyed the Weyerbacher version of pumpkin beer and I suggest you give it a try.

Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter

When I picked up a six-pack of the most recent Troegs Scratch beer, I also picked up a six-pack of Dead Reckoning Porter. The beer is black in color and has a decent head on the pour. There is a sweet hoppy aroma that results from the pour. The beer tastes of chocolate and roasted malts with a slight caramel undertone. There are hops are present but they are not overpowering. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. I think that the Dead Reckoning is an excellent porter and is one of my favorites. It is easy to drink, but multi-dimensional due to the hop content.

Appalachian Brewing Company- Obbie's Barrel Aged Grand Cru

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company over the Labor Day weekend and the had Obbie's Barrel Aged Grand Crew on cask. The beer has a frothy head and is amber in color. It has a light hop aroma. The Grand Cru is creamy and very malty with a slight alcohol kick. The bourbon is definitely detectable on the front end of the taste. The beer then finishes with a vanilla and jamocha taste. There are so many flavors included in this beer that it was difficult to detect them all (The phrase tongue orgasm was muttered during the taste explosion). The bartender estimated that the alcohol content to be about 9.0% ABV. I really enjoyed the Grand Cru and all of the flavors that come with it. My only caveat is that you don't let the beer get too warm, because the bourbon will overpower all of the other flavors in the beer and it is not as enjoyable.

Dale's Pale Ale

At McGrath's in Harrisburg, they recently tapped a keg of Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale. The beer is amber in color with a light hop aroma. There is a slight malt taste at the front of the beer, and it finishes with a strong accent of hops. The after taste is dry and hoppy, but clean and fresh. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This beer has been dubbed one of the best canned beers in the world, winning several awards, but I had it on draft. I would like to try it in a can as well and see if there is any difference. Overall, it was a really decent pale ale and worth the purchase.

Mendocino Eye of the Hawk

I had previously had the Mendocino Bock and I saw the Eye of the Hawk on McGrath's bottle list, so I decided to give it a try. The beer is red-amber in color with a malty and caramel aroma. The taste is sweet and malty, with an undertone of caramel. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I thought that the Eye of the Hawk was excellent overall. The caramel taste was sweet enough to make the beer enjoyable, but not overpowering to limit the consumption. I really like the beers that I have had from Mendocino so far, and I look to try a few more if possible. Upon my return to McGrath's, I ordered another bottle. Please note, it is that good.

Troegs Scratch 23- Kellar Fest

I stopped by Troegs to pick up a six-pack of Dead Reckoning (review soon!) and a six-pack of Scratch 23- Kellar Fest. The brew was made in honor of Oktoberfest. The beer has an orange tint and is cloudy and unfiltered. It pours with almost no head and smells sweet and malty with a slight sour undertone. The taste is smooth and sweet at first with sublte hint of lemon. The Kellar Fest is a little bitter on the finish from the hops included in the beer. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. The fruity hint of lemon makes this beer slightly different than your run of the mill Oktoberfest beers, but it accents the malts used nicely. Go pick up a six-pack, or a growler, and enjoy this beer as fall approaches.

Pennichuck Backdraft Chocolate Porter

McGrath's had Pennichuck Backdraft Chocolate Porter on their bottle list, so I decided to give it a try as I was in the mood for a chocolate porter. It came in a 22 ounce bottle which I managed to add to my bottle collection at home. The porter is dark brown in color with a dark chocolate aroma. The initial taste consists of sweet milk chocolate, and the beer finished with a bitter dark chocolate taste. I could not track down an alcohol content for the beer, but I would guess it to be around 7.0% ABV. I was very pleased with the multi-dimensional aspects of the chocolate in the beer, both sweet and bitter chocolate. This beer is definitely on my “buy again” list.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale

I picked up a case of Saranac Pumpkin Ale today. I love pumpkin beers, and am really looking forward to trying many different brands this falls. The beer pours a dark amber color with a little head. The aroma consists pumpkin and cinnamon with a backbone of nutmeg. The taste is front loaded with allspice and ginger. It finishes a little dry with cinnamon and nutmeg. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Pumpkin Ale is pretty decent, but doesn't measure up with some of the better ones I've had in the past. I think the balance of flavors is decent, but there is something missing in the beer, but I cannot put my finger on it.

Beastie Boys- Double Check Your Head

From the guy who brought you Jaydiohead (Jay-Z + Radiohead mash up) comes a new mash up of Beastie Boys' instrumentals and lyrics. Max Tannone has found the only way to make the Beastie Boys better: by mixing them with more Beastie Boys. You can download and/or listen to the album here. I highly recommend downloading this (it's free!), and I have been jamming out to it recently.