Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

I picked up a four-beer sampler pack, Major Canis (basically high alcohol content beers), from Flying Dog. The first beer I tried is the Gonzo Imperial Porter, named after Hunter S. Thompson. Coincidentally, at the time of this posting, the Gonzo was just awarded the gold medal at the Great American Beer Fest for best Imperial Porter. The beer is dark black in color with a thick and lofty head. The head leaves frothy film on the glass. The Gonzo smells nutty and sweet. The taste consists of dark chocolate and is a bit nutty with a nice hop kick. Overall, the drink is smooth and creamy with a dry chocolate aftertaste. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I thought that the Gonzo is very tasty and it left a great after taste on the palette. There are many levels of flavor in this beer, and not one disappoints.

Sleeman Honey Brown Lager

My boy Jason and I were looking for a six-pack to pregame with prior to heading out for the night in Canada. We encountered Sleeman Honey Brown Lager and decided to give it a try. The beer is a light amber color. It smells sweet and malty with a hint of honey. The taste is malty and sweet with a minor hop bite on the end. The honey isn't too prevalent, but provides an offset to the hops. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I was very impressed with the overall flavor of the Honey Brown. It was not too sweet and had the right balance of malts and honey.

Rickard's Red

While out in Niagara Falls, we grabbed dinner at Boston Pizza and they had Rickard's Red on draft. The Rickard's brand comes courtesy of Molson Coors. The beer is a reddish brown color with a thick and foamy head. It has a hoppy and fresh aroma. The taste is very clean and smooth consisting of sweet malts. On the end, the Red has a crisp hop and refreshing finish. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I thought that this was a good offering for the red ales, especially one coming from a larger brewer. It should be noted that this is the number one selling red beer in Canada, so that says something about the beer. I had several of these throughout the evening.

Leinenkugel Oktoberfest

Due to positive previous experience with the Leinenkugel brand, I picked up a six-pack of their Oktoberfest at Wegman's. The beer is amber in color with a light malty and sweet aroma. There is a thin head that does not linger long. The Oktoberfest has a malty sweet taste with a slight crisp hop finish. I detected a light caramel undertone. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. I thought that Leinenkugel has a solid Oktoberfest and would drink it again. It isn't the best Oktoberfest beer out there, but it is solid, as I have come to expect from Leinenkugel.

Erie Fallenbock

I picked up a six-pack of Erie Fallenbock at Wegman's. I like Erie'e Railbender, so I figured I would give the Fallenbock a try. The beer is dark brown in color with a sweet aroma with hints of malts and alcohol. It tastes a little nutty and roasted malts. It starts sweet at first and finishes slightly dry. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I am a big fan of this Dopplebock and enjoyed the experience. It was a very enjoyable beer and I will be purchasing more of it.

Van Steenberge Gulden Draak

I was recommended the Van Steenberge Gulden Draak by my boy Adam. The beer is dark amber in color with a frothy, creamy head. There is a slight hop and malt aroma. The taste is very sweet and malty. There are hints of raisins and caramel on the tongue. The finish is all alcohol, as the alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. The is a great beer and you would like it if you have ever had and liked Duvel. The alcohol is prevalent in the taste, but not terribly overpowering.

Straub Brewery & The Eternal Tap

On the way to Buffalo, I decided to stop in at Straub Brewery in St. Mary's, PA. Straub is home to the eternal tap, where visitors can sample free (up to two) glasses of the beer. The have three beers on tap, so I decided to try the Special Dark and the Premium.

The Special Dark is a dark brown color with lots of head. I think my beers had a little extra head due to the tap. The beer smells malty. The taste is malty and sweet with a slight sour undertone and the beer has a nice cream finish. The alcohol content is 4.1% ABV. I liked the freshness of the beer and the fact that there are no preservatives in the beer, so the flavor is pure and not altered.

The Straub Premium has a pale yellow color to it with a decent thick head. The aroma is sweet and the beer has a sweet taste. There is a light hop accent with a good clean after taste. The alcohol content is 4.1% ABV. I thought the Premium was pretty good and would make a good beer to drink at tailgates. It is not too heavy, but has quality ingredients so you don't have to down Budweiser.

General Lafayette Inn & Brewery

On my most recent visit to Philadelphia, I decided to stop in the General Lafayette Inn & Brewery. I had heard very good things about the place and that they were having some financial troubles recently, so I decided to help as best as I could. I hope that this blog post gets passed around and other people decide to check out General Lafayette.

I will start by describing the décor and feel of the place. It feels old fashioned and welcoming. The lighting in the place is very comforting. I feel that if candles could be used to light the place, they would use them. It feels like being in the old country even though you are in a big city.

This first beer I tried was the Chocolate Thunder Porter. The beer is black in color with no head at all. It smells nutty with a slight chocolate hint. The taste is sweet with coffee undertone. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I thought that the Chocolate Thunder Porter had an excellent flavor. It was a good start for the night, but possibly could have been better ordered for dessert.

I next ordered the Pacific Pale Ale. The beer has a golden color with light head. The beer smells fresh & hoppy with many floral hints. The taste is crisp and bitey, consisting of hops at first before turning sweet and finishing dry. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought that this is a very good pale ale, as it focuses on accenting all of the aspects of a pale ale, not just the hops or the malts.

The third beer that I ordered was the Abbey Blonde Ale. The beer is gold in color with a frothy head. It smells sweet and spicy. The taste is sweet and full, with hints of coriander and lemon. It ends with a spicy finish. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I thought that the Abbey Blonde provided excellent balance between spices and sweets. I highly recommend ordering one of these on your visit.

The final beer that I ordered on this visit was the Union Jack ESB. The beer is dark amber in color with light head. The aroma was intriguing and filled with hints toffee. I wanted to smellthis beer all night as it was that enticing. The taste consists of toffee and is slightly bitter and dry on the finish. The alcohol content is not published on the website, but I would estimate it to be in the mid-5% range. The toffee accents to this beer made it the perfect beer to finish the evening on and it took the place of dessert.

My trip to General Lafayette Inn & Brewery was an excellent time and I plan on making a return trip. The atmosphere sets the perfect mood for a great dinner. The beer is top notch and fresh. If you are anywhere near the Germantown Pike, make it a point to stop in and have a few pints.

North Coast Pranqster

Another bottle I noticed on the McGrath's beer list was North Coast PranQster. This Belgian is golden in color with a sweet and spicy aroma. The taste is spicy and crisp with a sweet finish. There is a slight caramel and vanilla undertone. The alcohol content is 7.6% ABV. This beer has won several awards, including many gold awards at the World Beer Champhionships, and it is easy to see why. The beer drinks very smooth and easy, but provides a full palet of flavors. This is a must order if you ever see it on a beer list.

Buffalo Bills Orange Blossom

I am heading to Buffalo today, so I thought posting a review of this beer was appropriate. On the bottle list at McGrath's was Buffalo Bills Orange Blossom. The beer is yellow in color and unfiltered. It smells sweet like an orange Jolly Rancher. The taste hints heavily at the orange, with a cream finish. In a way, it tastes like a creamsicle. However, I thought the Orange Blossom was a little weak on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. This beer was a nice change of pace on a night that I was drinking high alcohol content beers, and I think the combination or orange and cream is a good one. It was not the best fruit beer I have had, but it is worth another order.

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.