Saranac Black Lager

The fourth beer I opened out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Black Lager. The beer has a deep brown color with a creamy foamy head. The smell is heavy on sweet malts with hints of coffee. The taste is dry and slightly bitter at first, but the taste sweetens with hints of chocolate and a slight coffee undertone, which is what makes it dry. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I really enjoyed this beer with the coffee and chocolate tastes and thought it was a very dynamic experience.

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin

I picked up a bottle of Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin (a little late, I know). The beer has an orange color with a light foamy head. The smell is sweet and of fresh pumpkin. The taste is sweet and full of pumpkin flavor with lots of cinnamon and allspice accents. It is a a little dry on the finish. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This was a decent pumpkin beer overall. I think that Shipyard's other pumpkin beer is better and more rounded, but I do like the light alcohol punch that comes with this beer.

Anderson Winter Solstice

D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh also had Anderson Valley Winter Solstice on draft, so I ordered a glass. The beer is a reddish amber color with a light head. It has a very minimal aroma. It tastes malty and sweet with a caramel taste with hints of sour fruit. It finishes with a dash of spices that warm the throat. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. I thought that this was very light drinking for a winter warmer, but wasn't disappointed in the overall experience.

Repanshek Cider

At the Pitt-Notre Dame tailgate, my buddy's parents, The Repansheks, made some cider. This cider was homemade and was delicious. The apple was prevalent in the taste, but the cinnamon accent was perfect. Furthermore, the amount of alcohol was enough to let you know it was there but not overpowering. It was the perfect way to warm the inside when the temperatures dropped on the outside. If you are in town for a tailgate and the Repansheks are there, grab a cup of cider.

Southern Tier Oat

I hit up D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh for lunch and they had Southern Tier Oat on tap, so I ordered a glass. The beer is a deep dark brown color with a thick tan head. It has an aroma consisting of chocolate and molasses. The taste is a little dry at first but full of sweetness with chocolate accents. The alcohol content is 9.6% ABV. Overall, I thought the beer had an excellent flavor and was very smooth drinking. The beer is very complex consisting of a chocolate base with a nice hop accent and sweet undertones.

Pittsburgh Brewfest 2009

I went to the Pittsburgh Brewfest to help support the Pittsburgh Rugby Club. It was hosted at the Steelhouse, Bar Room, and Saddle Ridge in Station Square. I thought the event was well organized and had good food for all to enjoy. Below you will find my tasting notes of the beers I had from the night.

Erie Brewing Company Ol' Red Cease & Desist- The beer is a red amber color with a malty aroma. The taste is sweet at first with a hop and spice bite on the finish. It has a slight dryness due to the alcohol content. The alcohol content is 10.1% ABV. I thought the taste was great for the high alcohol content, as it was not apparently that it was that high.

Erie Brewing Company Mad Anthony's APA- The beer is yellow in color and is cloudy and unfiltered. There is a slight yeast aroma. The taste is very light with mild hops. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought this wasn't a bad pale ale, but it was light on the flavor. However, it makes it very easy to drink.

Erie Brewing Company Misery Bay IPA- The beer has a copper color with no head. The taste is dry and hoppy with a slight malt undertone. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I drinks a little bit creamy and is very enjoyable.

Rivertowne White Lightning- The beer is a cloudy white with a sweet coriander aroma. I thought it had an excellent taste, consisting of coriander with grapefruit accents. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV.

Bud Light Golden Wheat- Due to the fact that it was free, I decided to give the Golden Wheat a try. It has an unfiltered gold color with a minimal wheat aroma. The taste is lemony, but very light. There is no aftertaste. The alcohol content is 4.1% ABV. At first, I thought that it was not as bad as I expected it to be but it was not great. However, it did get worse the more I drank it and I would not recommend this beer.

Boulder Mojo IPA- The beer had a decent head and a gold color. The aroma consisted mostly of floral hops. The taste is smooth with lemon and pepper accents and it finishes with plenty of hops. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I thought that the beer was pretty good, but it was a little too carbonated.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter- The beer is amber in color with light head. The smell is sweet with a light vanilla hint. The taste consists of toasted malts with a sweet vanilla undertone, but the vanilla is faint. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. I found that as I let the beer warm up it got better, so if you try this beer drink it after it has warmed up.

Southern Tier Phin & Matt's- The beer has a pale gold color with a lemon aroma. The taste consists of lemon with a slight pepper accent. It finishes dry due to the hops. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV.

Great Lakes Eliot Ness- The beer is dark amber in color with a lofty head. It has a light malt aroma. The taste is malty with hints of caramel and a dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I really liked the flavor and the drinkability of the beer.

Penn Brewery Kaiser Pils- The beer has a golden color with no head or aroma. The beer has a light crisp taste. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I thought that this was a decent pilsner. It is very light drinking, but still has enough flavor to make it enjoyable.

North Coast Brewing Company Old Rasputen Russian Imperial Stout- The beer has a black color with a tan head. The smell has hints of chocolate. The taste is hoppy with toasted malt and chocolate flavor. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I really liked this beer and plan on having more in the future.

Three Rivers Underground Brewers Smoked Porter- The beer is dark brown in color with a light smoke aroma. The taste is malty and sweet with a light smoke finish. There are chocolate and toffee hints. I am not sure what the alcohol content is due to it being a home brew. This beer ended up being my second favorite beer of the night and it was full of flavor.

Three Rivers Underground Brewers British Ale- The beer is a dark brown color with a lofty creamy head. It smells very fresh and lightly hoppy. The taste is sweet and dry with a nice malt flavor. I am not sure what the alcohol content is due to it being a home brew.

Three Rivers Underground Brewers Slutty Red Head- The beer is a dark amber color with a frothy head. It has a light hop aroma. The taste is smooth and round and finishes slightly dry. It has a light cream taste. I am not sure what the alcohol content is due to it being a home brew.

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter- The beer is a dark brown color with a lofty tan head. It smells like coffee with cream. The taste is full of chocolate, java, and vanilla. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought this was the best beer at the brewfest. The flavors were so dynamic and pleasing that I had to have several glasses of this beer. This is definitely a recommended beer.

Saranac Big Moose Ale

The third beer I had out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Big Moose Ale. The beer has an amber color with a lofty frothy head. It smells of yeast and hops. The taste is smooth and hoppy, with lemon and pepper accents. It is pretty dry on the tongue due to the hop content. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. I thought that this is a very smooth and a great tasting pale ale. The lemon accent really compliments the pepper flavor and is a satisfying drinking experience.

Saranac Maple Porter

The second beer I tried out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Maple Porter. The beer is dark brown in color with a light foamy head, The smell is sweet with maple accents. The taste is nutty and has hints of toasted malts, finishing sweet and sugary. There is a very slight maple accent in the taste and a toffee undertone. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. I thought this was an interesting take on the porter. The maple ingredient smooths out the toasted edges in the porter and makes this a complex beer.

Saranac Belgian Ale

I picked up the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac. The first beer I grabbed out of the case was the Belgian Ale. The beer has a golden amber color with red hints and a light frothy head. It smells sweet, malty and peppery. The taste is dry and sweet with a pepper undertone. There is an accent of citrus and raisin as well. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I thought that it was not a bad Belgian style and it leaves a spicy film on the back of the mouth. and I thought that this is an easy drinking beer.

Michelob Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale

At a bar in Philadelphia I noticed they had Michelob Jack's Pumpkin Spice in bottles, so I ordered one. It turned out to be the last bottle since Halloween was already over. The beer has an orange amber color with minimal head. There was a slight pumpkin aroma. It has a cinnamon and nutmeg taste with a light pumpkin accent. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale had a decent taste and all of the flavors were balanced. Not one of the flavors stood out, but this was an enjoyable beer.

Victory Vakima Twilight

While out in Philadelphia, I happened upon Victory Yakima Twilight Ale on draft. The beer is dark amber in color with a lofty foamy head. It has a peppery and floral aroma. The taste is sweet and smooth with a crisp hop finish. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. I thought that the Yakima Twilight Ale had a great taste and the balance of crisp hops and sweet malts made drinking this beer a very enjoyable experience.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

My taste buds have been evolving and I never used to like IPAs. Recently, I have been enjoying beers with higher hop content, so I decided to give Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA a try since it was on draft at McGrath's. The beer has a copper color with a light foamy head. The smell consists of lemon with a hint of pepper and flowers. The taste is sweet and lemony with a light hop bite. It is very smooth drinking with a round flavor. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I asked myself why I ignored this beer for so long when I had heard many good things about it. I feared it as an IPA originally, but I am very happy that I decided to try it. I thought that this was a very solid beer, easy to drink, and full of flavor. This is definitely a recommended beer and I will order it again and again.

Weyerbacher Winter Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently tapped a keg of Weyerbacher Winter Ale. The beer is a dark amber color with no head. The beer smells malty and spicy, hints of toasted malts also linger. The taste is comprised mostly of toasted malts with slight spice accent. There is a slight hop bite and the beer finishes slightly dry. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I thought that the Winter Ale was very tasty, and I like the toasted malt flavor with the slight hop bite.

Magic Hat #9

The final beer I had in the Merry Winter Sampler from Magic Hat is #9. This is a pretty common beer and I've had it before, but have not provided tasting notes for it. It has a light gold color with a lofty frothy head. The smell is lightly floral, but not overpowering. The taste is smooth and light with a slight hop flavor. It also has a slight cream roundness to the taste. The alcohol content is 4.6% ABV. I thought that #9 is a decent flavored beer, very smooth drinking, and leaves you satisfied. It is no wonder why the beer is so popular.

Magic Hat Odd Notion Winter 09

Another beer in the Merry Winter Sampler is the Magic Hat Odd Notion Winter '09. Magic Hat makes an Odd Notion beer for every season of every year. This version is a reddish amber color with a light head. It smells malty with hints of raspberry. The taste mostly focuses on sour fruits, and I am picking up apple and raspberry. The alcohol content is 4.5% ABV. There is not much carbonation, and the beer is light flavored. The sourness is prevalent, and I thought this was an interesting mix for a winter beer. I think the taste came around the more I drank it and I really liked it by the end of the glass.