Appalachian Brewing Company Water Gap Wheat Wet Hopped Palermo

While at Appalachian Brewing Company, I noticed that they had the Water Gap Wheat on cask. This version also took on the name Wet Hopped Palermo. The beer has a lofty head and a pale yellow color. There is a light lemon aroma. It has creamy taste in the head, and it turns light and sweet when you reach the beer. There is a slight lemon accent later in the experience. The alcohol content of the Water Gap Wheat 4.5% ABV. This was a very enjoyable version of the Water Gap Wheat, and I liked it better than the normal draft.

Appalachian Brewing Company Grinnin' Grizzly

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company to get my monthly mug club beer. This month was the Grinin' Grizzly. The beer has a reddish amber color with a frothy head. It smells of cinnamon and spices. The taste is full of spices, mostly comprised of nutmeg and cinnamon. The beer is slightly dry on the finish due to the cinnamon. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought that the Grinnin' Grizzly had a nice balance of spices and malts without any of them being too overpowering.

Harpoon Winter Warmer

I picked up a six-pack of Harpoon Winter Warmer from Wegman's. The beer has an amber color with a light head. The smell is full of cinnamon and all spice. The taste is malty with heavy accents of nutmeg and allspice on the front end, and it finishes dry with cinnamon. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that this beer was a little too heavy on the spices, slightly impairing the experience. While I would drink this beer again if it was offered to me, I probably would not pick up another six-pack of the Winter Warmer.

Sly Fox O'Reilly Irish Stout

I noticed that McGrath's had Sly Fox O'Reilly Irish Stout on draft and I ordered a glass. The beer is a dark brown color with a tan head. The smell is slightly nutty with a hint of chocolate. The taste is smooth and consists of milk and creamy flavors. Overall, I thought it was a little sweeter than Guinness. The alcohol content is 3.6% ABV. While I liked this beer, I think it is not quite as good as Guinness. It is a very close race, but Guinness is slightly better.

Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat

I picked up a bottle of Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat to give it a try. The beer has a pale yellow color and is unfiltered. It pours with a lofty and frothy head. The smell consists of wheat with lemon and citrus hints. The taste is lightly lemon at first, turns a little bit sour, and then it mellows out with a sweet wheat flavor. I could not located the alcohol content, but would guess it to be around 5.5% ABV. I thought that there was not too much flavor with this beer and that something was missing. There was the lemon flavor and the wheat flavor, but the were not connected together. Maybe the addition of some more hops would have rounded out the flavor.

Bell's Winter White Ale

I grabbed a six-pack of Bell's Winter White Ale at Wegman's. The beer is a white/pale yellow color that is cloudy and unfiltered. It smells is light and fresh with citrus accents. The taste is sweet and lemony with a slight spice on the back of the mouth on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I thought the Winter White Ale had a very good taste and was smooth drinking beer. I liked Bell's take on the winter ale with a white ale offering and this change of pace was very enjoyable.

Delirium Noel

I picked up a four-pack of Delirium Noel at Wegman's since we have reached the holiday season. The beer has a copper color and is slightly cloudy with yeast flakes. The smells has a slight hint of malts. The taste is sweet and malty with spice accents that round out the flavor. The flakes of yeast make drinking this beer interesting, as every now and then you will get a chunk. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. The flavor is so smooth and is not overpowering with the high alcohol content. I really enjoyed the flavors of the Noel, but the yeast flakes set this beer back slightly in my opinion.

Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale

I picked up a case of Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale. The beer has a copper color with a creamy white head. The smell is sweet and buttery with hints of toffee. The taste is heavy with alcohol, especially at first, and it is mostly comprised of malts with toffee accents. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I thought that this was an amazing beer and very enjoyable. I've only had two Duck-Rabbit beers and have thoroughly enjoyed both of them. The Wee Heavy had such excellent flavors with no impurities that I highly recommend you try this beer.

Anchor Special Christmas 2009

I noticed that McGrath's had Anchor Special Christmas Ale 2009 in their bottle selection so I ordered a bottle. The beer is a dark amber color with no head. It smells of cinnamon and allspice. The taste is full of allspice and ginger and is somewhat dry. It also has a slight piney flavor. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. My friend Alissa said that it “smells like Christmas in a glass.” I could not agree more, and this beer provides the entire Christmas memory experience. It takes you back to your childhood memories while enjoying a great beer in your adulthood.

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

McGrath's recently received Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale. I have previously had this beer but have not provided a review of it. The beer has a copper color with a light head. The smell is light and malty. The taste is sweet and malty with nice spice accent with a nice and easy dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought that this was an excellent beer and can really warm you up on a cold winter's night. I really like all of the Samuel Smith beers that I have had, and this one was no different.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Katie at McGrath's informed be that they had just received bottles of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, so I eagerly ordered a bottle. The beer has a deep black color with a tan foamy head. There was not too much to the aroma, but a slight chocolate hint could be detected. The taste is milk chocolate with a sweet and smooth finish. The alcohol content is 10.6% ABV. I thought that this beer was very excellent and I cannot say enough good things about this beer. The chocolate flavor was perfect without being overpowering and the mouth feel was not too dry. It has a nice alcohol content without hinting at it. This beer comes highly recommended by me.

Smuttynose Star Island Single

McGrath's in Harrisburg picked up Smuttynose Star Island Single on draft. The beer has a light gold color with no head. The smell is sweet and malty. The taste is light and lemony but no hop bite. I thought that the beer was decent overall, but not a great beer. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. The Star Island Single was a very drinkable beer, but not very memorable.

Troegs Scratch 25- Magical Moustache Rye

I stopped by the Troegs brewery today because I received a Twitter alert that Scratch 25- Magical Moustache Rye was released. The beer is an amber color with a lofty head that sticks to the glass. The aroma is lightly hoppy with pine accents. The taste is slightly creamy at first with a sweet malt accent. The taste then moves in with hops that leave a pine after taste in the mouth. I learned that the Bravo hops were bio-manufactured to have a pine taste and that they were a relatively new hop. Very few breweries have actually used these hops to date, so Troegs is a pioneer with this hop. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This beer has an excellent multi-dimensional flavor that really hits all areas of the palette. It will satisfy all types of beer lovers. It starts with the sweetness for the malt lovers, hits the hops for the hop lovers, and finishes with the pine flavor for those that are interested in the earthy flavors a beer can provide. I highly recommend that you stop by the brewery and grab this beer while it is available.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

I ordered a glass of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale at McGrath's in downtown Harrisburg. The beer has an amber color with a light bubbly head. The smell is slightly hoppy. The taste is very hoppy with lemon and pepper accents. Overall, it is a pretty dry beer with a decent taste. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I thought the hops were a little too overpowering in this IPA and it was not an enjoyable beer. After finishing the glass, I really wanted a water because my mouth was completely dry.

Bell's Christmas Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently added Bell's Christmas Ale to their draft lineup and I was eager to order a glass. The beer is amber in color with red hints and a light foamy head. The smell is light with spice accents. The taste is smooth with slight sour cherry bite and a touch of honey. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Christmas Ale was very good and smooth with the honey making the beer. The honey made the taste nice and sweet and made the beer very drinkable.