Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl Cuvee Des Trolls

McGrath's just added Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl Cuvee Des Trolls to their draft lineup, so I decided to give it a try. The beer has a straw color with a foamy white head. The aroma is creamy smelling, The taste is very light on the tongue and smooth, filled with banana flavor and yeast accents. There is a light pepper finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that the Cuvee Des Trolls was really good, and an excellent example of a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

Blue Point IPA

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently added Blue Point IPA to their draft list, so I ordered a glass. The beer has an amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is citrus and grapefruit with light pepper accents. The taste is lemon and grapefruit, but mostly grapefruit, with a nice hop accent that is not overwhelming. The beer also has a smooth hop finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I'm going to assume that this is the 10th Anniversary IPA from Blue Point, as the original IPA has been retired for some time. However, I really enjoyed this beer with the heavy grapefruit flavor.

Clipper City Heavy Seas Marzen

I ordered a glass of Clipper City Heavy Seas Marzen from McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer has a copper color with a light foamy head. There is a faint malty aroma. The tasty is malty and sweet with a healthy dose of caramel accents. The beer has a clean fresh finish with light hops. The alcohol content is 5.75% alcohol. I thought that this Marzen was a pretty clean beer with a great compliment of caramel, without being too sweet.

Duck Rabbit Milk Stout

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently picked up Duck Rabbit Milk Stout, so I decided to give it a try. The beer has a dark black color with a light tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate and toasted malts. The taste is plentiful of toasted malts with chocolate accent. The beer finishes smooth and creamy, The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought that the Milk Stout was an excellent tasting beer and was very smooth. There was plenty of flavors from the chocolate and toasted malts, making it more complex than anticipated.

Nogne-o #100 Barley Wine Style Ale

I picked up a bottle of Nogne-o #100 Barley Wine Style Ale on my last visit to New Jersey. The #100 is the 100th beer the Nogne-o produced, and it was put into production by popular demand. The beer pours a dark brown color with a very lofty and foamy tan head. The aroma is sweet with toffee accents. The taste is sweet and mouthwatering (an odd description, but try it and you will understand). It has a mandarin orange accents with a chocolate undertone and a dry finish of light hops and a warming alcohol. The alcohol content is 10% ABV. This was an amazing barley wine that had so many different flavors and levels. It was very smooth and easily drinkable. The entire experience was amazing and I highly recommend trying this beer.

Ithaca Excelsior alphalpha

In a beer trade with Lee from Hoptopia, I acquired a bottle of Ithaca Excelsior alphalpha. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy head. The aroma consists of lemon and light fresh hops. The taste is sweet with caramel at first and transitions into a nice pepper bite. The beer finishes with a dry hop bite on the back of the mouth and a refreshing lemon taste on the tongue. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. I really enjoyed the smoothness and excellent flavor with the alphalpha. It wasn't overly hoppy, but very dynamic, especially with the addition of caramel. I feel that this could be used to introduce someone to the world of hops without scaring them away.

Blue Ridge Brewing Company

I visited Greenville, South Carolina for a wedding of a buddy of mine. Prior to traveling, I Googled breweries in Greenville, and I stumbled upon Blue Ridge Brewing Company. Knowing that I would be hungry for dinner and thirsty for drinks, making a visit to Blue Ridge only seemed logical.

The first beer I ordered was the Black Honey Imperial Stout. The beer pours a deep black color with a thin tan head. The aroma is filled with chocolate and coffee. The taste is sweet and malty with a good chocolate taste. It has a light bitter coffee finish. The alcohol content is 10.5%. This was my favorite beer from Blue Ridge, and I ordered a second one later in the evening.

The second beer I had was the Rainbow Trout ESB. The beer pours a copper color with a foamy white head. The aroma is faint but what is there is creamy and malty. The taste is malty with a dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. I thought that the ESB was slightly over carbonated, and did not follow the “real ale” movement for ESBs.

The third beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the Colonial Paris Pale Ale. The beer has an orange amber color and a non-existent head. The aroma consists of light hops and malts. The taste is smooth and round and is lightly hoppy and malty. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I though that the Pale Ale was very tasty and smooth and a pretty solid pale ale.

The fourth beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the winter seasonal Santa's Little Helper. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of chocolate and has a nutty undertone. The taste is smooth at first with nutty bite. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I thought that the Santa's Little Helper was pretty good with a nice finish.

The final beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the Kurli Blonde Ale. The beer has a light straw color with no head. There is a little wheat aroma, but it is very faint. The taste is light and surprisingly malty with a light caramel finish. The alcohol content is 3.9% ABV. Overall, this beer was decent for as light as the beer was, but I do not recommend trying this beer last as I did.

Appalachian Brewing Company Purist Pale Ale Cask

On my last visit to Appalachian Brewing Company, the had the Purist Pale Ale on cask. The beer pours a cloudy gold color with a creamy white head. It has a light lemon aroma. The taste is soft, very delicate, and rounded. The lemon flavor is brought out with less carbonation from the cask serving. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I thought that by putting the Purist Pale Ale on cask, Appalachian Brewing Company changed the flavor of the beer to have a good hops taste, but not a hop bite. It was really a remarkable beer on cask.

Appalachian Brewing Company Celtic Knot Irish Red Ale

For the March seasonal beer, Appalachian Brewing Company released the Celtic Knot Irish Red Ale. The beer has a bubbly cream colored head with a reddish amber color. The aroma consists of ginger and malts. The taste is filled with nutmeg, ginger, and sweet malts. There is a light hop balance on finish. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I though that the Celtic Knot was a good overall beer. The spices really balance out the hops and the sweetness, making a very enjoyable and flavorful beer.

Unibroue Quelque Chose

I picked up a bottle of Unibroue Quelque Chose on my last drive through New Jersey. The beer has a dark brown color with a vibrant red color interlaced. There is almost no head but a few light bubbles. The aroma is spicy with cinnamon and sweet with cherry. The taste is sour at first with cherry and hints of oak. The beer puckers the mouth, but then sweetens with honey. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This is a powerful beer with plenty of flavor. It reminded me a bit of a sweet liquor, such as Jagermeister. I think it was a little too sweet for my liking, and the reminders of Jagermeister were not the experience I was looking for.

Long Trail Brewmaster's Series Coffee Stout

I picked up a bottle of Long Trail Brewmaster's Series Coffee Stout on my last pass-thru New Jersey. The beer pours syrupy and thick with a deep black color and a foamy tan head. The smell is full of coffee with a sweet milk lining. The taste is sweet with lots of coffee and has a light milk and chocolate lacing. The beer then finishes slightly dry. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. Long Trail obtained the coffee from Vermont Coffee Company for this beer. I thought that this beer is an amazing coffee stout with a ton of flavor and it really packs a coffee punch with a great flavor. This is an ideal coffee stout if you love the taste of coffee.

The Bruery Autumn Maple

On my last pass through New Jersey, I picked up a bottle of The Bruery Autumn Maple. The beer has a dark brown color with a lofty and bubbly tan head. The aroma is sweet and malty with maple accents. The taste is shock-on-the-tongue sweet at first with maple syrup taste and a bit of molasses and nutmeg. The beer finishes with a raisin and fig bitter taste. It leaves the mouth a little dry due to the nutmeg. The alcohol content is 10% ABV. It took a few sips to get used to the sweetness, but overall it was a really good beer and very enjoyable. I definitely wouldn't recommend drinking more than one of these in one sitting due to the sweetness, but it was an enjoyable beer.

Anderson Valley Brother David's Double

I picked up a bottle of Anderson Valley Brother David's Double on my last visit to New Jersey. The beer has a brown color with a lofty and bubbly tan head. The aroma is filled with raisins, sweet malts, and a light alcohol bite. The taste is very sweet and creamy on the front end with fig and raisins. The beer finishes with a light alcohol bite and hop bitterness. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that Brother David's Double was a very excellent double. The alcohol is mostly well hidden, but is there enough to remind you that you are drinking a Belgian double.

Flying Dog Snake Dog India Pale Ale

I picked up a six-pack of Flying Dog Snake Dog India Pale Ale at Wegman's. The beer has a medium gold color with a foamy and bubbly white head with a lace that sticks to the glass. The aroma consists of citrus and fresh hops. The taste is is crisp and fresh. It hits on a lemon accent first and finishes with a dry and piney hop bite. The alcohol bite is 7.1% ABV. This is an excellent example of an India Pale Ale without anything being overdone. The beer is not overly sweet with the citrus or overly bitter with the hops.

Nogne-o God Jul

While in New York City, I grabbed a glass of Nogne-o God Jul prior to the Muse concert at Madison Square Garden. The beer pours a dark amber with a foamy tan head. The aroma is lightly hoppy and malty. The taste is sweet and malty, consisting mostly of caramel and chocolate, and has a light nutty undertone. The beer has a dry finish with light hops. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. I thought that the God Jul was very good and I would highly recommend this beer. Everything I have ever had from Nogne-o has been solid, and I anticipate trying more of their beers.