Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA

I stopped into the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Falls Church, Virginia on my last visit to DC. They had the 75 minute IPA on tap, so I ordered a glass. The IPAs from Dogfish Head are typically named for how long they are boiled, but this beer is not boiled for 75 minutes. Instead, it is a blend of the 60 Minute IPA and the 90 Minute IPA and then cask conditioned. The beer pours a light amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma is fresh and hoppy, mostly smelling of pine and flowers. The taste is lightly malty with some caramel and toffee hints. The finish is heavy on pine hops. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought that this concoction was delicious and very refreshing. The weather outside is getting warmer, and a nice IPA will help cool you off.

Nogne-o/Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales/Stone Brewing Special Holiday Ale

I picked up a bottle of Special Holiday Ale when I was in New Jersey visiting. This beer is a collaboration from Nogne-o, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, and Stone Brewing Company. The beer pours a dark brown color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma is spicy, consisting of nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses, pine, and pie crust. The taste is thick and smooth, with heavy accents on the molasses, nutmeg, and cinnamon. There are accents of sage and pine in there as well. The beer finishes with a pie crust taste and a bit dry from the great hops in the beer. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. This was a totally delicious brew and I highly recommend picking up a bottle if you get a chance. There were so many levels to this beer, no doubt due to the fact that three different brewers had a hand in it. My only regret is not buying more bottles of this, as I was saddened when the bottle was gone.

Steel Brewing Steel Reserve

One of my coworkers picked up a case of Steel Reserve for poker. The beer pours a straw color with foamy white head that sticks to the glass. The aroma is heavily malty with wheat and smells like a frat house or standing over a brew kettle. The taste is malty and a bit sour on the finish. The beer is also somewhat creamy, but a pretty smooth drinking beer. The alcohol content is 8.1% ABV. Overall, it was pretty decent and drinkable, and it was not as bad as I was expecting.

River Horse Tripel Horse

I picked up a six-pack of River Horse Tripel Horse the last time I was in New Jersey. I have enjoyed every River Horse beer I have had to date, and was really excited to try the tripel. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy cream colored head. The aroma is full of banana with hints of pepper and candisugar. The taste is full of banana and heavy on the alcohol flavor and has an undertone of candisugar and rock candy. The pepper does not hit until the finish, but is a very pleasant accent. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a very rounded tripel. It may have a decent alcohol bite, but the banana and pepper flavors are very enticing in the mouth.

Ithaca Excelsior Twelve Monastery-style Quadrupel Ale

I acquired a bottle of Ithaca Excelsior Twelve Monastery-style Quadrupel Ale through a beer trade with Lee from hoptopia.com. The beer pours a dark brown color with an over-the-top lofty bubbly head. It took several minutes (more like 10-15!) and pours to get the beer to a drinkable condition, and the wait killed me, but was totally worth it. The aroma consists of sweet malts with raisins, figs, and a bit of molasses. The taste contains heaps of raisins and a good amount of fig. There is a light toasted malt undertone with a sweet chocolate finish. There are hints of oak on the outside of the mouth. The alcohol content is 12% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed this Quad, and it would rank among my favorites Quads. Not only does it include the typical raisin and fig flavors, but the chocolate and toasted malts really enhance the experience. Get your hands on this beer while you can.

Sly Fox Route 113 India Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Sly Fox Route 113 India Pale Ale when I was last in New Jersey. The beer pours a brilliant amber color with a lofty and foamy white head. The aroma consists of caramel and toffee with a light hop hint. The taste is sweet and malty with a bit of caramel and toffee. The hops hit on the back of the tongue on the finish and a slight sourness to it. There is a faint lemon and grapefruit citrus, but not as prevalent as in some IPAs. Due to the hops, it has a slight dryness to it. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. While not as overly hoppy and and citrusy as a lot of IPA, Sly Fox's Route 113 IPA is was quite delicious and very well done. I highly recommend this beer, especially to a new enthusiast who may not like a ton of hops.

Moosehead Lager

Another beer in my mixed case was Moosehead Lager. I was also inspired to drink this beer from the overwhelming product placement in “Book of Shadows: The Blair Witch 2.” (Seriously, having a few beers with friends and watching Syfy on a Saturday night can be fun because those movies are terrible). The beer pours a pale straw yellow color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is sour malts and a light skunkiness, most likely due to the green bottle that the beer comes in. The taste is light and malty and has somewhat of a bread aftertaste. There are some crisp sour hops that have a slight sourness to them. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I thought that the Moosehead Lager was surprisingly tasty and I actually enjoyed this beer.

Murphy's Red Ale

Yet another beer in the mixed case that I got was Murphy's Red Ale (Yes, they make more than the Stout). The beer pours a golden color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma consists of sour hops and sweet malts. The taste is malty and sweet and heavy on the biscuit flavors. It also has a sour hop bite and finishes a little dry with hops. The is no alcohol content posted, but I would guess around 5.0% ABV. I thought this was a rather pedestrian beer, but it was not terrible.

Strangford Lough Legbiter Ale

Another beer in the mixed case that I got was Strangford Lough Legbiter Ale. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma is faint but malty and sweet. The taste is malty with toffee with a light hop sourness. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I though that this was not a bad beer and would be great for warm temperatures with a crisp breeze, but it wasn't not overly impressive.

Strangford Lough St. Patrick's Best Ale

Part of the mixed case that I got was Strangford Lough St. Patrick's Best Ale. The beer pours an amber color that appears very carbonated with a lofty foamy beige head. The aroma is very malty with light fresh hops. The taste is malty and sweet with light caramel undertone. The hops are slightly sour on the back of the mouth. The alcohol content is 4.2% ABV. This was a decent beer and was somewhat reminiscent of an oktoberfest in flavor and experience.

Murphy's Stout

Another beer I acquired in my mixed cased was Murphy's Stout. The beer pours a black color with a creamy tan head about a finger-width high. The aroma is filled with coffee and cream. The taste is smooth and mostly tastes of coffee with a bit of cream accent. There is a good chocolate undertone. The alcohol content is 4.0% ABV. This was a decent stout with good chocolate and coffee flavors that put a great emphasis on the creaminess of the beer as well.

Blue Moon Rising Moon

I participated in a mixed case trade, in which I get two of twelve different types of beers. The first beer I tried out of the case was Blue Moon Rising Moon. The beer pours a light golden color with a lofty foamy head and lots of carbonation bubbles. The aroma consists of wheat with light hints of lime. The taste is mostly wheat an d is very doughy and lots of biscuit flavors. There is somewhat of a dry finish that has a light fresh lime accent. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I wasn't thoroughly impressed with the beer, and it was not very complex and I'd say the finish wasn't completely satisfying. I'd drink it again on a warm day if it was given to me, but I wouldn't go out and buy it again.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg tapped a keg of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and I quickly ordered a glass, as my love for Stone Brewing Company has grown exponentially this year. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, and a good amount of citrus hops. The taste is toasted malts with grapefruit finish. There is also a healthy dose of chocolate and coffee, but the bitterness is eliminated by the citrus hops. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. The beer was surprisingly hoppy, but overall very delicious. The hops in the beer were excellent, and the chocolate and grapefruit really played nicely together.

Troegs Scratch 29- Belgian Style India Pale Ale

I rushed to the Troegs brewery to pick up a case of Scratch 29 Belgian Style India Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty foamy and bubbly white head. The aroma is filled with banana and pepper with a light hint of citrus. The taste is filled with banana and pepper, with a nice meringue finish. The hops are a perfect accent to this beer and there are lingerings of oak flavors. The alcohol content is 7.7% ABV. As much as Troegs tried to shy away from this being a "Belgian" beer, I think that they nailed the style perfectly. The banana and pepper flavors hit perfect notes as the hops rounded out the flavors. Also worth noting is that this is Troegs' first bottle conditioned beer, so I expect to see more of those in the future.

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently tapped a keg of Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, so I decided to order a glass. The beer pours an amber color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma contains floral smells and pine. The taste is lemon and orange citrus with a pepper hop finish. There is also a hint of tangerine in there. The beer is really clean and fresh and also has a light caramel undertone. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that this was an excellent IPA without anything being overdone. The hops weren't overpowering, but were also plentiful.