Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale

As part of the variety pack that my friend Jeff brought to my Memorial Day picnic was the Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale. The beer pours a reddish-brown color with a lofty foamy off-white colored head. The aroma is malty, and smells like Cheerios and molasses. The taste is malty and bitter, mostly due to sour and bitter hops. There is also a bit of nuttiness in the taste. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I thought that this was a well balanced and enjoyable Brown Ale. It may finish a little dryer than expected, but it did not hinder the experience.

Duck-Rabbit Porter

My friend Jeff brought the variety pack from Duck-Rabbit to my Memorial Day cookout. One of the beers in the pack was the Porter. The beer pours a deep dark brown color with a lofty bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate niblets and toasted malts. The taste is roasted malts and a hint of dry chocolate. There is plenty of oak flavors as well and a sweetness in the middle that likens to cherries. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought this was a rather delicious porter with a great wood accent. The wood flavor helped dry out the beer on the finish, making a nice unique experience.

Sweet Water Tavern Naked River Lager Light

My buddy Ryan brought up a growler of Sweet Water Tavern (not to be confused with SweetWater) Naked River Lager Light for the Memorial Day weekend. The beer pours a light golden color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma is slightly sour hops with a light malts. The taste is very light and refreshing. There is a sour hop and malt flavors. The finish is slightly dry and watery, but still satisfying. The alcohol content is 3.75% ABV. Overall, this was a refreshing and tasty alternative to the general light beers out there. If in the area in DC, I'd recommend giving this brew pub a try.

Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

As part of the Flying Dog sampler pack, I tried the Tire Bite Golden Ale. The beer pours a golden color (as said in the name) with a bubbly character and almost no head. The aroma is lightly sour malts with some sweetness. The taste is a bit sour and malty with some breadiness and butter on the finish. The carbonation is present but not overdone. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. Overall, this is a satisfying beer. It goes really well with warmer weather. It may not be an experimental brew that pushes the limits, but is is great beer to fall back on.

Appalachian Brewing Company Schwartz Bier

While at Appalachian Brewing Company on my last visit, I ordered a mug of the one-off Schwartz Bier. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts and a bit of chocolate and coffee. The taste is loaded with coffee and is very dry. There is also some chocolate in there and toasted malts. The alcohol content was not available in the email alert I received, but I would guess it to be around 6% or 7% ABV. I thought that the Schwartz Bier was not quite as good as a stout or porter because the creaminess of a porter rounds out the flavor, but it was still a good beer.

ABC Single Hop Series

The ABC Single Hop Series- From Left: Zeus, Horizon, and Simcoe

I stopped into Appalachian Brewing Company to sample their Single Hop Series. Basically, ABC created three IPAs, the only variation between the three being the hops used. I figured this would give me the perfect opportunity to train my palette even further and help it recognize the types of hops used in beers. All three beer looked the same, but the Simcoe IPA definitely had a more pronounced head than the other two.

The first beer was made with Zeus hops. The aroma consists strawberries. The taste is lightly bitter with a bit of burnt caramel. In the background there is also some lemon and pepper. This seemed like it was a run-of-the-mill hop used in making IPAs.

The second beer was made with Horizon hops. This beer was not very aromatic and it was difficult to pick up an hops. The taste is faintly lemon and somewhat plain. The beer has a dry finish. Overall, the taste was more caramel than hops, coming from the base malts used to make the beer. I thought that this was a simple base of hops, but could be used to introduce more people to the IPA style of beer.

The third and final beer was brewed with Simcoe hops. I immediately recognized this type of hops with its grapefruit aroma with sweet sugar undertone. From the beers I have tried, the IPAs using the Simcoe hop have become some of my favorite brews. The beer had a great grapefruit taste that is sweetened with sugar. Overall, this was a delicious brew and I saved some of it for last and wanted to savor each and every drop.

Otto's Pub & Brewery Double D India Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Otto's Pub & Brewery Double D India Pale Ale from Wegman's in Williamsport. The beer pours a copper color with a foamy white head about two fingers thick. The Roma is sweet with caramel and bits of lemon and pepper. The taste is sweet with a good backbone of caramel. The hops bitter the taste slightly with some lemon and pepper. The mouth feel of this beer is a bit creamy. It finishes a bit dry with a pine after taste. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. This was a really delicious India Pale Ale that was equally sweet and bitter. I was really impressed, as I had not heard of this brewery from State College, PA before, but I look forward to trying more of their beers.

Bavarian Barbarian 2x4 India Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Bavarian Barbarian 2x4 India Pale Ale at Wegman's in Williamsport. The beer pours a golden yellow color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma is lemon and citrus with a light bit of grapefruit. The taste is peppery and sweet with lemon and grapefruit and a light toasted caramel taste. Surprisingly, the beer hits with a bit of wood, which I assume where the 2x4 name comes from. The beer finishes a bit dry and peppery. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a delicious take on the India Pale Ale, and I welcomed the oak flavor that came with the beer. It was a little bit hoppy for those that shy away from hops, but not too overpowering.

The Brew Works Insidious Imperial Stout Ale

I picked up a bottle of The Brew Works Insidious Imperial Stout Ale from Al's of Hampton. The beer pours a dark black color with a very loft foamy head; the cork almost hit the ceiling after popping. The aroma has a good helping of chocolate with bits of vanilla, coffee, and oak. The taste is mostly chocolate, but is rounded out with some oak on the outside of the mouth. The beer then dries a bit with a coffee finish that leaves the mouth a bit thirsty. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. The alcohol in this beer does also help to dry the mouth a bit. I really enjoyed this beer, but be sure to have a glass of water handy, as you will need to refresh yourself while drinking this beer.

Bullfrog Brewery Edgar IPA

Another beer I ordered while at Bullfrog Brewery during American Craft Beer Week was the Edgar IPA. The beer pours an orange color with a thin filmy white head. There is an orange and lemon aroma. This beer drinks with a big hop flavor and has some lemon and pepper hidden in there as well. The beer finishes with a dry pine hop flavor. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This was a great IPA in my opinion. It may be a bit too powerful for those new to the hop experience or those with sensitivities to hops, but if you like IPA, be sure to check this beer out.

Bullfrog Brewery Lights Out Stout

I went to Bullfrog Brewery during American Craft Beer Week to check out the Lights Out Stout. This stout was aged for three years in oak barrels with coffee, chocolate, and wild yeast. The beer pours a deep black color with a foamy tan head. The aroma is deeply chocolate with hints of oak and coffee. The taste is smooth and great tasting and is very creamy due to being served from the hand pump. This beer is very chocolaty with a good helping of coffee. The kicker is that there is a bit of a raspberry bite in the middle with an alcohol finish that is dry. The beer completes itself similar to a chocolate covered raspberry and is very surprising and delicious. There is no alcohol content posted online, but I would assume it to be around 9.0% ABV. The beer beats up the tongue a bit with the sour raspberry that is created with the wild yeast, but this brew is extremely delicious and addicting. The entire drive home to Harrisburg I was left wanting more of this beer.

The Brew Works Hop'solutely

I picked up a bottle of The Brew Works Hop'solutely at Al's of Hampton after talking with the distributor at Westy's. I wasn't sure I wanted to drop $70 on a case of Hop'solutely, but he informed me where I could pick up a bottle to try before I purchased a case. The beer pours a brilliant golden color with a slowly rising white bubbly head. The aroma consists of with a fresh hop scent and plenty of citrus, including lemon, grapefruit, and orange. The taste is smooth a sweet, like a sugar coated grapefruit. The beer then has a nice peppery and pine hop bite of the outsides of the mouth. It finishes with a smooth caramel finish that goes down really easy. There is even a hint of oak underneath all of the flavors. As the beer warmed, a honey sweetness emerged. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. This beer was stunningly delicious. It is not overly hoppy, with just the right amount of hops, that are smoothed out by sweet citrus and caramel. I will definitely go pick up another bottle of this beer, or possibly even a case.

Weyerbacher Verboten Belgian Style Pale Ale

I picked up a case of Weyerbacher (a much improved website!) Verboten Belgian Style Pale Ale from Westy's during American Craft Beer Week. The beer pours a golden amber color with a foamy tall white head. The aroma consists of sour hops and a light bit of lemon and banana. The taste is heavy on banana with some biscuit flavors. The beer finishes a little dry with some lemon and pepper hops bite. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. This was a very smooth drinking beer that actually has a bit more of an alcohol bite than it actually contains. A good assortment of flavors, including banana, pepper, and lemon really gives this beer all the dimensions it needs to create an excellent experience.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

I picked up a case of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA during American Craft Beer Week. The beer pours a yellow color with a foamy white head. The aroma is lightly citrus with malts and some caramel hints. The taste is sweet with caramel and toffee at first, with a nice dry lemon hop finish. There is a bit of pepper and dryness on the tongue on the after taste.There is also a bit on sweet malts mixed with sour hops that lingers. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought the 60 Minute IPA was a solid beer. It may not be as adventurous as the 90 Minute IPA or as over-the-top amazing as the 120 Minute IPA, but it really is an easy drinking beer with an excellent amount of flavors.

Stoudt's Brewers Reserve Gemutlichkeit Ale

I picked up a bottle of Stoudt's Brewers Reserve Gemutlichkeit Ale from the brewery on my way home from working in Reading. The beer pours an amber color with a bottle of foamy white head. The aroma lightly malty with sour hops. The taste is smooth and malty with a bit of caramel and a bite of hops. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I was a big fan of this beer, as it finished very crisp and refreshing with a good amount of flavor.