Southampton Grand Cru

I picked up a bottle of Southampton Grand Cru from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a golden amber color with a lofty bubble white head. The aroma consists of of orange citrus and coriander with an underlying smell of cream. The taste consists of very spicy at first with coriander, but finishes smooth and sweet with an orange flavor. There is a lot of carbonation in this beer, but it does not ruin the texture or flavor. The beer has a burnt caramel finish on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 9.8% ABV. It is noticeable in the flavor and by the pinch on the tongue that this beer has a high alcohol content. I was thoroughly impressed with this Grand Cru. I was overwhelmed with the orange flavor and it was delicious. I will definitely seek this beer out again to purchase.

Smuttynose IPA

I ordered a glass of Smuttynose IPA on my last visit to Brew House in Camp Hill. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is faint but what is there is big on lemon and pepper. The taste is very lemony with sugar with a hint of grapefruit and pepper. The finish is dry on the back of the mouth and lingers. There is also some orange too with hints of pine. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. This was a solid performer as an IPA and was very enjoyable. I like the grapefruit hints in the beer that really added to the lemon and pepper base.

Lake Placid Honey Rye

While at Brew House in Camp Hill, my sister ordered a Lake Placid Honey Rye and let me have a try. The beer pours an amber color with a filmy white head that is barely there. There is a light rye aroma with hints of honey, rye, and green tea. The taste consists of lemon and tea with some minor bits of rye. A slight dryness on the back of the mouth arrives for the finish. The alcohol content is not posted online, but I would guess it to be around 5.5% ABV. I thought that this beer had a very similar taste to lemon in honey green tea. It was very refreshing for a warm summer day but had plenty of flavor levels.

Founders Dirty Bastard

I ordered a glass of Founders Dirty Bastard while I was at Brew House in Camp Hill. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick foamy tan head. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, and sweet malts with some hidden hops. The taste is sweet and caramel with a light hop dryness on the finish. There is also a light orange hint in the finish. The alcohol content is 8.3% ABV. This was a very pleasant beer with a good sweet flavor of caramel and toffee but a nice hop balance. The orange twist that arrives on the finish really makes the beer refreshing.

Lake Placid Ubu Ale

I ordered a glass of Lake Placid Ubu Ale from McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick foamy white head. The aroma is creamy and malty. The taste is creamy and smooth with toasted malts and a light hop bite . The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The thought the Ubu Ale was delicious, but not very dynamic. As you may be able to tell from the tasting notes, there was not a variety of flavors. However, that does not make this a bad beer. In fact, it is quite solid.

Furthermore Fatty Boombalatty

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently tapped a keg of Furthermore Fatty Boombalatty (great name!), so I decided to order a glass. The beer pours a golden yellow color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of banana and wheat with some candisugar. The taste is full of banana and pepper, a good balance of sweet but spicy. There is also a good alcohol bite with some hidden raisin flavor. The coriander then takes over the mouth. The beer finishes with good amounts of yeast and some mandarin orange citrus. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. The really liked this Belgian Pale Ale and would definitely order another glass. It was clear that the goal of the brewer was to perfectly balance the beer with a few hidden flavors.

Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale

Another beer that was in the Duck-Rabbit sampler pack was the Amber Ale. The beer pours a golden-amber color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma consists of caramel malts with sour hops and a hint of orange citrus. The taste is malty and sweet, with caramel providing the backbone. The beer finishes with a sour hop taste with bits of yeast on the outside of the tongue. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. Duck-Rabbit has provided a solid performer in the Amber Ale category. It was overdone, but also not too experimental. Either way, I'll still drink it again and enjoy it a lot.

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.