Left Coast Asylum

I picked up a bottle of Left Coast Asylum, a Belgian Style Tripel Ale, from Brass Rail in Campbelltown. The beer pours a brilliant golden color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma is banana and pepper with some candisugar. The taste is smooth and sweet with strong flavors of Belgian yeast, banana, and some pepper accents. The alcohol content is 11% ABV. Overall, this was a good take on the Belgian tripel with great banana flavors and pepper accents. I really enjoyed the generous amount of Belgian yeast flavors that accompanied this beer. It was good enough of a beer that when I saw it at Flat Rock in Manayunk, I didn't hesitate to order a bottle.

Troegs Drafting Room 16th Anniversary Ale

I got the email from Troegs that their Drafting Room 16th Anniversary Ale was available in the brewery, so I sent my roommate to grab a growler that we could split. The basic breakdown to this beer is that it is Nugget Nectar with Belgian westmalle yeast. The beer pours a brilliant amber color (similar to that of Nugget Nectar) with a hefty and foamy white head. The aroma consists of candisugar, bubble gum,, and fresh earthy hops. The taste is sweet at first with a good helping of Begian yeast, candisugar, and bubble gum. It finishes with a nice pine hop bite that dries the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. The hops in this beer were not too overwhelming, but if you are familiar with Troegs beers and their hop content, you will very much enjoy this beer. The Beglian yeast really throws this beer over the tops in a clash of America versus Belgium, a war that is won by the beer drinker.

Moylan's Hopsickle

I ordered a glass of Moylan's Hopsickle from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is a good balance between lemon and grapefruit. The taste is heavy on lemon at first and finishes with grapefruit bitterness and tart. There are some pepper and pine hops that hit the tongue with some force. A great caramel base that is hidden but very much appreciated comes through after the finish. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. The Hopsickle was a very good beer, and that was apparent from the first sip. The caramel undertone that comes through on the finish made the experience very delightful.

Founders Devil Dancer

I went to Al's of Hampden to get a glass of Founders Devils Dancer. This beer is brewed with ten different hop varieties and scores high on bitterness with 112 IBUs. The beer pours an orange amber color with a filmy white head. The aroma is full of lemon and orange with a light hop hint. The taste is full and surprisingly smooth, with the flavor heavy on grapefruit and a little sour. There is a sweet malty and caramel undertone as well. I was a bit surprised that there was not an overwhelming alcohol punch, but the 12% ABV is noticeable. I was thoroughly impressed with the Devil Dancer and I actually brought some bottles home with me. The best part is how smooth drinking this beer is for its alcohol and hop content.

Smuttynose Gravitation

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Gravitation from Brass Rail in Campbelltown. The beer pours a dark caramel color with a thin bubbly off-white head. The aroma consists of alcohol, dark fruit, fig, raisin, and a hint of oak. The taste is very bountiful, consisting of raisin and fig, an underlying of dark fruit, sweet malts, and even a bit of chocolate as the beer warmed up. The alcohol has a very powerful bite in this beer that dries out the mouth. The hint of oak in the aroma surfaces in the taste towards the end of the experience on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. While the alcohol was not hidden at all in this beer, it is a quite delicious quadrupel. The balance with the other flavors is perfect, and the raisin and fig really have a big presence.

Stone/Brew Dog Bashah

I ordered a glass of the Stone/Brew Dog collaboration Bashah from T. Brendan O'Reilly's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a dark black color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma has plenty of chocolate and candisugar in it with a good bit of hops providing a balance. The taste has toasted malts, chocolate, caramel. some banana, and a dry finish. In a way, it tastes almost like a caramel coated chocolate. There is also a slight hop bite bite on outsides of the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 8.6% ABV. The Bashah was a very interesting brew, yet also quite enjoyable. You could tell that there was some Belgian DNA in it, but it also had great chocolate and toasted malt backbone.

Weyerbacher Fifteen- Smoked Imperial Stout

I picked up a four-pack of Weyerbacher Fifteen- Smoked Imperial Stout from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists heavily of chocolate and toasted malts, some milk and coffee, and a light background of smoke and oak. The taste starts off heavily on the dark chocolate flavor but quickly dries out with a big dose of smoke and toasted malts. There is a sharp alcohol bite of the back of the throat that clears the way for some coffee flavor. The beer finishes pretty dry due to the smoke and dark chocolate. The alcohol content is 10.8% ABV. This beer is not for the faint of heart, or those that don't like sitting around a campfire. The warmer the beer, the better it is, as the smoke becomes slightly less dominant and allows the other flavors to come forward.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken's Ale

I picked up a bottle of Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken's Ale from Al's of Hampden. This beer brought in Fritz Maytag from Anchor Brewing Company to celebrate Sierra Nevada's anniversary. The beer pours a deep black color with a lofty foamy tan head. The aroma is filled with chocolate, coffee, and a light hint of hops. The taste is powerful with chocolate and alcohol on the front end. The beer finishes smooth and creamy with a coffee and hop bite. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. The beer drinks really smooth and is extremely tasty, making it somewhat dangerous with its high alcohol content. However, go out and grab a bottle if you love chocolate and coffee, but even more if you love to celebrate great brewers.

Victory Hop Wallop

Following my enjoyment of drinking Victory Hop Wallop on cask at Al's of Hampden, I ordered a glass of the non-cask conditioned Hop Wallop at McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of sour hops, lemon, and gym socks (I know, not all that appealing). The taste is lemony and sour with a butter lining. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. While I enjoyed the Hop Wallop, I thought it was much better on cask. The aroma I think may have thrown me off a bit at first, but I did really enjoy drinking it.

Brooklyn Local 2

I ordered a bottle of Brooklyn Local 2 based on Katie the Bartender's recommendation at McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma is full of alcohol and Belgian yeast. The taste is sweet and malty with flavors consisting of caramel, candisugar, and a hint of orange and honey. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that the Local 2 was really good and had a great balance. The alcohol really kicks in by the end, but it is not hidden at all during the experience.

Ballast Point Sculpin India Pale Ale

I ordered a bottle of Ballast Point Sculpin India Pale Ale from McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a dark straw yellow color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of lemon and grapefruit with a hint of orange and pepper. The taste is surprisingly toasted caramel with a good helping of bitter grapefruit. The beer finishes with a lemon and pepper bite. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that the Scuplin India Pale Ale was extremely delicious and the toasted caramel flavor really came through well. There also was not any disappointment in the hop flavors with grapefruit and lemon.

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

I ordered a glass of Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a copper color with a thin filmy head. The aroma is filled with grapefruit, orange, mandarin orange, and cherry. The taste is sweet and lemon with heavy accents of grapefruit and a light cherry splash. The alcohol content is 10% ABV. This was an excellent beer with a big alcohol bite and a bitter finish. I enjoyed it and would definitely order another glass of this.

Coronado Mermaid's Red Ale

On a recent visit to Al's of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Coronado Mermaid's Red Ale. The beer pours a dark amber color with red hues and a thin bubbly white head. The aroma is lightly caramel but almost nonexistent. The taste was heavy on toasted malts with some caramel mixed in. The beer has a dry finish and a light pine hop bite. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought that this was a decent red with good hop additions. There is a greater hop presence than I am used with red ales, but it was a welcome addition.

Green Flash Imperial IPA

I ordered a glass of Green Flash Imperial IPA while at Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a copper color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of caramel and pepper with light lemon. The taste is big on caramel and toffee with a good bitter hop bite consisting of pepper and lemon. The alcohol content is 9.4% ABV. The Imperial IPA from Green Flash was very delicious and had a great balance. The sweetness did a good job of hiding the alcohol well, so this can be a very dangerous brew.

Flying Fish Exit 6 Wallonian Rye

I picked up a bottle of Flying Fish Exit 6- Wallonian Rye (Belgian Style Ale with New Jersey Rye) from Al's on Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and foamy white head that sticks to the edge of the glass. The aroma consists of banana, candisugar, rye, and a slight hint of pepper. The taste consists of banana, candisugar, and pepper and has a good bit of carbonation on the tongue. The beer finishes with a pepper and rye bite, but isn't all that dry. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I really enjoyed the complexity and dynamic nature of this beer. It started out sweet with banana and candisugar, but was completely balanced out with pepper and rye, giving the beer a nice bite.