New Holland Imperial Hatter

I ordered a glass of New Holland Imperial Hatter from TJ's in Paoli. The beer pours an amber color with a foamy white head. The aroma is malty, sweet, and has a good caramel accent to it. The taste is malty with caramel and a grapefruit punch that is much appreciated. There is also a subtle toasted malt flavor. The alcohol content is 9.4% ABV. I was not aware of the alcohol content while drinking this beer, which is surprising for a beer approaching 10% ABV. The sweetness of this beer was very enjoyable, especially given that it is balanced but a refreshing citrus hop flavor.

Brooklyn Buzz Bomb

I ordered a glass of Brooklyn Buzz Bomb Ale from Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern, PA. I was excited to come across this beer in Pennsylvania, since it only comes in draft form. The beer pours a straw yellow color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of hops and lemon. The taste is lemon, cream, and a touch of meringue. Overall, the beer is a smooth drinker and has a light peppery hop bite on the finish. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I thought the Buzz Bomb Ale was delicious and a great drinking beer. This beer is a great way to introduce someone who doesn't like a hop-heavy beer to the lemon and pepper flavors of hops without overwhelming them in hoppiness.

Dogfish Head Theobroma

I ordered a bottle of Dogfish Head Theobroma from Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern, PA. The beer pours an amber color that looks exactly like honey and has a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of honey, chocolate, and chili peppers. The taste is honey and sweet at first and evolves into a spicy chili pepper flavor. On the finish, the beer has a smooth dark chocolate taste. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that the Theobroma was very delicious and complex and was like nothing I have ever tasted. It leaves the mouth dry and bitter from chocolate, but the evolution of flavor from sweet to spicy to bitter is a full rollercoaster ride of flavor.

Saint Somewhere Saison Athene

I ordered a glass of Saint Somewhere Saison Athene at Brass Rail in Campbelltown. The beer pours a yellow golden color with a foamy and sticky white head. The aroma consists of pepper, orange, and pear. The taste is vibrant and fresh with lots of pear, apple, and orange. It has a dry finish with some rosemary accents. As far as mouth feel, the Saison Athene is nice and carbonated and is light on the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought that the Saison Athene was an amazing beer and very well equipped to refresh on a hot summer day. It is a light drinker and light on the tongue, but packs a good fruit punch and a nice spicy finish of rosemary.

AleSmith Grand Cru

I picked up a bottle of AleSmith Grand Cru at Al's of Hampden. I enjoyed the previous AleSmith beers that I had in San Diego, so I was looking forward to trying the Grand Cru. The beer pours a reddish brown color with lofty foamy off-white colored head. The aroma is malty and sweet with dark fruit and fig and definitely can pick out alcohol in the aroma as well. The taste is is sweet and malty with a good helping of raisin and fig, orange, dried apricot, and candisugar. The alcohol bites a good bit and the beer finishes with a slight hop flavor that dries the mouth out a bit. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I really enjoyed the amount of flavors included in the Grand Cru, especially the citrus ones. The alcohol content doesn't let you forget that this is a hefty beer, but it is completely enjoyable.

Founders Centennial IPA

I ordered a glass of Founders Centennial IPA at McGrath's in Harrisburg. The beer pours a golden orange color with a thick foamy white head. The aroma is lemon, pepper, grapefruit, and pine. The taste is smooth and creamy with a good helping of lemon and pepper. There is a light finish of grapefruit that is not dry. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. Founders has completely nailed the IPA on the head. The Centennial IPA has drinks very well for its alcohol content and the citrus flavors work well with the pine and pepper.

Lost Abbey Devotion

I ordered a glass of Lost Abbey Devotion at Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of banana, cream, and pepper. The taste is candisugar, banana, pepper, and bubble gum. There is a dry finish as well. The alcohol content is 6.25% ABV. Overall, I thought the Devotion was pretty delicious, but maybe slightly (emphasize the slightly) watered down. It may not have been the greatest Belgian Pale Ale I've had, but it was quite enjoyable.

Appalachian Brewing Company Extra Special Bitter

I went to Appalachian Brewing Company after receiving an email from them about a one-off batch of Extra Special Bitter. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts and chocolate. The taste is dry and has a heavy helping of toasted malts. There is a little chocolate accent and a dry bitter finish. The alcohol content is not posted online, but I would guess it to be around 6.0% ABV. As a bitter, I thought that Appalachian Brewing Company's very was decent and followed the model as to how the beer should taste without being overly bitter.

Great Divide 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Imperial IPA

I stopped into Al's of Hampden to pick up a growler of Great Divide 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Imperial IPA. The beer pours an orange amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, grapefruit, and sugar. The taste is sweet and smooth with a heavy dose of caramel with some grapefruit. There is a good oak accent that dries out the beer. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This beer was a very delicious brew with decent hop finish and great oak accent. Overall, I thought it was very well done and I hope to be able to get some more of this before it's gone.

Avery 17 (Dry Hop)

While at Al's of Hampden to pick up a growler of the mmmMaharaja, I decided to give the Avery 17 (Dry Hop) a try. The beer pours a black color with think bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of roasted malts with chocolate. The taste is roasted malts and bitter dark chocolate with a good dry hop finish. The finish actually stings and dries the tongue. The alcohol content is 8.69% ABV. The 17 (Dry Hop) was a really good beer that delivers chocolate taste without the heavy feeling. I thought it also had a surprising but yet balancing hop finish.

Avery Maharaja

I stopped in to Al's of Hampden to grab a growler of Avery Maharaja to watch a Union match. The beer pours golden amber color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma consists of lemon and pepper with a light grapefruit accent. The taste is smooth and round with a good lemon punch. The beer finishes with some grapefruit flavors, and orange punch, and a warm caramel base. The alcohol content is 10.3% ABV. The caramel and alcohol have a nice way of warming the throat. The hops are definitely not overdone in this beer, but are meant to balance the sweetness. I highly recommend this beer, even if you don't love hops.

Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale from Brass Rail in Campbelltown, PA. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gravitation brew from the BIG BEER series, so I was anxious to try the Barleywine. The beer pours an orange amber color with a foamy white head with some noticeable lacing. The aroma consists of orange, coriander, lemon zest, and a background of caramel and toffee. The taste is powerful is sweet, hitting first with a sweet orange punch and a powerful caramel and toffee base. The lemon comes in on the finish and a nice pepper and pine accent hits the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. The barleywine was perfectly balanced, and the fruitiness was very welcomed as well. The orange and lemon kept the sweet caramel and toffee in check, and made for an excellent drinking beer, of which the alcohol content wasn't overly noticeable.

Dogfish Head Namaste

I stopped into TJ's in Paoli upon reading their tweet that they had bottles of Dogfish Head Namaste in stock. When I walked in, there was one bottle left, so I snatched it up right away. The beer pours a cloudy and unfiltered yellow color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma consists of a heavy helping of lemongrass with wheat, orange, and coriander accents. The taste is light and refreshing, starting out with a wheat flavor and a good helping of carbonation. The flavor then transforms into lemongrass and coriander. The beer finishes clean with an orange accent and a faint sour hop bite. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. If you are looking for a light summer beer that is also complex, Namaste is the beer for you. It comes with multiple taste levels that will keep your tongue happy, but light and refreshing to drink outside in the sun.

General Lafayette Inn The Phantom

Another beer I ordered on my most recent visit to the General Lafayette Inn was The Phantom, their barleywine. The beer pours a brown amber color with a little bubbly tan head. The aroma is malty with toffee and caramel smells. The taste is toffee and caramel with a good scotch accent. The beer finishes with pine hops and a big alcohol kick. The alcohol content is 12.2% ABV. The Phantom was awe-inspiring and one of the best barleywines I have ever had. It was extremely sweet, but not in a manner that ruined the flavor, and had an amazing alcohol kick that teamed with a pine hop punch. If you are in the Philadelphia area, get to General Lafayette Inn and order one of these beers.

General Lafayette Inn Loch Ness Monster

I visited the General Lafayette Inn following a Union match for dinner and drinks. The first beer I ordered for the evening was the Loch Ness Monster. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma is sweet with caramel, licorice, and chocolate. The taste is malty and sweet with a chocolate and licorice finish. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. The Loch Ness Monster was extremely smooth and delicious and was a perfect starter beer for the evening.