Bube's Brewery Nick's Altbier

While going to dinner at Bube's Brewery, I ordered Nick's Altbier. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin filmy brown head. The aroma consists of sweet malts and smoke and light hints of chocolate. This beer doesn't come with a powerful aroma, but there is some there. The weight of the beer is light on the tongue but the taste is big and malty with a perfect smoke balance. Chocolate and caramel flavors also come through, as they are not overpowered by the smoke. The beer doesn't finish dry, but has a light pine after taste. I couldn't locate the alcohol content online but I would guess it to be around 6.0% ABV. I thought that Nick's Altbier was really good and not too sweet with a perfect smoke balance that cannot be ignored.

Copper Crow Chocolate Thunder Porter

I ordered a glass of Copper Crow [no website, formerly the General Lafayette Inn & Brewery) Chocolate Thunder Porter while at The Brewhouse in Camp Hill. The beer pours a black color with a foamy tan head. The aroma consists of vanilla, chocolate, milk, and toffee. The taste is big on chocolate with a light vanilla undertone that transitions into coffee with toffee accents. Then comes a light alcohol bite before a finish that is a little dry with toasted malts. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I really enjoyed the sweet vanilla and toffee accents that came through in the beer without overwhelming the chocolate and coffee focus of the beer.

Bell's Amber Ale

In my mixed six-pack that I got from Al's of Hampden, I grabbed a bottle of Bell's Amber Ale, mostly based on the recommendation of my roommate Adam. The beer pours an amber color (duh!) with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of lots of sweet caramel and toffee. The taste is sweet and smooth with a large mouth presence. There is a lot of caramel and toffee flavors in this beer. There are some hints of some toasted caramel as well as the beer finishes. The after taste lingers a bit with some fresh lemon and orange flavors from the hops. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. If you are looking for a beer that is somewhat sweet with good helping of toffee and caramel, this is your beer. It is very enjoyable and not overly sweet, as it is nicely balanced with some citrus notes.

Penn Brewing Company Allegheny Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Pennsylvania Brewing Company Allegheny Pale Ale from Al's of Hampden as part of a mixed six-pack. The beer pours a copper color with a foamy white head that dissipates fairly quickly. The aroma is faint but consists of pale malts and light hops. The taste is bitter with fresh hops and a light malty backbone that doesn't exert itself very much. Bits of pine, spruce, and lemon make their way through on the finish, and a dry after taste lingers. I couldn't locate the alcohol content online but would guess it be around 6.0% ABV. This pale ale definitely drinks a lot smoother than most pale ales, as it does not have an overwhelming hop presence that bites at the tongue. It is pretty smooth and probably won't satisfy most hop heads, but it still a decent drinking beer. However, one note: if you eat this beer with some sharp cheddar cheese, it really brings out the sour hop flavor.

Victory St. Boisterous

I picked up a bottle of Victory St. Boisterous from Al's of Hampden as part of a mixed six-pack. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a thick foamy white head. I took notice as to how creamy the beer looked as it was being poured. The aroma consists of sweet malts, some caramel, and fresh hops. The taste is smooth, round and sweet with lots of caramel on the tongue, balanced by some orange and tangerine, and finished with a bitter and fresh hop bite. The alcohol content is 7.4% ABV. Victory has provided an excellent Helles Bock, which happens to be one of my favorite styles, that is well balanced and has plenty of flavors for the tongue to decipher. The entire experience is enjoyable, from the fresh smell, to the sweet start on the tongue, a great citrus balance, and the bitter bitey finish.

Lancaster Brewing Company Double Chocolate Milk Stout

I went to Al's of Hampden to order a glass of Lancaster Double Chocolate Milk Stout. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of lots of chocolate with milk accents. The taste is big on chocolate, some oak hidden in there, and toasted malts. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I thought the Double Chocolate Milk Stout was very delicious but does come off a little dry for a milk stout.

Victory Wild Devil

At TJ's in Paoli I ordered a glass of Victory Wild Devil to finish out my meal and give my mouth some sweet and sour flavors after a spicy buffalo chicken wrap. The beer pours a golden orange color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of sour cheery with a light wheat background. The taste is bitter and sour with plenty cherry on the forefront, a light hop balance, and a caramel undertone. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I have really been coming around to sour beers, and I find this one somewhat easy to drink. However, others in my party did not agree and did not enjoy their pucker faces, so it may be a little intense for the faint of heart.

Manayunk Yunkin' Punkin'

I stopped in to The Drafting Room in Exton on the way to the final Union home match of the year and picked up a growler of Manayunk Yunkin' Punkin' for the tailgate. The beer pours a red amber color with a foamy off-white head. The aroma contains lots of pumpkin with some well-balanced cinnamon and nutmeg accents. The taste is sweet and has a good helping of pumpkin, a good amount of malts, and a light cinnamon and nutmeg finish. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. The Yunkin' Punkin' is all about the pumpkin flavors and and light on spices with a good malty backbone. This post is a cheers to a very well done pumpkin beer that I recommend trying if you have the chance.

Ithaca Cascazilla

Another beer I ordered during the Ithaca event at TJ's in Paoli was Cascazilla. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white head. The aroma is malty with caramel and fresh pine hops. The taste is malty with caramel and lots of carbonation. There is a slight toasted malt accent, but not a lot of flavors come forward in this beer. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. While this is not a poor beer, I was slightly disappointed in the complexity of the beer and it left me wanting more, specifically in the flavor category.

Ithaca Cold Front

I stopped in to TJ's in Paoli for the Ithaca event that they had recently. The first beer I ordered was the Cold Front. The beer pours an amber color with frothy off-white head. The aroma consists of caramel, chocolate, candisugar, and malts with a good helping of Belgian yeast. The taste is big and bites hard with caramel and toasted malts, lots of spices, chocolate, raisin, and a nice hop bite. The carbonation in this beer is a little high and it definitely tingles the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. I enjoyed the smorgasbord of flavors encompassed in this beer and it really kept my tongue working throughout the experience to pick up all of the flavors. I would like to give this beer another try and see if I can pick up some additional flavors or aromas.

Appalachian Brewing Company Tripelocity

I stopped in to Appalachian Brewing Company to order a glass of their newly released one-off Tripelocity, a Belgian Tripel. The beer pours a golden color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of Belgian spices, banana, and cloves. The taste is big on banana with lots of spices that really work the tongue. While the spices dance on the tongue, a bubbly hoppy finish with lots of carbonation take over and dry out the mouth. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be approximately 8.0% ABV. This Belgian tripel was solidly done, but not overly experimental. Sometimes perfecting something like a tripel can/should be appreciated, and ABC nailed it with the Tripelocity.

Joe's Strong Ale

As I have stated in the past, I am always willing to give my friends' home brews a try and feature them on the site. My friend Joe, who has been brewing for about a year, invited me over to sample his Strong Ale. The beer pours a dark amber color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma is malty with caramel and fresh pine hops. The taste is big and malty with a good amount of caramel. I would estimate the alcohol content is be approximately 7.0% ABV. Overall, the Strong Ale has a similar profile to Stone Arrogant Bastard but a little less malty. I like the dry hoppy finish that he was able to achieve with this beer, and I look forward to future offerings from Joe.

Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale

While at Al's of Hampden, I ordered a glass of Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, licorice, toasted malts, Belgian spices, and banana. The taste is big on the chocolate with lots of toasted malts, some banana and a spiced up finish. Spruce and yeast linger in the after taste just before the alcohol kicks a little bit. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. While the spruce after taste was completely unexpected, it made the beer better than expected and memorable.

Widmer Brothers Deadlift Imperial IPA

I ordered a glass of Widmer Brothers Deadlift Imperial IPA from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy white head. The aroma is full of grapefruit and sugar with hints of pine in the background. The taste has lots of grapefruit and is slightly bitter with a nice accent of sugar and some orange hidden in there as well. There is a pine hop finish that dries the mouth somewhat. The alcohol content is 8.6% ABV. Overall, Deadlift tastes like a fresh grapefruit with some sprinkled on top. This Imperial IPA hit every note in a beer that I thoroughly enjoy, making it a top beer for me.

Cricket Hill Hopnotic IPA

I ordered a Cricket Hill Hopnotic IPA from O'Reilly's in Harrisburg. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of caramel with lemon and pepper. The taste is big and smooth at first with a burnt caramel taste, followed by a good peppery hop bite, and a light lemon accent. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought that the Hopnotic IPA was very delicious and a rather off-the-wall IPA. The burnt caramel taste was very pleasant and a very different offering from most IPAs out there.