Troegs Scratch 79- Master of Pumpkins

I stopped in to the Troegs tasting room to try Scratch 79- Master of Pumpkins. I was thoroughly happy that after years of refusing to make a pumpkin beer that Troegs finally caved and created one, especially using locally grown pumpkins. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, and pepper. The taste is bold on pumpkin that has some light roasted flavors to it. Spicy cinnamon and nutmeg are paired with a peppery and dry finish that leaves hints of vanilla behind. The alcohol content is 8.4% ABV. The saison yeast provided an interesting spiciness to this beer. I’d say if they kept that and pulled back on a few of the other spices, this would be an absolute winner. For a first attempt at a pumpkin ale, I loved it and can hope for another version next year.

Crooked Stave Batch Number 1 Wild Wild Brett Burgundy Ale with Raspberries

With my Cellar Reserve membership, I received a bottle of Crooked Stave Batch Number 1 Wild Wild Brett Burgundy Ale With Raspberries. The beer pours a red-amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head that subsides with a fizzling. The aroma consists of tart raspberries, sugar, pie crust, vinegar, cherries, and brett. The taste is tart with raspberries and vinegar that causes quite a pucker. There is a nice sugary pie crust flavor on the finish with a cherry hint. The after taste lingers with a bit of oak and vinegar. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This beer was amazing with a great raspberry tart flavor that was exactly like pie. It was definitely one of the better sour beers that I have had.

Crooked Stave Surette Reserva Farmhouse Ale

I ordered a bottle of Crooked Stave Surette Reserva Farmhouse Ale as part of my Cellar Reserve membership. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head that recedes rapidly. The aroma consists of lemon, grass, oak, and candy. The taste is lightly puckering with lemon candy flavors. Hidden behind is a little bit of grass, hay, and barnyard funk. An oak dryness comes out on the finish and it leaves behind a touch of pepper. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I loved the slightly sour accents in the spin on a traditional saison. It made it extremely dimensional and kept the tongue dancing throughout the drinking experience.

Atwater Conniption Fit Double IPA

The final beer I ordered at Mad Mex in Shadyside was Atwater Conniption Fit Double IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and passion fruit. The taste brings out pineapple, orange, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, and passion fruit. Pepper and spruce arrives on the finish to attempt to balance out the hop flavors. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. While I love pineapple, I feel like its presence in this beer was too profound and took over the beer. This wasn’t a terrible Double IPA, but not one really worth going back to for another drink.

Brooklyn Brewmaster's Series Mary's Maple Porter

I ordered a glass of Brooklyn Brewmaster’s Series Mary’s Maple Porter from Mad Mex in Shadyside. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of strong maple syrup, toasted malts, and coffee. The taste is full of roasted malts accompanied by plenty of maple syrup. A hint of coffee appears before a dry finish that is very robust. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. I thought the maple syrup provided a great flavor to this beer, but there wasn’t enough of a backbone to balance out the sweetness. I’d probably drink it again, but I can only drink one of these per sitting.

Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale

After several attempts to try the beer, I finally ordered a glass of Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale at Mad Mex in Shadyside. The beer pours a orange-tinted golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla. The taste is smooth and sweet with lots of pumpkin. Better yet, very light cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg accents appear and balance the sweetness with a hint of graham cracker. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I’d say this was another solid performer in the pumpkin ale category. While it wasn’t the best I’ve had, I would definitely order this beer again next fall.http://flyingdogbrewery.com/

Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

The final beer I ordered at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh was the Pumpkin Ale from Rivertown. The beer pours an orange-tinted color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, and allspice. The taste is light bodied with a sweet pumpkin flavor on the front end. A nice compliment of light spices- cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg- work together and there is a vanilla accent on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. As far as pumpkin ales, this beer was neither too spicy nor too sweet. The balance was well played, but I can’t say it was overly memorable.

Stoudt's Achluophobia Black Kolsch

Another beer I ordered at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh was Stoudt’s Achluophobia Black Kolsch. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves a lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, caramel, coffee, and lemon. The taste is light bodied with chocolate, lemon, coffee, toasted malts, grass, and pepper. All of the flavors you would expect from a stout were combined with those of a kolsch, and it blended really well. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. I thought this was a really good beer that brought two distinct and unique styles together in one glass, similar to a black and tan. The grassy finish on top of chocolate flavors is what sold it to me.

Fat Head's Hop Juju Double IPA

While in Pittsburgh, I went to Fat Head’s (like usual) and ordered a glass of Hop Juju Double IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, orange, pine, spruce, and caramel. The taste is bitter and oily with plenty of citrus flavors including grapefruit, tangerine, and orange. Pine, spruce, and pepper comprise the finish with a wonderful oily after taste. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. This was an exceptional Double IPA that I would come back to again and again. It packs a great citrus hop punch and leaves plenty of oils on the tongue, making it a very memorable beer.

Crooked Stave Blackberry Petite Sour

As part of my Cellar Reserve Membership at Crooked Stave, I received a bottle of Blackberry Petite Sour. The beer pours a red tinted amber color with a bubbly white colored head that fizzles away. The aroma consists of vinegar, blackberries, sugar, and pie crust. The taste is tart and puckering with a dry blackberry flavor. A tartness settles in on the finish with vinegar and a touch of sugar and pie crust on the after taste. A lingering oak flavor and dryness also comes out. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. This was a wonderful fruit-infused sour with a lovely tartness and a light oak dryness. Another winner from Crooked Stave!

Woodcut No. 6 Oak Aged American Ale

While at the Odell Brewery, I picked up a bottle of Woodcut No. 6 Oak Aged American Ale and brought it back in my luggage. This beer features Mosaic hops which are blowing up right now. The beer pours an amber color with a lofty frothy cream colored head that leaves specks of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of passion fruit, tangerine, toasted caramel, pineapple, and orange. The taste is bold with strong caramel up front and plenty of passion fruit, tangerine, orange, and pineapple flavors. A light oak dryness with a peppery spice comes in on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This beer is full of tropical fruit and delivers a wonderful flavor with a light spice and oak accent. It also has an earthy presence to it with some grassy accents.

Trinity Stop Making Sense Imperial Bock

As part of a beer trade with Hoptopia, I received a bottle of Trinity Stop Making Sense Imperial Bock. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy beige colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, smoked malts, raisin, and toast. The taste is smooth and sweet at first with a creamy mouthfeel. Caramel and toasted malts with a hint of smoke shine next with some raisin, pepper, and grass on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. The beer has a strong sweetness about it but it is delicately balanced with some grassy and peppery hops.

Crooked Stave Wild Wild Brett Persica

As part of the Cellar Reserve Society, I received a bottle of Crooked Stave Wild Wild Brett Persica. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head that subsides rather rapidly. The aroma consists of vinegar, peaches, brett funk, hay, barnyard, horse blanket, and grass. The taste is puckers at first with lots of vinegar but a wonderful peach flavor on the front end. The beer then switches to a hay and grassy flavor with an excellent earthiness to it. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. As far as sour beers goes, this one was fantastic. The peach flavors pushed a slightly sweet agenda over the aggressive vinegar and brett flavors, making for a carnival ride on the tongue.

Appalachian Brewing Company Grain Series Wheat IPA

(I apologize about the lack of picture, but it was on my previous cell phone and I have since lost it)While at Appalachian Brewing Company for The Clarks concert, I ordered a glass of the Wheat IPA from the Grain Series. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of wheat, lemon, hay, and pepper. The taste is spicy with lemon and pepper on the front end with some hay creating a dry finish. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This beer was rather good and spicy, creating a complex array of flavors that are not typically associated with each other. It was difficult to determine if they really worked together well, but I would drink this beer again.

Selin's Grove Brewing Hop Nouveau

(I apologize about the lack of picture, but it was on my previous cell phone and I have since lost it) Another beer I ordered on a recent visit to Selin’s Grove Brewing Company was the Hop Nouveau. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, tangerine, caramel, and hop oil. The taste is built upon a solid caramel base with lemon, tangerine, a hint of grapefruit, and orange. An oily finish with pepper and spruce really brings the beer full circle. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a rather delicious wet hopped pale ale that focused on the hops but had a good backbone as well.