Troegs Scratch 85- Cocoa Porter

Another beer I tried at the Troegs tasting room was Scratch 85- Cocoa Porter. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of dark chocolate, toasted malts, and coffee. It’s pretty simple on the nose, but quite enticing. The taste is dark and rich with lots of chocolate and cocoa on the front end. It has a good toasted malt base and a very dry and powdery finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a wonderful cocoa based beer and was much better than the Scratch 54 attempt. It’s still powdery and dry, but is enjoyable and robust.

Troegs Scratch 84- Belgian Pale Ale

I went to the Troegs tasting room to try Scratch 84- Belgian Pale Ale. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast and spices and plenty of grass. The taste is dry and spicy again with Belgian yeast on the front end. Some grass and an earthiness arrive as well, carried by orange and lemon citrus flavors.. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. I’d say this was a very nice Belgian Pale Ale that had some citrus characteristics to it and was very easy to drink.

Boxcar Mango Ginger IPA

While at Duke’s Riverside Bar and Grill I ordered a glass of Boxcar Mango Ginger IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of mango, caramel, ginger, and pepper. The taste is spicy with ginger, a light mango sweetness, and plenty of a caramel background. Pepper and grass spice up the finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a simple beer with great entry level IPA taste. It definitely erred on the fruity side rather than the bitter side, but the ginger flavor helped appease my tongue a little bit.

Pizza Boy Brewing Orangatang

Another beer I ordered at Al’s of Hampden right after he tapped Pappy was Pizza Boy Brewing Orangatang. The beer pours a golden-amber color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of orange, vinegar, barnyard funk, grass, and horse blanket. The taste is dry and grassy on the front end with a slight orange sweetness before funk settles in and it is potent leaving behind a horse blanket flavor to linger for quite some time. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I’ll be honest in saying I expected this beer to be more sour than funky, but it was quite delicious. I’d mostly compare it to an orange saison rather than a sour beer.

Pizza Boy Brewing Pappy

I went to Al’s of Hampden when he tapped his own Pizza Boy Brewing Pappy, a Pappy Van Winkle aged imperial stout. The beer pours a black color with a thin filmy tan colored head. The aroma consists of strong bourbon, oak, chocolate, vanilla, and cherry. The taste is very bold and strong with bourbon on the front end that attacks the tongue. The flavor profile is laced with alcohol and gives off oak hints built upon a dark chocolate background. Caramel, coffee, vanilla, and cherry also make some intermediate appearances. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. If you love bourbon barrel aged beers, this one is for you. While the bourbon doesn’t overpower the hefty stout, it certainly makes its presence known and yield cherry and vanilla accents into the beer.

Elk Creek Happy Dog ESB

While in state college for a meeting, my boss and I went out to lunch at Kelly's Steak and Seafood Restaurant and I ordered a glass of Elk Creek Happy Dog ESB. The beer pours a brown color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, fresh hops, grass, and mildew. The taste is smooth and creamy with a large caramel profile. There is a lightly bitter hop finish with grassy accents. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 5.0% ABV. This was a tasty overall ESB with the perfect amount of spiciness to balance the sweet caramel base.

Brasserie Dupont Moinette Brune

Another beer I ordered while at Cafe Bruges for my birthday was Brasserie Dupont Moinette Brune. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly cream colored head. The aroma consists of fig, caramel, cherry, grass, and spices. The taste had a solid caramel and yeast background with a light cherry accent. A spice arrives with a yeasty accompaniment. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. This was a rather tasty beer that was extremely bubbly on the tongue. I liked the entire flavor profile, especially the cherry accents.

Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont

While at Cafe Bruges in Carlisle for my birthday, I finally ordered a bottle of Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally try it, but it was one of those beers that I always see and never order. The beer pours a golden color with quickly rising bubbles and a frothy white colored head. The aroma is spicy and fruity with lemon, grass, and yeast. The taste is spicy just like the aroma with great citrus accents. Orange and lemon pop out before a grassy finish that dries the mouth with an earthiness about it. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a phenomenal saison and I will make sure never to pass this beer up again. It was so clean and fresh with great citrus flavors and a nice spiciness.

The Bruery 5 Golden Rings

With the November shipment of the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month Club, I received a bottle of The Bruery 5 Golden Rings. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of banana, pineapple, Belgian spices, passion fruit, and grass. The taste is sweet and fruity on the front end with banana, pineapple juice, and passion fruit. Some Belgian yeast and spices arrive with grass and pepper arrive on the finish and dry out the tongue by leaving some alcohol burn on the tongue. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. 5 Golden Rings is a great Belgian golden ale with a wonderful fruity profile and a nice dry spicy and alcohol finish. I can’t wait to see what a year or two of aging will do to this beer.

Beach Brewing Blackfin

My sister bought me a bottle of Beach Brewing Blackfin for my birthday, a whiskey barrel aged barleywine. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves a bubbly lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, fig, apricot, dark fruits, whiskey, and oak. The taste is smooth with a light bite to it. There’s plenty of caramel, fig, raisin, and apricot. A transition into whiskey and oak takes place and lasts long into the after taste. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. The whiskey flavors worked so well with the dark fruit and caramel flavors. This was one of the better barrel aged barleywines that I’ve have ever had.

Grand Teton Black Cauldron

For the December shipment of the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month Club, I received a bottle of Grand Teton Black Cauldron, a stout aged in bourbon barrels. The beer pours a black color with a lofty and frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, toasted malts, oak, and a hint of cherry. The aroma consists of sweet milk chocolate flavor with a strong bourbon presence on the front end. Vanilla and cherry appear before toasted malts and oak arrive and dry out the finish. The alcohol content is 7.85% ABV. The bourbon played very well with the stout and its chocolate and toasted malt flavors. My favorite part was the finish as the oak and toasted malts dried out the mouth a lot, but also provided the complexity needed to make it a wonderful beer.

Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale

I picked up a bottle of Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale while at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville for my bachelor party. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, grassy hops, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The taste is dry with grassy hops up front all built upon a caramel base. Cinnamon, raspberry, hazelnut, vanilla, and cranberry all provide accenting flavors, and dry out again on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. This beer was a great winter warmer, especially as it warmed and released more of the complementing flavors like hazelnut and vanilla. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend trying it if you have the chance.

Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus!

I went to Al’s of Hampden to pick up a 6-pack of Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus!, a chocolate peanut butter porter. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth with a robust chocolate and toasted malt flavor before a strong peanut butter taste comes in to play. It really balances well and tastes similar to a peanut butter cup. The finish is dry and full of roasted malts and peanuts. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This had a great chocolate and peanut butter flavor, and I love me some peanut butter cups. I will absolutely be coming back to this beer and I recommend that you try it as well.

Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Golden Sour

As part of a trade with Tim Dean, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Golden Sour. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head that quickly dissipates with a fizzing sound. The aroma consists of vinegar, lemon, tartness, hay, barnyard funk, and horse blanket. The taste is puckering and tart with lemon and vinegar on the front end. Some hay and barnyard funk take over the tongue with just a hint of sugary sweetness. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a well received and nicely tart beer that packs a heck of a pucker to it. It tastes like being in a barn and make you pay, but it is very enjoyable.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout

While at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, I picked up a bottle of New Belgium Lips of Faith Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout. The beer pours a black color with a lofty and frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of strong coffee, chocolate, toasted malts, caramel, and vanilla. The taste is robust with lots of toasted malts and plenty of coffee on the front end. The coffee lingers for a while before a dark chocolate flavor mixed with caramel and vanilla arrives. A dry after taste brings back more coffee, but is just like drinking a fresh cup of joe. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. If you love coffee, this beer is for you. It is very robust and offers bold flavors with a nice chocolate accent to it. I highly recommend picking this one up if you see it.