Goose Island Bourbon County Cherry Rye

I received a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Cherry Rye in a trade with my friend Joel. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of bourbon, cherry, vanilla, rye, caramel, oak, alcohol, chocolate, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth and sweet with a strong cherry and vanilla front end and the solid chocolate and toasted malt base. Vanilla, oak, and a nice alcohol accompaniment with the strong whiskey flavor. The alcohol content is 13.7% ABV. As expected, this was a wonderful offering in the Bourbon County series, as the cherry and the rye whiskey flavors totally took over and made for a wonderful experience.

Gordon Biersch WinterBock

My brother-in-law gave me a bottle of Gordon Biersch WinterBock to try. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves a thick lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, raisin, caramel, toffee, and vanilla. The taste is smooth with lots a dark chocolate, raisin, toasted malts, caramel, and toffee. There is a hint of vanilla on the finish with a malt dryness and a hint of grassy hops. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I really enjoyed the bold flavors in this beer, and while it was rather sweet, it was nicely balanced. The lingering chocolate and malt sweetness tussles with the alcohol bite and light grass hops.

21st Amendment Zambo

At Mad Mex in Shadyside, I ordered a glass of 21st Amendment Zambo. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly cream colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, alcohol, pepper, lemon, and toffee. The taste is sweet and smooth with lots of caramel and malts on the front end. Toffee also peeks through before a peppery finish with lemon accents and a light alcohol burn. The alcohol content is 9.6% ABV. This beer was a little bit on the malty side and not too well balanced, but it was drinkable. I wouldn’t seek it out again, but if it was available I’d consider ordering it again.

Iron Hill Grandma Drum's Wee Heavy

On a recent visit to Iron Hill Lancaster, I ordered a glass of Grandma Drum’s Wee Heavy. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, raisin, and scotch. The taste is smooth but spicy with caramel, raisin, and fig on the front end. There is a scotch alcohol bite and a smooth and sweet finish that leaves a pepper and spice after taste. The alcohol content is 8.3% ABV. This was a nice and easy drinking Wee Heavy that did have a little bit of an alcohol bite. Overall it was quite enjoyable and I’d have another one.

Iron Hill For Richer or Porter

I went to Iron Hill in Lancaster for dinner and I ordered a glass of For Rich or Porter. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, and milk. The taste is full of roasted malts, toast, and dark bitter chocolate before sweetening up a little bit with vanilla and milk. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. Robust and delicious, For Richer or Porter lingers for a while on your tongue and lets you savors the chocolaty and toasty goodness.

New Belgium Frambrozen

I picked up a bottle of New Belgium Frambozen from Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. The beer pours a red-tinted amber color with a frothy pink-cream colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of raspberry, toasted malts, caramel, and toffee. The taste is lightly tart with raspberries built upon a toasted malt, caramel, and toffee base. The finish has a fruity extract flavor and leaves behind a grassy dryness. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. The tartness took me by surprise in this beer, and I can’t say that I was too overly impressed with the overall flavor. I think it started off nicely with the raspberry, but the brown ale left me wanting more.

East End Brewing First

While at the new East End Brewing Company location, I picked up a growler of First, the first beer brewed at the new location. The beer pours a cloudy dark amber color with a lofty and frothy cream colored that leaves behind some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of toasted malts, caramel, pine, pepper, and hints of smoke. The taste is smooth and dry at the same time with plenty of toasted toffee, caramel, light smoke, and lemon. The finish brings out a peppery spice in the back of the throat and some pine as well. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a rather bitter and hoppy amber ale, and I loved the light touches of smoke. I’d highly recommend that East End make this a regular in their lineup.

Indigo Imp Brewery Jester

Somebody gave me a bottle of Indigo Imp Brewery Jester (I can’t recall who), but I found it in my fridge and decided to open it. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, grass, and a strong scent of cardboard. The taste is dull and very bland with some caramel, grass, and lemon flavors on the front end. The finish comes out with wet cardboard and is also very watery. It leaves behind an unwelcome dry and musky hop flavor. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 5.5% ABV. This was not a good beer, as the flavors that it gave off were just dank and musty, with a slight tartness that should not be present in a Belgian Pale Ale.

New Belgium-Brewery Vivant Lips of Faith Biere de Garde

I picked up a bottle of the New Belgium-Brewery Vivant collaboration Biere de Garde, part of the Lips of Faith series. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, orange peel, caramel, grass, and Belgian yeast. The taste is light bodied and refreshing with lots of lemon and orange peel flavors right on the front end. Hints of banana and caramel make up the background, and there is a light funk on the finish with some hay. A bit of grass and a biscuity after taste that lingers for quite a while. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This was a nice drinking Biere de Garde with lots of biscuity flavor in the backbone, but it is still refreshing with lemon and orange peel mixed in there as well.

Diesel Brewing 0 Mile Pale Ale

Another beer I tried The Warwick Hotel in Hummelstown was Diesel Brewing 0 Mile Pale Ale while they were pouring samples for customers to try. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, lemon, and pine. The taste is bitter and dry with some refreshing lemon before an off-flavor of cleaning solution. It has a bitter finish as expected. I couldn’t find the alcohol content online, but I would assume it to be about 5.5% ABV. This was a terrible with completely off-flavors. I wouldn’t even finish the small sample glass that I had and I would not seek this beer out again.

Diesel Brewing Asphalt Simcoe Stoudt

While at The Warwick Hotel in Hummelstown, I ordered a bottle of Diesel Brewing Asphalt Simcoe Stoudt, as Diesel was there pouring to help give the new brewery some exposure. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and toasted malts. The taste is chocolaty and spicy with pepper and plenty of citrus accents. Tangerine, grapefruit, orange, lemon, and mint all make appearance and yield a flavor similar to an Andes candy. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. While I thought this was a very decent hoppy stout, I would suggest they change the name before they get sued by Stoudt’s.

Samuel Adams Merry Mischief

I tracked down Samuel Adams Merry Mischief on tap at Arooga’s in downtown Harrisburg, so I ordered a glass. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. The taste started off with caramel before quickly transitioning to gingerbread, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Some hints of orange, chocolate, and licorice make an appearance before a light boozy finish. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought this was a well done winter ale that had plenty of spices, but none of them were too overpowering. The orange and licorice flavors were my favorite accents, as they are not found often in beers.

Nectar Ales Red Nectar

Another beer I ordered at the new Federal Taphouse in Harrisburg was Nectar Ales Red Nectar. The beer pours a red color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, pepper, and toasted malts. The taste is dry with caramel on the front end and balancing light grassy hops. It finishes a little sweet. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I’d say this was a rather pedestrian red ale and wasn’t memorable at all. It was pretty dry and mostly unbalanced, as it was too dry and then finished too sweet.

Magic Hat Heart of Darkness

I stopped into the new Federal Taphouse in Harrisburg, and I ordered a glass of Magic Hat Heart of Darkness. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, and coffee. The taste is smoky on the front end with toasted malts, lots of dark chocolate flavor, oatmeal, milk, and caramel. A dry finish takes over and leaves behind some maltiness. The alcohol content is 5.7% AB V. I was pleasantly surprised at this offering from Magic Hat as it was a solid beer. I haven’t been sold on their beers as of late, but I would come back to this offering again.

Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl Scaldis Blonde Ale Triple

As part of the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month Club, I received a bottle of Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl Scaldis Blonde Ale Triple. The beer pours a golden colored with an extremely lofty and frothy white colored head that leaves some specs of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of banana, hay, grass, Belgian yeast, Belgian spice, and lemon. The taste is light and bready with a large banana and lemon profile. The mouth feel is light and carbonated with some hay and pepper on the finish, yielding a nice earthiness. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. This was a nice, light-bodied triple that was also quite refreshing.