Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb

I need to give a shout out first to Hoptopia (Thanks Lee!) for pointing me in the direction of of Brewforia (Thanks Rick!) to order bottles of the Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head collaboration Life & Limb. The beer was extremely difficult to find, with PA rumored to only receive 30 cases for the entire state.

The beer is a dark brown color with lofty foamy head that sticks to the edges of the glass. The aroma is maple syrup smell and light hop accent. The taste is very sweet at first and is comprised of maple syrup with a light floral hop finish. It finishes really smooth and the added birch is detectable. The alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. I thought this was a really solid beer. I just wish it was not as limited or difficult to attain. I think the hype killed the enjoyment of the beer a little bit, as I expected it to be the best beer I had ever tasted. Having said that, this beer is very good and don't let the hype take anything away from it. Both breweries have their stamp on this beer, as the beer is malty and sweet like most Dogfish Head beers and has a nice hop bite like the Sierra Nevada beers. If you happen to find this beer, I highly recommend that you try it.

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

I picked up a bottle of Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Season Ale at Brass Rail. The beer has a brown color with red hues and a light bubbly head. The aroma is sweet with cherry and caramel accents. The taste is very malty and sweet with hints of honey and cinnamon and it has a light nutmeg finish but doesn't dry out the mouth. The alcohol content is 6.9% ABV. I thought this beer had an excellent balance of sweetness and spiciness. I really liked how smooth the beer is and the amount of flavors included in one bottle.

Selin's Grove Hoppy Monk

I made a trip up to Selin's Grove over the holiday weekend for a good lunch, a few good beers, and to pick up a couple of growlers. The first beer I tried was the Hoppy Monk. The beer has a light copper color with gold hues and minimal head. The aroma is filled with citrus and wheat. The taste light lemon and has a nice pepper hop spice. The beer finishes with an orange flavor and includes a grass tasting hop. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. I thought that this was a very good start to the meal and it paired very well with spicy mustard on soft pretzels.

Rock Art Vermonster

Following the much covered lawsuit between Rock Art Brewery and Monster Energy Drink, I decided that I had to give the Vermonster a try and I found a bottle of it at Brass Rail. The beer has a dark copper color with a frothy creamy head. The smell is spicy and hoppy with caramel hints. The taste is hoppy on the front consisting of pine hops. It then sweetens with caramel presence. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This beer is one of the better hoppy beers that I have ever had. Rock Art really understands the balance of hops and malts that make this beer very enjoyable.

Flying Fish Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout

When in New Jersey, I picked up a bottle of Flying Fish Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout. I was very impressed with the Exit 4 and Exit 11 to date, so I had high expectations for the Exit 1. The beer pours black with a tan head. The aroma is full of dark chocolate. The taste consists of chocolate at first but has accents of raisin and fig before it finishes dry in the mouth. According to Flying Fish, using oysters in the process gives the beer the dry finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I thought that the beer was very smooth drinking and enjoyable. I will attempt to purchase some more bottles of the Exit 1 before they are sold out for good.

Flying Fish Grand Cru Golden Winter Ale

Another beer I ordered while out in Philadelphia was the Flying Fish Belgian Grand Cru Golden Winter Ale. The beer has a gold color with a light frothy head. The smell is full of malts and bananas. The taste is sweet, consisting of banana with hints of apple. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. I thought that the beer was not terrible but may be a little sweet. I thought that something might have been missing from the beer to balance out the sweetness.

Stoudt's Winter Ale 2009

While out in Philadelphia, I ordered a draft of Stoudt's Winter Ale. I had last year's version and thoroughly enjoyed it. The beer pours a dark amber color with no head. The smell is lightly floral and hoppy. The taste is malty with caramel hints and the hops taste like pine, lightly adding spice accents to the beer. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I thought that the beer was very enjoyable and as good as last year. I also liked that the beer finished with a minor citrus after taste, adding another dimension to the beer.

Left Hand Polestar Pilsner

I tried a bottle of Left Hand Polestar Pilsner. The beer pours a yellow color with no head. The aroma is lightly hoppy and smells mostly of wheat. The taste is light with a slight lemon taste and also lightly hoppy, with the hops tasting somewhat like grass. It finishes pretty smooth with no aftertaste, but there is not a lot of taste with the beer to begin with. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I'd only say the beer was okay, but not excellent. I'd say this beer would be better in the summer months or at a tailgate when a lighter drinking beer is required but you want to drink something better than Miller Lite.

St. Bernadus Christmas Ale

A night before the blizzard in Philadelphia, I ordered a bottle of St. Bernadus Christmas Ale to warm myself up. The beer pours a reddish brown color with a light head. The smell is sweet and full of caramel accents and dark fruits. The taste is sweet with caramel and a nice spice accent. The spice consists of nutmeg and cinnamon and is rounded out with vanilla. The alcohol kicks in late. The alcohol content 10% ABV. There wasn't as much spice as I expected, but it was very good. The alcohol content wasn't too overpowering and the beer was very drinkable.

Ithaca Excelsior Eleven

I picked up a bottle of Ithaca Excelsior Eleven at D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh. The beer has a brown amber color with a tan creamy head. The aroma is full of chocolate and roasted malts with a big focus on coffee smells. The taste is deep and rich consisting of a bitter dark chocolate flavor. There are sweet and creamy accents on the roasted coffee flavor and underneath is a great base of roasted malts. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought that this was an amazing beer with excellent balance of coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, and cream. If you are a fan of coffee, you will thoroughly enjoy this beer.

Tommyknocker Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer

I picked up a bottle of Tommyknocker Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer at D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh. The beer has a deep brown color with a light tan head. I was surprised to notice some yeast flakes floating around in the beer. It smells strongly of dark chocolate and the aroma can only be described as an amazing smell. The taste is full of dark chocolate flavor with hints of roasted malts. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV. I thought that the beer might be a little sweet and maybe a little too carbonated, but overall I did enjoy it. I wouldn't buy a case of it, but I would buy another bottle.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

For my birthday, I was provided with a six pack of Great Lakes Christmas Ale. The beer is an amber color with a light foamy head. The aroma is full of spices including cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. The taste has a base of tasted malts and is mostly comprised of cinnamon with hints of nutmeg and a light honey sweet undertone. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I think what surprised me most was the honey accent which made the beer just sweet enough. This beer had an excellent balance and did not overdo the spices.

Sly Fox Christmas Ale

McGrath's recently added Sly Fox Christmas Ale to their draft lineup and I ordered a glass. The beer is a dark amber color with a light foamy head. The smell is malty with cinnamon and nutmeg liners. The taste is mostly cinnamon with slight spice hints, comprising of nutmeg and allspice. Underneath hints of cherry and chocolate peek through the spices. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. Sly Fox has provided a Christmas beer that was not overdone and overall very good. The many flavors made for a very enjoyable experience and they are nicely balanced with each other.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale

I ordered a glass of Brouwerij Corsendonk Christmas Ale at Fat Head's in Pittsburgh. The beer has a dark amber color with a creamy head. The smell is sweet and spicy. The taste is full cinnamon with nice spice accents and surprisingly it has an orange finish. There are light nutmeg accent underneath of it all. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. This definitely ranks up there with the better Christmas beers that I have had. None of the flavors or elements were overdone or overpowering, and each complimented the other nicely. I highly recommend you try this one before it is gone for the season.

Shmaltz He'brew Jewbilation

At D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh I ordered a glass of Shmaltz He'brew Jewbilation Bar Mitzvah. This is the thirteenth anniversary of this beer and the ingredients include 13 hops and 13 malts. The beer has a deep black color with a tan thick head. There is a small hop hint in the malt aroma. The taste consists of burnt hops with a nice hop balance. I can pick up some honey flavor with chocolate and toffee. It should also not be a surprise that the thirteen theme is continued with an alcohol content that is 13% ABV. I thought that this was an excellent beer and was not too dry. The alcohol is not too overpowering despite being so high, but it does find a way to warm you up during the colder months.