Williamsburg Alewerks Bitter Valentine

I received a bottle of Williamsburg Alewerks Bitter Valentine, a Double India Pale Ale. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, candi sugar, lemon, orange, pepper, and spruce. The taste is dry and bitter with a cornucopia of citrus flavors on the front end. Tangerine, orange, lemon, and grapefruit all take over the tongue before pepper, spruce, and hop oils take over on the finish. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This was a more than impressive Double IPA with citrusy hops aplenty on the front end, and a nice bitter finish. I will absolutely seek this beer out again, and it paired very well with the summer weather.

Victory Smokin' Oats

I ordered a glass of Victory Smokin’ Oats while at Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, caramel, and smoke. The taste is dry and smoky on the front end before chocolate and toasted malts come out and provide a backbone. There is a hint of caramel on the finish, but it only lasts for a second or two. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. I thought this beer was pretty similar in taste to Otto, although not quite as malty. Therefore, the smoke stood out a little bit more and made it more intense, but it was a nice beer.

Victory Otto in Oak

I picked up a bottle of Victory Otto in Oak from Al’s of Hampden, the bourbon barrel aged version of Otto.  The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of smoke, bourbon, vanilla, oak, caramel, and campfire. The taste is smoky and meaty with a bit of caramel accent. The bourbon warms up the finish with hints of vanilla, but the beer lacks a little in body. The alcohol content is 8.1% ABV. This was a nicely smoked beer with plenty of bourbon and vanilla accents. For the most part I liked it, although I thought the body was a little lacking.

Grandview Brewing Kvass

My buddy Brad gave me a bottle of Grandview Brewing Kvass, his homebrew. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of bread, lemon, water, grass, and wheat. The taste is dry and refreshing with lemon, grass, and wheat flavors. There is a bready mouth feel with a nice dry finish. The alcohol content is 3.1% ABV. This was a nice light and refreshing beer with a nice bready mouth feel. I actually was very impressed and would like another.

Sixpoint Apollo

I picked up a four-pack of cans of Sixpoint Apollo from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that leaves specks of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, wheat, grass, pepper, and hay. The taste is light and fruity with a large lemon profile. Hints of hay, grass, and pepper make their way into the profile. The beer didn’t finish dry like I expected, but actually a little bit of orange peel to it. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. This was an exceptional kristalweizen that was refreshing and light, but didn’t have a dry finish at all. I’d recommend picking up a few of these for those warm summer days.

Mississippi Brewing Mississippi Mud Black & Tan

My buddy Mike picked me up a growler-bottle of Mississippi Brewing Mississippi Mud Black & Tan. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy cream-colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, grass, lemon, and caramel. The taste is light and slightly sweet with a mostly toasted chocolate malt flavor. A hint of grass and lemon peek through, and the finish is a bit watery. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I can’t say I was overly impressed with this beer, as it was watery on the finish and over carbonated. It had a few decent flavors, but not enough to make up for its shortcomings.

Tired Hands FarmHands

As part of the Tired Hands preview at Teresa’s in Wayne, I ordered a glass of FarmHands, their saison.The beer pours a pale golden color with a foamy white head that leaves a lacing as it slides down the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, pepper, earth, Belgian spices, yeast, and a hint of banana. The taste is light and refreshing with a large lemon citrus flavor. Banana and Belgian yeast make up the backbone of the flavor, and pepper and earthy flavors come out in the finish. Overall, the flavor is very clean and well constructed. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. In the future when I am looking for a saison, FarmHands will be one of my go to beers. It was so fresh, clean, and refreshing that I would not recommend passing on this beer.

Tired Hands HopHands

While in Philadelphia on business, I stopped in to Teresa’s in Wayne for lunch and ordered a glass of Tired Hands HopHands. The beer pours a pale golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, orange, lemon, pepper, spruce, and a hint of caramel. The taste is bitter with plenty of citrus flavors on the front end including tangerine, grapefruit, orange, and lemon. The finish brings out a bit of spruce and pine, with pepper lingering behind on the tongue. The after taste has a hint of caramel, but mostly is comprised of cracker. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. This was an excellent bitter and citrusy pale ale that had a light body, allowing the hops to take the main focus of the beer.

Grandview Brewing One Bad Apple

My buddy Brad brought me over a bottle of his home brew, Grandview Brewing, One Bad Apple, a apple brandy trippel. The beer pours a pale golden color with plenty of rising bubbles and a frothy white head. The aroma consists of apple, banana, yeast, grass, and has a hint of bourbon. The taste is dry and light on the tongue with banana, grass, and pepper on the front end. Apple brandy warms the finish and leaves a little bit of a dryness behind on top of the light sweetness of the triple. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. I’d say that the bourbon really accented this beer well, as it was very dry and complimented the sweetness of the beer.

Smuttynose Ry(e)an Ale

My friend Casey picked me up a bottle of Smuttynose Ry(e)an Ale, which was brewed exclusively for Julio’s Liquors. The beer pours a dark caramel color with a frothy beige-colored head that leaves a hint of lacing on the glass. The aroma is caramel, rye, sweet bourbon, vanilla, pepper, and cherry. The taste is sweet at first with lots of caramel and toffee before it bitters with rye quickly. A sweep of dry bourbon takes over the tongue, leaving some honey, vanilla, and cherry lingering on the tongue. A hint of flowers remains in the after taste, which was quite enjoyable. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. The beer was put together extremely well and it did not let down in the flavor offering throughout the tasting experience. It was bold and peppery with a smooth and delicious bourbon flavor.

Marble Reserve Ale 2012

My buddy Chad brought a growler to share of Marble Reserve Ale 2012. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, raisin, Belgian yeast, and Belgian spices. The taste is smooth and sweet consisting of caramel and yeast. A bourbon tinge coupled with oak and vanilla finishes strong and leaves behind cinnamon on the tongue. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. The spices in this beer mixed with raisin and bourbon really played well on the tongue, and the oak and vanilla flavors hung on for a long time. I completely enjoyed how complex and bold this beer was, and I recommend trying it if you get a chance.

Brooklyn Blast

I ordered a glass of Brooklyn Blast on a recent trip to Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma is floral and has caramel, lemon, pepper in it. The taste is very floral and dry with a caramel backbone. Pepper and lemon accents balance the beer nicely and tie it all together. The alcohol content is 8.0%. The was a really good beer with English hops. The floral flavors were more than enjoyable, and the beer was exceptionally balanced.

Pizza Boy Grasslands

Another recent tapping at Al’s of Hampden was the Pizza Boy Grasslands, a saison. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, grass, and pepper. The taste is dry and peppery with lots of grassy hops. Lemon hints provide a nice accent and the beer has an earthy finish, resulting in a light sweetness on the tongue. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. While not perfect, I’d say that Grasslands was a rather good first attempt at a saison from Al, and I look forward to see where this beer goes in the future.

Pizza Boy Brewing Turkey Burglar (Tart Cherry)

On a recent visit to Al’s of Hampden, Al tapped his Pizza Boy Turkey Burglar (Tart Cherry), a Beliner Weiss. The beer pours a lemonade colored yellow color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma is tart with cherry, and lemon, but most interesting is this has an almost urine-like funk to it. The taste is dry and light with a tartness on the tongue. Lemon is prominent, but the cherry is very faint and almost undetectable. The alcohol content is 3.6% ABV. I really liked it, even more so than Dogfish Head Festina Peche. While the aroma may be slightly off-putting, the taste is completely worth it.

Selin's Grove Whole Hop IPA

Another beer I tried on a recent trip to Selin’s Grove Brewing was the Whole Hop IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of tangerine, orange, grapefruit, lemon, and has a dankness. The taste is smooth and very rounded with a caramel base. Good tangerine, grapefruit, and orange accents shine through, providing a fresh, dry, and bitter flavor that has a peppery finish. Hints of spruce also linger behind and were quite enjoyable. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This was an excellent IPA that had a wide variety of flavors, resulting in a fresh tasting beer that is a must try.