Southern Tier Imperial Pumking

Most of the beer styles you come across today are descendants that were originally brewed in a another country. But sometimes I find myself asking what style is TRULY American? Well I have done some research and found that this country’s founding fathers used what was growing naturally in this country. One of those things was pumpkin. So they tried that and they seem to like it. George Washington had is own brewery at Mt. Vernon and they used pumpkin there. So today we have pumpkin ales around September through November. This here is Southern Tier’s Imperial Pumking, 8.6% ABV brewed with 2-row pale malt, caramel malt, puréed pumpkin, magnum hops (kettle hops), and sterling hops (aroma hops). Pumking pours a deep copper/orange color with a two and a half white head that leaves great but thin lacings. There is tons of light streaming though the glass with nice amounts of carbonation bubbles. The aroma on Pumking is strong; I could smell in as soon as the cap was pried off. There is a nice caramel with a touch of cinnamon. I also found a little pumpkin seed scent there. The taste on Pumking is big and slightly bold with a nice pumpkin flavor. I also got a little caramel sweetness with cinnamon and a slight graham cracker flavor. But towards the back I get a slight candy corn taste. The mouth feel is medium; this beer really coats your tongue and mouth. Pumking finishes nice with a little alcohol sweetness that leads into a big after taste of sweet pumpkin, little caramel cinnamon. The after taste really sticks around for a while. Pumking is like Halloween in a bottle, really a good quality beer and well crafted. I will say this is getting an A here. I haven’t really had a beer that tasted quite like this; it is a very good and yet interesting beer. I recommend you try Southern Tier Imperial Pumking. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Southern Tier Blackwater Series Crème Brûlée Imperial Milkstout

Beer comes in an array of styles, from very light to very dark. There are hundreds of different beer styles, One style is milk style, no it isn’t brewed with milk, but it is brewed from the lactose sugars that are found in milk. This type of sugar makes a mile sweet. This beer here is Southern Tiers Blackwater Series Crème Brûlée Imperial Milk stout, 9.5% ABV. Imperial just mean a bigger ABV. Southern Tier also uses vanilla beans, Columbus, and horizon hop, Crème Brûlée pours a dark and opaque black with a tan khaki two finger head that fades super slow and leaves great tight tan lacing behind. You can’t see any light coming through the glass and I could barely see any carbonation bubbles. The aroma of Crème Brûlée is big, strong, sweet caramelized sugar with some vanilla.  The aroma is strong on this beer. The taste is at first sweet with a sugar-like sweetness and some vanilla. There is a faint coffee flavor not there as well with a very faint cocoa note. Then you get warming slightly bitter alcohol booziness on the back. The mouthfeel is full and rich; this really coats your tongue. The finish on this is a little coffee bitterness with a hint of vanilla. The aftertaste really stays a while with less bitterness and a little more sugar and vanilla sweetness that is a little sticky. This is a big complex beer. So I this is A- from me. Crème Brûlée is a good sweet beer that is well brewed with a lot going on. I do think if you like stouts and/or sweet beers, then you should try this one. It is good and really does remind me of a good Crème Brûlée. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!    

Harpoon IPA

In todays beer world there are so many different IPAs (India Pale Ale) out there, and many different IPA styles as well. It seem that every brewery out there as a least on IPA. But some of those breweries have been doing for quite some time like the Harpoon Brewery in Boston MA. They’ve been make Harpoon IPA, 5.9% ABV for twenty years. Sound like they know what they are doing when it comes to an IPA. This IPA is in tribute to the hoppy ales of the Pacific Northwest. Harpoon IPA pours a light amber color with a one finger white head that fade rather quickly. There are good amounts of light coming trough the glass with great carbonation bubbles racing to the top. The aroma on this IPA is a big orange like with a hint of pineapple, pine straw/needles, and a slight grassy scent. All of said aromas are on the stronger side. The taste on is similar to the aroma you get that nice orange and pineapple taste with a big hoppy flavor with nice pine needle/straw note with a malty bitterness and a grassy quality.  The flavors really coat your mouth and stick to you taste buds. Harpoon IPA has a light to medium mouth feel, and the finish on this beer is hoppy with a little bitterness and that always-present grassiness. This is not a ‘BIG’ IPA, it’s don’t wreck you taste buds. This is a good regular IPA. I say this is an A-. I do believe that Harpoon could have made the malts a little more present in this, but the malts that were there, weren’t bad. This is a good IPA, none to complex and none boring. It is just right! I recommend you try this! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Fox Barrel English Perry

When it comes to beer one doesn’t often think of cider, but where beer is sold you’re sure to find cider. Cider is more of common beverage in Europe especially England. Ciders are commonly made with apples; some are made with pears and called Perry or Pear cider. One common trade of cider is that they tend to be dry, sweet and fruity. This here is Fox Barrel English Perry, 5.3% ABV. This is Perry is produced in England for the Fox Barrel Cider Company in Colfax California. Fox Barrel pours a bright hazy light yellow color with a tiny head that fades super quick. You will find on the bottom of the glass there are sediments. These are pear seeds. There is a decent amount of light coming though the glass with little   amount of carbonation bubbles. The aroma on fox Barrel Perry is like a sweet white wine with nice pears and some pear juice. The taste is sweet with fresh pears and a nice faint tartness from a pear juice flavor. There is little pear like wine taste as well but it is barely present. As you get to the bottom of the glass you get more a pear seed like flavor. Once these flavors pass over your pallet is immediately goes away with a medium dryness. The mouth feel is light to almost medium, with a medium dry finish. The after taste is a little more tart, still sweet, then the start, with more pear flavor. This is really refreshing Perry, one that is good anytime. I would go for these again and again. This is not an overwhelming beverage in any way, just simple flavors making for a great and simple yet refreshingly drinkable Perry. Getting an A+ from me. So I highly recommend that you try this and see just how good this is. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Thomas Creek Brewing Company Octoberfest Lager

Each year the beer world celebrates October fest, by brewing up Oktoberfest beer, which is either called, fest beer or Märzen (March). This type of beer was kept cool in a cave until October and brewed with higher gravity so they would keep. This particular beer is Thomas Creek Octoberfest Lager 6.0% ABV, from Greenville South Carolina. This Thomas Creek Octoberfest pours a nice bight copper/amber color with a finger and a half of whitish head that is dissipated at a quick pace.  Some light came through the glass, with a nice amount of carbonation bubbles. The aroma is big with a nice malty caramel scent with the faintest hop note. The taste on Octoberfest Lager is sweet with a caramel malt flavor up front, and then toward the back, you get the faintest hoppy flavor that quickly turns sweet. Then mouthfeel is light to medium, with a nice sweet caramel malt flavor. The aftertaste is sweet with a hint of very light vanilla and malty flavor. I have to say this beer is surprisingly good and well brewed, so this is an A beer. This Tomas creek is not overly sweet and malty, but just enough to keep this beer tasting good. I would surely recommend that you try this beer! Cheers! Please Enjoy Responsibly!