Rahr Oktoberfest ....

Tonight I will have another Oktoberfest, this one from Rahr & Sons Brewing Company.  It is a seasonal, available September through October.  Twelve ounce bottle.  The Rahr web site shows 7.5% ABV and 24 IBUs.

This beer poured with a medium to thicker head that was tan in color.  Beer color is a darker copper.  The aroma has dark fruits, caramel and an overall sweet quality.  The taste has sweet malt, a little toasted, caramel, some bread.  Medium in strength.  It hides the higher alcohol well.  Thinner mouth feel.  Very little aftertaste.  Not a powerhouse, but a nice sweet version of this style.  

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company

Fort Worth, Texas

www.rahrbrewing.com

Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat ....

Today I will try an Unfiltered Wheat Beer from Boulevard Brewing Company.  Twelve ounce bottle.  The web site shows 4.4% ABV and 14 IBUs.

This beer poured with a thin, white head.  The beer looks like cloudy lemonade, with a good amount of small to medium sized sediment floating in the glass.  The aroma is mild, with a little sweetness, lemon and wheat.  The taste is fairly mild as well.  There is wheat, lemon, and grass.  Very little aftertaste, just a little wheat and maybe a tiny amount of bitterness.  Mild, simple and refreshing.    

Boulevard Brewing Company

Kansas City, Missouri

www.boulevard.com

Jester King Black Metal ....

Friday night beer!  A Black Metal Imperial Stout from Jester King Craft Brewery.  The 1 pint 9.4 ounce bottle shows 9% ABV.

Black metal poured with a thick, thick, thick foamy head that was a dark chocolaty brown in color.  Beer color is a very dark black/brown that allows no light to show through the glass when held up to the light.  The aroma doesn't have a lot of the cocoa and coffee that I expected.  There is some, but I am getting more caramel and brown sugar.  And some higher alcohol.  Not a lot of strong cocoa or coffee in the taste, either, but there is some there.  A major roasted/charred quality.  Kind of reminds me of English pipe tobacco.  Caramel, a little boozy.  Not as strong as some of this type, more of a medium to full.  The aftertaste leaves you with some cocoa and a little bitter.  I thought this might be a little tame at first, but it is pretty complex with a lot of little things going on.  Very tasty.

Jester King Craft Brewery

Austin, Texas

www.jesterkingbrewery.com

Real Ale Oktoberfest ....

Tonight I will have an Oktoberfest from Real Ale Brewing Company.  It is a fall seasonal release.  Twelve ounce bottle.  The Real Ale web site shows 5.7% ABV and 25 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small, not quite tan head.  Beer color is copper.  The aroma is fairly sweet, with some caramel and grain.  Medium bodied.  Taste is bready, with grain, grass, caramel, spice.  A little nutty.  Only the slightest amount of bitter.  The aftertaste is a little grassy and metallic.

Real Ale Brewing Company

Blanco, Texas

www.realalebrewing.com

Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils ....

Today's beer is a Mama's Little Yella Pils from Oskar Blues Brewery.  5.3% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce can.  Their web site shows 35 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small, off white head.  Beer color is a bright, medium yellow.  The aroma has grain, bread, grass, maybe a little lemon.  Mild to medium bodied.  The taste is what you expect from a pilsner, but NOT the run-of-the-mill mass produced stuff.  Malt, bread, grain, grass, lemon.  Nice mouth feel.  Light finish.  Leaves you with a little 'beer' aftertaste and just a touch of mild bitterness.

Oskar Blues Brewery

Longmont, Colorado

www.oskarblues.com

Pyramid Oktoberfest ....

Today I will have an Oktoberfest Autumn Lager from Pyramid Breweries.  It is a seasonal, available August through September.  The twelve ounce bottle shows 6.7% ABV.

This beer poured with a very thin, creamy colored head.  Beer color is a darker, orange-ish amber.  The aroma is sweet and fruity, has a little caramel.  Medium bodied.  Taste is less fruity and sweet than the aroma.  Smoky malt, spice, buttery, an herbal/vegetal quality.  Maybe just a little boozy.  A mild bitterness that sticks around for the aftertaste.  

Pyramid Breweries

Seattle, Washington

Berkeley, California

Portland, Oregon

www.pyramidbrew.com

Maui Big Swell IPA ....

Tonight I will have a Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company.  6.8 % ABV is listed on the twelve ounce can.  The web site shows 50 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small, bone colored head.  The beer is very clear, and a bright golden yellow in color.  I am getting more floral, with just a little citrus, in the aroma.  Maybe a little caramel or brown sugar.  Medium bodied.  Malty, some pine bitterness but not a real sharp pine.  Floral.  Dry finish.  There is a vegetal/herbal quality towards the end that sticks around with a little bitterness for the aftertaste.  

 

Maui Brewing Company

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

www.mauibrewingco.com

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Wild Ale ....

Today I will try A Little Sumpin' Wild Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company.  The 1 pint, 6 ounce bottle shows 8.8% ABV and 72.5 IBUs.  This is a Limited Release.

This beer poured with a medium, creamy colored head.  Beer color is a little on the orange/yellow side of amber.  The aroma has a lot of lemon and orange citrus, a little floral.  Medium to full bodied.  There is grapefruit and pine in the taste, with a persistent but not overly sharp bitterness.  A little yeast, spice and a malty/creamy quality.  Some warmth from the higher alcohol.  The aftertaste leaves you with a little bitter and spice.  This really works for me.    

Lagunitas Brewing Company

Petaluma, California

www.lagunitas.com

Shiner Oktoberfest ....

Tonight I will have an Oktoberfest (seasonal) from Shiner Beers.  Twelve ounce bottle.  The web site shows 5.7% ABV and 18 IBUs.

This beer poured with a thick head that was a little lighter in color than a tan.  The beer itself is very clear, and a lighter copper in color.  The aroma is bready, with some caramel.  The bread and caramel are in the taste as well, along with a little spice.  There is some sweetness and a very mild bitterness.  A little thin and metallic on the finish.  The aftertaste is light with nothing dominating, just a mild 'beer' reminder.  This is a little milder than some similar beers, but nice and definitely worth trying.  

Shiner Beers / Spoetzl Brewery

Shiner, Texas

www.shiner.com

Squatters Outer Darkness ....

Friday night!  My beer will be an Outer Darkness, Russian Style Imperial Stout Ale, from Squatters Brewery.  The 1 pint, 9 ounce bottle shows 10.5% ABV and 65 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small, rich dark chocolaty head.  Beer color is very blackish with no light showing through the glass when held up to the light.  The aroma has cocoa, and that wonderful boozy stewed dark fruit note.  Full bodied.  Heavy, oily, smoky, a little boozy.  Dark fruits, caramel, cocoa, coffee, molasses.  Some underlying bitterness, but subtle.  A little alcohol warmth as it goes down.  Very nice!
 

Squatters Brewery

Salt Lake City, Utah

www.squatters.com

Breckenridge Autumn Ale ....

Tonight I will have an Autumn Ale from Breckenridge Brewery.  It is a fall seasonal, available in September and October.  6.7% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  Their web site shows 21 IBUs.

Autumn Ale poured with a thin, tan colored head.  Beer color is a dark reddish brown.  A small amount of light shows through the glass when held up to the light.  I am getting mainly caramel and brown sugar in the aroma.  Medium bodied.  The taste has some toasted malt, caramel, cocoa, bread.  There is a mild bitter/sour note in the background.  Just a little cocoa and bitter in the aftertaste.

Breckenridge Brewery

Denver, Colorado

www.breckbrew.com

Full Sail Limited Edition Lager 03 ....

Today's beer is a Limited Edition Lager 03 from Full Sail Brewing Company.  5.6% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  The web site shows 35 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small to medium, off white head.  Beer color is a bright, golden medium yellow.  It has the aroma you would expect from a pilsner; primarily grain.  Medium bodied.  The taste is standard pilsner as well.  Malt, grass, grains.  You also get a nice little bitterness towards the end - keeps things interesting.  The aftertaste leaves you with a little grass, grain and bitterness.  I am not a big fan of pilsners, but this is a nice refreshing, flavorful beer.          

Full Sail Brewing Company

Hood Rover, Oregon

www.fullsailbrewing.com

Left Hand Oktoberfest ....

Today I will have an Oktoberfest, a seasonal, from Left Hand Brewing Company.  Twelve ounce bottle.  Their web site shows 6.6% ABV and 24 IBUs.

This beer poured with a thin, tan colored head.  Beer color is a very nice copper.  The aroma has caramel, brown sugar.  Bready.  Seemed a little thin at first, but the flavor builds.  Bready malt, caramel, a little spice.  Maybe just a hint of higher alcohol.  Slightly grape-like finish.  Grassy aftertaste with a little spice.

 

Left Hand Brewing Company

Longmont, Colorado

www.lefthandbrewing.com

Boulevard Pale Ale ....

Today I will have a Pale Ale from Boulevard Brewing Company.  Twelve ounce bottle.  The Boulevard web site shows 5.4% ABV and 30 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small head that had a little more color than bone.  Beer color is a light orange-ish amber.  The aroma has light citrus, sweet fruit, a little bread.  A mild beer.  Malty, with some citrus and a mild underlying bitterness.  A floral note.  Not really getting the fruitiness from the aroma.  Very little aftertaste, just a touch of bitter and floral.  A nice beer, but mild.

Boulevard Brewing Company

Kansas City, Missouri

www.boulevard.com

Bridgeport Stumptown Tart ....

My Sunday night beer is a Stumptown Tart, Belgian Style Ale Brewed with Strawberries, Raspberries and Marionberries.  It is from Bridgeport Brewing Company.  7.8% is listed on the 1 pint, 6 ounce bottle.

Stumptown Tart poured with a thin, off white head.  Beer color is an orange-ish amber.  It actually looked a little pink when pouring.  Aroma is fruity, with tangy berries.  The taste is not as sweet or fruity as I expected.  I get fruit, and a little berry, but the berries don't stand out as individually as in the aroma.  Subtle wheat and yeast.  A little tangy on the finish.  Fairly mild.  Effervescent carbonation.  Slightly metallic and fruity aftertaste.  This beer is a little fruitier than I normally like, but light and refreshing.

Bridgeport Brewing Company

Portland, Oregon

www.bridgeportbrew.com

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout ....

Tonight I will have a Cappuccino Stout, "Ale Brewed With Coffee", from Lagunitas Brewing Company.  The 1 pint, 6 ounce bottle shows 9% ABV and 29.5 IBUs.  It is a limited release.

This beer poured with a thin, rich brown head.  Beer color is a very dark reddish brown.  When the glass is held up to the light, only a tiny amount of light shines through.  The aroma has a good amount of chocolate, some booziness, and a little coffee.  The coffee really comes through in the taste.  There is also some cocoa, a toasted quality, some molasses.  The booziness doesn't come through as much in the taste as it did in the aroma - only a hint.  Leaves a little sweet, bitter and coffee for the aftertaste.  

Lagunitas Brewing Company

Petaluma, California

www.lagunitas.com

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Imperial Red Ale ....

Today I am trying a Beer Camp #65 2012 Imperial Red Ale.  The twelve ounce bottle shows 8.1% ABV.

This beer poured with a small, not quite tan colored head.  Beer color is a reddish brown, somewhat cloudy with sediment of various sizes floating in the glass.  The aroma has a good amount of cocoa, with some caramel and a hint of the higher alcohol.  Medium bodied.  The taste has caramel, roasted malt, a citrusy/piney bitterness, spice.  There is a definite boozy quality.  Slightly dry finish.  Leaves a little bitterness on the tongue.    

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Chico, California

www.sierranevada.com

Dogfish / Victory / Stone Saison du Buff ....

Tonight's beer is a Saison du Buff.  It is a collaboration between Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Victory Brewing Company and Stone Brewing Company.  All three breweries took a turn brewing the collaboration and the one I am drinking is from Stone.  7.7% ABV is listed on the 12 ounce bottle.  It is brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

This beer poured with a small to medium, off white head.  Beer color is a medium to darker, bright yellow.  It is somewhat cloudy with a very small amount of sediment.  The aroma has some lemon/orange sweet citrus, spice and a herbal quality (although I am not getting the individual herbs).  The taste - wow!  You get a real herb hit, particularly the sage and rosemary, then some parsley and thyme on the back as it fades into some citrus.  Also some pine, spice and yeast.  A fair amount of carbonation.  Leaves your mouth a little dry and with some of the herbal notes.  I wasn't too sure about this one, what with the unusual herbs, but it really works for me - goes nicely with the citrus and pine.  Thumbs up!  

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

Milton, Delaware

www.dogfish.com

Victory Brewing Company

Downingtown, Pennsylvania

www.victorybeer.com

Stone Brewing Company

Escondido, California

www.stonebrew.com

Jester King Wytchmaker ....

Tonight I will have a Wytchmaker Farmhouse Rye India Pale Ale from Jester King Craft Brewery.  7% ABV is listed on the 1 pint, 9.4 ounce bottle.

Wytchmaker poured with a fairly thick, off white head.  Beer color is a darker, hazy orange-ish amber; reminds me of butterscotch.  The aroma has some evergreen that seems a little sharper than your usual pine; there is also some citrus, spiciness (the rye?) and maybe a little caramel/brown sugar sweetness.  Medium bodied.  The taste has some rye, citrus, pine, a floral/fruity quality, spice.  Dry finish.  The aftertaste leaves the mouth dry and with a hint of the floral/fruity quality.  The rye and the yeast make this an interesting take on an IPA.

Jester King Craft Brewery

Austin, Texas

www.jesterkingbrewery.com

Abita Amber ....

Today's beer is an Amber from Abita Brewing Company.  The twelve ounce bottle lists 4.5% ABV.  The web site shows 17 IBUs.

This beer poured with a thin head that was somewhere between off white and beige.  True to its name, beer color is amber.  The aroma has some bread, caramel and kind of a fermented (dark fruit?) note.  Taste is mild and maybe a little thin.  The bread and caramel are in the taste as well, but I am not getting the fermented note.  A slightly higher than average carbonation in the mouth feel.  Dry, grassy and metallic on the finish and aftertaste.      

 

Abita Brewing Company

Abita Springs, Louisiana

www.abita.com

Real Ale Hans' Pils ....

Tonight I will have a Hans' Pils, German Style Pilsner, from Real Ale Brewing Company.  It is a seasonal (summer) release.  5.3% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  The web site lists IBUs at 52.

Hans' Pils poured with a small, white head.  Beer color is a paler yellow, similar to lemonade.  The aroma is standard pilsner - bready, grassy, maybe a little lemon.  Medium bodied.  You get some sweet malt in the taste, followed by a fairly prominent bitter/sour note from the hops.  Grains, bread.  There is a dry finish that leaves a dry bitterness for an aftertaste.

Real Ale Brewing Company

Blanco, Texas

www.realalebrewing.com

Abita Satsuma ....

Today I will sample a Satsuma Harvest Wit from Abita Brewing Company.  The twelve ounce bottle shows 5.2% ABV.  Their web site lists IBUs at 17.

This beer poured with a thin, off white head.  Beer color is a cloudy, medium yellow with a fair amount of fine sediment floating in the glass.  The aroma is tangy, yeasty and spicy - as you would expect from this style.  The taste is milder than I expected, based on the aroma.  Yeast, spice, citrus.  Although it is not really fruity, I think the fruit mellowed out some of the yeastiness.  Higher carbonated mouth feel.  The aftertaste leaves you with a nice citrus rind bitter note.  This would make a nice summer beer to drink when you wanted more than one: refreshing and won't overload the taste buds.  I wasn't too sure about this one on the first couple of sips as it seemed a little too mild, but it grew on me and I enjoyed it.

Abita Brewing Company

Abita Springs, Louisiana

www.abita.com

Harpoon Octoberfest ....

Tonight's beer is an Octoberfest from Harpoon Brewery.  5.3% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  The web site shows 30 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small, not quite tan head.  Beer color is copper.  Sweet malt in the aroma, some spice.  The taste has some malty sweetness, caramel, spice.  There is a mild bitterness that builds on your tongue.  Medium bodied.  You are left with a little of the bitter for an aftertaste.

Harpoon Brewery

Boston, Massachusetts

www.harpoonbrewery.com

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Imperial Pilsner ....

Today's beer is a Beer Camp #43 2012 Imperial Pilsner from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  5.6% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.

This beer poured with a very thin, off white head.  Beer color is a bright, medium golden yellow.  Aroma has grains, some sweetness.  The taste is grainy and bready, with a bitterness that builds toward the end.  Nice heavier mouth feel.  The aftertaste leaves a little of the bitterness in your mouth.  Nothing in the taste that particularly stands out over anything else, but a good flavorful pilsner.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Chico, California

www.sierranevada.com

Brooklyn Oktoberfest ....

Tonight I will have an Oktoberfest from Brooklyn Brewery.  5.5% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  The Brooklyn web site shows 25 IBUs.

This beer poured with a small, creamy colored head.  Beer color is an amber leaning towards copper.  The aroma has some toasted malt, caramel, brown sugar, maybe a little cocoa.  Earthy.  The taste has the toasted malt, grains, bready, sweet malt.  A little spice.  There is a subtle bitterness in the background that adds a little something.  Medium bodied.  Slight grassy aftertaste.

   

Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn, New York

www.brooklynbrewery.com