Shipyard Applehead Ale

Since I'm a pretty big fan of Shipyard's Pumpkinhead, when I saw Applehead in Bottle King today I had to get it. It poured a very light golden color with little to no head. Aroma was pretty weak with a slight nutmeg scent. Taste somewhat like Pumpkinhead with cinnamon and nutmeg coming through strong along with some sourness from the apple flavor. Overall though it was pretty bland. Basically just a lighter beer with some spicy and sour nodes, nothing that appley about it. A bit disappointing and nowhere near as good as Pumpkinhead.

Shipyard Pugsley's Signature Series Imperial Porter

Got a six pack of this Shipyard brew courtesy of my father-in-law. It is part of Shipyard's Pugsley's Signature Series which walked away with last year's Inaugural Born to Brew Pumpkin Beer of the year. The Imperial Porter poured very dark black with a nice white head on top. Aroma was roasty, chocolatey and a bit of alcohol. At first it tasted a bit light, but then the malt kicked in leading to some nodes of chocolate and maybe nuts. The ending was a bit alcoholy, but at 7.4 ABV that is somewhat expected. Didn't taste much bitterness from the hops, but it still had a very balanced/solid taste for an Imperial Porter. Another great beer from the Pugley's Signature Series.

Long Trail Pale Ale

I am a huge fan of Long Trail's beers and this one did not disappoint. It poured a light orangey brown with a pretty nice head. Aroma was like a typical pale ale with a light citrusy aroma and some earthy tones. Tasted a bit sweet at first with some citrus followed by some delicious hoppiness late. It was very smooth and light for a pale ale, which was pretty refreshing and enjoyable. I would've preferred a little more hops, but as a lighter Pale Ale it was quite delightful and easy to drink. Another great brew from Long Trail.

Guinness @ Cloverleaf in Caldwell

Well hello there! Stopped into the Cloverleaf on Friday to try their pint of Guinness and was not disappointed. Pour looked very solid with a nice creamy head on top of that black goodness. Temperature was cool, but not too cold leading to a very enjoyable pint of smoothy goodness followed by a slightly bitter ending. Overall, a very good Guinness that I'd rate in the top 5, but not near the leaders of the pack. Cheers!

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

I've seen this brown ale in 6 packs at a lot of stores, but finally decided to give it a shot on tap at The Office in Montclair. It pours a reddish brown with a slight head that leaves some subtle lacing. Didn't really get much of an aroma from it at all, was expecting some chocolate scents or something like that. Taste started a bit sweet with a little bit of cocoa coming through, but the dominant flavor was definitely the roasty malt. It didn't pack a ton of hops, but did have a little bit of hoppy bitterness in the finish mixed with some spiciness. Overall, a very solid and tasty brown ale that I'm glad I finally tried. Also enjoy the dog on the label. Cheers!

2011 Beer of the Year

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