Southern Tier Brewing Co. Imperial Pumking

I received a 22oz bottle of this pumpkin ale from my sister-in-law Jill. To start, the label is frightening. It looks like a picture of an evil jack-o-lantern with bats hovering above, which blew me back to start. The aroma is all malty with strong smells of caramel (its made with caramel malt), vanilla, nutmeg and some other spices. Head faded very quickly after pouring. Taste is pumpkiny at first (pumpkin puree was used), then moves to nutmeg and other spices before finishing with a mix of butterscotch, vanilla and alcohol. Its an 8.6% abv beer so I expected to taste some alcohol, but its a very strong and unbalanced taste. This beer is lacking hops and that really kills it for me. If they put more hops in, it wouldve balanced out the malty sweetness and covered up the strong alcohol taste. Not a bad pumpkin beer, but not as drinkable as I wouldve liked. Shipyard Pumpkinhead still rules.

Shipyard Brewing Company Pumpkinhead Ale

Now that September is upon us, its time for the pumpkin brews to start flowing! With a little under two months till I name my favorite pumpkin beer, I decided to start with one of my favorites, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. I drank this one out of a bottle while sitting on the beach, blurring the line between Summer and Fall. To start it has one of the sickest labels I have ever seen. Its not really true pumpkiny, but rather has a strong aroma and taste of nutmeg, cinnamon and possibly whipped cream. It both smells and tastes almost exactly like a delicious pie. To pumpkin beer purists who want a beer that's brewed with and tastes like real pumpkin, it disappoints, but as someone who loves pumpkin pie I take it for what it is and thoroughly enjoy it. A seasonal beer is intended to fit the season its for and this one definitely makes you feel Fally. A great pumpkin pie ale that will be tough to beat.

Murphy's Irish Stout

The store was out of Guinness so I had to go with Murphy's. While its not a bad stout, it is too watery and isn't as good as Guinness out of the can. That's all I got. Happy post hurricane Sunday!

Keegan Ales Hurricane Kitty

This American IPA screamed out to me in the store since it has a hurricane name. I'm currently drinking it at Gallaghers Pub while watching the Bucs-Dolphins preseason game and I'm not disappointed. It has an interesting smell for an IPA, its not citrusy or overly hoppy but has some slight hops mixed with a mostly pine malty base. Taste is piney with a good amount of hops kicking in late. Had a slight citrus taste to it at the end, but nothing really sweet or powerful. Its not a bad IPA, but isn't great and doesn't make me want more. Its very malty for an IPA and is very separated between malts and hops instead of mixing them together in a balanced way. Overall, a good IPA to drink during a hurricane, but in nice weather I'd leave it on the shelf. Stay dry on thd outside, but make sure your filled with beer inside.

Pumpkin Beer Time!

The brewing of Paddy's Pumpkin Porter has begun! The above picture shows the wort that I created tonight which is the first step towards creating a delicious brew. After this picture was taken, the wort was poured into the fermentation keg and the yeast was added. Expect this beer to be a slice of pumpkin pie in a bottle if all goes well. It'll be a few weeks before it gets bottled with the release coming in mid-October.

In the meantime I've decided to add another aspect to the Blog being that we are approaching the Fall season. I will be reviewing Pumpkin beers over the next two months and will rank my three favorites on Halloween. If you have a Pumpkin beer that you love please post it so that I can add it to the list of ones to try. Happy Thirsty Thursday!

Rate that Beer Pad!

Courtesy of my cousin-in-law Alison Mahoney, I now can document my reviews on paper via this pad. Definitely taking this to a new level.

Shock Top Belgian White

Grabbed a six pack of this Belgian White from Anheuser Busch at a liquor store in Lavallette, but you can find this one almost anywhere. I poured it into a pint glass with an orange and it came out very blonde with no head. Smell was of oranges and sweet malt, very similar to a Blue Moon. Being that Blue Moon is made by Coors I suspect that Shock Top is AB's response to add some competition. The taste is all orangey with no hops or any kind of bitterness. Very easy to drink and refreshing in the summer, but not a beer drinker's kind of beer. Definitely would be popular with the ladies.