Fire Island Brewing Co. Pumpkin Barrel Ale

Picked this one up at Whole Foods on Greenwich St in NYC today. I've heard of pumpkin ales, but never a pumpkin barrel ale so this six pack grabbed my attention. I poured it into a pint glass and it had a beautiful reddish brown color with a thumb sized head that slowly faded but left some lacing. Smell was mostly nutmeg and cinnamon with some other faint spices, possibly clove. Taste started off with mostly nutmeg with some earthy nodes, but no real pumpkin taste. Finish was pretty smooth with more earthiness and a slight bitterness, probably due to the alcohol content. Overall, an easy pumpkin ale to drink, but it didn't leave a lasting impact on me. I'd rate it as #2 behind Shipyard on the pumpkin ale scale. Its probably a better all around beer because its well balanced and easy to drink, but since its lacking the big pumpkin punch I'm looking for, it falls short.

Kane Brewing Co. Afterglow

The final beer that Kane Brewing Co. Has put out to date is a Rye Pale Ale called Afterglow. The name Afterglow came from the owner of the brewery who got the idea from the orangey sky that can be seen down at the Jersey Shore when the sun is setting on a nice evening. As for the beer itself, it poured a very nice orangey brown color with a decent sized head that lasted until I finished drinking the beer. Aroma was some sweet malt but mostly hops which were very delightful. The taste slightly sweet, but finished very hoppy and dry. The rye wad not overbearing, but rather balanced out very well with the hops and malts. This is a very solid rye pale ale that even my brother-in-law Terry enjoyed. It might even be my favorite pale ale because it balances the hops, malt and rye so well.

After trying all three beers, the IPA is my favorite, but the pale ale and Belgian-style are both really delicious and easy to drink. For a hop lover like me, Kane has put together three great beers that pack a lot of hops, but are also very balanced. Once again I suggest everyone check out Kane's blog (listed below) because it has the mist up-to-date list of where you can find their beers. They are self distributing now so it may be hard to find, but is worth traveling for. Also, the brewery in Ocean Township is open for growler fills and tours every Saturday from 12-5. Cheers guys, happy Labor Day Weekend!!

kanebrewing.blogspot.com

Kane Brewing Co. Growlers

Single Fin and Afterglow

Growler View

Biking back from Spirits on Rt. 35 with two full growlers.

Tap List @ Point Beach Spirits

Kane Brewing Co. Single Fin

I introduced Kane Brewing Company here a few weeks ago and talked about how great their IPA is. After a 14 mile bike ride from Monterey Beach to the Spirits in Pt. Pleasant and back, I now have two more growlers of Kane beers ready for review.

First, I'll start off with their Summer seasonal, Single Fin, a Belgian-style Blond ale. If you're a loyal B2B follower then you know that I really prefer hoppy bitter beers that pack a lot of punch, however I also enjoy finding lighter, easier to drink beers that are perfect for summer. Kane's Single Fin is definitely one of those. It poured a beautiful golden blonde color into my pint glass with a head that stood for a minute or two before fading out. The aroma was sweet malts with a slight wheat smell that seemed fitting for a warm day by the beach. Taste was a bit fruity at first with the malty sweetness being the strongest taste coming through. It finished with some surprising slight hops and was very dry, different from many other Belgian ales I have had. Overall a very solid summer beer that even gives hopheads like me a little love.

It will probably be hard to find this beer since Kane only made 20 barrels of it due to it being late in the summer, but it will bx available again early next summer. Stay tuned for my review of Kane's Rye Pale Ale, Afterglow.

Guinness @ Aztec Bar in Seaside

Where do I start? Pour was all at once with no break to let settle. Glass was skinny and tall, not even a pint. Taste was way off. Similar to how it is out of a can or bottle. This is probably the worst I've had, but Rich Meyer is coming on so it makes up for it. One man, one guitar, one good time.