Captain Lawrence Pale Ale

Had this Pleasantville, NY beer on tap at the newly opened Tap House in Tribeca. The Tap House is your typical Tribeca bar trying to push craft beers on a group of yuppies that craves Stella and Blue Moon. It features an awkward set-up inside, but a solid group of beers on tap (for $7 a pint of course).

CL's Pale Ale poured a very dark copper/reddish color with a solid head that remained throughout the majority of the pint and left a lot of lacing. Smell was mostly malty sweetness with a bit of breadiness mixed in and some slight hops. First taste was sweet malt and very bready with a bit of hops kicking in late and giving it a slight floral/citrus after taste. A bit bitter on the finish, but not too much for a pale ale. Usually I am critical of pale ales that lack hops, but because of the great flavor and balance that this one had I can't complain.
It was a very smooth and easy to drink pale ale that was well balanced and didn't pack too many hops to make you think it was a boderline IPA. A solid beer from Captain Lawrence.

Harvest Moon Hodgepodge Black Ale

This one was my favorite of the 3. It looked almost like a stout or porter with a jet black color and nice white head on top. Smell was very sweet - chocolate and maybe brown sugar (?). Taste was as expected, sweet and chocolatey with a slight smokey aftertaste. It actually packed a ton of different flavors, all sweet, before ending with a smooth smokey flavor mixed with a bit of alcohol taste. Definitely a keeper and a great late Fall/Winter beer that I recommend to all. Great job Harvest Moon!

Side note - a shout out to my wife Meredith who deals with me typing on my blackberry for these posts when we are out. Today is 2 yrs since we got engaged and she was nice enough to agree to go to the Rutgers basketball game tonight after a romantic day. I love you Mer!

Harvest Moon Elmes' Mild Manor

The second beer of the night at Harvest Moon is an English style. It poured a dark brown with a slight head. Smell was very bland, with a slight floral aroma. Taste was also a bit bland (keep in mind I had the double IPA before though) with some caramel nodes coming through. It didn't have much hops, but was extremely drinkable and mixed well with the burger I ordered. Probably wouldn't have it again, but not a bad beer to try if you're at Harvest Moon and want something to wash your dinner down with.

Harvest Moon Hop2it Double IPA

Coming to you live from Downtown New Brunswick, just off the campus of Rutgers University its Born 2 Brew at Harvest Moon Brewery. The first beer of the night is a double IPA. Harvest Moon has put out a Double IPA before called Hop Squared, but this one is a bit different. It poured a typical orangey brown with a nice head. Smell is a lot of citrus, grapefruit mostly, with some pine mixed in. Taste was delicious, citrus and malty sweetness at first with some earth nodes and hops kicking in late to create a nice balance. I was slightly disappointed that it didn't have more hops, but it was a very balanced IPA that was pretty drinkable. Definitely preferred that Havest Moon Hop Squared more, but this one is also delightful.

Guinness @ 381 Main in Little Falls

I didn't expect to find a good Guinness at this trendy sports bar in Little Falls, as the best pints are usually poured in old Irish dive bars. However, this pint wasn't so bad. The pour was slightly questionable, as the bartender did a 3 pour technique. She filled the glass up about a third of the way, stopped, then another third, stopped, then topped it off. Never seen this used before and I'm not sure what effect it had on the beer itself, but it did leave a head that was way too big and airy. I think the speed of the beer coming out of the tap also had a part in the airy head. After getting past the head though, the taste was solid. A little too cold for my liking, but not terrible. Overall, a solid pint at a place I never thought I'd get one at. Cheers!

Firestone Walker's Reserve Robust Porter

Now that the colder days of Fall and Winter are approaching (and the pumpkin beer competition has ended), stouts and porters will be taking a more prominent role on the blog. As the loyal B2B readers know, my favorite beer is Firestone Walker Double Jack (a Double IPA), so when I saw Firestone's Robust Porter available I had to give it a try. I ran into this porter on tap at Texas Arizona in Hoboken after a long day in the office. It poured black with some reddish hints and a really nice tan head that diminished a bit over the course of consumption. The aroma was quite delightful - dark chocolate and coffee mostly with some slight smokiness as well. The taste was similar to the aroma with the coffee and roasted malts coming through strongest followed by some lighter nodes of dark chocolate. It didn't over power with sweetness like some porters and had a really smooth finish with no alcoholy taste (its 5.8 abv). It was also creamy and rich in the mouth and had a good balance of carbonation. Overall, a really solid beer that's easy to drink and has some great flavors. If you're looking for a really sweet chocolate stout then this one definitely isn't for you, but if you're sitting inside by the fire on a cold Fall/Winter night and want a porter that you can throw back a few of, this is you're beer. Another great job by Firestone.

2011 Born to Brew Best Pumpkin Beer

http://www.youtube.com/rwatch?v=BCY2u7EZQHE&sns=em

Unfortunately the Pumpkin Beer Awards video is too big to be posted directly on the blog. Please visit the above link to see it.