Guinness Black Lager

Walked into a Hoboken liquor store and was shocked to see this. Guinness Black Lager???? I have heard nothing about it and was absolutely surprised to ser it in the fridge. I obviously had to grab it amd see how it was and disappointment soon ensued. It may have been the fact that I had two strong German beers first, but this beer had no bite. It tasted like a generic lager with some Guinness taste to it. It was very bland and watery and had no real strong taste to it besides watered down beer and a bit of Guinnessness. Ill give it another try when I'm not already two liters deep, but only out of respect to Guinness. Honestly I don't think that the Black Lager will be around too long.

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest!!!!! This Oktoberfest beer comes from Munich, Germany and is also very dark. It tastes like a lager really, has a sweet malty start and a small hoppy finish. A bit bitter but overall very delicious. It tastes like a true German Oktoberfest brew and is one of the original Oktoberfest beers permitted. Cheers!

Franziskaner Dunkel-Weisse

B2B takes it on the road to the new Hoboken biergarten, called Pilsener Haus at 1422 Grand St. With 20 beers on tap and more bottles, this place is heaven on Earth. Best part is NO LIGHT BEER! You have to check it out.

As for the beers, I'm gonna keep these reviews short and sweet. I started off with a liter of the darkest beer on the menu - Franziskaner Dunkel-Weisse. This is a delicious wheat brew with some nodes of clove and banana that is easy to drink but lacks the bitterness and hops I was looking for. Overall a great beer though that I would recommend for all. Prost!

Gallagher's Brewing Co. Pumpkin Porter Update

The porter is now bottled. Should be ready end of Oct/early Nov.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale by Brooklyn Brewery

Stanley joins us on a Thirsty Thursday for this enjoyable pumpkin ale in Gallagher's Pub. The first thing that struck me about this beer was that it was nearly impossible to tell who brewed it. Brooklyn Brewery is not found anywhere in big letters on the label, but rather is just in fine print on the side to say where this beer was brewed and bottled. Interesting. Also, really like the big pumpkin on the label.

As for the beer, its very solid. First it poured a burnt orange with a nice head that stayed around for a long time. The smell was more pumpkin than spice, but was very faint and not overpowering. The taste was very smooth and balanced with a slight pumpkin flavor and even slighter spice flavors. Just like the other pumpkin beers that didn't have an overpowering smell of pumpkin and spices, Post Road lacks serious flavor, but for some reason it works here. I think the difference is that the subtle flavor is true pumpkin and slight spices instead of the reverse like the other ones - slight pumpkin, more spices. While it doesn't blow me sway with flavor its very drinkable, well balanced and enjoyable. Out of all the pumpkin beers I've tried, this one is the most drinkable while still having some pumpkin flavor. I'm not ready to say its a top contender, but as of now its the dark horse for the B2B Pumpkin Beer crown.

Drink up, Stanley is!

Guinness @ Kelly's Korner in New Brunswick

Stopped here last Saturday and forgot to put this up. This is one of my all-time favorite bars as it was a popular spot in college and has a great ambiance. Its a mix of college students, cops, firefighters and homeless looking bums. It also opens at 7am which is an obvious plus.

As for the Guinness, the pour was solid, with the bartender putting a shamrock on top of the head - big points for this. The pint itself was a little bitter, but smooth enough. An above average pint that won't be a top contender, but gets some serious intangible points for the shamrock in the head, the price ($3) and the ambiance at Kelly's. We'll call the Guinness at Kelly's in New Brunswick - the pint of the people.

Cape Ann Brewing Company Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout

Most pumpkin flavored beers are ales so when I saw a Pumpkin Stout I had no choice but to buy it. The label is very "Fally", but I was disappointed that the fisherman on it wasn't old with a huge grey beard. Definitely a missed marketing opportunity.

As for the beer itself, it poured black with a slight tan head that dissipated rather quickly. The smell was malty and sweet with some spices and slight pumpkin in there, but nothing crazy. As I've discovered over the past few weeks with pumpkin beers, if the smell doesn't blow you away, neither will the taste. In this case, my theory holds true again. This stout wasn't bad, but it only had slight pumpkin and spice tastes that left me wanting more. The slight nodes of pumpkin, vanilla and other spices were enjoyable, but needed to be doubled or tripled. From a stout perspective, the beer was a little too thin and carbonated for my liking, but overall very well balanced and easy to drink. I also really enjoyed the expresso/chocolate aftertaste. However, being judged as a pumpkin beer it disappoints slightly for not having enough pumpkin and spice flavors in it.

If you're a stout lover I'd try it because pumpkin stouts are hard to find, but its not going to be a contender for Top B2B Pumpkin Beer.