Brewery

I walked into Dandelion to grab a beer since my regular Sunday afternoon stop at Tria was thwarted by crowds of Rittenhousers. So I asked the bartender what was good and she mentioned that they were the only ones in Philly to get this beer. Ten kegs – all went to the Stephen Starr British pub concept? Interesting. The description sounded good (aged in oak rum barrels), and I love the other stuff I’ve had from Bellhaven, so why not!

“Rum Cask is fun, vibrant and spicy. Who would have thought that rum and beer would work so well?? It’s our unique combination of specially brewed beer, rum and oak that just makes this beer sing!”

Appearance: Deep, dark amber red, small white head, a little big of light getting through

Aroma: Wow! You can smell the rum right away. After you get past that you have a nice malt note.

Taste: Surprisingly refreshing. Definitely can taste the rum spiciness. A balanced amount of malt, oak and deep fruit notes.

A great beer! Love the body of this beer. It’s refreshing and not heavy but has enough body to coat the mouth. The rum is the star of this beer and was nice to sip on. Another great one from the Scots over at Bellhaven!

Appearance: Dark brown/black solid, ¼ inch tan head

Aroma: strong malt

Taste: malty but not overpowering, a bit of tobacco undertone, not think but a nice mouthfeel. Nice easy drinker. Great session beer. A step up from Yeungling. Low alcohol content, but what else would you expect from a Utah beer?

This was a wildcard beer I picked up to fill out my six-pack. I like spicy beers so I was drawn in by the pepper flavor noted on the label.

According to the brewery: “The real treat of our A.P.A. is the tangle of flavors that fresh cracked pepper and Northern Brewer Hops create. At 65 IBUs (bitterness units) there’s plenty of zing for the Hop Heads or Bitter Bettys, but not so much to overpower the tingle of the black pepper as it slowly kicks in. Likewise, the 15° Plato malt bill features a healthy dose of caramel malt meant to soften (but not stifle) the play of pepper and hops on the palate.”

Appearance: Medium brown color. Very bubbly. Small white head.  Hazy but some light gets through.

Aroma: Classic hoppy/malty pale ale aroma

Taste: Kind of flat flavor. Not as hoppy vibrancy I would like. Slight pepper in the aftertaste, nothing special.

I was pretty disappointed by this beer. The description made it sound pretty excited but the flavor really fell flat. Not sure how this got as good of reviews as it did on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer. Won’t pick this up again and suggest you grab something else as well.

Cheers,
Natty

Style

I have been on a bit of a can kick for a while. I will try almost any new craft beer in a can. Well, this one definitely caught by eye with its impressive and fun can design. Then I saw that it was a Belgian style triple and from a brewery in Kansas and I had to check it out.

“This beer is a Belgian Tripel that lives up to its name. Smooth and carefully crafted like a fine velvet painting, but with an 8.5% ABV this bird has some spurs! The beer pours a golden straw color with brilliant clarity. Topped with a lofty pure white head the beer has a wonderful floral nose, with subtle fruit notes.  The taste is clean and crisp, with subtle fruit notes and a touch of candy like sweetness. The beer has a Champagne-like effervescent that provides a crisp offset to its sweet finish.  While a pint glass is always nice, Velvet Rooster would also be at home in a tulip glass or Champagne flute.”

Appearance: Golden, small white head. Lots of light but slightly cloudy with a good amount of bubbles

Aroma: beautiful, sweet, citrus and banana, slightly yeasty and honey undertones, a bit floral in the hops

Taste: hoppy, citrus, bubbly, crisp mouthfeel, not boozy at all, little bit of sweet honey.

Not the best Belgian tripel I have ever had but nice. An easy drinker despite being 8.5%, I would definitely get this pounder can again! And I still think the can is one of the best I have seen.

Cheers,
NattyIce

Style

Got this tonight at the new bottle shop opened a block from my apartment by the folks on own my corner bar, Local 44. This is the first all craft beer shop in the neighborhood and was much anticipated. The bets part is they have staff who know their beer and try pretty much everything. Walked in after working most of the day/night Saturday and wanting something cool to enjoy on a beautiful night in my sweats. After looking to a bunch of things, we spotted this treasure in its awesome swing-top bottles. It looked cool and Nate described it as pretty unique, so I grabbed it and another one by BFM, which I hope to review soon.

The beer name is translated to mean ‘the millstone.’ The brewery describes this beer as an “unconventional blonde with an intense bouquet marked by notes of hops, powerful citrus, dried grass, ginger and highlighted with a hint of sage. A dry end gives way to frank imparting bitterness.” (edited from the googlr translation to make sense).

Appearance: Beautiful, hazy golden orange glow. Pretty opaque. Nice big frothy white head. Quite bubbly. Some sediment.

Aroma: Herby. Sage. Citrus. Bright with clear hop notes. Slightly metallic.

Taste: Slightly sour and bitter at first but then the hops smooth out for a nice finish. Has a definite spiciness, a little ginger, citrus and herbaceous flavor. Very refreshing and effervescent. Only know its sage because of a previous sage beer but very nice addition. Reminds me of Stillwater’s Cellar Door with a bit of a sour bite in the beginning. It’s pretty good despite not getting the best reviews. Interesting flavor, a bit unique and very refreshing.

Cheers,
Natty

Style

Recommended to me by a staff member at Food & Friends as I looked for a beer to fill out my six-pack. He seemed pretty emphatic about it as a non-IPA option for me. A local beer from a brewery with kind of a lame name, which seems weird for a central PA brewery, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Apparently the beer is named after a song, which actually gave them the idea for it.

The brewery described it as “mildly hoppy and smooth with hints of chocolate and tons of brown malt to let you know it’s there.” It’s bottle conditioned.

Appearance: Quarter-inch tan head. Disappears quickly. Dark brown. Mostly opaque

Aroma: Deep coffee and malt aroma.

Taste: Interesting flavor! Malts and coffee but a slightly bitter aftertaste reminiscent of a bitter honeysuckle or lavender at the end. Crisp, slightly creamy mouthfeel. Really nice solid brown ale. Not boozy at all.

Cheers,
Natty

I have never heard of this brewery and came across it while perusing Food & Friends early on a Friday evening. The label was pretty boring and plain so its impressive I even saw it. I love a good imperial stout and trying something new, so it hooked me.

“This smooth, creamy stout and a crackling fireplace are the perfect answer to a wintery evening in Wisconsin. The rich coffee flavor compliments the “warm, fuzzy feeling” you get from the abundant alcohol. Enjoy in moderation.”

Appearance: Dark, opaque brown with a small light tan head

Aroma: Super malty and slightly chocolate aroma. A little of bitter coffee and smokiness at the end

Taste: A bit too bitter at first. Mouth feel is not as creamy as expected. Malty. No real underlying flavors. A bit of a smoky aftertaste.

Overall I’m not very impressed by this imperial stout, and am pretty surprised at the reviews it has gotten. It’s not creamy or heavy enough for me. It has a bit of a coffee undertone but it’s missing the layers of flavor and complexity of a great imperial stout like an Old Rasputin. A good alcohol content but not boozy.  In the end I’m not sure if I would get this one again. I appreciate a young brewery, this one founded in 1996, but it still needs work if its going to be one I will seek out as an every day (or even a once in a while) beer.

Cheers,
Natty

Location

Anyone who has read my reviews knows I love Fegley’s Brew Works. You add in the television reference and sweet label art and I couldn’t turn down this beer, despite not being a huge pale ale fan. What can I say, I am a sucker for any Philly reference and this has two (It’s Always Sunny and Mr. Franklin).

“The fathers of our nation were very fond of a good tankard of ale. Dozens of Philadelphia breweries lubricated the minds of the Age of Reason toward an egalitarian philosophy, a rational government, and enlightened experiments in science. But things weren’t perfect by any means –the Liberty Bell had to wait out the British occupation of Philadelphia by hiding in Allentown,  and poor Mr. Franklin had to routinely wait out beautiful weather to “wet the kite twine so that it can conduct the electric fire freely. Alas, let us raise a pint, and hope it is Always Sunny…wherever you are.”

Appearance: Beautiful pale golden color. Very small white head. Lots of light and bubbles.

Aroma: Large hoppy nose, light and refreshing. Maybe a little malts in the end.

Taste: pretty solid hoppy flavor and a crisp, clean mouth feel, kind of bubbly, a bit of citrus but a bitter aftertaste. A little piney at the end and some malt later on.

Fegley’s calls this a west coast pale ale, and it does bring me back to the hoppy flavor reminiscent of my days in Pullman. This is a pretty solid session beer. A basic pale ale, but nothing surprising or super special. It is definitely a better choice than a crap water beer but I prefer the Pikeland Pils from Sly Fox. If I’m going to go with a hoppy session beer I would more likely go for a florally or citrusy IPA. However, this is not bad. It would be a great sixer to bring to a friend’s house for an Always Sunny marathon or a great pint to wash down some wings, burger or sandwich (::cough:: cheesesteak ::cough::) at Mac’s Tavern in Old City.

Cheers,
Natty

Location

Listed as the number 2 top new brewers in the world by RateBeer.com, in 2011 Stillwater is by far one of my favorite brewers. His beautiful Debutant (which I tried first during Philly Beer Week 2011) was named as one of the top beers of 2011 by Draft Magazine in November. Every time I hit the Foodery I look to see what new stuff they have in bottles lining a whole shelf now. I’ve picked up 3 new ones over the past few months and have been holding on to them for just the right time. Well, the time is now (especially as the beer stock is getting low right along with the bank account).  No description of this beer from the brewer as Strumke doesn’t have a full on website, just a blog.

Appearance: Large white head, beautiful cloudy golden orange color. Large white head. Nice lacing

Aroma: Huge hoppy aroma. Slightly floral and not bitter. Inviting. A little banana at the end.

Taste: Interesting hoppiness. Not really bitter. Slightly creamy mouthfeel. Not really boozy. Easy drinker. Yummy, as always but not as effervescent as his saisons. A bit yeasty and sweet.

The aroma was amazing! I want this in candle form. The falvor was not as amazing or complex as the other Stillwater beers I’ve had but still a pretty decent beer. A bit expensive for what it is but his stuff tends to be because of the gypsy brewing style. Not my favorite of the Stillwater stuff I have tried but still a pretty solid beer.

Cheers,
Natty

Location

So I got this beer as part of our office holiday “Thieve’s Christmas.” It was a mixed six of holiday beers. I had to steal it from one of my favorite coworkers but it was so worth it. I like Rogue so I assumed a Christmas beer from them would of course be awesome. I don’t see many of their beers in 12oz. around here so that was cool to see. I typically don’t think of a red ale as a winter or Christmas beer, epseically not a double-hopped one.

Rogue shares a bit about the history of the beer on its website: “Rogue’s annual holiday offering, Santa’s Private Reserve, is a variation of the classic Saint Rogue Red, but with double the hops–including Chinook, and Centennial, and a mystery hop called Rudolph by head brewer John “more hops” Maier!”

Appearance: beautiful golden amber color with a small light tan head. A little cloudy, some light gets through

Smell: Nice floral hop aroma at first, slightly sweet

Taste: Hoppier than I excpected from a Christmas beer. Floral with a little bit of a bitter bite at the end. Crisp and slightly creamy mouthfeel.

Well, I don’t want to talk any crap on Rogue because I am generally a big fan, but I don’t understand how this specific beer should be a Christmas beer. I miss the spice and booze of a winter beer. It is a good, hoppy beer if that is what you are into, but I was just hoping for something more. I miss the spruce finish Rogue mentions so I don’t understand the name/Santa reference other than the fact that it’s a red ale. Not a bad beer, just maybe a bad name…..

Cheers,
Natty