Sam Adams Double Pumpkin Ale

I like Sam Adams' regular pumpkin ale that is part of the Harvest Sampler, but as pumkin beers go, it wasn't anything special.  Double Pumpkin however, has a much richer flavor.  It is not a sweet ale, and plays more on pumpkin than spices and cinnamon. The feel is reminicent of an English Brown Ale and the after taste is very mild and kind of has the after taste of a cookie.
I have always liked Sam Adams' beers, they make mass produced craft beer that doesn't sacrifice the flavor too much. Their limited edition beers more than make up for the lack in their regular beers.

4/5

Beer Fest

Less than two weeks until the Albany Craft Beer Festival. Who's going?

Dinosaur Ape Hanger Ale

First off, I must say that this beer is not as good as the name is.  Ape Hanger, an American Pale Ale which is exclusive to Dinosaur BBQ, is smooth with a medium golden color, a light white head and just a hint of hops.  The beer itself is not bad, but it is a little lacking if one is drinking it on its own.  Where this beer picks up the slack is by pairing it with just about anything on Dinosaur's menu.  Since the beer does not have an overly powerful taste and is not too heavy, it complements the food instead of covering up the food's flavor.  On its own I would give Ape Hanger 2/5, and with food 4/5. So i'll split the difference.

3/5

Guinness Black Lager

I am a huge fan of the Guinness line, including the regular stout, extra stout, foreign extra stout and 250 Stout.  As you can see, Guinness does stouts, and it does them well.  So when Guinness came out with a black lager earlier this fall, I was very reluctant to try it.  I was very surprised when I tried it, it was delicious!

I am more of an ale guy, so while I can appreciate the taste of lagers, I tend not to drink them.  This beer however may become one of my regular drinks.  It has the familiar Guinness flavor, but it has a light, crisp drinkability that isn't over carbonated.  It is a very well rounded beer and Guinness once again proves that mass produced beer does not have to taste like water that has had stale bread floating in it.

4/5

Gilded Otter Brewing Company

This past weekend I went to The Gilded Otter Brewing Company in New Paltz, NY.  I used to go to college in New Paltz, so I was already quite familiar with the Otter; however, I needed to refresh my memory for the sake of this blog.  I went for lunch and ordered the grilled bratwurst sandwich and a pint their pumpkin ale.  The food was delicious, as always.  I have never had a bad meal there, the pumpkin ale however was not as satisfying.  It was a very good beer, but it left me wanting more from the beer, while not actually wanting another one.  This is the first beer that I've had at the Otter that has made me feel this way.  Every other beer that I have tried there, such as the Huguenot St. American Lager, the New Paltz Crimson Lager, the Stone House Export Stout, the Blueberry Stout and the Black and Blue, ( a mix of Blueberry Lager and regular Stout with fresh blueberries floating in it) have all been amazing.

One beer was not enough to turn me off to this great brewpub. Between the exceptional beer and food, I highly recommend checking this place out.

4/5

Otter Creek 20th Anniversary Ale

I have only had a couple beers from Otter Creek before, but the 20th Anniversary Ale has me hooked on the brewery.  The lable says that its just an ale, but from my opinion it ia  Barley Wine.  While Barley Wines tend to have a wine flavor, 20th has a mild chocolate flavor, much like Orkney's Skull Splitter.  I saw this beer in the store today and I grabbed in just because it was limited edition, and I am very impressed. I like barley wine's but it is not my favorite variety of beer.

Damn it Feels Good to Make Your Own Beer

I sit here writing this post while enjoying the first bottle of my first batch of home made beer.  I did not get overly creative with this batch, just a simple Irish Red Ale from an ingredient kit.  There is a subtle hop flavor and a nice, smooth, and rich malty flavor and a deep unfiltered amber color.

I have to admit that I was worried that it wouldn't turn out well, but after a successful first batch, I cannot wait to start the second batch.  Remember to vote for what flavor I should make for my second batch.  The voting box is on the right.

Samuel Adams Bonfire Rauchbier Review

I am a big fan of Boston Brewery, they make consistently good craft beer that is affordable and readily available.  In my opinion they have some of the best seasonal beers and almost every bar has them on tap.  Over the past couple of years Boston Brewery has released sampler only seasonal beers. This fall saw the addition of the Bonfire Rauchbier.

This beer is a smoked lager that has a nice amber color and medium body.  The flavor of this beer however is nothing to write home about.  While not a bad beer, the smoke flavor is very heavy, and while smoke does well with food, it does not do well with beer.  This is the second smoked beer that I've had and so far I am not impressed with the style.

2/5

Bunratty Mead

While this is a beer blog, mead is kind of like beer's cousin. Mead, which is a wine like drink made from fermented honey, is believed to be the oldest fermented drink; a drink who's origin has been lost to history.

Almost two years ago I fell in love with Bunratty Mead.  Bunratty Mead is made in Bunratty Ireland and is the signature drink of the Bunratty Castle banquets.  This mead is hard to find in the United States, but I have found it in a couple stores in upstate New York.

This drink has a deep golden color and is very sweet. While I am not usually a fan of sweet drinks, this one is sweet in a different way.  Its not fruity and it doesn't have an artificial taste to it.  The honey adds the natural sweetness with a nice syrupy texture without being viscous.

Bunratty Mead is not a traditional mead, but rather white wine with honey and herbs added to it. This drink sparked my interest in mead and has led me to want to make my own mead.

Pumking Review

Recently I was able to try the illusive Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale by Southern Tier Brewing Company.  This beer, while plentiful in bottles is quite rare on tap.  I was lucky enough to try it for the first time at Bacchus Bar and Restaurant in New Paltz NY.  I was also able to find it on tap at my local beer distributor.

I love pumpkin beers, but what I've found is that most don't taste enough like pumpkin or the flavor is too strong which results in the beer being a little overpowering.  Pumking is the exception.  This beer has a strong pumpkin flavor, while still tasting natural and not overly sweet.  It accomplishes this without relying too much on spices and other flavors.   This beer is light and crisp but has the flavor of a darker beer.

I highly recommend this beer for beer lovers and new beer drinkers.

4/5

Beer

Everyone loves alcohol of some sort.  I myself, am an avid lover of beer. Through this blog I will talk about beer varieties, new products, new technologies, brewery reviews, recipes and my own home brewing endeavors.

My first attempt at home brewing has gone smoothly so far and will be ready for consumption tomorrow.  I can only hope that the result isn't so horrific as to the point that even Ulysses Grant wouldn't have drank it.  (To be honest, he probably would have drank it anyway.)