Beer of the Month - February 2013 - Penn Brewing Company Chocolate Meltdown

 

Chocolate Milk Stout.
A very dark, full-bodied ale.  Hints of roasted caramel malts along with luscious Betsy Ann chocolate in every sip.










Style:   Stout
Alcohol content:   5.5% ABV
Availability:   January-February
Specs:   OG/plato:  12.5
FG/plato:  3.5
IBUs:  35
Hops: Perle
Malt: Two-row, Chocolate, Black, Caramel, Roasted Barley, Flaked Barley, and Lactose Sugar.

Ok - we have never kept it a secret that of all the types of beers out there, Hops the Moose has always preferred a good stout over all others - doesnt matter the time of year - give me a good stout anytime.  And as luck would have it - we have found what could be our new favorite stout.  Penn Brewing Company - Chocolate Melt Down - chocolate stout. 

A very smooth drinking beer with a very nice aroma when you first open the bottle - from the start of opening and pouring the beer into a glass - your nose gets that sweet chocolate smell in the air.  The taste is even better - a rich and creamy smooth stout with a rich chocolate taste - almost as if you are not drinking beer. 

With Valentie's Day quickly approaching - if your significant other is a chocolate lover - find a way to get hold of Penn Brewing Company Chocolate Melt Down - a melted Chocolate bar in a glass of beer - chocolate with a kick.

November Beer of the Month - Triumph Brewing Company - Pumpkin Ale

 

Beer of the Month - November - Triumph Brewing Company - Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkin Ale
A glassful of pumpkin pie - thats beer.   6.4% abv.   A seasonal Favorite brewed with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, clove, molasses, vanilla, and milk sugar.

The Triumph Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale is available at all 3 locations - Philadelphia, New Hope, and Princeton.  From the time that the pumpkin beers first starting arriving until now - we have tried many - some great, some good, and some not so good but not so bad (its beer, how can you go wrong).  And this one has become one of our favorites - what a great flavor - mix in a little kick of vanilla and this is a great beer.  And I know Triumph may not want to hear this but I had it on draft and then went and purchased a growler of it for home - and with the growler beer - buy it, put it in your fridge for a day or two and then open and drink it.  WOW!!!!!!!!!!!  After letting this little bit of pumpkin pie in a beer glass sit for a few days and then opened it up and drank it - I was blown away by the taste.  It was much better then when I first had it on draft.  A smooth taste, the vanilla really rounds out the taste nicely.  Once I started drinking it, I couldn't stop.  A rich orange/brown color, good aroma, and smooth taste.  boy a gallon of beer can go quickly.

Get out to Triumph - any of the 3 locations - have a pint or two but also Strongly suggest that you get a growler or two for Home before the pumpkin season is over.


Cheers!

Beer of the Month - October - Willimantic Brewing Company - Overseas Mail Octoberfest

Seasonal bier brewed with German Pilsner, Munich, Vienna, Carapils and Crystal malts and lightly hopped with Tettnang and Saaz. 6.4% abv

Looking for that "something special/different" Octoberfest beer - get over to Willimantic and order one of their Overseas Mail Octoberfest on draft.  You wont be disappointed.  A rich beer with a great smooth taste.  The mix of malts and hops creates a very easy drinking blend that leaves you wanting more.  A crisp taste with no aftertaste.  We found this beer to be different from traditional Octoberfest beers.  And it all goes back to the the blend of the different malts and hops.  The unique blend of malts seems to compliment each other in creating this beer.  A good rich color and aroma is met by the senses before the first sip. 

So get over to Willimantic and order an Overseas Mail Octoberfest.

Cheers!

September Beer of the Month - Long Valley Pub and Brewery Inspiration IPA

As Summer comes to an end and we get ready for the madness that is football season - we have found a real hidden gem of an IPA - Inspiration IPA now on tap at Long Valley Pub and Brewery.  Our very first BDAC Sponsor gets the Honor of our September Beer of the Month.

India Pale Ale (IPA) is a style that was designed by an English brewer in the 1700's. Brewers were having trouble with beer spoiling on the long sea voyage from England to the colonies in India. One brewer realized that there were two things in beer with preservative effects: alcohol and hops. He created a beer that was strong in alcohol and high in hop content -- a Super Pale Ale. It survived the voyage in reasonable good condition and became popular in the colonies and at home.

Our Inspiration Ale is copper colored, strong in alcohol content (approximately 7.0% ABV) with a bitter and powerful hop flavor and aroma. The bitterness is somewhat masked by a slight malt sweetness (it requires a lot of malt to make a strong beer). We call it an old-world IPA because many American versions of the style lack the strength, color and maltiness that we believe the original beers contained.

June - Boulder Dam Brewing Company - Black Canyon Stout

Named after the canyon in which the dam is built, this rich, dark beer is made with four varieties of malt. Minnesota two-row brewers, English chocolate, black malt and roasted barley give a pleasant coffee-like character to the finish. This ruby-black brew is perfectly balanced with East Kent Goldings and Liberty hops.

May - Yakima Craft Brewing Company - Imperial Red

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imperial Red

Debut: 3/2010; re-released 4/2011, 5/2012
Imperial Red is a full-on mouthful of malt and hop. Strong, bold, and not for the faint of heart. This is as metal as a beer gets.

 

ABV: 5.9%
Est. IBU: 90
OG (Plato): 1.059 (14.51)
FG (Plato): 1.014 (3.57)
Est. SRM: 19

Beer of the Month - February - Pike Brewing Company - Pike Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA

 

The month we have to go with a real award winner.  Winner of the 50th Anniversary Space Needle Award for best local beer - we are going with the Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA from Pike Brewing Company. 

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Space Needle asked several local breweries to concoct a special beer.   And despite some tough competition,  Pike Brewing Company's "Pike Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA" won the honor, beating out nine other breweries. The winning IPA will be featured at the Sky City Restaurant at the Space Needle starting in April.  Pike  brewed this beer specifically to be a Northwest IPA and used only hops from the Northwest. 

While most IPA's are amber in color, Pike Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA is a golden colored IPA specifically for the Space Needle anniversary.  The Beer is  described as having an "assertive hop character" with citrusy (grapefruit) and floral notes derived from all Yakima Valley hops (Cascade, Columbus, Centennial, Chinook and Summit).  What a great beer to look forward to enjoying as the weather is getting ready to change and Spring is getting close - just ask Punxsutawney Phil.  The beer has a light, crisp, refreshing taste.