Woodchuck Private Reserve Pumpkin:
Ah hello all and welcome back to our last cider review of the month.  Yeah I know a lot of you got excited there for a moment with the idea of no more cider reviews but, sorry, there is more to come.  Today we look at Woodchuck Hard Cider’s Private Reserve Pumpkin, a cider that not only sports an  ABV of 6.9% which is more than most beers I’ve reviewed this month, it is certainly one of the most unique brews I’ve had.  The cider is limited to just 2.5 hours on the production line then bottled and shipped out to “exclusive markets” which does include us here in North Texas.  The cider pours a dark golden color with no head to speak of and a nose of sweet pumpkin notes.  In my last review of the normal Woodchuck Private Reserve Cider, I wasn’t too impressed with what they were offering but with this one, that attitude of mine has changed completely.  The cider is a bit sweet but the unique flavor of light pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and spice which does show up on the back end and aftertaste.  A very clean and refreshing adult beverage, this is by far the best pumpkin cider I’ve had all month but one of the best ciders of the whole year.  Even with a slightly sweet flavor this is still very drinkable during this holiday season. Grab a few next time you see them in singles (or a whole six if you want) and enjoy, don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

Newcastle Werewolf:
Happy Halloween all and welcome to our Halloween edition of beer reviews.  Today we talk about a beer named after the coolest -and scariest - creature out there: the werewolf. I love movies about werewolves; they are grisly, brutal in their violence, aren’t romantic (werewolves don’t sparkle, thank God), and the interpretation on what a werewolf will look like is awesome.  Ever since seeing “An American Werewolf in London” I love werewolf movies with practical changing effects and found a new appreciation for horror films that do use practical effects.  If you’ve never seen “AAWL”, rent it now and enjoy it with the knowledge that if it wasn’t for this movie we would never of had Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video nor the video of an Asian prison yard dancing to the song.  Well the good folks over at Newcastle braved the hairy beasts and made their Werewolf beer.  The beer pours a medium amber (not the blood color as advertised) with an aggressive head that leaves lots of lacing and a nose of roasted malts and caramel notes and wet werewolf.  The beer’s taste starts off the roasted malts with notes of caramel and the carbonation is noticeable but flattens out during consumption.  The middle notes are of toffee and malts that roll into the back end taste as well and a hop aftertaste that mixes with a burnt bread taste.  SO thankfully, this beer doesn’t taste like licking a werewolf and I actually enjoyed this beer but then again, I really enjoy Newcastle by itself so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.  I don’t think this is worth a whole sixer but definitely worth trying if you get the chance. 

Wasatch Pumpkin Seasonal:
Hello all and welcome back to your source of the best pumpkin beer reviews- at least on this side of town.  Today we put our attention towards the state whose official bird is a sea gull (well, technically a California Gull): Utah.  Now I know that you may have reservations about…what?  Why is it the gull?  Because back in 1848 these gulls ate the all the Rocky Mountain crickets that were eating the settlers crops thus saving the settlers.  There, happy?  Okay, well where was I?  Great, now I don’t for sure so let’s skip to see what this beer made with and if it‘s any good.  The beer pours a nice cloudy amber color with a nice white head that dissipates quickly and a nose of a candied sweet potato and malts.  The beer’s whole taste profile is like you are eating a baked sweet potato with a touch of cinnamon and washing each bite down with a swig of soda water.  Odd sounding I know, but it does work.  This is a nice tasting beer that keeps the taste on a naturally sweet side rather than making it a really strong artificial flavor.  This should be tried by any one who is into the whole pumpkin beer line, I think you’ll enjoy what you find (granted, this isn’t the Dogfish but it’s still a good beer). 

Ace Hard Pumpkin Cider:
Greetings everyone! I hope this finds all of you well and rested.  Now let’s get to meat of this review: this is a pumpkin cider and….  Okay simmer down people, simmer down.  I know that the last time we did a pumpkin cider we might as well had been reviewing a plain cider but this one is different!  I swear!  Look the first cider was bad but this one has a shot at being good.  Ace makes some good ciders so there is no reason to not try their attempt to make a mark in the fall beverage world.  The cider pours like most ciders: a crisp golden color with no head to speak of and a nice cinnamon and pumpkin spice nose.  The cider’s initial taste is like a Red Hot candy but milder, a mid tongue of allspice and pumpkin flavoring (yea, not regular pumpkin or canned but artificial and overly sweet), and a mild after taste of apples and malts.  This is actually a decent flavored cider and it isn’t overly sweet which is a surprise since most American ciders are made with a bit more sugar than I care for.  Anyway, if you’re willing to try a fall cider, I think this is a choice you can’t go wrong with. 

Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale:
Hello friends and neighbors and welcome back to this little pumpkin patch stroll that we are doing, scanning the ground for not baby pumpkins but beer! Now, I can’t vouch that these pumpkin beers grow on vines but if they did, you can bet your bottom dollar I’d be buying that plant’s seeds for sure and planting a south 40‘s worth of ‘em too.   Now today’s beer is probably one of the most well known pumpkin beers out there: Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale.  This beer pours a nice light amber color with a stark white head that pops like Alka Seltzer in water and a nose of heavy brown sugar and canned pumpkin.  The initial taste of the beer is a carbonation fizz on the tip of the tongue with a pumpkin pie taste that moves to a hoppy backbone and a nice mild finish on the back of the tongue and an aftertaste of pumpkin.  I really liked this beer, but I had reservations on it’s taste but after trying their Strawberry Cream Ale earlier this year, Buffalo Bill’s has given us a nice seasonal beer.  I believe that this beer is definitely worth checking out if you run across a single or two. 

Goose Island Harvest Ale:
Hello one and all and welcome back to our little booze cruise to that takes us that that island that harbors more fowls then this year’s Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line.  Yes friends we are taking a cruise to Goose Island and just in time for their Autum Harvest beer, an ESB style brew that takes the old world style of beer and, via “the Chicago way”, gives it an All-American boost.  The beer pours a nice light amber color with a touch of cloud, a slight foam of bright white and a nose of roasted malts, hops and a bit of dark fruit.  The beer’s initial taste is a strong bitter beer aroma (the good kind) with a touch of caramel and bread notes while mid-tongue is a light fizz with a strong burnt malt taste that borders on unpleasant.  The back end is a nice mellow sweet flavor, making you forget about that burnt malt flavor and a the aftertaste is a nice thick hoppy flavor that doesn’t really offend but is strong enough to notice.  A very nice fall beer, right up there in the pantheon of good to great seasonal beers, this one is highly drinkable and is worth enjoying with company.  

Harpoon UFO Pumpkin:
Howdy partners and welcome to today’s beer round-up!  Today we hit the trail in the pursuit of another delicious pumpkin ale and that search leads us to a UFO.  OOOOOOO, AHHHHHHH.  Yes folks a heaven sent beer from our little grey overlords and their flyin’ pie pans.  Well, actually, it’s a beer from our beer friends at Harpoon and their UnFilted Offering line (hence: UFO) and this beer is their Unfiltered Pumpkin Ale.  The beer pours a cloudy orange brown color with a creamy white head and subtle nose of canned pumpkin with an undertone of brown sugar.  The initial taste is much like the Post Road pumpkin with a slight pumpkin taste that has a soda water back (in other words, it’s watered down) and a mid tongue of spice and subtle booze.  The back-end and after taste are very similar in it’s affects on the palate which is minimal, nothing but a lingering weak hops flavor and a bit of creaminess.  All and all, this is a very uneventful pumpkin ale, little lone a mediocre beer.  I expected more out of Harpoon and their UFO line but, alas, I was let down on this one.   

Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer:
Howdy y’all and welcome our first ever beer that is making a push to be the official beer of the Buffy/Blade fan club (the “Buffades”).  This is the beer that feels that it is making an honest push into the vamp killing world by being a stout that not only contains “dark malts, holy water, and malt smoked locally with hickory, ash, and vampire killing stakes.”  So who would dare gather these relics for a beer brew of all purposes?  Simple answer: Clown Shoes (who else but a bunch of clowns would go and mess around with pulling stakes out of the hands of slayers?) Yes it was those crazy Yankees who brewed this Vampire Slayer Stout which pours an oily black with just a slight head that is medium brown and dissipates quickly with a nose of strong smoky aroma and a subtle sweetness.  The beer's initial taste is just like the nose but it rolls into a roasted malts flavor with hints of chocolate and a back-end taste that is of slight hops and malts.  A very nice stout, a good balance of the smoke and coffee flavors and a light mouth feel that does leave a slight coating on the inner cheeks and roof of your mouth.  This beer demands a whiskey back  to it, preferably a good American Bourbon but I’m biased so use what you see fit.  Though this is an anniversary ale, I have seen it floating around so if you do run across it and you’re looking for a good stout, take a stab at this one. 

Arrogant Bastard Ale:
Hello all you unworthy ones.  No, this isn’t my opinion, it’s the bottles.  Really, I swear! Stone Brewery is known for their aggressive brews and probably their best known is this one: Arrogant Bastard Ale.  This beer is one that everyone has passed on the big bottle isle, grabbed it, chuckled, and then moved on to that safer domestic sixer that’s forming a pyramid at the end of the isle. Well friends, if beer were politics, this one would be the war hawk imperialist minded S.O.B.; a bad boy ale with the taste, nose, and screams for attention just so you can experience it’s arrogance.  The beer pours an amber brown with a slight cream colored head that leaves nice lacing on the interior of the glass and a nose of hops that are on the double IPA level.  Given the fact that the hops in this beer are called Alpha hops, the initial taste is of a strong/ripe hop that seems to increase as it travels to your gullet.  While the main level of hops is there and is the center of attention, there are undertones of flavors like maple syrup, caramel, and coffee all flow in and out of each other with ease.  Make no mistake, this is a strong tasting beer, albeit not too strong booze wise- a mere 7.2% ABV which, for a hoppy beer, is about the average- and it will not only divide a room of beer drinkers, it’ll split tables of said beer drinkers.  I personally don’t really dislike nor like this beer, it’s just there and it doesn’t have that nice citrus taste a good hoppy beer develops so I don‘t see it being a regular member of the rotation.  I think every person should try at least one Stone Brewery beer in their beer adventures, and if this is one of them then God love you and I hope you make it to the other side. 

Fat Jack Double Pumpkin:
Hello one and all, I hope this finds all of you well, cool, and dry.  Today we venture back into the pumpkin patch with Linus and seek out that elusive great pumpkin and today we get to a beer that falls into a the “possible suspects” category: Samuel Adams’ Fat Jack.  This pumpkin ale is brewed with over 28 lbs of pumpkin per barrel and has the full range of pumpkin spices. The beer pours a deep brown color with a dirty white head and a nose of strong dark fruit and a sweet pumpkin undertone.  The beer’s initial taste is of a good strong pumpkin with a noticeable English ale taste while the mid tongue is a nice rounded pumpkin pie flavor that stays with the beverage through the final swallow and a nice allspice aftertaste.  I was really surprised by this beer seeing how Sam has been flooding the market lately with these new big bottles of limited brews and that is reason enough to look at them with a skeptical eye and palate.  So never fear, dear readers, this is an enjoyable beer, very easy to drink, heavy enough for a warming sensation that is common with good English ales.   If you find this one, grab it and enjoy, I think you’ll be very happy. 

Beck's:
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your eyes and beer glasses.  I come before you not to praise Beck’s but to review it.  A bad beer’s legacy lives beyond its life in the bottle; the good found only on their label and name recognition, so be it with Beck’s.  The oft-swayed media hath told you that Beck’s is a beer of the ambitious, the cool, the in-crowd (well, that and Heineken), and if it were true, taste no longer has merit in the popular bar.  Here, under the leave of my laptop and my prior reviews, for my laptop is reliable and so all of my reviews are reliable and true- I come to speak of Beck’s Beer.  It was a sad beer, not of my favorites, a sour flavor with sweet undertones in both nose and mouth and an after taste of rotten Mustelidae (skunk).  But the media says it is ambitious and the media lies.  They have repeatedly sold us that this brew of that beer is best, they hath brought us the best truths that money can buy.   Does Beck’s seem ambitious?  When the arts came calling, Beck’s answered with outspoken labels, but artistic labels a good beer does not make.  You have all witnessed in these reviews now that I have thrice reviewed Beck’s and thrice they have disappointed: is this the new model for hip and good libation?  Here I am to speak of what I know and some of you love this brew and not without cause; and what cause binds you to this beer? Speak!  O judgement! Thou art felled to questionable tastes and men may have lost their reason in this beer’s consumption.  Bear with me oh reader, for my mind is still in the glass before me, and I must pause for a moment till I decide to walk away from it’s remaining contents and save my palate. 

 

Avery The Kaiser:
Guten Tag everyone!  Now I know that when I said a few weeks ago that I was done with Oktoberfest beers for this year but then I realized that I hadn’t yet found this beer (and completely forgot about another, but that’s a few days away) but since we now have both in front of me, let’s take this one at a time.  Tonight’s beer is from Avery brewing company and part of their “Dictator” line of brews, this one being the Kaiser, an Imperial Oktoberfest.  Now one thing I’m beginning to see that the word “imperial” in-front of a beer type  means everything is doubled and, as far as my experience goes, makes it delicious.   So tonight’s beer is an Imperial Oktoberfest is double spice, double the noble hops, and a nice malt prowess.  The beer pours the familiar amber color with a minimal head that dissipates to the interior rim and a nice caramel nose that mixes the malts and hops in a good balance.  The beer’s taste is like, well, like drinking two delicious Oktoberfest beers at once (remember that whole “double” thing from before?) and with a 9% ABV it’s nearly there since most Oktoberfest Marzens are 5% ABV.  An awesome beer, really, just amazing, I think this will be my new favorite domestic Oktoberfest though Left Hand’s brew is widely available.  If you can find this one, grab it, hell grab two, and enjoy.  

Red Brick Double IPA:
Hello friends and welcome back to “What did he drink today?”  Today I drank *drum roll* a Double IPA from Red Brick which is located in Hot-lanta and makes one of  the better beers this year the Vanilla Gorilla from a few weeks back.  So how does a double IPA out of Atlanta taste compared to the big boys like Dogfish or Breckenridge?  Read on an find out dear readers, read on. The beer pours a cloudy amber color with a minimal head on it though what head does appear  is a stark white and a nose of alcoholic grapefruit (which is an awesome smell in my book.)   The initial taste is an overwhelming citrus flavor that blooms into a floral IPA taste on the mid tongue and a nice mild skunk mixed with grapefruit in the aftertaste (hop heads know what I’m saying).  So a great IPA and it’s an awesome beer overall and, like a lot of awesome beers, it’s a shame it’s not here in Texas.   So friends, if you’re ever in Atlanta or another state that carries Red Brick, see out the Vanilla Gorilla or, if your daring, the Double IPA and I promise you won’t be disappointed on either one.

Asahi Super Dry:
Greetings and salutations my dear readers and welcome back to the last day of our Asian beer tour.  I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, took nice pictures, and drank some good beers.  Today we end our tour with Asahi (translation: “to be alive”) Breweries Super Dry, the #1 beer in Japan according to some survey and really, if this is numero uno, any faith that I gained in Japanese brewing is now lost.  The beer pours a clear blonde color which is very familiar to cheap American Lager (I’m looking at you Budweiser), a clean white head that doesn’t stick around long and a nose of sour beer with a touch of sweetness and yes, it’s as off putting as it sounds.  The beers taste is EXACTLY like a semi-skunky Bud regular and instead of the normal after taste of most beers it is very dry and literally evaporates on the back of the tongue.  Not a good beer, not at all and not worth your time.  In fact the closest thing you should get to this beer is this review and your welcome for me taking this bullet for y’all.  Ugh. 

Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale:
Hello one and all and welcome back to our little jaunt through the pumpkin patch.  Today we go up to the Empire State and look at Brooklyn Brewery and their Post Road Pumpkin Ale.  In this world full of pumpkin ales it takes a lot to make a beer stand out from the rest so lets see if Brooklyn does anything to set themselves apart.  The beer pours a nice amber with a nice clarity and a bright white head that mellows down a bit and sticks around on top of the beer and a nose that is more like a baked sweet potato than pumpkin pie.  The beer’s initial taste is one of mellow notes of raw nuts that rolls into a cinnamon flavor with a pumpkin undertone.  Now speaking of pumpkin, the flavor never really develops in the beer sip but it does stand out in the after taste of the beer with a touch of hops.   Not a bad beer, very mellow on the pumpkin and with the interesting initial taste, this does separate itself from the pumpkin masses but it may not appeal to the average beer drinker.  Approach this one with a skeptical eye and palate but if your into subtle notes in your beer, this one is for you. 

Hitachino Nest White Ale:
Howdy friends and welcome back to another beer in our Asian tour.  I might as well say it now, that for the foreseeable future we are staying in Japan so enjoy the culture and sights while we are here.  Once again we look at Hitachino Nest brewing and their flagship beer , a White Ale.  Brewed with a familiar concoction of ingredients that include coriander, nutmeg, orange peel and orange juice this Belgian style beer is a welcome find in the Asian beer world.  The beer pours a light blond color with a stark white head that foams up quickly and dissipates just as fast, leaving little lacing while the nose is a spicy orange note with a touch of nutmeg underneath it all.  The beers taste is initially similar to the nose but it mellows to a nice light malt with noticeable carbonation and it moves to a barely there hop character in the back end and after taste.  So it was bound to happen sometime, a really good Asian beer, and after the reviews of the red rice beer showed it to be loved by a lot of people (not me though) that it was bound to happen with a beer from this brewery.  Very refreshing, light and a mellow taste profile make this an enjoyable beer by itself or with a meal.  If you an find this one, grab a bottle or two, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

Dogfish Head Burton Baton:
Ah hello friends and neighbors and welcome to a special edition beer review where we look at another beer from my favorite brewery: Dogfish Head.  Today we look at Burton Baton, a blended ale that follows one of the favorite trends in beer right now: oak aging.  The beer itself is a blend of an imperial IPA and an English old ale combined together in an oak tank for about a month then bottled.  If I don’t have you sold right now, you probably won’t like it no matter what I say next.  The beer pours a hazy golden brown color with a white head that foams up to about two fingers worth but then settles down to a thin white head and a nose that is very oak filled with a sweet under tone with hints of citrus and vanilla.  The beer’s taste starts off with a hop created grapefruit flavor that blooms to a nice oak flavor that has strong alcohol taste and finishes like any good IPA should, heavy hops citrus flavor and a nice skunk aftertaste (if you’re a hop-head, you know what I’m talking about).  So another great beer from Dogfish but this is not a beer you give to someone curious about the brewery.  This is advance level drinking here and it may even displease the experienced drinker out there but really, if you come across this, grab a bottle or four and enjoy.  

Sapporo:
Hello one and all and welcome back as we jump back to our Asian beer reviews.  Today we stay in Japan where we look at another rice lager, this time from Sapporo, Japan’s oldest brewery.  This beer is one that is seen around in most grocery and package stores, and even a few convenience stores.  So what does the oldest beer in Japan taste like?  Well, nothing new is gained out of this drinking experience but we still gotta talk about it anyway.  The beer pour a very light golden color that produces a stark white head that dissipates quickly, leaving no lacing, and a nose that is very sour and reminiscent of cheap American lagers.  Not a good start.  The beers taste is very flat with no real discernable flavor profile but a flat taste of hops and a touch of rice and malts.  Really not worth the time for drinking in my opinion and I won’t be going back to it anytime soon or ever.   

Saint Arnolds Christmas Ale and Brown Ale:
Greetings one and all and welcome to a beer review directly from the brewery and, really, what better place to sample brews, am I right?  So after much peer pressure, I took advantage of free admission (10 six packs carriers gets you that privilage) and I took my spot in the beer hall at a nicely built picnic table and rolled through some familiar beers as well as some new ones and here is what I found. 

Saint Arnolds Christmas Ale:
Ah, Christmas. It starts earlier and earlier every year.  My theory, by 2020, we’ll be seeing Christmas trees in stores by June (it’s already was August and I saw them, at least in Big Lots).   Well I guess it doesn’t help that Christmas beers start coming out in October but I’ll take it when they are this good.  Saint Arnolds’ Christmas beer is one of those special brews that is only found here in Texas and, damn, we are lucky and for the rest of you, email me, we’ll work out a deal.  Much like a dark English bitter beer, this ale has a nice sweet back bone that is cut by a spicy hop under layer that isn’t much but, damn, it adds something that most X-mas ales don’t have which is the hops.  Again this was poured for a tap with minimal head on the beer with a nose of bready malts and a touch of sour hops.  This is probably my second favorite holiday brew and I will remain steadfast in those top two but those two will always be constants in my beer fridge and my heart. 

Saint Arnolds Brown Ale:
Poured from a tap, minimal head on this one but a nice nose of caramel, malts and a hint of hops. The beers initial taste is very malt driven with a nice balance of caramel and semi-sweet coca that moves to a hop undertaste on the back-end and a very smooth aftertaste that is non-offensive and makes of a good pairing with any food that has a meat on the plate.  I was really surprised by this beer, not knowing much about it going into it but the nice girl pouring my beer told me to expect a Newcastle like brew but with a better hop back bone. Now, it you want me to get excited about a brown or black beer, “better hop backbone” might as well be my fetish spot.  I nearly climbed over the counter to pour it myself, and after sampling, I’m glad I made that choice (it was originally between this and the Amber).  This will be a staple in the future in the beer fridge.

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale:
Greetings once again my dear beer drinking fans and readers of my beer reviews in general (I know there are some of you out there so don’t deny it).  Today we break from the beer’s of the East and focus back on the reason for the season- pumpkin beer, and candy, yeah candy and beer… Whoa, sorry, lost focus for a second but I’m back so lets talk about Blue Moon’s Seasonal offering: Harvest Pumpkin Ale.  The beer itself is a regular, seen in store shelves since August and staying till mid-November so you still have plenty of time to grab some.  The beer pours a golden brown color with a thick head with about half a fingers worth in thickness that leaves a nice lacing and a nose that is a well balanced mix of pumpkin and malts.  The first thing when sipping is that I noticed how carbonated it is with a fizz that is almost comparable to champagne while the very next thing I noticed is the overwhelming pumpkin and spice flavor of the beer.  The taste is so strong that it starts out almost artificial but it mellows quickly on the mid- and back-end to a nice flavor of pumpkin pie (albeit store bought pie).  So here’s my thought while drinking this beer: if regular Blue Moon is best with an orange slice, how would this beer  be with a topping of whipped cream or even stirred in?  Think about it, we put whipped cream of tons of things, why not a glass of pumpkin beer?  Might work, might not but it’s a thought.  For the beer itself, not bad for a mass market pumpkin but there are still a lot to go. 

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale:
Hello one and all and welcome back to another beer review from your world traveling writer…well, world traveler on the beer isle at least.  So today we jump to the island nation of Japan and since there seems to be plenty of beers coming out of the land of the rising sun, I picked the most intriguing to me and decided to go with them as a representative sample. The first beer up is Hitachino Nest Red Rice Beer, a strong Belgian Pale Ale that uses a historic red rice from Japan for a unique taste and a slight red tint to the beer.  The beer produces a decent but thin white head that doesn’t really last on the beer and only leaves subtle lacing with a nose that is very strong on malts with a bit of fruit underneath it all.  The beer’s taste starts off with a hop flavor common with a pale ale but then it develops a semi-sweet flavor that reminds me of steamed rice with a touch of sweetness and this flavor stays for the rest of the sip and a slight over-cooked rice flavor that really isn’t that pleasant on the palate is the after taste.  This is an interesting beer, definitely an acquired taste and may suit some people a lot more than others (and judging by some of the reviews online, this holds true).  Researching this beer has me intrigued, the brewer has a wide line of other styles that seem intriguing, tasty, and I will be on the look out for in the near future but for this beer, I’ll take a pass. 

Tiger Beer:
Greetings fellow beer drinkers and world travelers and welcome back to another Asian beer review.  Tonight we leave the island nation of Taiwan and slide down to the city-state of Singapore and review their multiple gold medal winning beer: Tiger.  This lager style beer apparently won King Midas’ favorite metal in London, Geneva, and Paris for something, but I’m pretty certain it wasn’t originality nor taste. Why do I say that?  Well, read on but if you’re a regular of this column, you know where this is headed.  The beer pours a familiar clear golden color with a thin white head that stays with the beer throughout consumption and a nose of malts and grass notes.  The beer’s taste is very sour and biting much like a certain cheap “Australian” beer and really, that’s all the description it needs.  Not a good beer and honestly the best thing about it is the bottle cap which is a nice the same as the tiger painting on the top of the label.  So let’s end this before things get out of hand and things turn nasty. 
 

Taiwan Beer:
Greetings one and all and welcome to the start of a round of exotic brews and this time we are traveling East across the Pacific to the Asian continent (and surrounding islands).  Today we start with a beer that was actually a gift from a friend of mine and is shipped in from the island nation of Taiwan.  The beer is labeled a catchy name of “Taiwan Beer” and really the can looks like something out of a movie set then a store shelf but it’s a simple and clean look so it at least has that going for it.  I assumed when opening the can that the beer would be a pilsner and, surprise, it was pouring a clear gold color with an aggressively building bleached white head and a nose of sweet malts.  The beer’s taste is very similar to that of a regular Budweiser but with a bit more sweetness to it’s flavor profile than it’s American counterpart and a dry after taste.  I can only conclude that this is from the rice in the beer that gives it this sweet flavor and nothing else.  Not a bad beer but not really in my wheelhouse.  It’s a nice change of pace for a night and that‘s how I view it.    

Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 12:
Hello all and greetings from the land where the weather can’t make up it’s friggin’ mind.  As I fight allergies or a cold or whatever this is stupid head thing is, lets talk beer and in particular a special beer and a Texas beer at that.  We have already established that Saint Arnold is a nice brewery here in the Lone Star State that has a main line that is nice but nothing to write home about,  but their specialty brews are awesome.  From their IPA big bottles to their seasonal releases they are unique and delicious (well the Homefront was a bit of a let down but it was still better than most IPA on the market) and their special yearly single batch release is Divine Reserve (DR) is highly desired and sought after.  DR changes every year and the flavors have included Double IPAs, Wee Heavy, Russian Stouts and Barleywines and their 12th batch is an Old Ale style.  This beer pours a nice golden brown color with a touch of dirty white foam that leaves some lacing on the glass and a nose of caramel, dark fruits and malts.  The beers taste is exactly like the nose with a uniform palate of caramel,  dark fruits, and even hints of orange were noticeable in the profile all the while an under layer of booze is present.  DR leaves a nice after taste of malts with a bit of dryness but nothing to offensive or overpowering.  Now I was lucky enough to grab a couple of sixers when this was released and the plan, at the moment, is to age them and see what becomes of them.  In the meantime you can still find this on tap at bars and if you do, grab a glass, it’s awesome and I doubt that you‘ll be disappointed. 

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale:
Hello all and welcome back to our continuing look at pumpkin beers.  Yes, pumpkin, that great gourd that Linus so desperately sought on a cool October night as well as the melon that sat atop a really pissed-off Hessian soldier that chased some dude named Ichabod around Sleepy Hollow.  Well we know it makes a great pie and it does make a great beer as well.  Today’s beer: Pumpkinhead Ale from Shipyard Brewing is a actually a very enjoyable and refreshing fall brew despite what a lot online reviewers say.  The beer pours a nice golden color with a respectable stark white head that never really gets above a thin film which dissipates quickly and a nose of pumpkin and spice, lots of spice.  The initial taste is very carbonated with a noticeable fizz on the tongue that lasts throughout the tasting and it seems to enhance the blend of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice (which is, believe me, very important in pumpkin pie).  Probably the most noticeable thing about this beer is how light it is on the palate and leaves no after taste what so ever.  This is a very nice beer, a bit stronger on the Dogfish Punkin but it is very enjoyable and should be enjoyed if you can find it.  

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti:
Howdy partners and welcome back to this little beer thing we have going on here and where it goes nobody really knows.  Till we do find a direction/purpose/reason for us being here let’s review another beer while we wait, shall we?  Great now today we shoot the gap to Great Divide, another Colorado brewery (they breed ‘em like rabbits up there remember?) and an entry in their Yeti Imperial Stout line: Oak Aged.  This line is impressive just in itself but when you look at additions they do to the beer: Oak Aged, Espresso Oak Aged, Barrel Aged, Chocolate Oak Aged, and Belgium Oak Aged this line up sounds more and more delicious every time I look at them and read up on them.  The beer came from a tap so it arrived in a nice Belgium glass with a pitch black coloration as well as a nice dirty white colored head that is thick and leaves decent lacing while it has nose roasted malts, chocolate and, of course, oak.  The beer has a nice creamy chocolate beginning notes that move to an oak coffee blend that is actually a lot better than it reads (trust me) and finishes with a roasted malt/coffee blend that sits well as an aftertaste.  An awesome beer and it makes me wish I had the space for more Great Divide brews this year but, alas I don’t, but you can bet your bottom that I will venture more into their line up in near future.  In the meantime if you see this beer, or any yeti or Yeti brew, take a photo- that’ll be worth money - and buy the bottle and enjoy with your new found hairy friend. 

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat:
Greetings friends and welcome back for our most current review in which we look at a summer/fall beer hyrbid.  How is this possible you ask?  Simple, it’s a pumpkin wheat beer by Shock Top- a wheat beer brewery- and by combining a summer style wheat beer with the flavors of a pumpkin ale you get…wait for it…a Pumpkin Ale!  Amazing, I know!  So how does it taste?  Well, it pours nicely with a nice golden haze with a very minimal head that is stark white and not long for this world and a nose that is reminiscent of smelling a pumpkin pie from far across a home on a Thanksgiving morn- in plain English: it’s a weak smell.  The taste is very flat, but not in carbonation which is there with abundance, but seriously the wheat keeps down what tastes what could be a rich pumpkin ale by masking it’s more prominent tastes with the wheat.  Not much of  a beer in the after taste department which may appeal to people who are seeking a beer that doesn’t offend the palate but really, I want a beer that sticks with me during consumption.  Not a bad beer but not in my wheelhouse for it’s combo of flavors. 

Abita Red Ale:
Hello all and thanks for stopping by!  See ya!  Wait, wait.  I can’t let you go that easily, you have to at least sit here through a few of my thoughts on this beer whose picture you clicked on.  I mean, why did you click here? I assume it WAS the beer and not my wit so let’s keep going with the beer review and I’ll throw in the wit as a bonus.  Today’s libation is a seasonal offering from Abita Beer (from our friendly neighbors to the East): Red Ale.  The beer is meant for consumption in mid-late Spring so toss out our current season and think spring fresh.  The beer does pour a reddish hue (though the main color is a nice amber) with a nice fluffy white head that is rocky on top though it settles down to a patch foam on top of the beer and a nose of hops that is similar to a pale ale.  Speaking of Pale Ales, that is the best way to describe this beer, it starts off with a tart initial flavor of hops and moves towards a malted mid tongue and a back end/aftertaste of dry skunk.   Not the best seasonal offering that Abita has out there but it’s a better beer than most out there.  I guess this beer is made for the spring season with holidays of Saint Patrick and…and…say, is there another Spring holiday where beer is being drunk?


 

Dogfish Head Pangaea:
Oh Dogfish Head, how great you are.  I firmly believe that you could pick out three random ingredients in the grocery store, give them to the crew in Delaware and they’d make it into a tasty beer.  Now that may seem like I’m giving them more credit than they deserve but as soon as the don’t make a good beer, I’ll stand corrected.  (Now, before some of you stop me, yes I wasn’t a fan of their Red & White but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good beer, just not to my liking.  And, no, I haven‘t had it this year.)  Today’s beer takes it’s ingredient list from around the world and combines them into one big bottle and gives it a prehistoric name: Pangaea.  To show how worldly this beer is, it takes crystallized gingers from Australia, water from Antarctica (shouldn’t that be snow?), rice from Asia, corn from North America, sugar from Africa, quinoa (an edible seed) from South America, and yeast from Europe.  So how does it taste?  Well, the beer pours a semi-cloudy golden color with a light white head that evaporates down to a nice thin layer on top of the beer and a nose of spicy ginger.  The beer is almost a summer beer in it’s taste and mouth feel with a light crisp flavor of ginger that accompanies a mild blonde beer flavor that is very uniform throughout though the aftertaste that is a bit straw like but it really isn’t enough to offend the palate.  Another good beer from Dogfish but it really lacks the creativity of some of their other beers out there.  Probably best drunk with an Asian food dish with it’s strong ginger flavor or it drinks well all on it’s own as well. 

Stone Ruination IPA:
Greetings friends and palate adventurers, today I have tempted fate with ruining my sense of taste with a beer.  Now many of you may argue I did lose my taste back in April but that’s in the past and  (hopefully) I’ve disproved that notion with good beer choices since then.  So one again we venture back to the land of Stone Brewing and their self-centered line of beers, in particular their Ruination IPA.  A beer that is supposedly so full of hops that it will ruin the palate of non-experienced beer drinkers and ruin all other IPAs for those of us who call ourselves ’hop heads.”  The beer pours that beautiful cloudy golden color that most  good/great IPAs have with a medium density head of solid white foam and a nose of hops, citrus, more hops, more citrus and a touch of sweetness. And add a bit more hops jut to be safe.  The beer itself starts off with a rather smooth citrus flavor that rolls into a biting grapefruit flavor with the strong alcohol taste underneath it all; the back end taste is a blend of hops and the grapefruit flavors and a nice mellow skunk finish. A good, widely available IPA but since I’ve discovered a lot of good IPAs this year, I doubt this will be a automatic go to for me but I’ll surely recommend it to friends who are curious about stronger IPAs and the novelty value in a group setting is immeasurable. 
 

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout:
Hello! Welcome to your place for all that is Dogfish Head.  Yes friends it is time that we return to that great brewery that stole my heart (and if reader reaction is the stander, stole y’alls too) and today we return to it and it’s wonderful brews.  Once again we look at one (yes, one) of their stouts and what a stout character it is (ha!).  World Wide Stout is a beer that is proud of it’s origins and it’s ingredients,  hell, even on the label it says that it’s “brewed with a ridiculous amounts of barley” and while I can’t attest to the fact that it does have an obscene amount of barley in the nose and taste and it is very strong in the barley area- I guess that does count for an obscene amount, doesn't it?  The beer pours a midnight black and seems very syrup like with really no head to speak of (which is par for the course on stouts) but a nose that is more like a whiskey stout than anything else.  The beers taste starts off with a strong caramel taste of roasted malts that move into a blend of coffee and dark chocolates with a strong liquor back.  The back end is a heavy syrup like consistency that keeps the coffee flavor with an after taste of roasted malts and the heavy mouth feel is still there, leaving a coating on the tongue and inner cheek.  This is a great stout, though I think it doesn’t edge out the Buried Hatchet Stout from earlier this year for best stout.  Still really good and very drinkable as an after dinner beer and, if you’re lucky enough to find one.
 

Harpoon Pumpkin Cider:
Hello one and all and welcome back to the best little beer review website in Texas.  Well, maybe best on this side of the block anyway.   Since we are now in that peculiar month of October with it’s daily weather changes, let’s start to look at pumpkin beers and ciders.  Since we’ve already done a pumpkin beer already last month, let’s take a look at a cider, in particular Harpoon’s Pumpkin cider.  This cider pours a very light blonde (or “straw”) color that is nearly crystal clear with a crisp white head on it and a light nose of apples with a touch of pumpkin pie.  The beers…er…cider’s taste is well, like a cider with only a hint of pumpkin on the very back end of the cider.  The rest is a clean apple taste that is common in most ciders and it’s sweet which is common in most American ciders (that will illicit a big ole “BOOOO” from me).  Supposedly there is a mix of pumpkin spices like cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg but really I could only taste that only after researching the cider so it’s up in the air if I really tasted it or imagined it.  Not really a good cider but it’s the first pumpkin cider that I’ve ever had and it’s the benchmark until something better comes along.   

Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest:
Greetings and salutations to all my dear readers and welcome to our last Oktoberfest beer review of the year.  I figured that we should end this thing where it all began, with a German beer brewed with the Reinheitsgebot (purity law) of 1516 and, unbeknownst to me, is part of the Paulaner family- but so is Dixie beer, go figure that one out in your spare time.  Hacker-Pschorr has been brewing since 1417 and really, they seem to be doing something right because you don’t stick around for almost 600 years doing something half-assed.  HP’s Original Oktoberfest is a beer that ranks consistently in the top 10 listing of brews for the season and really, I think that’s a valid position for it  This formula is the supposedly “really” close to their recipe from the original Oktoberfest in 1810 and is one of the only six breweries allowed to serve at the festival.  So how does it taste?  Well it pours the familiar Marzen color of dark amber with a nice off-white head that reaches a peak height of about a fingers worth then settles down to a thin film and a nose of sweet raisins and malts.  The beer’s taste has a very malt filled front end with a bite of carbonation that moves to a nice balanced mid tongue of hops and malts.   The back end brings out the sweetness that is found in the nose and a touch of hops that moves to the aftertaste with only a slight hint of skunk.  So this is where we end up, the last Oktoberfest beer of the year and it’s a good one, and I might even say a great one.  Not to par with the Spaten Oktoberfest but equally enjoyable and I’d put it second in line, displacing Paulaner.  Definitely worth tracking down and enjoying. 

Pyramid Oktoberfest Autumn Lager:
Hello all and welcome to the home stretch of our Oktoberfest run.  Today let’s look at the last domestic Oktoberfest beer on the roster: Pyramid’s Oktoberfest.  Now the beer is classified as an Autumn Lager which doesn’t seem to jive with what we’ve been seeing here lately but let’s not pass judgment until we’ve tried it, shall we? The beer pours the familiar reddish amber color of the Marzen beers with a decent looking head but it really doesn’t last long (probably due to the fact that it never got more than a ¼” in thickness) and a nose that is a balanced combo of breads and sweet malts.  The beer’s taste id distinctly hoppy at the front end which, along with an abundance of carbonation, moves to the mid tongue where the carbonation takes over to a slight burn feeling while the hops fades.  The back end of the taste is very caramel like but without the sweetness but the flavor is there and the aftertaste brings some hop skunk with a dry air about it all.  This is an interesting beer but it seems to fall more in line of a pale ale then an Oktoberfest beer.  Not something that I want to venture back towards anytime soon but maybe sometime down the road.  Maybe. 
 

Left Hand Oktoberfest:
Hello cats and kittens and welcome to your one stop shop for brew reviews (just ignore all those other sites).  Today we venture back up to that great brewery hot bed of Colorado and one of their great brewers: Left Hand.  As we wind down these Oktoberfest beer reviews, the pack is separating from the good and the so-so with nothing really bad but as we continue to grow the sample number the chance for a bad Oktoberfest beer increases.  Thankfully, this is not one of those beers, in fact, Left Hand Oktoberfest is a surprising beer in it’s own right.  This Marzen Lager beer pours the nice amber color with some copper coloring, not much head shows up or lingers and it has a nose of sweet malts and (this is going to sound weird) baby shampoo.  Yeah, I said it: baby shampoo.  The beers taste is very mellow and smooth with a nice front end bite of carbonation and sweet malts while the mid tongue is heavy on a bread like flavor that retains the carbonation though it is a softer carbonation then the carbonation of the initial sip.  The back end is very heavy on roasted caramel and a touch on hops and an after taste of the same flavor profile but it doesn’t linger.  This is a really good beer, probably the best domestic Oktoberfest I’ve had all year (or in the past two weeks) and honestly, I think this might be the only Oktoberfest beer I’ll be buying for now on.  Highly recommended. 

Blue Moon Carmel Apple Spiced Ale:
Well how’s this for a hook?  A flavored ale created by the good people of Blue Moon that invokes imagery of holidays, tree color changes, guys in funky shoes carrying a blunderbuss, and pardoned turkeys and all this is found in the seasonal Caramel Apple Spice Ale.  Much like the Agave Wheat that was found in the Summer Brewmaster Sampler Pack, this one is found in the Autumn Brewmester Sampler Pack and if you want it, you’ve got to buy a bunch of Blue Moon to get to this beer so I hope you’re a fan of our sad satellite beer because that’s the easiest way to get it.   The beer pours a nice amber color that is reminiscent of a Marzen with a head that forms quickly but dissipates down to little more than a few islands of foam and a spiced nose that reminds me of a nice chia tea latte.  The beer’s initial taste is heavy on the allspice flavor with a hint of apple cider where as the mid tongue is a mellow ale flavor with caramel and hops, and a back end and after taste that is pretty much all hops with the lingering aftertaste reminding me of Apple Jacks.  Not as refreshing as the Agave Wheat but certainly original, it’s okay in my view but not worth having to buy the other 9 beers to get three of these.  If you can find a way to get around this hurdle, then give the beer a go, it’s different and certainly a conversation starter. 

Spaten Oktoberfest:
Hello all and welcome to another day another beer review and, for the time being, an Oktoberfest beer review.  Today we jump back to Bavaria for our beer today and since the Germans are 1 for 2 on beers right now and it’s high time they got back into the game, don’t you?  This is their festival after all and I know we probably get just a fraction of what they offer over there but what beers we do get it isn’t much and is usually main stream but that isn’t so bad when you get beers like this one Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen.  This beer pours a nice clear amber color with a head on it that looks like it was stolen from a pint of Guinness and it sticks around through the whole beer and a nose of roasted malts with a slight sweetness and hops.  The beer is a nice initial dry malt taste (one person characterized it as ‘salty’ on line) that blooms into a light caramel flavor on the mid and back tongue with the aftertaste being a nice hop and malt combo. Coming in at 5.9% ABV it drinks lighter than it feels or drinks.  This was a very good beer which surprised me after the results of the Beck’s Oktoberfest brew the other day.  Highly recommended to add along side other good seasonal fall beers, and since it’s available year round, would make a nice spring beer as well. 

Rouge Juniper Pale Ale:
Greetings friends, neighbors, fans of the brew craft, and curiosity seekers; today we get to try a flavored pale ale.  Yes you read that right, a flavored pale ale and this one is flavored with a nice mellow spice known as Juniper berries which among other things is a known adulterant.  Now don’t get excited, adulterants doesn’t mean anything like you think (or want) it to mean; it’s a term for an additive used to cut food quality.  Yeah, not that exciting but apparently in Ancient Rome, juniper berries were used to cut black pepper that was imported from India.  So knowing that, how does it taste in a beer?  Well read on and find out dear readers.  The beer pours a nice cloudy blonde color with a crisp white head that sticks around for most of the consumption and a nice hop nose with a gin undertone (yes juniper berries are part of the flavoring of gin).  The beers taste is pretty uniform on the front and middle tasting like a hop and semi-sweet flavor that is really hard to nail down though bubble gum did come to mind at certain times.  The back end and after taste is a mild hop with a spice undertone but both fade rather quickly when compared to other pale ales.  Not a bad beer, really a good intro beer to those who want to try something different but not too out of the norm. 
 

Red Brick Smoked Vanilla Gorilla:
Alright, I know y’all are starring at this picture with a puzzled look on your face asking, “is that a VANILLA GORRILA?!”  Well, first, I don’t know why you’re yelling at your computer screen.  Really people, that’s an unhealthy emotional outlet. Secondly, it’s a SMOKED vanilla gorilla porter, by Red Brick, so get in your head a picture of a albino gorilla in a smoking jacket telling Jane Goodall how to write her books.  Got it?  Good.  So how does this taste?  Awesome.  So the beer pours a nice black color (it is a porter so if it pored a blonde, somebody will have some s’plainin’ to do) with a thin white head that really doesn’t last that long and a nice nose that is mainly a heavy smoke that reminds you of a good barbecue joint.  The taste profile is very unique in it’s progression starting off as a sweet smoky flavor that rolls to a mild smoke on the mid tongue  that is mellow and reminds me of a certain Central Texas barbecue compound.  Anyway, let me wipe drool off the ole chin here and continue on with the back end taste that is a very mellow smoke mixed with a sweetness that is very…natural and a back end of smoke and hops which does taste as good as it sounds.  It’s a shame I had to go to Nashville to get this primate but it was worth the effort and if you’re lucky enough to be near a bottle of this you should drink it, wait, sip it, and enjoy.
 

Real Ale Oktoberfest:
Hello all and welcome back to our trek through the land of Oktoberfest (and Chocolate) and today we move back to the Lone Star State and to that little brewery in Blanco.  Yes friends, I speak of Real Ale and their Oktoberfest brew which further solidifies their place in the second position in this great state- beer wise that is (sorry Saint Arnold).  Now I’m not worried about them taking over Shiner’s position as numero uno- unless Shiner sells out- but they make a great number two and I’m looking forward to the rest of their line up.  Now, onto the beer.  The beer pours the standard Marzen amber color with not much of a head but what head there is the familiar off white color but it quickly moves to the outer ring of the glass and stays there through the drinking process and a nose of malts and that nice sweet raisin smell that seems to accompany a good Marzen beer.  The beer’s taste is uniform and a bit like a hybrid of a good German Marzen and an American amber with a nice blend of roasted malts, caramel, and a nice hoppy aftertaste. I really did enjoy this beer but not quite as much as the Paulaner but it’s better then most domestic Oktoberfest beers.  Grab one if you can and toast to the stars (or however that lyric goes).  

Beck's Oktoberfest:
Ah hello friends and welcome back to your Oktoberfest beer source.  As we enter the home stretch, I figured it’d be best to hop back across the pond to Germany and look another German Oktoberfest beer.  While the Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen is well documented and it’s considering my proposal for a seasonal crush/obsession, let’s look to a potential back-up in case the cops are called and court orders are issued: Beck’s Oktoberfest.  The beer pours a medium amber color more akin to petrified tree sap then beer, really no head to speak of (even in a chilled glass) and a nose of caramel malts and a touch of hoppy skunk.  The beers’ taste is very inconsistent throughout with one sip bringing a thick syrup like taste of caramel while another brings an overly malted breaded taste. No back-end or after taste to speak of save for a slight skunk taste that lasts about a minute before vanishing and leaving a dry feeling on the tongue and back of the throat.  Nothing special here and like Beck’s Dark, it’s really more about name then taste in this one.  If you’re looking for a beer brewed by a German brewer for the Oktoberfest season, go with Paulaner, not one with a German name and brewed in St. Louis.