The Bruery Autumn Maple – So my brother is a Coors Light drinker.  But on Thanksgiving night there was no Coors Light to be had.  So I took out some Autumn Maple.  What’s that he says?  Well it’s a beer brewed with yams, maple syrup, molasses, etc.  He said no way, count me out that sounds horrible.  I eventually talked him into having a small glass of it.  He put his nose up to it, hrmm he said, that smells pretty good.  He then took a taste.  That ain’t half bad!!  Give me more!  Before you knew it, his glass was done and he wanted more.  I never saw someone drink an 10% abv beer so fast.  I said slow down buddy.  He then savored another glass.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I too was really impressed with this seasonal from The Bruery.  I picked this beer for Thanksgiving because well come on, it screams Thanksgiving!

Autumn Maple pours a cloudy caramel color.  Kind of reminded me of a glass of apple cider.  A nice decent sized head is pours but quickly disappears into small lacing around the glass.  The smell is of vegetable.  Yup there are the yams.  In there with the yams is a nice sweet aroma.  I imagine this is the maple syrup doing it’s thing.  Spices then come in.  Nutmeg and cinnamon.  Top that off with a little bit of brown sugar and you have quite a interesting mixture.  Definitely something I have never smelled before.

In the taste the maple syrup is what I got first.  Nice and sweet.  Next in line is the spices.  Then in the end I picked up some Belgian yeast notes and the yams.  A unique beer.  It’s amazing how some of these brewers come up with a mixture of all these things and make them work.  The mouthfeel is medium bodied, slick, and smooth as it goes down.  This really is a taste of Thanksgiving in every sip.  Hey even a Coors Light drinker liked it and that was something I would of never expected.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 12-14 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.thebruery.com
What the company says: Brewed with 17 lbs. of yams per barrel (in other words, a lot of yams!), this autumn seasonal is a different take on the “pumpkin” beer style. Brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, and fermented with our traditional Belgian yeast strain, this bold and spicy beer is perfect on a cold autumn evening.
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: The Bruery Black Tuesday, The Bruery Saison De Lente
Other beers to try within the same style: Allagash Odyssey, The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments
Rating: A-

Founders Red Rye P.A. – Wow just wow.  Founders is amazing.  I mean they go on and create a ton of different styles of beer.  The thing is, all of it is fantastic.  From their stouts to their hoppy stuff, not a bad beer in there.  This is no different.  Amazingly this is my first beer classified as a Rye Beer.  I’ve had IPAs with rye in it but I guess I’ve never had an actual Rye Beer.  Well this beer is a great mixture of a Rye beer and an IPA.    I could drink this stuff all night long.

Red’s Rye pours a dark amber color.  A small head is formed.  Minimal lacing.  The smell on this beer is great.  It’s a great mixture of Rye, citrus, floral hops, and spice.  Like I said above this is basically an IPA with a nice healthy dose of Rye.  When I took my first sip of this beer I wasn’t that impressed.  I got some citrus but that was basically it.  I then let the beer sit for a little bit.  As it warmed up a bit the rye and spice came through huge.  The rye was rough and raw on the palette.  Mixed in with the nice citrus backbone it makes for a hell of a combo.  If it wasn’t for Harvest Ale this might be my favorite tasting Founder’s brew.  The mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, and nicely carbonated.

This is a beer I will be revisiting again and again.  Good thing it’s a year round beer from these guys.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 3-4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
What the company says: Serious hop bitterness along with unyielding grapefruit bouquet from the Amarillo dry-hop. Balanced with the malty richness of four varieties of imported Belgian caramel malts. Pours a spectacular crimson with a creamy tan head. A generous addition of rye malt accentuates a spicy crisp finish.
ABV%: 6.60%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Double Trouble
Other beers to try within the same style: First beer I’ve had in this style
Rating: A