The Drunken Polack

Before I even get started with this best of list let me just say that I totally ripped off this idea from The Vice Blogger.  What can I say, the guy inspires me.

So with 2009 coming to an end (good riddance by the way) I looked back on all the beer I drank and said to myself “Damn you’re getting fat” Oh I also said “Damn Dave you drank a lot of great beer”  Some of these beers I didn’t think I drank this year but I went back and sure enough I reviewed them in 09.  Cool thing is though I think 2010 is going to be better.  I’ll explain that later.  So here goes, the top 15 beers I’ve tried this year.

1. Ballast Point Sculpin -If you look back at my ratings you’ll notice that this beer isn’t rated as high as some of the other beers on this list.  That’s because the first time I had this fantastic IPA it wasn’t as fresh as it could be.  It was still great though.  The second and third bottles I had just blew me away and that’s why this is sitting #1 on my list for 2009.  This is the best IPA I’ve had. It’s 100% a West Coast IPA at it’s finest.  Good news is, in 2010 they are bottling this stuff more often.

2. Surly Darkness 08 - There are times in your beer drinking career that you will always remember and when I popped open this brew I instantly knew I was in love.  I remember getting off the couch and running into the bedroom where my girlfriend was.  I tried and tried to get her to try this awesome stout but she just wouldn’t do it.  Oh well, more for me.  This was the best stout I had this year, hands down.  Too bad this years version is just totally different.  Review for that coming in 2010 =)  Thanks to Aaron over at The Captains Chair for hooking me up with this.

3. Russian River Pliny the Younger -So how the hell did I get to try a beer that is only available in draught form and is only available at select spots across the US?  Not to mention when it is available it sells out in less then an hour and is only available once a year?  Pure luck honestly.  I didn’t get to try a lot of it.  Maybe just a few ounces but what I did have is one of the best Double IPAs (They call it a Triple IPA) I’ve ever had.  I remember holding my glass up every time I finished it off hoping they would dump more in it.  Before I knew it the growler was empty and I was a sad boy.  This beer is a pure hop monster.  Hops just sit in your mouth for hours after you have it. Come back soon Younger.

4. Alpine Nelson -This is a beer I received in one of my first beer trades ever.  Nat over at The Beer Rover reviewed it and I knew I had to try it.  He was nice enough to send me a growler of it since it wasn’t bottled yet (is now) and I was blown away by the taste.  It’s a simple IPA but the Nelson Sauvin hops used in this brew are unbelievable.  With it being bottled now it’s a little easier to get this fantastic IPA.

5. Allagash Odyssey - I bought this beer in 2008 but was told to hold off on it and try it a year later.  Glad I did.  Odyssey was the best Belgian Strong Dark Ale I’ve ever had and I don’t think anything has come close to it since.  The complex taste full of oak and vanilla was just perfect.  I can’t wait to try this brew again.

6. Russian River Temptation - Wild Ales are starting to become big in the craft beer.  On beer trading sites everyone seems to want them.  Some of the best Wild Ales made in the US are made by Russian River.  The mixture of tartness, brett, and fruit make this beer  just unbelievable.  I cannot wait to try their other sours and wild ales.

7. Deschutes Abyss -  What can I say? I love and I mean love huge ass stouts.  This is one of them.  Deschutes makes some fine beers but this is my favorite from them.  Bourbon, coffee, licorice, and molasses make this just a big and beautiful beer that will age nicely. 

8. Alpine Expoential Hoppiness -I’ve always heard about this beer.  Just like Nelson, this beer was only available in draught form for the longest time.  Recently it’s been bottled (I have a few coming in the mail, can’t wait) but my first dealings were in growler form.  I visited Alpine while I was on vacation in San Diego.  I went up there hoping that this beer would be available.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw it up on the board!  Score!  This is one of the best Double IPAs I’ve ever had.  It has a nice smokiness to it to go a long with the hops and everything else thrown in.  I had no problems finishing off the growler before I had to take the trip home.

9. Boulevard Brewing Imperial Stout -I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by this stout but I so was.  For some reason I held off on trying this brew for the longest time.  I would open the fridge and never pick it up.  I’m glad I finally did.   It has a lot of the characteristics of Abyss but it’s toned down.  The dried cocca, bourbon, and coffee are perfectly balanced. 

10. De Proef Signature Les Deus Brasseurs Ale brewed with Jason Perkins -This is the only collaboration beer on the list and it totally deserves it.  This is the second in the line, first brewed with Tommy Arthur from Lost Abbey.  I loved that one but this one was just a tad bit better.  The sourness, funk, fruit, and oak make this beer just a pleasure to drink and I almost had it higher on the list.  You can still find this brew on shelves if you look hard enough and it should be aging nicely.  The third in the series is now on the shelves also.  It’s brewed with John Mallett from Bell’s.

Rounding out my top 15
11. Firestone Walker 12
12. Ballast Point Victory at Sea
13. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
14. Cigar City Hunahpus Imperial Stout
15. New Glarus Raspberry Tart

Those who just missed the cut!
Ballast Point Tongue Buckler
The Lost Abbey Bourbon Angel Share
Three Floyds Dreadnaught
Alpine Duet
Founders Harvest Ale
Nogne O Dark Horizon 2.0
Russian River Consecration
New Glarus Wisconsin Red
The Bruery Partridge in a Pear Tree

I mentioned that I think 2010 will be better.  Here are some of the beers I have in my possesion for 2010 – The Lost Abbey Veritas 004, The Bruery Black Tuesday, Russian River Beautification, Olde Hickory Olde Rabbits Foot, Coast Jack Daniels Barrel Aged Blackbeerd Imperial Stout, Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze, Westvleteren 8 and 12, Pelican Pub and Brewery The Perfect Storm, Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock, Ithaca Brute, Boulevard Saison Brett, Firestone 13, Ølfabrikken Porter and many, many more!

So that’s it. Bye bye 2009 and hello 2010. I wish you all a great New Years and make sure you drink some great stuff.

Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout – I bought this brew a long long time ago and for some reason just got around to trying it.  Yeah this is the problem when you have just to much beer in your house.  Happy to say that it held up just fine.  As far as Ballast Point brews go this one is at the bottom of my list.  It didn’t wow me like Tongue Buckler, Victory at Sea, or Sculpin did but it’s still a decent Imperial Stout.

Sea Monster pours black.  Pitch black.  A small tan head forms but quickly disappears.   Right off the bat you’ll notice this beer has a really sweet nose to it.  One of the sweeter stouts I’ve smelled in a while.  It’s the dark chocolate doing it’s thing.  A decent amount of roasted malt and a smaller amount of coffee.  The taste is more of the same.  The sweetness cuts through everything else.  The coffee leaves a bit of a bitter ending that sits at the back of the throat.  Mouthfeel was really nice.  It was more towards a heavier, thicker mouthfeel.  A little bit on the flat side.  Just goes down your throat with ease.

Not a bad stout to pick up.  Would love to try it a little bit more fresher.  Maybe the coffee would of come through just a little more.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this brew.
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Ballast Point Tongue Buckler, Ballast Point Dorado IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Boulevard Brewing Imperial Stout
Rating: B+

New Glarus Black Wheat – A black wheat beer?  Yeah your eyes aren’t deceiving you.  A black Dunkelweizen.  Anyone know if any other brewer makes a black wheat beer?  Let me know i’d be interested in giving it a try.  This time around my buddy Jeff provided me with another New Glarus beer.  Thanks again my friend.  As many of you know New Glarus doesn’t sell their beer in any other state other then Wisconsin.  I recently heard a story that some bar in New York was serving a keg of their Spotted Cow brew.  New Glarus somehow found out about this and made them stop serving the beer.  i believe the bar actually got fined also.  Anyway there I go going off track.  This beer is being retired at the end of the year.  So if you somehow have access to a bottle make sure to pick it up.  It’s a good and unique brew.  It won’t wow you but it’s easy drinking and tasty.

Black Wheat pours very dark brown, almost black color.  Hold it up to the light and you can see little ruby highlights.  A huge head is poured.  I had to wait a bit before it calmed down to what you see above.  It’s tan, fluffy, and full of craters. The smell starts off like a lot of wheat beers do.  I picked up a little bit of a fruity aroma.  Banana.  I also picked up a good amount of spice.  As the beer warms up though, the beer changes a bit.  I got more of a roasted aroma with some chocolate and coffee thrown in.  A welcome surprise.

The taste starts off just like the smell did.  It’s a light tasting brew with the fruit and spice.  But then the beer hits the middle of your palette and the beer turns to a roasty and smokey taste.  The chocolate and coffee then linger a bit.  It’s like the beer transforms.  The mouthfeel goes more towards light then medium bodied.  Slight amount of carbonation.

It’s a shame this beer is being retired.  But you never know it could come back one day soon.

Found: From my buddy Jeff
Price: No Idea
Website: http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/
What the company says: Our Black Wheat arrives to relieve the bleak bore of Wisconsin’s winter. Rich and chewy this bottle conditioned weiss is bursting with Midwestern wheat, oats, rye and finished by malted barley.
ABV%: 5.70%
Other beers to try from this brewery: New Glarus Cranbic Ale, New Glarus Raspberry Tart
Other beers to try within the same style: First time I’ve reviewed a beer of this style
Rating: B+

Firestone Walker Union Jack- Damn you West Coast IPAs!!  You make me jealous.  Living on the East Coast I can’t regularly get you!  Yeah so this is another really good West Coast IPA.  Ok almost Double IPA in my mind.   I’ve always heard great things about Union Jack.  So it was a big surprise when I opened a recent beer trade and saw this as one of my extras.  Sweet!!!

Union Jack pours a clear amber color.  A ton of bubbles rise from the bottle of the glass.  Small amount of head pours.  There is a ton of lacing as you drink this brew.  Rings left after every sip.  First whiff, yup this is definitely a West Coast IPA.  Huge amount of fruit.  Grapefruit and mango.  But there is a good enough malt background to make this a balanced IPA.  Taste is just fantastic.  There’s the fruit again.  It’s juicy and big.  Mangos and grapefruit.  In the end you get bready malt and a nice bitter ending from the hops.  While the smell and taste of this beer is good enough to make this a fantastic IPA, the mouthfeel is the crowning jewel.  The mouthfeel is sticky and thick.  It coats the mouth and throat as it goes down.  I haven’t had a IPA this thick in a while.

I would love to see this IPA come to the East Coast but I would be afraid of freshness issues.  But if you can trade for a fairly new bottled version I think you would be in for a treat.

Found: Beer trade
Price: No idea
Website: http://www.firestonewalker.com/
What the company says: The newest member of the Firestone family, Union Jack is the aggressive IPA that you’ve been searching for. Citrus, pineapple, and a full chewy malt profile finish clean on your palate. Over 70 IBUs and 7.5% alcohol by volume, Union Jack won’t have any problem competing with the big India Pale Ales. A beer true to its origins; deeply hopped and bolstered for a long voyage.
ABV%: 7.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Firestone Walker 13
Other beers to try within the same style: Alpine Duet, Russian River Blind Pig
Rating: A-

Summer is over and wow did I drink a ton of great beers during my second favorite season (fall being my favorite)  Along the way some of those beers were just forgotten about or well I was to lazy to write about them.  So here’s some quick thoughts on some of those forgotten beers.

Stone Vertical Epic 07/07/07 Aged in Red Wine Barrels – When I visited Stone,  it was my goal to bring back some one off brews that I could enjoy in the hotel room.  I came back with two growlers.  One of them was the beer you see above.  I love their Vertical Epic line.  I enjoyed what the Red Wine barrels gave to this beer.  It added a bit of a sweet taste with a mixture of a smokey aroma.  Very nice to try something that you can’t buy in the stores

Rating: B+

Stone Old Guardian Aged in Red Wine Barrels -This beer was a little bit of a disappointment.  But it was still really nice to try.  The Red Wine gave the beer kind of an off taste.  I enjoyed the Vertical Epic just a tad bit more. Old Guardian is one of my favorite Barleywines ever.  I don’t think the Red Wine made it any better.

Rating: B

Alpine Exponential Hoppiness -This is one of the beers I came to San Diego to get.  The girlfriend and I took the 35 minute drive to Alpine on  one of our last days there.  I plan on posting some pics of the actual brewery soon but let me just say that it’s small.  Very very small.  If you blink, you miss it.  But size matters not as Yoda says.  In my opinion, Alpine makes the best bunch of IPAs on this Earth.  Duet, Nelson, Pure Hoppiness, Bad Boy, O’Briens and well this beer right here.  Let me have Alpine explain this beer because well, it’s right on.  It’s amazing and it belongs on the top 100 of Beer Advocates best beers in the world.

Very popular. A complex hopping method where each hop addition is double the previous amount. More hops in the hopback and then two dry-hop sessions. The second dry-hop session is with whole hops and oak chips. 1.093 OG 10.75%ABV

It’s a mixture of hoppy goodness with a beautiful smokey flavor.  It’s dangerous.  It’s so easy to drink.  I was just estatic to try this brew.

Rating: A+

Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA -Ballast Point makes a ton of beers but this is there only Double IPA and its a really good one.  A great mixture of floral, citrus, and piney hops.  Easy to drink and crisp.  These guys are just amazing.  The one – two punch of Sculpin and Dorado is one of the best out there.

Rating: A-

Ballast Point Victory at Sea -This is the second brew I tried at the brewery and wow it just blew me away.  Dorado was very good but this was just fantastic.  I wish I would of bought a bigger glass but I was already feeling a little buzzed and I had to drive around San Diego.  A place I really don’t know to well.  The mixture of coffee and vanilla in this porter is just spot on and the mouthfeel is amazing.  Easily my favorite porter.  See this somewhere, you make sure to buy a glass

Rating: A+

Stone Sawyer’s Triple – The reason this beer exists is a sad story.  You can read about it here http://blog.stonebrew.com/?p=149 But there is a happy ending.  100% of the sales of this beer go to fight ALD.  So if you are at the brewery, pick up this beer.  Not only are you helping a good cause but hey this is actually a pretty damn fine beer.  Taste is full of candied sugar, fruit, and honey.  A real treat.

Rating: A-

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Starr Hill Northern Lights – What you see here might be the worst beer I had all summer.  I had it while I was at the Dave Matthews Band concert.  It was a bitter mess.  I would of thrown it away if it didn’t cost me 12 dollars for the plastic cup you see above.  Maybe I’ll have to try this beer again in bottle.  I see it all the time around my area.

Rating: D

Dogfish Head Goser the Gosarian -Yes this is definitely a Ghostbusters reference.  I had this brew at the Rehoboth DFH Brewpub.  It’s a brewpub exclusive and I don’t know if they will ever brew it again so I’m really glad I got to try it.  Hey look it’s even smiling at me! Gozer is classified as a Gose.  Beer Advocate says this about the style:

An old German beer style from Leipzig, Gose is an unfiltered wheat beer made with 50-60% malted wheat, which creates a cloudy yellow color and provides a refreshing crispness and twang. A Gose will have a low hop bitterness and a complementary dryness and spice from the use of ground coriander seeds and a sharpness from the addition of salt. Like Berliner Weisse beers, a Gose will sometimes be laced with various flavored and colored syrups. This is to balance out the addition of lactic acid that is added to the boil.

Somewhat recently, Gose has seen a mini-revival with a handful of breweries bringing back the style in the Leipziger area and pubs like Gosenschenke “Ohne Bedenken” serving traditionally brewed Gose.

The writeup was pretty much right on.  It defintely had a little sour twang to it.  Not much, just right for me.  Mix that in with a decent amount of coriander, wheat, and lemon and you have a nice small tart brew.

Rating: B+

Stone 10th Anniversary and Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans (sitting right behind the glass of 10th =) – One of my first nights in San Diego the girlfriend and I went out to visit Joey from South Bay Drugs.  We met him at a bar that was holding a Stone night.  Joey also brought in some Stone brews.  I got to try Juxtaposition for the first time but the highlight was trying Stone 10th Anniversary.  I missed the 10th anniversary beer because I really only got into craft beer with the 11th anniversary beer came out.  Stone 10th was classified an American Double/Imperial IPA when it first came out.  But after all the years of aging this beer is tasting more like a Barleywine these days and wow was it just fantastic.  Thanks Joey!  Also I got to try an tap only Stone beer.  Their Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans.  Wow!!!  Smoked Porter is ok by itself but with the vanilla it’s just out of this world.

Stone 10th Anniversary Rating: A-
Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans Rating: A

One of my last stops in San Diego was to the two Ballast Point locations.  They have a brewery that is nestled in an industrial park and they have the original spot which now hosts a tasting room, small brewery, and homebrew store.  Awhile back I remember Nat from The Beer Rover mention that he spotted a review of mine hanging on the wall of one of their breweries.  This made it a must stop!  The first one I stopped at was their bigger brewery.  A nice building that had a nicely sized tasting room in the front.  Sadly there was no sign of the review but I did get to try two excellent beers while I was there.  Dorado, their Double IPA which was fantastic but better yet I got to try their Victory at Sea, their American Porter.  This beer just blew me away.  Next time I see this available from South Bay I’m jumping all over it.

After I had a slight buzz I decided it was time to get out of there and find the other location.  The trusty IPhone put us on the right path and before you know it, we were there.  This was the original brewery.  It’s located in a strip mall.  The front of the store is a homebrew store and in the back is the brewery.  This is where a lot of their stuff starts out.  They also allow tasting from the back of the store.  I had to try a few beers.  Especially since there were a few I didn’t spot at the other location. I tried their version of Brother Levonian, Piper Down their Scottish Ale, Reef Rye Brown Ale, and my favorite out of the bunch, Fathom India Pale Lager.  A hopped up lager, it was delicious.  I wish I saw more lagers out there like this.  While on my last beer, I looked over the left and I saw a stack of papers pinned to the wall.  I wondered if my review was stuck somewhere in the pile?  I asked the lady serving the beer if I could take a look, she said sure and sure enough there was my review of Tongue Buckler.  It was a pretty cool moment to know that breweries sometimes read reviews and blogs about their beer.

What we have here is a beer currently sitting on Beer Advocates top 100.  It’s sitting at number 15 to be exact and indeed I think it’s place in the top 100 is right on point.  This beer is just delicious.  One of the best IPAs I’ve ever had.  Just huge in taste and smell.  While I thought their Big Eye IPA was great, this one just takes it to another level.

Sculpin pours orange-golden color.  Produces a nice huge fluffy head that quickly dies down into the head you see in the picture to the right.  Lacing everywhere as you drink this brew.  One of the highlights of Sculpin is the smell.  It’s just wonderful.  One of the best smelling beers ever.  Right on the bottle this bottle claims aromas of apricot, peach, mango, and lemon and man are they right.  The smell just pops with all of those fruits.  Mixed in with a nice citrus hop smell this might be the best smelling IPA I’ve ever had.  Matches up there with Pliny the Elder for me.  Just world class.

The taste is more of the same.  One of the most delicious beers I’ve ever had.  The fruit just sets everything off here.   Included in that is a nice bitterness.  Not overwhelming, maybe just perfect.  Everything is backed up by a nice shot of citrus hop flavor.  Wonderful taste.  The mouthfeel is medium bodied and crisp.

This beer is so tasty it can be dangerous.  You’ll never want to stop drinking it.  Guess it’s a good thing I only got one bottle.  Drink this beer as fresh as possible.  This pretty much is true for all IPAs but I heard this one might drop off a little faster.  I know my bottle was pretty damn fresh thanks to South Bay.  If you don’t live in Cali and you see this beer available on their newsletter make sure to pick up a few bottles.  Totally worth it.  Another awesome West Coast IPA.  Come on East Coast you need to catch up here.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this brew.
ABV%: 7.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, Ballast Point Tongue Buckler
Other beers to try within the same style: Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Alesmith IPA, Three Floyds Dreadnaught IPA
Rating: A+

TONGUE BUCKLER!!!!!  Never has the name of a beer been so true to it’s taste. Your tongue is in for a ride.  Folks this is one of the biggest beers I’ve ever had and the good news is, yes it’s big, and yes it’s friggin delicious.  I got this after seeing it in the weekly newsletter from South Bay Drugs.  Joey noted this stuff was going fast so I jumped on the opportunity to give this a try.  When Joey says things are going to fast,  it’s like when Tom Cruise said you had me at hello in Jerry McGuire. I always give in and buy beer from him.  Joey is a good salesmen =)

Buckler pours a clear amber color with a huge fluffy head. Head sticks around forever.  Great lacing.  As soon as you take your first smell you know you’re in for a real threat.  Especially if your a hop head and you love huge beers.  The smell of citrus, pine, and caramel malt rip through your nostrils.  Huge folks just huge.  I really can’t remember the last time a smell was this big.  The taste is pretty much the same but on a grander scale.  I wasn’t quite ready for it.  I tried to get my girlfriend to take a sip but she saw my face when I first had a sip and she was like no way.  The hops in this beer just shine through big time.  Piney and citrus hops.   Big citrus taste.  You’ll also get a bit of a grapefruit taste peaking through.  The caramel malt is there sitting in the background and it’s pretty big too.  As you let the beer warm up the malt takes over just a tad bit and the hops calm down so it’s good let the beer just sit for a few minutes then dive in.  Accompanying the huge taste is the huge burn of alcohol.  It just sits in your mouth, sits in your throat, sits in your chest.  It’s a bad ass feeling.  The mouthfeel is also amazing.  It sits a little bit on the heavy side but is smooth as silk and goes down way to easy for being as big as it is.  This beer is here to take names and kick your ass.  Move over Nugget Nectar, there’s a new favorite Imperial Red in town and it’s here to rip your tongue out.  One of the most extreme and tasty beers I’ve ever had.  Do not miss this beer.  If it becomes available again, I’m ordering at least 6 next time.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA
Price: 8 bucks a bottle
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this brew
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, Ballast Point Sea Monster Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: Troegs Nugget Nectar, Ithaca Beer Company Cascazilla
Rating: A+

Ahh another weekend and two more fantastic beers to add to my list.  One I didn’t even know we had in our area and one that is past due review wise.

First up is Big Eye IPA from Ballast Point.  I’ve heard good things about Ballast Point, especially from the Summer of Beer blog.  I was surprised to find out that my local beer place carries it.  I asked how long he’s had it and he said months and months.  How the hell did I miss it?  Anyway I’m glad to report this is a fantastic IPA.  It’s more of a malt monster than a hop monster but that’s ok in my book.  IPA’s are supposed to have a good malty hit.  Lately a lot of the IPAs I’ve had are huge on hops.  Don’t get me wrong, the hops are there too!

This pours a deep cloudy orange color with a nice amount of head that laces the glass as you drink.  The smell on this one is huge on grapefruit and piney hops with a even bigger biscuit like malt aroma.  The taste is full of biscuit like malt up front.  It’s a little rough on the tongue.  But in comes the grapefruit and citrus taste.  Juicy and a tad bit oily.  The beer ends with a nice bitter feeling.  Overall I really liked this IPA.  I loved the big malt presence.  Add another fantastic IPA to my list

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
What the company says : Big Eye I.P.A. is our version of this wonderful style.  American Centennial hops are  used exclusively to bitter, flavor, finish, and dry hop the Big Eye. Its full hop flavor is guaranteed to please the palate of the true hop head.
ABV%: 6.0%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Haven’t had any just yet.  More is coming though!
Other beers to try within the same style: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Alesmith IPA
Rating: B+

October has come and gone but this beer was still sitting in my fridge. If you know me I’m not a huge fan of Pumpkin Ales.  Maybe I just haven’t had enough of this style but it just doesn’t get me like a good IPA or Imperial Stout.  That is until I had Southern Tier Pumking.  Which is now on my favorite list even though it’s a seasonal Pumpkin Ale.  I’m happy to say though that this beer is fantastic also.  It’s been added to my seasonal list of Pumpkin Ales.

This one poured a murky deep orange color with a good bit of fluffy head.  The aroma this beer gives off is just fantastic.  It’s full of spice and it’s just what the doctor ordered.  Nice scents of nutmeg, cinnamon.  Nice and huge smell of pumpkin.  Reminds me of a pumpkin candle you would pick up at a store.  It just smells that big.  The taste is not as big as the smell but still damn good.  Full of spices and pumpkin.  Mouth feel is very smooth and creamy but it had a very light feel to it.  Maybe a tad bit to watery for my liking but still fantastic.  Alcohol taste was present but didn’t even come close to getting in the way of anything else. Tastes like pumpkin pie and I would easily take this over the real thing. 

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.weyerbacher.com/
What the company says: Site was down when I went to check
ABV%: 6.70%
Other beers to try from this brewery:Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA, Weyerbacher Merry Monks
Other beers to try within the same style:Southern Tier Pumpking, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Rating: B