Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Imperial Pumking ale

For Halloween, I thought I would review a beer that is appropriate for the season. This is one of my most favorite beers on the planet, and I don't say that lightly. And today is the perfect day to review it.

I'm talking about Southern Tier's Imperial Pumpkin pumpkin ale. It's a rare, limited-release 8.6% ABV imperial pumpkin ale made with 2-row pale malt, caramel malt, 19-degree plato hops, and pureed pumpkin.

I am always on the lookout and will buy every bottle I find. For example:

As you can imagine, I've traversed the beer universe (and the country) and have had many, many pints along the way. I've encountered delicious beers like Orval Trappise, okay beers like Yuengling, and awful beers like Hooker Watermelon or Corsendonk. But nothing quite strikes my fancy, nothing quite says "unique," nothing quite delivers the peculiar, amazing, delicious taste as Southern Tier's imperial pumpkin seasonal, the Pumking.

I am not the only one who feels this way. Let me describe to you the level of desirability this beer has. The first year I encountered it was 2009. I bought one bottle, on a whim, and drank it. Wow! So I went back to the store and couldn't find it again. I didn't think too much of it until next year when I saw Whole Foods was carrying it. So I grabbed a bottle, remembering I liked it. Since then, I've only been able to find a handful of bottles here and there. Most places admit they sell out within days. That fact, coupled with the fact that Southern Tier only makes a limited run of cases per year, makes this a rare find indeed.

A few months ago, I happened to be perusing the beer aisle at Whole Foods on P Street when I find one bottle, hanging out in the back next to the weird mead bottles. I grab it immediately. I look behind all the others, and don't see any other bottles. I've scored the only one they had!

But then a thought occurred to me. What if it WASN'T the only one they had?

Sometimes, when you're looking for a rare beer or wine, it pays to simply ask around. I find an employee, whose name tag read "Howie." I asked Howie if they had any other bottles. He didn't know, but he says he's going to look in "the back room." The "back room" is probably not as expansive as I imagine it to be, but I hold hope.

What I imagine "the back room" to look like. Matte painting courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd.

About five minutes later, here comes my man Howie. And Howie is clearly a baller because Howie is carrying in his hands, Edward Scissorhands-style, six bottles of this precious nectar. Six! How the deities of orange gourd beer have smiled upon me, their worshipful son. I ask if they're all for me, to which he gives me The Nod.

From several feet away, a hipster couple was watching this exchange. These two beacons of hipsterdom, these Princes of U Street, looked impressed at the bottles I had in my basket.

"That's an awesome beer," the guy quipped. Damn right.

And so I took pity on them, for I had scored all that was to be had. So I offered to give them a bottle to buy. They smiled and declined, instead saying that they "weren't there to buy anything." They actually left the store immediately after without purchasing an item. I'm not even making this story up.

But let's get to the beer.

The pour is smooth and fast, the color of the beer a very light and clear orange. There are no bubbles to the beer, and when poured, it produces a thin white head that dissipates quickly.

The nose: this beer has a VERY strong pumpkin and spice smell. It's one of the most aromatic beers I've ever had, and I really like that. I let it sit for 5 minutes, just enjoying the smells.

The taste is excellent. It's bright, full of pumpkin flavors. Very deep. There are strong, full, forward flavors of spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger, all taking a backseat to straight pumpkin flavor.

The finish is warm and strong, with lots of pumpkin tastes and a slight alcohol taste. There's a very bright pumpkin and spice aftertaste that's very pleasant.

Let's discuss why this beer is set apart from all the others:

1. Unlike most other pumpkin beers,  this beer has full, total pumpkin flavors from start to finish. No other pumpkin beer I have tried comes close to the consistency and depth of flavor that Southern Tier has.
2. The alcohol content. Unlike some beers (i.e. Shipyard), this beer has a stronger ABV, which in my opinion translates the stronger spice flavors better.
3. The ingredients. This beer is made with pureed pumpkins, which I believe some others are simply flavored as such.
4. Moderation. This beer is well-balanced and has delicious, moderate flavors throughout. It's not super heavy on the body or the aftertaste.

So yes, it's really the whole package, and delivers it in such a way that leaves me only wanting more. Out of all the pumpkin beers I have tried, I feel that this is the most faithful delivery of pumpkin tastes in a beer. There are a lot of good beers out there, but this one I feel really hits a grand slam. As I mentioned, this is one of my favorite beers, and I highly recommend you seek it out and purchase it at any opportunity.

Unless I get to it first.

Pumpkin Showdown #2: Red Hook vs. Anderson Valley

For Part 2 of the Pumpkin Showdown series, I'm going to be reviewing one of Red Hook's seasonal offerings and a West Coast microbrew, Anderson Valley's Fall Hornin'.

Let's start with Red Hook's Out of Your Gourd. Red Hook's pumpkin beer starts off with a deep red pour, that's a bit dark and not aromatic at all. Which is too bad, since a really aromatic pumpkin beer is such a pleasure.

As you can see, the beer is very dark...showing off its porter heritage well.

The taste was smooth, with notes of pumpkin and spice. But those flavors took a back seat to warm, dark caramels and roasted beans. The flavor was muted, mellow, but dark.

This beer is definitely a porter. Toasted caramel tastes are present which lend a nice smokiness to the aftertaste. I like the subtlety of the pumpkin flavors. This would be a delicious session beer for cool fall evenings, sitting out on the back deck with friends.

Next up is Boonville, CA-based Anderson Valley Brewing Co. I'll be reviewing their Fall Hornin' pumpkin beer.

So, I actually had never heard of Anderson Valley before. I was looking for some beers in cans to put in my fridge's can chute when I came across this. Apparently, their motto "Bahl Hornin'" actually means "It's good drinkin'" in a local folk language called "Boontling." Apparently, this dialect is only spoken in the Anderson Valley, about 115 miles north of San Francisco. OK, pretty neat. But let's see how well they brew beer.

Immediately, I saw the beer was pretty well carbonated. I'm not a huge fan of that, especially in darker, heavier fall beers, so I was hesitant.

The beer was wheaty, the carbonated texture taking center stage and overpowering the flavors. The beer was lighter, and did have some spice notes. The beer tasted less like pumpkins and more like a pumpkin pie - a mixture of spices and tastes with some toasted / roasted tastes.

I can draw some similarities to the Pumpkinhead in terms of its lightness and thinness. But the Anderson Valley, for its part, was darker and carried the flavors better than the Shipyard. The beer was just OK, certainly not worth the $12.99 I paid for the 6-pack.

In Conclusion

This week's winner is Red Hook. The pumpkin porter has the weight and gravity to really do the pumpkin spice / allspice / clove flavors well. The Anderson Valley, while lighter and probably more approachable for some drinkers, didn't do the pumpkin flavors justice and the texture of that beer really overpowered it.

If you REALLY want to know the best pumpkin beer, just wait until next week.

Pumpkin Showdown #1: Heavy Seas Beers vs. Shipyard Brewing

Today's blog post is one of two Pumpkin Showdowns, where I take two pumpkin beers and review them side by side. Next week I'll post another one, and then on Halloween I will review the best pumpkin beer on Earth.

So today's showdown is between Heavy Seas' Greater Pumpkin and Shipyard's Pumpkinhead.

Heavy Seas Beer is brewed by Clipper City Brewing Company out of Baltimore, Maryland. Many of you may have tried Heavy Seas' more famous beer, the Loose Cannon. The beer bros at D'Vines in Tivoli Square filled up my growler, as seen above. Sorry I don't have an actual photo of the retail beer itself. Shipyard Brewing Co. is based in Portland, Maine and manufactures a wide range of beers. Shipyard's Pumpkinhead is available in cans and bottles for relatively cheap.

In left corner, at 9.00% ABV....Heavy Seas.

The Greater Pumpkin Ale is a 9.00% ABV pumpkin ale aged in bourbon barrels.

As you can see, the color is light amber, rather clear, with a frothy white head and lots of lacing.

Nose is spicy and sharp. So far, so good!

The flavor itself was very pleasing - lots of pumpkin, deliciously smooth but also a bit dark. The 9% ABV brings out a lot of warm alcohol flavors which is a little distracting to the beer. The finish is of pumpkin, apples, and sugar. Not bad.

I have 64 ounces of this to power through. But, if my first glass is any indication, that should not be a problem. The beer is strong, delicious, and although it has a somewhat-distracting alcohol flavor, it's still damn good beer. I haven't seen this anywhere in bottles, only on draft, but definitely try it out if you see it.

And in the right corner, at 4.7% ABV...Shipyard!

I've had Shipyard before. While it was my first time trying the Heavy Seas, I've had the Pumpkinhead a handful of times over the past few years. It's a little under half the alcohol content of Heavy Seas...Shipyard weighs in at 4.7% ABV, which is light for this kind of beer.

It's really spicy upfront, lots of allspice, ginger, and pumpkin flavors. Initial taste feels like a liquid pumpkin pie. The consistency is rather light, highly carbonated, and spicy. The mouthfeel is warm and delicious. There's a very wet, pumpkin-y finish and aftertaste.

So I'm torn about the Pumpkinhead. Sure, it's tasty, but the problem is, this beer doesn't have the strong, powerful flavors that it needs to really do pumpkin beer justice. It's too watery and light and thin for me, despite being pretty tasty. I'd drink this beer, and wouldn't turn it down, but it's not my favorite. It is, however, relatively inexpensive and is readily available a lot of places, so if you're looking to bring this along to a houseparty or something, you shouldn't have a problem finding it.

And the winner is...

Heavy Seas. The heaviness and spiciness of this beer really did it for me. In my opinion, the real reason some pumpkin beers are so good is because they have a strong, full taste. I've tried probably 10 or so pumpkin variants, and some do a better job than others at delivering that taste. When you're working with flavored beers, you've got to get the taste right. Too little and your beer doesn't hit the mark. Too much and it becomes undrinkable. I think out of the two, Heavy Seas is the winner. There are better pumpkin beers out there than either of them, but Heavy Seas was a good solid performer. It had the spiciness and the heaviness that pumpkin flavors deserve.

Stay tuned for part 2, coming next week!

Field Trip: Capitol City Brewing Oktoberfest 2013

Even wine and beer bloggers need sunshine and fresh air! As I discover local beer and wine events, I hope to have an ongoing series where I take my blog on the road and review the various offerings. In the first iteration of the Field Trip series, I'm going to review my time at the 2013 Capitol City Brewing Co's Oktoberfest, held in Shirlington, VA.

As you walk in to the festival. I don't know that guy.

Held in the Shirlington Village shopping area, this event features over 50 different beers on tap and lots of tasty food. When you get there, you pay $25 to get in, which includes a neat little Capitol City tasting glass (which you keep) and a bunch of tickets worth one drink. You can also buy more tickets if you want, which I of course did. I went along with beer brewer friends Jonathan and Jillian Roberts, whom you may know as the geniuses behind the Ministry of Beer.

The festival. It was packed! Yes, there were quite a few people in traditional German dress.

I figured that I'd like to review most beers I had - 11 total. But rather than give each sample a full-throated review (which would take hours to write up and I'd also be inundating your inbox with updates) I'm going to just give a couple sentences each along with some pictures. This way, you get the important points of the beer and my recommendations. I also made it a point to NOT try any beer I had already had - I don't think I had a single beer yesterday I'd had before, so it was all new to me. No research, no repeated tastings, no discussion. Just quick, first impressions. On to the beer!

#1. Vintage 50 - Short Stack Summer Bitter

Our first stop on this beer-stravaganza was Vintage 50's Short Stack summer bitter. As you can tell by the sign, it's a 4.3% ABV summer bitter ale. Jon and I both had never had it, so we decided to give it a whirl. This was rather tasty! It was light, wheaty, with a tinge of sour bitter taste...that finished off with a lingering aftertaste of herbs and cloves. It was oddly refreshing, but I don't really dig that sour taste enough to seek this out in any quantity. Grade: B+

#2. D.G. Yuengling & Sons - Oktoberfest

Ah, Yuengling. A staple of my college days, Yuengling makes a pretty good brew for the price. It's not my favorite, but isn't bad if you just want a cold beer to enjoy and not think about it. I've had their Black & Tan (great), their original lager (good) and their Lord Chesterfield seasonal (OK.) I've never had their Oktoberfest before, so I decided to give it a shot. Nice color on the beer. It tastes pretty good - wheaty, crisp, but with a strong lager taste. It tastes suspiciously like their lager, so that leads me to believe this beer wasn't brewed from scratch but rather is simply a spiced version of their regular lager. You can probably find better for the price, but certainly don't turn it down if offered. Grade: C+

#3. Brewery Ommegang  - Rare Vos

Brewery Ommegang makes good stuff. Much of what they brew is centered on the Belgian tradition. Their Three Philosophers was just superb, as you may recall from when I reviewed it last year. I've also had a few of their other creations over the years, and have always been impressed. So Jon, Jill and I came across the Ommegang tent and we simply had to try the Rare Vos - a Belgian-style amber. As you can see, it's a hazy orange color. The taste was full, malty, with notes of fruit. The aftertaste was one of muted apples, spices, with a little kick of acidic tastes and alcohol. I really liked this - I've seen it at the store in 22 oz bombers, so I might seek it out again. I also urge any of you not into beer to give this a spin - it's really good. Grade: A-

#4. Uinta Brewing Co. - Hop Notch

Salt Lake City-based Uinta has been getting a lot of attention here at Sip and Puff. I reviewed their Baba Black Lager a month or so ago, and as part of the October Pumpkin Showcase, I'm going to be reviewing their Punkn (which was on tap here at Shirlington.) Since I have had Punkn and really liked it, I decided to try their other offering - the Hop Notch IPA. It was really good! It had just the right amount of hops - full flavored, fruity, but not burnt or overly bitter. There was lots of bubble in this beer but it wasn't over the top. I found this was a delicious example of a perfect IPA. If you like IPAs, give this a shot! Grade: A

#5. Peak Organic - Fall Summit

I haven't had too much experience with Peak Organic. I reviewed their Maple Collaboration last year and enjoyed it. So I saw they were at the festival, so I figured I'd see what they had to offer. Today's offering was their Fall Summit, an 5.7% ABV American amber ale. It poured nicely, with a clear amber color. The beer was smooth, crisp, and ... flavorless. It had no taste whatsoever, except for a slight bitter tinge at the end. It was so strange - I've never had a beer that tasted like nothing before. Well, at least now I know! Grade: D (only because it wasn't aggressively bad, just flavorless.)

#6. Three Notch'd Brewing Co. - Hansel and Kettle

I'd never heard of Three Notch'd before. It's a Charlottesville, VA-based brewery with quite a few offerings at Shirlington. One that immediately stood out to me was their Hansel and Kettle Imperial Oktoberfest. Not one to pass up an 8.0% ABV oktobefest, I had them pour me one. It's brewed with similar malts as Port City's Oktoberfest, so I had a hunch this would be good. Look at that nice color! The taste was deep, malty, with nice polished spices and a warm aftertaste of sweet chocolate. This was really good! I may take a look for it if it's sold in stores. Grade: A

#7. Old Dominion - Spiced Harvest

Old Dominion is a favorite of Jon's. I have tried their Oak Barrel Stout and thought it was pretty good. Their Spiced Harvest is apparently a yam beer with wheat and spices brewed just for 2013. So, naturally, Jon and I had to give it a shot (Jill, who accompanied us, was driving so she wasn't drinking.)

There were some heavy spicy malts in here. Nice tastes of cherries and wheat with an allspice finish. Pretty good! I'd definitely try again, perhaps if they have a six-pack out there. Grade: A

#8. Port City - Derecho Common

Port City should be familiar to anyone who read my last blog post, where I reviewed their Oktoberfest. Naturally Port City was at this event, since their brewery is probably no more than a mile or two from the festival! They had a new beer on tap, their Derecho Common.

The Derecho Common has an interesting history. Back when the big derecho storm hit DC last year, Port City was brewing its beer and was afraid that if the storm hit, their beer might be in jeopardy. If the power goes out during the brewing process, it could seriously affect the beer. Well, the power DID go out, but 5 out of their 6 tanks were OK. The other tank fermented at a higher temperature, and they were able to churn out some of this new, steam-brewed beer - the Derecho Common.

I enjoyed it very much. The hazy yellow color was a good indicator of the hoppy, bright, slightly citrus taste. It had a bubbles to it, which I normally do not like but I think was appropriate for this beer. It was a little sour, which doesn't usually do it for me, but I overlooked that in favor of the nice hoppy/citrus taste. I'm not sure if you can get this in bottles - something tells me it's just on tap - but Port City's website says it's available in a lot of DC bars. Also, they have it on tap if you go to the brewery in Alexandria. Grade: A-

#9. Lancaster Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest

Well, as you might have guessed, there were a lot of Oktoberfest beers here. This is one I'd never tried - from Pennsylvania's Lancaster Brewing Co.

I first heard of Lancaster Brewing Company in college, when I tried Lancaster's phenomenal milk stout. Their Oktoberfest was pretty good, but not as good as the milk stout. I liked the color, liked the aroma of it, and liked the fact the beer was very soft. It had no carbonation, so it was easy to drink. The beer was also remarkably light - refreshing, but light. Pretty solid, good just to drink, but nothing special. Grade: B

#10. Corsendonk - trippel

I like Belgian beers. I like abbey ales. So when I saw they had a Belgian abbey ale on draft, I said, "hey, Jimmy, why don't you try that?" So I did. Bad move.

This beer sucks. I don't know why it tasted the way it did, but I've never had a beer like it. It was bubbly, sour, and had tastes of pine needles, moldy malts, and wheat. It didn't taste like what most people come to expect in this category of beers. It tasted more like amateur mead than beer that allegedly has been brewed since 1390-something. Maybe THIS particular batch has been around that long. It totally was nasty, and I'm surprised that I was even able to finish it (and not pour it down the drain you see in the background of the photo.) Grade: F-

#11. Forge Brew Works - Saison

I'd never heard of Forge before. They seemed to be pretty new and hip, and when I saw they had a saison on tap, I made a beeline. Some of you may recall that I enjoy saisons - Belgian farmhouse ales - very much. This was no exception.

Like most saisons, this was light, foamy, and spicy. The cloudy color is nice, and I definitely got some beer sediment in my glass, which I gobbled up with the beer. One thing I like about saisons is that they're a little sour, which can be kinda cool. Forge made a really smooth and delicious saison, and I think I may investigate more of what this Lorton, VA-based brewery has to offer. Grade: A-

So there you have it - not all, but most of my samples at Oktoberfest 2013. Stay tuned - the rest of October will be focused solely on pumpkin beers. Thanks for reading!

Port City Brewing - Oktoberfest marzen

Let it be known that fall is my favorite time for beer. Oktoberfest, smoked porters, and pumpkin ale all make September and October my favorite months for beer. There are so many seasonal ales that come out that it's hard for me to try all of them! Over the next month I will be reviewing a good number of pumpkin beers - 4 to be precise.

One type of beer you all may have heard of is an Oktoberfest. Spelled a variety of ways, the Oktoberfest is a festival celebrated every October in Bavaria. It's been celebrated every year since 1810. This is a festival of food and beer - and as you might imagine, there are restrictions on what kind of beer can be served at this celebration. Only beers brewed in accordance with the 1516 Reinheitsgebot (or "purity law") can be served. The beers have to be brewed within the city limits of Munich and with an alcohol content of over 6% to be considered for the Oktoberfest.

Today, some Oktoberfest beers are also called "Marzen" beers. Such beers are pale lagers over the 6% ABV floor. They're called "Marzen" beers because they initially were brewed in March, cellaring until October when they could bring out the casks and tap them for the festival.

Now on to today's review - Port City's Oktoberfest marzen.

Made by Alexandria, VA-based Port City, this beer is a 5.5% ABV marzen brewed with Vienna, Pils, Munich, and Caramunich hops. I was initially drawn to the color of the box. I like that blue and white pattern! It caught my eye, and when I saw that it was made by Port City, I snatched it up. Port City makes a mean brew - in fact, my first Port City beer was their peerless Optimal Wit released in the summer. I have been consistently impressed with this brewer in the past, so it was natural for me to want to try this. They also have tap room tours and tastings - they're not really close to the Metro but they are just a short drive from Old Town. 

On to the beer. I eagerly cracked this open and let it sit for a moment before pouring it into my tasting glass. It has a very smooth pour, typical for its heritage. Fast pour, very little carbonation. Clean and clear (and under control.) I really like the vivid amber color of this beer.

The nose on this beer isn't terribly strong, but if you stick your face in it you can get nice hints of spices and malts. But just hints, though - nothing too aromatic. As you can see, it was pretty foamy. 

And when we hold it up to the light, it becomes neon orange. Look at that color. Awww, yeah. 

And now to the taste - the first sip was very crisp and malty, with those nice spice aromas we smelled earlier coming to fruition with the taste. The taste is full-on wheat, direct to the palette. It really grabs you! It's smooth, malty, and has notes of salt. The flavors are crisp, developed, but few in number. This beer doesn't get caught up in what it COULD be - no loopy flavors or gimmicky ingredients. It simply delivers a perfect Oktoberfest-style taste that is representative of this particular subset of lagers.

Delicious.

The finish to this beer is not complicated at all - no hodgepodge of flavors or mix of complex tastes.There's a very pleasant aftertaste of Triscuits. Yes, Triscuits. It's very appropriate for the kind of beer and for the season. That toasted wheat flavor rounds out the spices nicely for a clean, dry finish. This means the flavors don't stick on your mouth after you swallow your gulp of beer. 

So what's great about this, and why it works so well this season, is that it balances spice and flavor with levity and wheat tastes. Summer is known for its light, fruity ales, and winter for its dark and heavy stouts. This Oktoberfest bridges the gap nicely between spiced, heavy beers and lagers. It's perfect for a session beer and great to enjoy on a fall day outside, whether it's at your BBQ or on the back deck.

But even beyond this beer's fidelity to the Marzen line, I wanted to touch on the idea of "drinkability." I alluded to this in numerous previous posts.

Obviously, every beer is literally "drinkable." No one is going to make a beer you aren't physically able to consume. But lots of beers aren't meant to be had in any quantity, which is what I mean by drinkability. Think back to some of the reviews I have done in the past...some beers and wines have been very interesting to try, but because of their taste profiles and/or alcohol content, they've been tough to really enjoy thoroughly. Like the barleywines I've tried - yes, they're delicious, but very heavy and strong. I don't know if I could drink that reliably just to drink. But beers like the Oktoberfest are great to drink all night. They're light enough in alcohol content not to hit you hard (unlike the barleywines) but are also flavored nicely and are enjoyable. So in the future, when I say "drinkability," I'm talking about that quality of beer or wine that allows the drinker to enjoy it but not spend their all their mental energy thinking about WHY they enjoy it.

In conclusion, this beer is very drinkable. And I don't say that for every beer I review, and nor should I. But for Port City's Oktoberfest, you can certainly enjoy it as much as you like. Pick some up if you get a chance.