The Great Pumpkin Beer Taste-off

I think part of the fun of beers is comparing them. A big reason that I started this blog was to start writing down my impressions, thoughts, and feelings on beer so I could recall them, and compare various beers.

With that in mind, my friends and I decided to go a pumpkin beer tasting. I'm not a huge pumpkin beer fan, but there are so many out right now, it seemed silly to do otherwise.

Now, I should preface this by saying that my favorite pumpkin beer was tried well before the tasting. I managed to get my hands on a bottle of Heavy Seas Great'er Pumpkin - their normal pumpkin beer that is aged in bourbon barrels. It was delicious. The bourbony vanilla really complemented the pumpkin spice flavor of the beer. However, this beer is fairly rare, so we weren't able to get another bottle of the tasting, despite Rouge driving damn near an hour to try and find some.

Of the beers we tried, I didn't really have a least favorite. The Heavy Seas was a little too boozy for my taste, but in it's defense, we didn't let it cool long enough. The flavor was all ginger and alcohol, with none of the lovely lightness of it's greater cousin.

Sam Adams was a tasty, light, and sweet beer - it tasted the "beeriest" of all the beers, but in doing so it lacked any serious pumpkin flavor. I like Sam Adams, but I realize now that a lot of their beers are kind of the entry level version of the microbrews. They make good beer, but it's not terribly adventurous - they're a middle ground between macro and micro, between Bud and Dogfish.

Speaking of Dogfish, their Punkin Ale had a very strong pumpkin spice flavor, which was tasty, but the beer itself lacked body. It was fairly thin, which didn't give the beer the sort of hearty backbone that a great pumpkin beer seems to need in my opinion. Still, fairly tasty.

Saranac, surprisingly, came out with one of the favorites of the evening. I thought that the flavor was a little herbaceous, but the flavor was indisputably pumpkin-ish, and although it wasn't terribly complex, it did the job of being a pumpkin beer.

My favorite of the evening, and a popular choice, was Southern Tier's Pumking. A full body, flavors of ginger and nutmeg and cinnamon, and an interestingly sweet finish made this beer taste like spice cake to some, pumpkin pie to others. Either way, a very, very solid beer, and winner of the evening. Highly recommended that you give this beer a shot, even if you're not a huge pumpkin beer fan.

Series of Sam (6 of 6)

So, here it is. The end of an era. A very, very short, and mostly delicious era. I am, as I write this, finishing the last of the Sam Adams mix pack. And I may have saved the best for last.

Sam Adams cream stout is a darn tasty beer. One of the earlier stouts I tried, I'd like to think it was pretty formative. It pour a rich dark brown, with a light brown head. The smell is all roasted malts. The first sip is tastes of roasted malts, with a nice creamy undertone. There's also some hints of milk chocolate, as well as a smoky flavor. The beer is pleasantly thick - not heavy, but full and delicious.

I really appreciate this beer for being exceptionally drinkable. This is a stout I could pretty much drink all day, summer or winter. The light creaminess perfectly balances against the thick maltiness. Mmmmm cream stout.

However, this wasn't the end of my alcohol related escapades for the day. Oh no.

I also went to Pratt Street Ale House, to try their new offering, the Cherry Blossom Ale. I know that this sounds like a fruity girly drink, but I was actually pretty darn impressed. I'm not a huge fan of wheat beers, but this was a delicious beer.

It pours a nice red amber, with a pinkish head. The first smell is cherries, shockingly. The taste though, was a sucker punch. Sour cherries, a nice subtle undertone of wheat, and a very nice light hoppy finish. This beer tastes like spring should in my opinion - light, tart, a little sweet, and herbal at the finish. I could've had a few pints, but sadly I couldn't stay.

I've also heard that it goes ridiculously well mixed with their Bishop's breakfast, their oatmeal stout, for something of a chocolate cherry. On the list to try next week.

Now, I had planned to finish the evening with a brand new beer, but the evening was a little too rushed. I went out to Cazbar on Charles Street with some friends, and just got back too late to really sip and enjoy. To be fair, it was worth it - Cazbar is ridiculously delicious, and makes me crave more pretty much every time I think about it. I can't even intelligibly describe the food, other than to say it was amazing and fantastic.

However, this didn't temper my enthusiasm. I'd been dying to try this beer, and come hell or high water, I would. So, the following afternoon I cracked open my bottle of Stillwater Artisanal Ale's Stateside Saison. Stillwater is a new Maryland brewer, and I've been dying to try them ever since I saw the first rave reviews of their offerings.

Their saison does not fail to impress. It pours a nice golden yellow, with a brilliant white head. The smell is all fruity esters. The first taste is that trademark belgian spice/yeast flavor, with a very nice, very subtle hop finish. The flavors are herbal and woody/grains, with hints of orange or coriander and lemon as well. This is dangerously drinkable, and I finished the whole darn bottle before I realized it. And of course, now I want more.

Man, I need to not cluster my beer into so few days. Ideally I'd spread these out more, but I somehow just always wait on beer til the end of the week to really enjoy it, along with my freedom from school.

Mmmmm beer. Until next time!

-The Unabashaed Ungourmet

Series of Sam (5 of 6)

So, this week was a little less awesome than most weeks. I decided to try two different beers, one which sounded interesting, and one which I had tried before, hadn't loved, but was willing to try again.

The first beer, Black Eye Ale, is a mix of Mendocino's stout and golden ale. The beer store clerk had a decent opinion of it, but online reveiws were not so favorable. I went into this one with mixed expectations, and was sad to find out that the online crowd seemed to have it right.

Unlike a good black and tan which is all the roasted flavor of a stout or porter and all the smoothness and lightness of an ale, it was kind of heavy, with weak tastes of chocolate and wheaty flavor. Really, it's not an impossible standard either, holding it up against Yuengling's black and tan. Really, even a home made black and tan of guiness and harp was better than this. It just tasted mixed and confused, with none of the excellent parts of either. Sad. Still, at 4 bucks for a bomber, I guess I got what I paid for.

The next beer was Sam Adams new spring beer, their Nobel Pils. Now, I admit to a bit of a grudge, as I was a huge fan of their old spring seasonal, the white ale. Also, i tried this beer before, and was pretty roundly unimpressed. However, I promised to try everything in that mix pack, and this wouldn't be any different.

The beer pours a light golden with a nice small head. The smell is all hops. Sadly, the taste was all hops too. Now, this shouldn't be a surprise. The beer actively describes itself as having all five "noble hops", whatever that may mean. But really, what with me still not being a huge fan of hops, I was frustrated by the lack of other flavors. I feel like it's also a characteristic of Pilsners to be kind of boring. I might be trying to the wrong pilsners though.

It was an earthy, herbal kind of taste, but only in the sense that it tasted like hops, rounded out by a hop bitterness. With nothing to balance out the hops, I feel like this beer isn't bad for hop lover who want a beer to sip, but otherwise steer clear.

Really though, it's just my comeuppance for having so much excellent beer all the damn time. Eventually you have a bad week. Did I mention last week at the bar watching the UFC fight I got to have Resurrection on tap? I really can't complain too much. Until next time!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Series of Sam (4 of 6)

You know, the problem with constantly having good beers is that eventually you become kind of inured to the whole thing. As much as I love reviewing beers, sometimes it's nice to just sit back and enjoy the beers, without having to worry about flavor profiles.

Over spring break, I got to enjoy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Allagash White, and Stoudt's Fat Dog stout, all of which were delicious. However, I had these while hanging out with friends and being social. And as much as I enjoyed them, I must shamefully admit to not having put much more thought into them than "damn! this is a delicious beer! I should drink more of it..."

However, luckily for me, this kind of exhaustion doesn't last. As you saw earlier this week I'm right back into the swing of things. Now, I only intended to review one beer tonight, but I ended with two, which is just such a darn shame.

The beer I intended, as above, was another from the Sam Adams mix pack. I'm saving their delicious cream stout for last, but I wanted a beer I could reliably enjoy, so the noble pils had to wait as well. Hence, I went with their ubiquitous Boston Lager.

It pours light golden, with supririsingly little head for a beer whose commercials always feature suds going freaking everywhere. The smell was tough to place, but is one I instantly associate with their Boston Lager and Ale. It's dark, and kind of malty. The beer, if anything, is more so. The taste is dark, maybe chocolate or caramel, and pleasantly malty, with an almost bready flavor.

This beer is pretty much the definition of a fallback beer, good for dinner or sipping with friends, but isn't exactly a thrill ride. If you haven't tried it, shame on you. If you have, it's a solid beer to have on hand for when that crazy beer you're trying ends up tasting like suck.

Speaking of a slightly more crazy beer, I had the good fortune of grabbing a brew with The Parental this evening at Pratt Street Ale House. A typical favorite, I was deciding between their delicious porter and scotch ale, when a new beer caught my eye. It was called Biere De Garde, and was their take on the French farmhouse ale.

Intrigued, I ordered myself a glass. It pours dark amber/reddish. The taste is delicious fruits (maybe cherries?) nicely mixed with a citrusy hop note. Rounding it out, thanks I imagine to the Belgian yeast, is a certain spice flavor that runs undercurrent to the rest of the beer. It's a very tasty beer, but I'm not sure I could share my focus with anything else - it's a holds-its-own kind of beer.

Ah good beer. May I always be cursed with such a bounty of delicious drinks. Cheers!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Series of Sam (3 of 6)

So, spring break starts tommorow for me, although sadly I feel like I've got more work than ever and may actually spend a good portion of break working. How sad.

But to celebrate my quasi freedom, I decided I'd crack open another Sam Adams. So far I've been 2 for 2 with tasty beers, so I decided to take a risky pick. I chose Sam Adams Coastal Wheat, a heffeweizen with lemon. I admit to having some trepidation coming into this beer, not being a huge fan of Heffe beers.

Overall, not a bad beer. It pours a light amber/golden with a nice head. The smell is all wheat beer. First taste is wheat and spices, with an undertone of lemon. There were times when the beer tasted more like lemon pledge than anything else, but they seemed to be the minority. The lemon really is pretty subtle, but there are nice solid flavors at the end - kind of sweet lemon rind.

I must admit that this isn't really a beer I'm dying to try again. However, that comes with a caveat. I am drinking this beer on a Thursday night, on a warmish March evening. This beer really feels like one should drink it on a hot summer day, especially towards sunset, relaxing and enjoying a cool beer. I really want to try it again in that situation, because it has the potential to be a delicious summer beer.

However, a spring or winter beer it is not. Not bad, but not something I plan to try again soon. As I said above, this week is spring break, so expect some new beers! Assuming my wallet can handle it!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Series of Sam (2 of 6)

Now, I admit that I like to save the best for last, but I just couldn't resist cracking open one of my favorite beers. It's lost a step or two by comparison to some of the beers I've had since then, but it'll always be a classic.

The first time I had it was at a Superbowl party. My friends had picked up a Sam Adams spring pack, which seemed weird in February. I admit to being a little hesitant at first, but this beer started my appreciation of scotch ales.

Sam Adams Scotch Ale pours a rich amber, without much head. The smell is smokey and rich. The first taste is a an oakiness, followed by tart fruitness and of course delicious smoke. I also swear I can taste some peatiness, but I can't quite pick it out. The best part though, might be the mellow finish.

As scotch ales go, it is a fine exemplar. If you like scotch ales, don't aim too high, but if you're a casual drinker, definitely give this one a try.

Series of Sam (1 of 6)

So, along with this weekend's festivities, I procured a mix-pack of Sam Adams, which remained largely untouched. It contained 6 different Sam Adams beers, most of which I've tried at one time or another, but none of which I've really taken the time to sit and taste.

As such, over the next however long, I'll be periodically reviewing these six beers. I'm starting tonight with their Boston Ale. Not to be confused with their Boston Lager, this beer is a little hoppier and a little more aggressive.

It's called a Stock Ale, which I have just no clue what that is, but that didn't inhibit my interest. It pours a nice rich golden amber, with about one finger of head. The smell is caramel, with a little bit of a hoppy or earthy note. A nice hop flavor balances some roasted flavors, as well as some sweeter caramel notes.

It does remind me of their Boston Lager, but certainly a little stronger. The flavor isn't too dark, but it's pleasantly dark, like a nice bock. Enjoyable, drinkable, if not too exciting. Definitely a nice beer to sit and sip.

Holy Bock

It sat on the shelf, in a black bottle, with a silver label. It looked like all the bombers surrounding it, except it was at least twice the price of any of them.

Chocolate Bock. It didn't even sound like an interesting beer. No catchy name or gimmicky title. But still, Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock haunted my dreams. I saw it for the first time at my local liquor store over thanksgiving, and have been dying to try it ever since.

I was worried that I was too hyped up for it though. That it couldn't possibly match my expectations. My friend, Captain Theater echoed my concerns. Samuel Adams is good, he reasoned, but he's never been truly wowed by them. I don't entirely agree, being a devotee of their imperial stout, their scotch ale, and their white ale, but I saw his point.

How wrong we were.

It was delicious. Now, I've looked up other reviews, and they seem to disagree, but I can't bring myself to care. The body is light and smooth, more like a black lager or maybe even an ale. I should've expected that from a Bock, but it looks and smells like a stout.

The flavor is delicious Swiss milk chocolate - very creamy. It has some nice coffee flavors and some malt taste, as well as some light nutty features and a delicate sweetness.

It ruined the rest of the beers we were enjoying. It made us crave for more. It haunts me even now. This beer is fantastic, and you should go drink some now, despite the curse it lays upon all other beers.

Holiday drinks

I had a fantastic thanksgiving weekend, highlighted by a small shindig with a few friends. Sort of a post-thanksgiving get together, we ate, we drank, we played card games, and had a good time. Also, The Irish made his signature bread pudding, which is basically diabetes in pure form. Stark came with some gross cherry wine, and The Culinator helped cook the whole thing. It rocked.

It also gave me a chance to try several Sam Adams beers I've been wanting to get my hands on, but had to wait a whole year since I forgot about them last year.

Sam Adams is far and away one of my favorite breweries, with palatable yet interesting beers in almost every possible variety. I especially enjoy their cream stout, scotch ale, and white ale, but more on those later.

This particular evening, I got to try Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic, Holiday Porter, and Old Fezziwig.

The Cranberry Lambic tasted (shockingly) of cranberries, and was interesting. Sadly, it is a wheat beer, which I'm just not a huge fan of. The cranberry kept getting washed out by the wheat, and it just didn't sit with me that well. I'm not sure I'd have this again, just because the wheat flavor was so uninteresting, and the cranberry wasn't strong enough.

The Holiday Porter was excellent, on the other hand. It tasted of caramel and dark chocolate, but rather than being thick like a stout it was surprisingly light. A delicious dark beer, it provided a nice sipping beer, but I can see it pairing well with a desert.(didn't get to try it with one, as it ran out almost immediately). Definitely something I'd like to have more of, so I wish it didn't only come in the winter mix pack.

Old Fezziwig is the toughest to decide on. It's a winter warmer, a style of ale that I've never had before. It's spiced like a wit beer or a Belgian ale, with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. The end result is something like a Christmas spice cake, which is tasty, but was kind of odd. Can't really imagine doing anything other than drinking it by itself due to it's flavor profile, but I really feel like it was begging a complimentary flavor of some sort to complete it. Interesting, and I'd drink it again, but not too often.

I also got to have some Woodchuck 802. Woodchuck, as I've mentioned before, makes delicious cider. Their 802, named for the area code where they harvest the apples, is their best variety. Smokey and crisp, it's a deliciously dry cider, that is pleasantly sweet and a little tart. It is probably my favorite cider over all, and always something I enjoy having. Definitely try this if you like cider.

Also, I picked up a 10-pack of Ommegang beers, and am so very excited to give them a whirl. Hooray incredibly expensive craft beer!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

P.S. - Also appearing at the shindig were Sparrow, Hooah, Mrs. Satan, Napoleon, and The Girlfriend. Not so much important, as convenient for me to write down all their nicknames now and just have them for my reference.