Stranger

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Stranger

• Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company (Colorado)

• Style: American Pale Ale

• ABV: 5%

• IBU: 36

• Pour Color: An amber golden color that lets light thru

      A gold colored amber that can be seen thru easy in the glass. The head wasn't much and didn't hang around to long. The scent off the top is citrus and piney. Not really much of a malt character to the bouquet. The hops give you a mix of granny smith apple, lime, and lemon. You also get a nice spiciness. Alot of stuff going on and a pretty good pale ale.
      I enjoyed what this beer had to offer. A mustache swim in something this complex is always fun. Unfortunately I think they go a little too light on all of these flavors. A pale, to me, should drink this easy and leave such mellow notes on the finish. This being my first Left Hand product I was excited but really didn't find it to be that special.

Rating: ***

Post Road

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Post Road

• Brewery: Brooklyn Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: Pumpkin Ale

• ABV: 5%

• IBU: 24

• Pour Color: A see thru orange color to this one!

      This one was a nice pour that had a low head. It only came up to about a finger tall but then hung out at the top of the glass for a good while. The color of this one was orange and allowed light to pass through easily. The scent is the pumpkin and the nutmeg that are main ingredients. When tasting it you find a new respect for pumpkin beers. Most try to go for the pumpkin pie taste this one goes for a pumpkin beer taste. Not to sweet, or overwhelming clove flavors, like many others. I can see the follicles frolicking in this one again soon!
      Fall is almost here, and for some reason, there's nothing but pumpkin ales from every single company. This however is not one of the many that have just popped up. Post Road I have seen for many years and now I'm reviewing it. This is a great beer that really balances pumpkin and malt to give it a great taste. If you skip most pumpkin ales this autumn make sure you give this one a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed!

Rating: ****1/2

BlueBerry Blonde Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: BlueBerry Blonde Ale

• Brewery: Saranac Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: Fruit Beer

• ABV:5.0%

• IBU: 18

• Pour Color: Golden but hazzy, can't see through it.

      The pour was golden and hazzy. A malty blueberry scent off the top of the glass. The head was nice and fluffy and only hung out for a few sips. The taste is not over overbearingly blueberry tasting. It's in the sip but it's light. You notice more tones of the wheat malts and oats that give it a good wheat taste. A little thicker then some other summer ales. Still easy drinking and a nice blueberry kick on it that's nice on a summer day.
      Summer fruit beer and I gotta say I enjoy it. This is another beer that comes in a can and makes it nice for next to the pool or on the beach. Light on the fruit flavor unlike most fruit beers this one only gives you a hint. If it's hot, and your looking for a refreshing change to the summer seasonal with lemon, then grab this one and give it a try. 

Rating:***1/2

Brooklyn Summer Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Brooklyn Summer Ale

• Brewery: Brooklyn Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: English Pale Ale

• ABV:5.0%

• IBU: 18

• Pour Color: Nice yellow golden color that has a slight haze. 

       The pour was nice. A fluffy head crowned a nice golden beer in the glass. The scent off the top was quite malty, with a nice tone of citrus. The head quickly sank to the sides of the glass where it would reside for the rest of the beer. The initial taste of this one is yeasty and malty. A strong taste of bread to this. After that comes a nice crisp presence of lemon and grass flavors to the hops. On swallow you get a nice biscuit taste. Really a good summer experience in a world of summer wheat beers.
      Brooklyn makes great beers! This is another one that I enjoy. Not my favorite summer ale, but still one I get a hankering for when in season. Extremely malty compared to most summer ales, it gives you something different for the season. Also it comes in a can. Don't bring bottles to the beach... Go grab a twelver of this one!

Rating:***1/2

Finger Lake Summer Wheat

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Finger Lake Summer Wheat

• Brewery: Custom Brewcrafters 

• Style: Hefeweizen

• ABV:5%

• IBU: 45

• Pour Color: Golden color and quite hazy.

      On pour this one got a nice little head to it. Looked golden and glowed in the sunlight. The scents off the top were of a nice orange tone and wheat malts. After taking all that in the head was pretty much gone. On the taste you get a really really full flavored hefe. I mean it's got that crisp tone of the citrus to get the follicles tingling. It also has a nice full wheat flavor. All and all a good beer. 
       As a summer seasonal this is a kick ass beer. It's crisp, light and has a nice orange flavor that makes blue moon look boring. With this and Brewcrafters also doing The Razz, wheat beers is where it's at for them. Next really hot day pick up a six of this one. Your mustache will be refreshed after a splash of this one. 

Rating: ****1/2

Smutty Nose IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Smutty Nose IPA

• Brewery: Smutty Nose (New Hampshire)
  

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 5%

• IBU:28

• Pour Color: Gold and very clear!

      This was a nice perfect two finger head pour beer. The head looked really nice. The scent off the glass was malty and hoppy at the same time. The color of the beer was gold murky and had the white floaties that some other IPAs sport. The cloudiness or white floaties usually indicate dry hopping. Having had a stone IPA with the same problem I don't judge on that. On taste you get a nice slightly sweet malt body as a background. Being an IPA you can imagine what comes straight out and hits ya. The hops are citrus and piney, Delicious and bold, these flavors meld well and make for a decent IPA.
      This is my first smutty nose, and much like most breweries, I started with a IPA. This one didn't disappoint either. A nice crisp hop flavor backed by stand up malts that have character their own. This one also is nice enough to tell you that there may be a slight sediment in the bottle. Most just leave you to figure it out on your own. Delicious and well bittered, try a smutty nose for yourself.

Rating: ****

Summerfest 2012

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: SummerFest 2012

• Brewery: Sierra Nevada (California)
  

• Style: Pilsner

• ABV: 5%

• IBU:28

• Pour Color: Gold and very clear!

      The Face poured this one and it had a nice head. Lasted a good while for being a pilsner too. The color was a perfect golden color. The smell off the glass was a hop heavy brew. Not much of the malts came through on the sent. On taste though it was the opposite. A whole lot of malt and not really that strong of hops. You get a light pine and citrus tone but not much. A crisp and refreshing beer for summer cause it's fairly light. Worth a try for sure if your a pilsner drinker.
      This was a fairly average ale. I could easily compare it to Heineken actually. A fairly hoppy pilsner that really has a overall ballenced taste. This has a little more character with a heightened sweetness and hop character. It really seems to be looking for the same market as a Heineken though. This is a nice crisp ale that non-craft drinkers would love I think. 

Rating: ***1/2

Pennant Ale '55

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Pennant Ale '55

• Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery (New York)
  

• Style: EPA

• ABV: 5%

• IBU: 24

• Pour Color: Nearly a golden color that easily lets light through

      On the pour, the head was fluffy and nice. The scent off the glass is a slight roasted malt scent but very sweet. As you sip this one you get hit by malt from all sides. A sweet roasted malt comes first to the front. This is accompanied by a nice citrus and grapefruit taste. Finally as you swallow comes a super bitter taste with a nice biscuit finish. All and all a real exciting journey that I enjoyed. 
      It's baseball season and here is a beer for it. Dedicated to baseball history pennant ale is a good beer. Light crisp but not just water. Real light on the hop character but has a nice bitter kick. Turn on the Mets, Yanks, or Dodgers and bathe in one of these. Win or lose you made out in this deal!

Rating: ****

Copper Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Copper Ale

• Brewery: Otter Creek (Vermont)
  

• Style: Altbier

• ABV: 5%

• IBU: 32

• Pour Color:  a copper color to the pour easily seen through.

      On pour this one had a quick rising head. That was quick lived as it disappeared almost instantly.  The scent off the glass is a sweet malty scent. The caramel malt is what you catch most of in scent. On sip you get a strong taste of those caramel malts again. A slight roasted taste to it too. It also has a alkaline flavor that I found to be off setting. Overall the hops only add slight tones. Almost a spicy kick but really don't come through strong. This one is a very malty earthy beer. 
      Being Otter Creek's flagship beer I expected more. The earthy spicy tones of the hops, that you could taste, was good. The alkaline almost metal taste though was really not good. This isn't one that I would buy again on any occasion really.

Rating: **

Wexford

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name:Wexford

• Brewery: Green King/Morland Brewery (Ireland)

• Style: Irish Style Cream Ale

• ABV: 5.0%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A copper color, transparent

      Having only tasted a Genny Cream Ale before this I didn't know what to expect. Then the Face opened the nitrous can. Also a first for us. The sound threw the Face off. As the Face poured, I realized if nothing else, this was the coolest pour I had ever seen. Like sand falling to oblivion the glass became clear after being all cloudy. The head on this is another marvel. It stood up for a long, long time. Thick and creamy I was nearly lost in it every time. The taste was that of a creamy red too. It was creamy but wasn't too sweet of a cream ale. Very malty and really a easy drinking beer. The Irish seem to do this Irish style thing pretty good. Weird.
         Figure this and the Brooklyn stout are my favorite beers for the holiday. Hoping to get a good rotation of those as I celebrate this wonderful occasion. I hope that all the other facial haired gentlemen (and ladies?) have a great festivity to attend. Bring them great mustaches home, safe and soaked in some suds at the end of the night. Happy Saint Paddy's day, pop a nitrous can and enjoy my fellow beer lovers.       

  Rating: ****