Smuttynose Winter Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Smuttynose Winter Ale

• Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company (New Hampshire)

• Style: Dubbel

• ABV: 5.83%

• IBU: 30

• Pour Color: A dark red color. Light makes it through.

      The head was quick to raise in the glass. Had a nice brown shade to the head too. It lowered after the first few seconds and hung low at the top. The smell was almost a raisin, chocolate, caramel mix. The color is a nice shade of red that makes it very appealing really. This one hits the mouth and you start to get a warmer sensation. The caramel character is there and a nice fruitiness. As you swallow you get a nice bitter finish. 
      Smuttynose brewing is a trip! You see the two guess on there IPA bottle and one of em is in a red flannel and suspenders. When I went to the American Craft Beer Festival in Boston that man was at the booth. He was more willing to talk beer then any other person in the place. That's the kind of person who loves his product. Also the kind of person that makes great beer. This mustache hasn't found one Smuttynose he wouldn't swim in again. Even if it's just one time a year for a specific style!

Rating: ****

Encore

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Encore

• Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company (Vermont)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.4%

• IBU: 45

• Pour Color: A hazy amber color. Cloudy but light travels through easy.

      The head of the beer was fairly low. Hung around at the top for awhile as a thin film. The pour in the glass looked to have a strong hop haze from the dry hopping. The scent off the top of the glass didn't really offer that sense though. You get a little hop and a little wheat kick in the smell. Tasting this one gives you a mix of flavors. While in mouth your getting a nice kick of pine and citrus hops. It also has a orange peal bitter taste. Then as you swallow that kick of the wheat comes in strong and clean. Not a bad wheat IPA. 
      This is a good beer that does what it aims for. You get a nice hop presence and a nice wheat end. It has a nice crisp clean taste that puts a lot of pale wheat ales to shame. Being a hop loving mustache though it's not hoppy enough. It does have another factor on it's side though. At 6.4% ABV it's actually a higher ABV then most wheat ales. Remember when drinking this one, although very smooth, it ain't a session beer. I wouldn't shy away from this one if I found myself hovering above it again. 

Rating: ****

Autumnation

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Autumnation

• Brewery: Six Points Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: Pumpkin Ale (More A Pale)

• ABV: 6.7%

• IBU: 74

• Pour Color: A totally transparent orange, amber.

      This one raged out the can. The head was high and pretty thick at the top the glass. Fought this mustache to a stand still. It would be hanging around as a fluffy island in the glass for a long time. Residue of that head went down the glass  as i drank. The scent off the top is a bitter orange peel and a pine kick. You can really smell a difference in wet hops. The color is a nice see through orange. The kind of color you expect from autumn. The spices you expect from a pumpkin ale are really toned down in this. You get a slight pumpkin but it's more about those hops. The flavor is strong tones of citrus, pine and a balance from the pumpkin. A well ballenced beer that I'll swim in again and again.
      Ahhhhh a december posting about a pumpkin ale... I know, it isn't the season anymore. Yet I'm still finding Autumnation and I shouldn't be. This has been one of my favorite beers for a couple of weeks now. A pumpkin that has this kind of kick of hops can't be ignored by true hop head mustaches. The can says to get one by the end of December so get your face's on that!

Rating: *****

Breakfast Stout

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Breakfast Stout

• Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company (Michigan) 

• Style: Imperial Stout

• ABV: 8.3%

• IBU: 60

• Pour Color: Black through and through!

      The pour came out a deep black that even held up to light you couldn't see. The head wasn't anything spectacular, it was half a finger. Not much of a match for the mustache. The scent is a deep roasted scent. You also catch a slight coffee chocolate mix off the top. The coffee and the chocolate come through very bitter on taste. Strong smokey roasted flavors are complimented with a nice earth hop flavor. You also get a strong flavor of the alcohol in this one. Over all really delicious!
      They call this a breakfast stout. The coffee flavor works that way easy. I can't see myself drinking this in the mourning though. It's got a nice thick body, like you would want from a early drinking day, but way to strong. With the high ABV you're not gonna drink to many in a day. The taste of alcohol makes it hard to drink early too. I think as a night cap though, PERFECT!

Rating: ****1/2

Pecan Harvest Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Pecan Harvest Ale

• Brewery: Abita Brewing Company (Louisiana)

• Style: Nut Brown Ale

• ABV: 5.2%

• IBU: 20

• Pour Color: A nice see thru orange color

      A decent head came up to about two fingers high. The scent off the glass nutty malty scent. A nice caramel scent too. The color is that of autumn leaves. The taste is a nice roasted nutty mix, amazing really. I find such a light full flavored beer is really refreshing. The roasty nut flavors echos after a swallow to delicious.
      This is my favorite harvest ale, from Abita, so far. Infact the amount of nut flavor you get from the pecans makes this one of my favorite beers. Slightly thinner body to this one then most. Really a lighter beer that delivers the kinds of nut and roasted flavor you expect from a dark beer.

Rating: ****1/2

Sublimely Self-Righteous

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Sublimely Self-Righteous

• Brewery: Stone Brewing Company (California)

• Style: Black IPA

• ABV:8.7%

• IBU: 90

• Pour Color: Dark color that swallows most the light. Slightly brown head to it.

      The pour came out extremely dark. Held up to light, you get a slight red color through the glass. The head came up to be 3 fingers easy and was quite formidable. It took four or five fights with it to make it go down. The scent off the glass was all hops really. A nice mix of piney, grassy hops that most beers can't get. The taste was really where this one overwhelmed. Not just hops there. You get the fair share of hops in the opening. In the mouth you notice a thicker body then the average beer. The swallow was a nice mix of coffee, chocolate, and hops at the end. Quite delicious all and all.
      Late in the year it's hit and miss on seasonal offerings. This is an exception but what else would you expect from Stone! Sublimely Self-Righteous makes you excited for winter to come as this will be your reward. Even if instead of San Diego California you live in upstate New York or anywhere in between!  

 
Rating: *****

Hoss

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Hoss

• Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company (Colorado)

• Style: Oktoberfest

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A Clear Orange Color
  
  
  
        On pour the head stood up about two fingers high. Shining a darker orange in my glass. The scent is very malty, as an Oktoberfest should be. It had a nice caramel and fig scent too. The taste was a mix of caramel, clove, and yeast. Very well ballenced taste. This is a Oktoberfest that most people would love!
        Hoss is a delicious Oktoberfest beer that tastes great. It's got that clean malt character you expect and a little more hop character then some. Much sweeter flavor then I like for the most part though. The bitter is there too though and good. Your mustache would be loving Hoss if it was bathing in it right now!
  
  Rating: *****