Four special beers I recently sampled. All good, not all great.
As reported in my last post, after purchasing ingredients for the Pumpkin Porter my friend and I walked over to a local beer store that sells by the bottle. There were at least two beers I wanted to find and I came home with four: Southern Tier's Pumpking (far left above), an imperial pumpkin ale; Dogfish Head's Punkin (far right above), a brown ale with spices and pumpkin; Wells' Banana Bread Beer (middle right above); and Stone's Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Bean (middle left above). The first two had been on my short list of reportedly "good" pumpkin beers I wanted to try this season. The banana bread beer was something I saw somewhere else but didn't want to buy a full 6-pack of and grabbed a single bottle of it to give it a try. The Stone porter was something I had a local bar recently and had to try it again I enjoyed it so much the first time.
The Dogfish Head was the first of the four I drank. My friend Pete told me about it and I'd seen it on store shelves so it was one of the two I was particularly looking for when I went to that beer store. This is a pumpkin beer to brag about and tell your friends to seek out and try. No weak, watery, over-spiced beer, Punkin is a full-bodied, balanced beer with a nice pumpkin flavor and a good amount of spices. I've enjoyed everything I've had from Dogfish Head, and although they're known for their hopped ales and pale ales, this brown ale with real pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices is a solid brew. If I can still find baking pumpkins by the next time I brew I want to try to make something like this.
I next drank the banana bread beer. I liked it, but I'm glad I only had one bottle of it. I think 6 would have sat in my fridge for "special occasions". This tasted like a gimmick brew, something brewed to say they could. Knowing what grains go into a beer to give it a bread-y taste and the label saying it's made with real bananas, I have an idea of how this was made. However, I didn't like it enough to give it high praise. The aroma was good, and my wife commented that she could smell bananas, and the initial taste was fine, but the body was somewhat light and the aftertaste was a bit sharp and a little unpleasant. I'm glad I had the chance to try a single bottle but won't be coming back to it any time soon.
Stone's Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Bean was third, and it was as good as the bottle I had back in August. Even without the vanilla addition this porter is excellent with a nice smoky flavor. It's smooth with the right amount of sweetness that's usual for a porter, excellent body and good foam. I don't really have much more to say about this beer aside from that it's really good! If you come across it, either in a bar or in such a store as where I found it to purchase by the bottle, do so!
I saved Southern Tier's Pumking for last for a two reasons: one, it's an imperial ale, meaning it's more alcoholic than your ordinary beer; and two, it came in a 22-oz. bottle. I wanted to have it with a meal so that there was something in my system to help absorb the beer, and to make sure I was enjoying it early enough in the evening to allow myself time to enjoy it without having to rush through it. I found the right day and the right meal and popped it open while eating dinner with my wife. This beer is amazing! Waiting for and hunting down it and Dogfish Head's Punkin was well worth the wait and the hunt. Pumking is smooth with a strong flavor, full body, great foam, and is overall wonderful. I'm glad I had so much of it to enjoy and didn't mind the price (about $8).
There's my review of "special" beers I've tried recently. Three of them were great, one is decent and a neat thing to try, but not worth a 6-pack.
I don't think I'll be able to brew this month (Oct 2012) so I won't have a post about brewing, but will update the Pumpkin Porter post when I try the first bottle in a few weeks. I'm drinking the Cascade IPA I brewed late August and it turned out as a decent session ale, not an IPA, and I hope I didn't make the same mistake with my porter.
So what are your favorite specialty beers? Is there anything you'd spend a whole day hunting down or something you specifically wait for at some time of year?
Until next time friends, happy brewing!
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