Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Where: Chico, CA
Beer: Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale
Style: American Brown Ale
IBU: 37 IBU
ABV: 5.5%

I was in a local convenient store the other night and decided to have a look at their beer cooler.  I'm glad I did because I found a sixer of Sierra Nevada's Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, which is one of their seasonals that I haven't tried yet.  As far as breweries go, Sierra Nevada seems to be consistently one of my favorite alongside Rogue Ales and a few others.  It's just one of those where I never taste a beer that I wouldn't want to have a second glass...  Consistently excellent at every turn. 

Sierra Nevada's Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale has a rich brown color with a thick head in the glass.  It has an immediate aroma of northwestern hops and a sweetness on the tongue created by the combination of two-row pale, crystal, chocolate, and smoked malts.  The sweetness lingers, which suits me just fine!  From the website:

As the nights grow cool, the leaves on the valley oaks begin to turn and fall.  In honor of this yearly dance, we bring you Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and invite you to enjoy the show.  We use malt within days of roasting at the peak of its flavor to give Tumbler a gracefully smooth malt character.  So pour a glass, and grab a window seat to watch as the leaves come tumbling down.

Reading that makes me wish this summer heat around here would ease up just a bit... Fall is just around the corner.  As the weather cools, I'll be working on beers more like this one and the darker varities of stouts to keep things warm inside...

Give this one a try!

Brewery: Ridgeway Brewing
Where: Oxfordshire, England
Beer: Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout
Style: Foreign / Export Stout
IBU: N/A
ABV: 8.0%

I almost forgot about this little jewel that was in my Christmas stocking this year...  I have had it stuffed in the back of the fridge for a while now and today seemed like a good time to pull it out and see what Santa really thinks of me...

At 8% alcohol by volume, Santa definitely had some good intentions.  This beer poured with the traditional black color and creamy head that is normally associated with a big stout.  This beer has a big malty punch and a full body only slightly smaller than you would expect from a sumo wrestler.  From the bottle:

Yet another bummed out holiday?  Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is liquid consolation.  It's a deep, rich, sweetly rewarding stout to take the edge off of that grim family gathering, that cheerless annual festival of alienation.  This brew is as dark as it gets, as black as the lump of coal you'll be getting for Christmas.  Because, let's face it, you've been pretty bad this year.

I think this beer is an excellent stocking stuffer item.  I'm not sure that I'd buy it for myself, but I do really like the beer-themed Christmas gift!  There is nothing spectacular or original about this beer, but as stouts go, there is also nothing wrong with it.  It has the rich roasted flavor that one might expect followed by a swift kick in the pants from the alcohol, which sneaks up on you rather quickly...

Happy New Year!

Brewery: Rogue Ales
Where: Newport, Oregon
Beer: Santa's Private Reserve
Style: American Amber / Red Ale
IBU: 65
ABV: 6%

Christmas day is over and I'm totally worn out.  I have had this beer on my shelf for a while saving it for this very specific and special occasion.  I tossed it in the fridge this morning knowing that I was going to wind up my day by popping the cap on yet another Rogue.  Santa's Private Reserve is a not your average winter holiday seasonal beer.  In fact, it's not really going to fall into that category at all.  Santa has had enough of the all-spice, coriander, nutmeg, clove, and whatever else might have found its way into other kettles.  What Santa really wants after a long trip around the globe is a big fat malt bomb that starts the bitterness with a good helping of Chinook hops and finished with the fantastic aroma and flavor of Centennial hops.  Rogue has come to the rescue and answered Santa's request with this year's Santa's Private Reserve.  This beer poured with a rich amber color and foamy head followed by a big aroma of malt and Centennial hops. 

On that note, I'm going to call it a day and finish this wonderful beer.  If you haven't tried this one yet, you better get them while you can or you might have to wait until next year...  seriously folk... this is a bad one to miss!

Brewery: Founders Brewing
Where: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Beer: Harvest Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
IBU: 70
ABV: 6.5%

This is my second taste of a wet-hopped pale ale.  It's not bad... The hop flavor and aroma in this beer is quite intense, as it should be.  It poured with a nice golden color with a little haziness and a decent head that was full of a floral hoppy aroma.  This is my first taste of a Founders Brewing beer, but there are several others I want to try. 

I'm initially disappointed in Founders Brewing over this particular beer in terms of marketing.  For any of you who follow this blog, you know that I go to the brewer's website and look at their information on every beer I try.  I'm also a homebrewer, so my interest in the 'mechanics' of any given beer is a lot higher than average. 

Harvest Ale is a wet-hopped ale.  What this means is that fresh hops right off the plants have been added to this beer... probably late in the boil and as dry hopping additions during secondary fermentation.  The general key to the greatness of this process is the TYPE of hop used to make this beer what it is (or isn't).  There is no information on the bottle OR on the website to indicate what style of hops Founders chose to make such a prominent part of this brew.  My experience makes me believe that it might be a Cascade hop, or possibly a Centennial, but we'll never know since that information seems to be hidden.  I think that's a rather poor choice.  Most brewers are really proud of the hops that were used to make a beer like this. 

If anyone knows what it might be, let me know :)

Well, here we go once again down that road of slick packaging! I'm a sucker for it. If your beer has a super cool label, I'm likely to try it.  The Shmaltz Brewing Company, as far as I'm concerned, wins the cool labeling contest hands down.  I was at the World Market in Mooresville recently when I spotted this little gem sitting among some other seasonal beers and wines in a rather subtle display.  It hasnt' been that long ago that I tried their Coney Island Lager simply because of the cool label, so I'm going to pick up the rest of their stuff that is available to me this week and get it in the tasting line up very soon.  The labeling on the two bottles is nearly identical, which is probably why I liked it so much. 

The Coney Island Freaktoberfest poured with a thick foamy head and, as noted on the bottle, a blood red color in the glass.  It's so red that I actually expected the Kool-Aid guy to crash through my wall when I took a sip.  However, on taking that first sip, the malty dominance of the blood red brew stood up and shouted instead.  This beer has a powerful caramel note.  I don't know what the grain bill on this beer looks like but I'm quite confident that there is a nice chunck of crystal malt in each batch.  I like the flavor of this beer so much I might just write them an email and see if they would be willing to give any tips to a home brewer on making it.  Some breweries will do that to some extent.  The last time I inquired about a recipe, I was given the list of malts and hops used in the beer, but no amounts or ratios and was left to figure it out on my own. 

The label on this beer also says "This is not an Oktoberfest... This is Freaktoberfest."  As far as Oktoberfest beers go, this IS a bit different in more ways than just the color.  The malt dominance of this beer is right on target with the Oktoberfest style.  There is something odd in the hop bill though and I'm not sure what it is.  This beer has very little hop aroma, which is also normal, but there is a definite hop bitterness, although not overpowering at all, in this brew.  From the bottle:

6 Malts
6 Hops
6.66% Alcohol
Blood Red Lager
Indulge your Inner Freak!

That 6 hop note and higher alcohol content is what sets this beer apart from a normal Oktoberfest.  Oktoberfests are traditionally not known for hops.  I'll send a note to Shmaltz Brewing and see what information I might be able to get them to give up on this brew...  In the mean time, I am headed up to Gail's Hops and Grapes to pick up some more of these brews for future drinks...

I was in Gail's Hops and Grapes again the other day when Monica popped out from behind the counter modeling this beer like one of Bob Barker's Price is Right merchandise models ;)  I have learned to watch out for her.  She's a hop head.  So what did she have for me?  Today's selection is Sierra Nevada's 13th Release Harvest Wet Hop Ale.  Here's the blurb from the website concerning this special release:

The cornerstone of our Harvest series is the beer that started the modern-day fresh hop ale phenomenon in America, our original Harvest Ale.

Created in 1996, Harvest Ale features Cascade and Centennial hops from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington.  These hops are harvested and shipped as "wet" un-dried hops - the same day they are picked - to our brewery in Chico where our brewers eagerly wait to get them into the brew kettle while their oils and resins are still a their peak.

There is no doubt in my mind that Cascade and Centennial hops combine to create an excellent mix of bitterness and aroma.  It's a common combination and very worthy of its purpose.  This beer is also quite malty as well with a significant punch from the caramel malts that are combined with the two-row pale malts to conjure up this pale ale.  The body of this beer is heavier than the average pale ale, and the alcohol levels out at 6.7% ABV.  On the hop scale, this beer rings in at 60-65 IBU which defines a nice punch of hop presence as well. 

Sierra Nevada makes good beers.  In fact, they really do make excellent beers.  One of my favorite aspects of Sierra Nevada's brews, especially when it comes to these special releases, is they don't break my bank when I want to give it a try.  This 24-oz bomber rang up on Monica's register at $5.09 plus tax. 

Today's sampling is from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina.  I have had several of their beers before and always had excellent results and reviews, but this beer has a problem.  I'm not sure if it's just this bottle or possibly the batch, but it has a bitter flavor that is very uncharacteristic of the style.  It tastes like something is wrong with it.  I actually poured this beer down the drain after 5 or 6 sips.  Before I pass complete judgement on this beer, I'm going to chill another one and give it a try.  If there is any difference in the next bottle, I will update this post with additional information. 

My previous experiences with Highland beers have all been good.  This is a brewery that I will always hold in high regards as well, so don't let this minor glitch steer you away from their wonderfully crafted beers. 

*** Update ***

I opened another bottle of this beer this evening and it exhibited the same bitterness that the first bottle did.  I poured it out.  I'm going to try to talk to some others who have had this beer and compare notes...

Here's another seasonal I picked up recently at Gail's Hops and Grapes. Before I continue on this one, I have a comment for any of my local people who might be reading this:

If you are interested in sampling the seasonal's being offered at Gail's, I have three bottles of each of the following beers that I will trade you three of something that I don't have already. I really hate buying six packs just to try a beer, and now I have a collection of Oktoberfests that I won't drink up myself...

Samuel Adams Octoberfest
New Belgium Hoptober (not a real Oktoberfest)
Bell's Octoberfest
Highland's Clawhammer Oktoberfest

I will trade these one at a time or in groups of three for any of the other fall seasonals if you want to mix up your tasting regimen without buying six of everything...

The Sam Adams Octoberfest, even though they (as did Bell's Brewing) spell it wrong, is a decent representation of the style.  It poured a very rich copper/amber color with a thick head of foam.  The malty aroma came through quickly and there are practically no hop aromas found that contribute significantly to the overall aroma.  From the website:

The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color.  Samuel Adams Octoberfest has a rich, deep golden amber hue which itself is reflective of the season.  Samuel Adams Octoberfest is a malt lover's dream, masterfully blending together five roasts of barley to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee.  The beer is kept from being overly sweet by the elegant bitterness imparted by the German Noble hops.  Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the winter's heartier brews.

The Sam Adams Octoberfest is probably going to fall in the middle of the road of my favorites in this group this season.  I'm not sure what is causing it, but there is a little bit of leftover bitterness in the aftertaste of this beer.  That isn't characteristic of this style.  This beer should finish on a sweet note with a caramel aftertaste if there is any aftertaste at all.  Its not as full bodied as the Bell's and its got just a little bit crisper flavor.  We'll see how these stack up to the Highland Brewing's Clawhammer Oktoberfest that I have been saving.  I'm expecting it to be my favorite of the bunch so far...

Here's another beer that I picked up from Gail's Hops and Grapes recently as I started collecting some of the fall seasonals for tasting.  There is definitely one thing I need to keep in mind about New Belgium Brewing in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  They are definitely outside of the box.  What you might expect from the isn't always, or usually, what you will get.  I like this beer, but I'm going to whine a little about it as well...

This beer poured a beautiful golden color as possibly anticipated by the Golden Ale on the label.  The head was nice and foamy and left a fantastic lacing on the glass.  The lacing was pretty enough that I almost wanted to make a photo of that...  The hop presence in this beer is duly noted by the name of the beer and the flavor and aroma that arises from this glass.  This beer has a rather light and crisp body which is representative of some of my favorite summertime drinks, but the hop bill here creates something rather delicious and new.  From the bottle:

Five hops and four malts make HOPTOBER Golden Ale a veritable cornucopia of the earth.  Pale and wheat malt are mashed with rye and oats to create a medium bodied ale with a cream mouth feel.  Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Clacier hops form a bonfire of citrus notes, fruity cheers and a bold finale.

I can't really argue with any of that.  This is an excellent beer at 40 IBU and 6.0% ABV.  My bitch with this beer is simply that it ain't what I was lookin' for.  I only wish they had named this beer something else.  Any beer name that contains, alludes to, or summons the idea of the month of October in its name must contain caramel and toasted malt notes with medium to heavy body and an amber to orange hue and minimal hop notes ;)  I think New Belgium's offering could very appropriately be named "Harvest Ale" or something along those lines...

Maybe I'm just getting to be old enough that change isn't something I can deal with as easily :)

I have bee to Gail's Hops and Grapes twice in the last week to pick up several sixers of seasonal samplers. Fall seasonals, especially Oktoberfests, are some of my favorite beers. As you may be able to tell from my writings here, I love the malty beers. The girls at Gail's have been really clamoring over the Bell's offering this year.  They say it's their most popular seasonal at the moment, so of course I had to give it a try.  I am a fan of Bell's Brewery's products, and it's really hard to go wrong with one of their beers.

This Oktoberfest poured with a nice golden-orange color that isn't as deep as some I have experienced in the past.  The thick head also looked appealing and it held on for the duration of this drink.  The body of this drink is rather rich, and I would classify it as medium to slightly higher than medium with a beautiful caramel flavor with hints of toasted notes floating around.  It has an excellent mouth feel and it isn't too crisp.  From the website:

A coppery amber lager that showcases a full-bodied, malty flavor that is balanced by a refreshing bitterness derived from fine noble hops...

Oh well... the body level and character of a beer to a homebrewer is significantly different that to most beer drinkers.  Let's just say that this beer does have a nice body overall.  This style of beer is not known for any particular presence of hop character, so I'm not even really interested in discussing the hop value.  These beers are defined by their maltiness. 

It's good stuff... I'm just not ready to put it at the very top of my Oktoberfest favorites list yet.  I have three more on hand to sample and I might pick up a few more during the season as well...