My blog n'at

Last year I had the first ever pumpkin beer that I enjoyed every drink of. Since then I swore it was the Southampton Pumpkin Ale and guess what, I was way off. When I drink a pumpkin beer I like the taste of pumpkin roll. Pumpkin beers are made of either real pumpkins or pumpkin spices. Very noticeable difference if you put the 2 side by side. Trying to keep in the spirit of the season my next few reviews will be pumpkin beers. This is also the last HDH on this domain. I opened my trap about the new HDH domain and now it’s coming up on a local distribution list.  Basically I have to get the site done. Motivation baby! You will see my new format for reviewing also.  Excited eh?

The Beer
Past on past experiences with pumpkin beer I can usually count on one thing. Over spiced. Southampton while having a noticeable amount of nutmeg upfront and cinnamon in the back, it wasn’t an overkill mount. The nose on it was a little rough as it sparked memories of a spice bomb. I was actually pleased with the selection this year but as a bomber bottle (22oz) you really need to make a commitment to drinking once you open it. It was average but very drinkable. The head didn’t hang out very long as about 2 fingers worth was gone from the time I placed it down and picked up my camera.

Spoon’s rating: C+

Since word first broke of this special brew from Dogfish Head was coming out earlier this year I knew it would be a must buy at any price. Apparently I spoke too soon. This champagne size rarity came in at $15 a bottle which for a 10% ABV beer is a bit steep but this is Pennsylvania after all and we’re use to our wallets feeling a bit light after a purchase

From the Dogfish Head website:
This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions.  The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC.  As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into ‘food of the gods’) is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from our friends at Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. Samples I saw poured at 3 Sons last week made me think they were mistaken but sure enough when I poured at home it indeed had a golden hue as you see in the picture above. No way this was going to be a chocolate. As always DFH teaches us to expect the unexpected and the Theobroma lives up to it.

Using my always trustworthy Dogfish Head glass the Theo poured a hazy orange with a solid white head which didn’t stay around for long so thankfully I snapped the picture in time. I was expecting more chocolate/cocoa  *umph* to the taste but found it boring for a DFH beer. Someone had to say it, I thought it was boring, dull, the opposite of thought provoking… you get the idea. I thought this was mediocre at best. I had a faint hint of cocoa on the nose so I’m thinking that after my overall experience this needs to be aged more and that’s exactly what’s happening. Sickpuppy is saving a bottle in the SIDT Beer Cellar for us to drink at a future date.

Spoon’s rating: C- (that’s only because it has potential)

This is one of the gems I brought back from my trip to Oswego for Silent Bob’s wedding (i know I still haven’t posted pictures) When I select beers for HDH I try to make it something that I haven’t already had on the show. I have drank Avery products before but being a huge fan of the IPA style it was a dream to see the wide availability of this in NY state (since it’s NEVER in Pittsburgh).

First off, I hate foil. It serves no purpose to me on beer besides to get into my beer and mess with my fillings. Yeah you know the feeling!  Fortunately for this beverage i was able to look past that as the label is one of the most well designed ones I’ve seen. The nose is that of a citrus/grapefruit with a hint of pine and hops. My first thought for an Imperial was high alcohol aroma but that wasn’t the case.

The head was fantastic. Fluffy cloud or pillow would be the best explanation. If serving at a bar, a hop leaf would be a killer addition. The whole way down it left beautiful lacing on my glass. The taste… well, OHMY FREAKINGLORD.  Yeah, that’s right. It had a full body of balanced heavy malt and hops and didn’t make me pucker. The finish was smooth and no lingering aftertaste which is always a concern for me when drinking Imperial IPA’s. Oh yeah, this gem is an A in my book.

Official spoon rating: A

On a final note, due to a considerable amount of time recording audio and video for SIDT I have been unable to keep up with HDH. Never fear as we have wrapped up recordings for now and you should see this back as a weekly feature. Plus I’m making a run to 3 Sons to see what all i can do for the fall/Oktoberfest season.

prost!

The story behind the Dogfish Head 120 Minute Chug
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PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 will take place on October 18 and 19, 2008, with a meet-and-greet the evening of October 17.  SIDT will be providing and serving the craft beer   Make sure you attend the after party Saturday Night. It’s where legends are made!

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from dogfish.com
“An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means “holy tree” and it’s wood has been used in South American wine-making communities.

This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the Palo Santo wood. It was a huge hit at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub when first released in November of 2006, so it’s coming back… into full production.

At 10,000 gallons each, these are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition. It’s all very exciting. We have wood. Now you do too.”

We’ll see about that…

When a new DFH is available in my area, I try it. It’s like a new style of Pepsi, gotta try at least once. I got word from the weekly 3 Sons mailing list that the Palo Santo Marron was in. The what? I’ve never heard of this one? I have been lax on my DFH 2008 Release calendar so eh, my bad.

The pour was exciting. As soon as I finished emptying the last drop into my pint glass, the head on this beer went from a stagnant tan line and exploded into a nice 2 finger head. Didn’t last very long but it was cool to watch. Props for effects.

The aroma caught me off guard. Vanilla? *sniff* Banana? *sniff* fruity? wtf is going on here? According to the bottle and website this is an American Brown style beer. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a brown ale and I must say that I have NEVER had one like this. I like that, a style that surprises me.

First off this is 12% ABV. I’m not kidding, 12%! The max you would normally see is 8% so really it shouldn’t shock me that DFH kicked it up. I’d wager to say that most browns I’ve tasted have been pretty much the same. A little nutty, malty and slightly hoppy. The Palo Santo(Holy Tree) Marron was de-friggin-licious. Here’s why…

First off, I can’t taste the alcohol. When you see 12% ABV you face the risk of a strong alcohol taste. Must be the holy wood that fools you. Vanilla! Vanilla! Vanilla! Oh sweet Jesus it’s not overpowering but you know it’s there. *taste* mmm That would be a little fruit and nuts. Anyone who’s a freak about lacing though won’t like that it’s non-existent. Should you care? I really don’t. It doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a fine beverage.

Price I paid was $5 for a 120z bottle and $17-$18 for a 4 pack. That may seem pricey but for the Bud/Coors/Miler drinkers that would be equivalent to 12 of your beers… in 4 bottles. Crack one open and say hello to Wonderland, bitches!

This is a birthday beer from my bro (bday recap coming tomorrow) which he picked up from one of my absolute favorite mecas in Pittsburgh. Fat Heads Ale is specially brewed and bottled by Rogue Brewing and sold exclusively in their upstairs 6 pack shop. If you can’t make it to Fat Head’s but do have access to Rogue’s, pick up a few bottles of Younger’s Special Bitter. Same beverage, different bottle.

This particular selection is and English Bitter so you’re going to experience a moderate malt tone along with mid to high levels of hops. Don’t expect much of an alcohol kick as this comes in low around 4-5% ABV.

The pour on this was amazing. Dare I say it was beer porn? There was a feathery pillow of head on top that was inviting to lay a hop leaf in it (that’s for you PodCampPgh 2 pre-post dinner partiers). The body had a light amber but the flavor was anything but that. Full taste that wasn’t heavy on the palette. I found a medium level of malt and hops which were a pleasant treat plus the lacing left on the glass was very impressive (again, beer porn).

If you haven’t been able to tell yet, this one gets a thumbs up. Besides the great tasting beverage I have to give props to the bottle art. The front decor is the Fat Heads logo, which I think looks good on anything, while the side lists the ingredients (lets see fizzy yellow beer do that) and the Fat Heads way of life… chill out man. have a beer!

IBU – 35
Lovibond – 317
A.A. – 75
Plato – 12

Fat Head’s website – https://www.fatheads.com/