Hardwood - Farmhouse Pumpkin

Hardywood Brewing Co.

Reserve Series - Farmhouse Pumpkin Ale

The color of this brew is very dirty looking orange/brown.  This beer looks very similar to a cider.  It is thick and cloudy.  The head foamed up a light tan, fizzed and went away fairly quickly.  The muddy dull copper color is very Fall in look and is exactly what I wanted it to look like.  

The aroma of this brew is sweet, with a little bit of malt and mild spice.  The sweetness I feel is the prominent aroma.  The sugary smell, mixes in with the malt and the spice just kind of hides out in the background.  It isn't as Fall as I thought it would be, but it is still a pleasant smell.  

On the palate the light, fizzy carbonation is pleasant and distinctive to a farmhouse style brew.  The beer, is still fairly smooth.  The sugary sense isn't as strong as the smell lends you to believe.  The maltiness of this beer mixes in with a little bit of sourness that balances the beer.  The pumpkin spices are subtle but there especially if you wait between sips.  The beer is of decent strength, so sipping it is recommended.  

This is a petty good beer.  Pretty much every Hardywood brew has been either good or great that I have had.  The overall appearance of this beer is wonderful and screams fall.  The smell is sweet, and different, but in this case, different is good.  The flavor is a little sweeter than I thought, but the mix of sourness, and spice really does a good job of working together to create a unique taste.  It's a quality beer and worth the a try.  I give this beer a 3.75 out of 5.

Fall beer!!! Woohoo!!!

Fall is my favorite time of year for beer.  I love the spices and flavor a of fall beers.  I am so excited for the beers I bought! 

What's your favorite fall beer?

Hardywood - Peach Tripel

It's good!!!

Cloudy light orange, that fades to a nice golden.  The sent is nice and balanced with a mild peach scent with a nice kick of sweetness.  The flavor is sweet and tart and wonderful!  Sorry for the short review... this beer is quality and from a great VA brewery!  4 out of 5!

Deschutes - Zarabanda

Deschutes Brewery

Zarabanda - A Saison done in collaboration with Chef José Andrés

The color of this brew is a nice bright orange.  It is a little foggy, but that is due to the style of beer.  The head poured a bright white, with tightly packed bubbles, and came and went quickly.  The fizzing of the beer almost sounded like a soda being poured into a glass, crisp, and refreshing.

The aroma of this beer is fairly subtle.  The scents do not come off strong, but they are balance well and pleasant.  I got a citrus and mild hint of spice, but it was masked by a blanket of yeast/breadiness.  The here was also a slight hint of sugary sweetness in the smell.  

On the palate refreshing, almost champagne like carbonation leads the way to a citrus-sweet brew that has a nice spice that warms the back of the throat after you swallow.  The bottle claims that the beer has lemon verbena, pink peppercorn, sumac, and dried lime.  You will definitely notice the citrus. And the peppercorn as you drink.  I am not sure what sumac tastes like so I can't tell you about that.  

Overall this is a very enjoyable beer, especially on a warm day.  It goes down easy, it's refreshing, has a nice amount of flavor and is not heavy.  The color is enjoyable, and the smell, while it is mild, does have some nice notes to it.  Overall I give this beer a 3.75 out of 5.  It's available year round, so go get some. 

Block House Brewing - Double Chocolate Bock

Block House Brewing (Affiliate of Pittsburgh Brewing Co.)

Double Choclate Bock 

The color of this beer is deep translucent brown.  The light tan head is fizzy and comes and goes very quickly.  It's very deep in color for a bock, but I am guessing that is due to the chocolate aspect.

Speaking of chocolate, wow, you can really smell it.  It's almost like opening up a candy bar.  There is also a milky sweetness, mix in with a subtle maltiness.  If you are a lover of all things chocolate, this beer's smell is for you.  It is so good, I kind of want a chocolate bar right now!  

The prickly, but light carbonation leads way to a beer that is like drinking a cold hot chocolate, but in a good way.  Upfront there is a milky sweetness that then leads you to the main body of the beer CHOCOLATE!  There is a slight dryness on the backend that helps balance out the sweet, chocolate goodness of this beer. It's smooth, refreshing, dessert in a glass.  Mix this with vanilla ice cream and you have the makings of an amazing beer float.  

All and all, I love this beer.  If you look online, you will see some pretty nasty things written about it.  Let me make it simple for you... if you want to taste a beer that has chocolate for miles, you want something different that is straight forward, and not complex, this is the beer for you.  I found it delicious, and I wish I had more than one!  I give it a 4.25 out of 5!!!

Founders - Backwoods Bastard

Founders Brewing Company

Backwoods Bastard (2014) - Bourbon Barrel Wee Heavy Ale

The color of this brew is a lovely chestnut with hints of red lurking in the background.  The barely transparent beer pours with a tiny head that goes away quickly to leave just a light tan ring around the edge of the glass.  It's a wonderful color, this beer has an alluring look to it that is simple and pleasant.  

The aroma of this beer is just what you hoped it would be.  There is a sweetness to it that is similar to candied sugar.  There is also a rich maltiness, and of course alcohol.  The alcohol scent is pronounced but not in your face, it is what you would hope an ale aged in bourbon barrels would be.

On the palate this wee heavy has a smooth carbonation that gives way to a heavier, almost chewy beer.  The brew has notes of caramel, roasted malt, and vanilla.  The vanilla is nicely done and compliments the beer very well, which of course makes sense, vanilla and bourbon go very well together. The beer finishes with a nice little bite to help balance out the sweetness of this beer.  This beer also leaves a fantastic, gentle warming sensation on the back of your throat.  

Overall this beer delivers what you would hope for from a barrel aged wee heavy.  The look is very nice with the hints of red, the aroma delivers an alcohol, sweet and roasted scent, and on the palate this beer is plainly put solid.  I give this beer a 4 out of 5.  Nice beer to store in the fridge and have every once in a while.

Troegs - Jovial

Troegs Craft Brewery

Jovial - Belgian Stlye Dubbel Ale

The beer needs to be poured very carefully or else it will take a long time to pour it all or enjoy it.  The has a large pillowy head that is beige in color and fluffy like the top of a root beer float.  The head takes a long long time to go down.  Beer is a reddish copper, but looks extremely red in direct light.  The beer is very deep and is only translucent.  

The aroma is masked by the high foamy head, but when it does go down you get hints of caramel, rot malt, raisin and fig.  There is a hidden spice to the aroma as well.  It's a pleasant and balanced aroma Leading to you want to drink the beer, also making to get in close to really take in all the beer has to offer.  

On the palate this carbonation is pleasant and complimentary to the beer.  It's a beer that is thick on the tongue but doesn't feel very heavy.  The caramel, fig and raisin flavors are nicely done, mixing together well on the tongue and not fighting with each.  The finish has a slight bitterness that helps balance out the moderate sweetness.  There is no alcohol flavors this beer even though it is 7% abv.  I have had a few of these beers, and I will say this, I actually prefer this beer out of a bottle more than being poured into the glass.

Overall this is a pretty good beer.  The aroma is nice, the color is nice looking, and the flavor is pretty good too.  Nothing about this beer is amazing, it is just a quality beer.  Like I said, try it in a bottle and a glass and see how you like it better.  I don't know why, but this beer tastes better from a bottle.  I give this beer a 4 out of 5.  It is just so balanced it can't get a lower score.