Tommyknocker - Maple Nut Brown

Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub

Maple Nut Brown Ale - A nut brown ale with a touch of maple syrup

The color of this beer is awesome.  Its a wonderful chestnut brown with a hint reddish/orange.  A very very enticing beer by the looks.

The aroma is a wonderful roasted malt, with a hint of caramel and of course a sweetness from the maple syrup.  There is also a note of alcohol in the smell of this beer.  It's a  wonderful blend of roasted malt, sweetness and alcohol.  

On the palate this beer is smoooooooth.  Goes down with ease and with barely any after taste to speak of.  The flavors are well balanced and there is very little alcohol sense.  The maltiness is wonderful and light, with a kick of sweetness that makes you want to come bak for more, and more.

Ok, this is easily one of my favorite nut brown ales.  It's so smooth and well balanced.  It's a very enjoyable beer.  The aroma and the taste are different, but they do compliment each other very well.  This is a beer you should definitely try.  A great job by Tommyknocker.

Jolly Pumpkin - La Parcela

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

La Parcela No. 1 pumpkin ale - Ale brewed with pumpkin, cacao, and spice

The color of this beer is an awesome opaque light brown in the center that fades to orange as it comes closer to the glass.  It's the most unique color I have seen this season.

The aroma of this brew is awesome.  There is a mild sense of citrus, seasonal spice and a mild sweetness.  This is an aroma that I wouldn't expect.  The spices are mild, barely noticeable, but balanced and make this aroma enticing.

On the palate this beer is nothing that I would expect.  The flavors all blend together, paired with barely there carbonation make this beer easy to drink.  On the backend, this beer has a little bit of a sourness and slight bitterness.  To understand this beer you need to try it.

Overall I think this beer is pretty good.  There isn't much of a pumpkin flavor, but the beer has a good mixture of flavor and has a nice finish on the backend.  I like the amount of carbonation and the way the beer glides on the tongue.  Sometimes I think artisanal ales try to hard, but this one does not.

Left Hand Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest

Left Hand Brewing Co.

Oktoberfest - Marzen Lager

The color of this beer is a crystal clear copper.  It's a beautiful color with the crispness of fall.

The aroma of this beer gives off hints of biscuit and malt.  There is a slight sweetness to the aroma as well, a light caramel.  The aroma fills the nose but it doesn't linger around.  

On the palate the beer is crisp and light.  It doesn't lay on the tongue but glides across it.  There is a bready, caramel flavor to this beer that also has a nice hoppy ring to it.  As the aroma, the flavors of this beer don't linger around.  The beer finishes crisp and clean, leaving you to want more.

As far as an Oktoberfest goes, this one is pretty good.  The cleanness and honpiness are most welcomed.  The bread, malt and caramel flavors are nice and keep that traditional feel.  It is a very nicely done beer by Left Hand Brewing Co..  The label art is pretty awesome too!      

Buffalo Bill's - Pumpkin Ale

Buffalo Bill's Brewery

America's Original Pumpkin Ale - Seasonal pumpkin ale

The color of this beer is an awesome rust orange.  The beer has a slight haze to it, and is just has body to make the lights bounce around in the beer.

The aroma of this beer is a wonderful season spice.  There is a nice balance of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon.  It is a pleasant aroma that makes you want to taste the beer.

On the palate America's Original Pumpkin Ale has a crisp carbonation.  There is a sweetness to this beer, more so than spice.  The flavors are a thick pumpkin, molasses, and a slight spice, predominantly nutmeg.  The molasses sweetness lasts for a very long time on the tongue, and there are hints of bitterness as well.  

This is the most unique pumpkin ale I have had this season.  The sweetness is was something I was not expecting.  It's not bad, it's just different.  The aroma is wonderful and very inviting.  I wish it had a little more spice.  This is an interesting beer, and if you like your beers a little sweeter then go for it.  

Elysian - Night Owl

Elysian Brewing Co.

Night Owl - Pumpkin Ale

The color fo this beer is a wonderful golden orange.  The beer translucent with a slight haze. 

The aroma of this beer reminds me of my grammy's homemade pumpkin pie.  The pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and graham cracker crust; it is all present in this beer.  The aroma is strong, and it's got a lot going on.  It's surprising a beer has that much going on.  

On the palate this beer is more mild than the the aroma lends you to believe.  The Night Owl has a prickly carbonation, which to me was the first thing that I noticed.  There is a nice smoky pumpkin flavor with a balanced mild spice.  On the back end of the beer there is a mild bitterness that doesn't linger on the tongue.  

Ok, so, this is going to hurt some people.  I like this, I do, it has a lot going for it, but it is not the best pumpkin beer I have tried this season.  The aroma is flat out awesome!  The beer has a nice pumpkin flavor, smokiness, and a nice little kick of seasonal spice.  What I am not a fan of is the prickly carbonation.  That makes me say this beer is good, and not amazing.  I do recommend this beer though.     

How to Drink Beer - Draft Mag

Here are some good tips to follow when drinking your beer.  It may feel weird at first, but trust me, you will learn to appreciate these tips.

http://draftmag.com/new/how-to-drink-beer/

Weyerbacher - Autumnfest

Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

Autumnfest - Oktoberfest style beer

The color of this beer is a nice fall amber/brown with some nice depth.  There is a slight reddish orange haze along the edge.

The aroma of this brew is mild but pleasant.  There is a slight sweetness from caramel and fig.  There is a slight maltiness as well.

On the palate the beer is wonderfully smooth with a nice roasted maltiness to it.  There is sweetness from a nice light caramel flavor, and there is a faint fruitiness.  The flavors are nicely layered, but they appear on the tongue closely together and not spaced out like other beers.  It's like a vienna red lager with a little more to it.

Overall this is a nice Oktoberfest, a good fall beer, with a balance of sweetness and a little bit of ale bitterness on the backend.  Another good Weyerbacher beer, it seems this brewery rarely disappoints.    

10 Best Pumpkin beers and recipes!!!

Yummy!!!!
Recipes have links at the bottom of the article.   I don't see anything that I wouldn't like!  Do you see something you like???

http://www.parade.com/172251/jackiedodd/the-10-best-pumpkin-beers-plus-10-pumpkin-beer-recipes/

Starr Hill - Boxcarr

Starr Hill Brewery

Boxcarr - Pumpkin spiced porter

The color of this beer is a rich dark brown.  

The aroma is a nice slight cinnamon, nutmeg, and a nice roasted malt.  There is also a little cocoa hint.  The aroma is balanced and pleasant, there is nothing over bearing or over done about it.

On the palate this beer has a crisp carbonation, that at first hides the flavors of the beer.  As the beer moves along the tongue the flavors start to come out.  The spice is very very mild in this beer.  It is not pronounced at all, but subtly there.  There is also a chocolate flavor that comes out, and blends very well with the season spice.  Something lacking from this pumpkin beer is pumpkin.  I get the pumpkin pie spices but no pumpkin.  That is a little disappointing, but it does not kill the flavor of Boxcarr.

Overall this is a decent beer.  Much better than the saison I had over the summer.  I wish there was more pumpkin in this beer.  The chocolate and seasonal spice are nice and the aroma is pleasant and enticing.  This is a decent beer, and for those who like a seasonal porter will most likely enjoy this. 

Goose Island - Matilda

Goose Island Beer Co.

Matilda - Belgian strong ale

*** I know Goose Island isn't a craft brewery anymore, and it is owned by one of the beer empires, but I have had this beer for a while, and I really enjoyed it at the beerfest I went to, so I needed to buy it.

The color of this beer is a wonderful reddish copper.  It's nice and translucent, with a great depth.  A color I find very inviting.

The aroma is a wonderful lemony orange, spice that makes me think of cloves with hints of grass and hops.  It's a wonderful smelling beer. Very inviting, and makes you want to taste.  

On the palate this beer is full of flavor.  Alcohol strength, bitterness and sweetness are balanced very well.  The first flavor on the tongue is the citrus, not to strong, and then it is followed by a little bitterness.  The last thing on the tongue is a slight heat form the spice, that is actual crisp and refreshing.  

I know this isn't a "craft" beer, but it seems Goose Island has not been watered down by an beer empire yet.  This beer has a wonderful aroma and a great taste.  I think this beer would appeal to many drinkers, but also fits in very strongly with the strong ale scene.  I really enjoyed this brew and hope you do as well.

Evo - Jacques All Lantern

Evolution Craft Brewing Co.

Jacques All Lantern - Pumpkin spiced amber ale

The color of this beer is is a nice deep gold color.  It's nicely translucent, and clear.  The carbonation fizzed like a soda when it was poured, kind of weird, not a normal thing I usually here from a beer.

The aroma of this beer has some yeastiness, meaty pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon.  It is a nice scent.  I think it is well balanced with the right amount of kick.

On the palate the beer has a fruitiness a little sweeter than normal pumpkin, the seasonal spice is mild but balanced well with the sweet pumpkin flavor.  There is a slight bitterness on the backend.

This beer is a different type of pumpkin beer.  It's a sweeter, but not in a bad way, it has a nice belgian flare to it.  The spices go well with the sweetness and give this fall seasonal a different kind of taste a feeling than most.  A beer worth a try for sure.

Fall Beer Festivals!

http://travel.yahoo.com/blogs/compass/drink-fall-festivities-america-best-beer-festivals-205711676.html

Above here are some of the best fall beer festivals in the country.  Remember, you don't have to go to these to find an awesome festival.  Below is a link to find some cool festivals near you!

http://www.craftbeerfestivals.com/