Spring House - Big Gruesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout

Spring House Brewing Company

Big Gruesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout

The color of this beer is a deep, rich brown, that is very similar to coffee.  The head puffed up, light and fluffy.  It was a light brown in color, it was very similar to the head of an ice cream float.  The goes down slowly, and sticks around on the top of the brew for a little while.

The aroma that comes off of this beer is pretty straight forward.  I get roasted malts, slightly bitter chocolate, and peanut butter.  It's nice and well balance.  It is very enticing, it is definitely a beer with an aroma that makes you want to drink it.

On the palate the light and mildly prickly carbonation leads way to a beer that is actually fairly smooth.  The flavors of the brew don't hit you on the initial taste, but the flavors do come out.  The roasted malts are the first thing you do notice, and then the chocolate and peanut butter come out to play.  The flavors are nicely balanced, but a little bit of bitterness jumps out as you swallow.  The finish is nice and has a nice combination of flavors.

Overall this is a pretty good beer.  This aroma is nice and enticing.  On the palate is has nice flavor, but I wish it had just a little bit more.  I don't mind that the flavors kind of wait to pop, but I don't think they pop enough.  Still, it is a nice beer and worth a try.  I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Pennsylvania - Pumpkin Roll Ale

Pennsylvania Brewing Co.

Pumpkin Roll Ale - seasonally spiced ale

The color of this brew is a nice chestnut brown.  The head came up white and fizzy, made up of very tiny bubbles, it was not fluffy at all.  The head disappeared very quickly and left pretty much nothing behind.

The aroma smells like a sweet peice of candy, or like vanilla cream soda.  There is no spice in the smell of this beer.  It is all sweetness.  

On the palate the sharp carbonation leads you to a very sweet beer, it actually tastes more like a bitter cream soda.  There is no spice at all in this beer.  I also don't really get any pumpkin either.  The beer is very creamy, and strong on the tip of your tongue.  There is a slight bitterness mixed in, it helps with the sweetness a little bit, but not enough.  It is one of the strangest tasting beers I have ever had.  I guess you could say it tastes like a  cake with mild pumpkin flavor and a vanilla cream icing.  There is some spice on the very backend after a few seconds after the taste.

Overall it is an interesting beer.  I am not sure if I like it or not.  It doesn't have the spice I was looking for, until you wait a few between sips, then you notice some spice.  It's just a weird beer, go get it and decide about it for yourself.  I give it a 3 out of 5. 

Sam Adams - Honey Queen

Samuel Adams Brewery

Honey Queen - An Braggot Ale brewed with honey, orange blossoms and camomile

The color of this beer is a completely translucent.  The golden straw color is clear with fine carbonation bubbles.  The foams up a pure white that slides down the glass and leaves a ring around the edge of the glass. 

The aroma smells musty, and bready.  There is a little bit of sweetness to the smell, along with hints of straw.  To me, it is not really a pleasant aroma.  It doesn't really entice me to drink this beer.  

On the palate the very mild carbonation gives way to a beer that is smooth and almost creamy.  You definitely get the sweetness of honey, but there is more to it than that.  I honestly have no idea what camomile tastes like, but I do know what oranges taste like and that citrus flavor is layered in very nicely.  There is mild malt essence along with a biscuit feeling to this beer. This beer finishes nicely with a hint of honey sweetness.  The brew leaves the middle of the tongue feeling a little dry.

All I have to say is thank god I am ok with this beer... My wife picked it out, and likes it.  I am happy the beer tastes nothing like it smells.  The aroma to me if off putting, but the flavor is bad.  The honey and orange work well together and actually quite pleasant.  I will gives this beer a 3 out of 5.

Deschutes/Distelhauser - Doppel Dinkel Bock

Deschutes Brewery 

- collaboration with Distelhauser 

Doppel Dinkel Bock - Weizenbock

The color of this brew is a cherry brown.  There are hints of red mixed in with the base brown color.  The brew is a dense beer, but still translucent.  The head came up nice and foamy, with a khaki color to it.  The head went away slowly, leaving a pleasant looking ring around the edge of the glass.

The aroma of this beer comes off sweet.  Notes of candied sugar, bubblegum, some tasted malts, and a mild spice that is barely noticeable.  The smell gives you a hint that this beer will have a strong sense of alcohol and be sweeter than most beers.  

On the palate the slightly prickly carbonation sets the stare for a smooth and sweet brew.  The maltiness is very evident when you drink this beer, you notice under the sweet bubblegum and banana flavors, a nice toasted malt.  This flavor combination creates a brew that goes down way to smoothly.  The mild spice helps to balance out a sweetness a little bit.  On the very backend of this beer you can get a hint of hops.  You notice it when you take some time between sips, which I highly recommend.

This is a pretty good beer.  I really like the smooth sweetness of this beer, with a slight hop on the finish.  The sense of alcohol isn't as noticeable when drinking as it is when smelling the beer, but at 10.5 abv, you don't want to throw this beer back to quickly... But why would you want to?  It's to good to drink to fast.  I give this brew a 4 out of 5.

Round Guys - Dead Souls

Round Guys Brewing Co.

Dead Souls - Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

The color of this brew is a nearly solid chestnut.  The slightest bit of light gets through.  There is a slight bit of red on the edges of the glass.  The head bubbled up to a foamy beige color, that goes away at a medium pace. 

The aroma of this brew boasts roasted malts, and a nice sweet/bitterness of chocolate.  There is also a mild spice on the backend of the aroma.  The spice smell has a cinnamon smell to it.  It's a well balanced aroma.  As soon as I cracked the can I got a nice hit of the aroma, but the aroma is actually not overpowering.  

On the palate prickly carbonation bouncing down the tongue to deliver the flavor.  The roasted malt and chocolate flavors hit you first.  What follows is a nicely done balance of meaty pumpkin and spice. Then lastly you get at chalky finish that is common with porters and some more chocolate.  A little bitterness hits the tongue as you finish your taste, but that goes away and leaves a pleasant after taste.

Overall this is a really good pumpkin porter from a nice microbrew.  I like the color, it is very fitting for a porter, without being too dark and solid.  The aroma has body to it and delivers a nice balanced smell. Finally the flavor is well done and balanced with a ton of layers.  The chocolate, pumpkin and spice all mix well together.  It's a nicely done porter.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  Go get some!

DuClaw - Cocoa Fuego

DuClaw Brewing Co.

Cocoa Fuega - A stout brewed with chocolate and chipotle peppers

The color of this beer is like a 72% dark chocolate bar.  Brown, nearly black in color beer, with a light brown head that came and went with ease.  Obviously this beer is completely opaque, no light gets through at all.

The aroma of this beer is malty, with hints of chocolate and a slight bit of spice.  The chocolate aroma is thick and rich, it's very pleasant.  The spice is very mild, barely even there, but it adds a little bit to the backend of the aroma.

On the palate this beer has a mild carbonation that is barely there.  The chocolate flavor is nice and smooth on the front of this beer.  There is also a little bit of maltiness.  On the backend is where the fun really begins.  This brew smoothly, and in a sneaky way gets spicier and spicier.  The beer's spice warms the back of the mouth and lingers for a little while.  This is not a beer you can drink quickly.  The two different flavors balance well together, but it does have more spice flavor for a longer period of time.

Overall this is a pretty good brew.  Spicy beer isn't my favorite kind of beer, but I actually enjoyed this one.  It has a nice balance of flavors, great aroma, and great look.  This beer is spicy without burning your throat and making you wish you had a glass of milk.  I would definitely try this beer if you are in the mood for something different.  I give it a 3.5 out of 5!