December 20, 2014 Show

It's that time of year and the holidays are in full swing as we kick off our holiday features with this years Christmas Spectacular show!  We have a roundtable of guests this year with our wonderful friend Chef Gene Philbin from Peculiar Culinary joining us in studio fresh off his Food Network win, along with Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House and good friend Jason and Ed as well!  We also had a wonderful chat with All About Beer Magazine President Mr. Chris Rice!  A jam packed show with good times and even better better!


This weeks beer lineup featured:

Anchor Brewing- Our Special Ale:  Each year we all long for this release to see what is in store and this year does not dissapoint.  Notes of red fruits and subtle hopping are balanced into a decadent maly bill but it is still as easy drinking as ever!

Deschutes Brewery- JubelAle:  A winter warmed with a lovely caramel and toffee like malt bill with a bit of earthy spicy hops thrown in for perfect balance.

Odell Brewing- Isolation Ale:  A wonderful winter warmer with a hop bite that is warming and drying at the same time.  If you are a winter warmer fan, find this beer!

Ninkasi Brewing- Sleigh'R:  A double Alt may sound strange but the wonderfully sweet malt bill makes this a great winter beer, not to mention an awesome label!

Heavy Seas- Yule Tide:  A rum barrel aged Weizenbock, it is world class to say the least!

December 13, 2014 Show

This week we are discussing the world class New Belgium Brewing Company with barrel program manager and sour beer legend Lauren Salazar!  A fantastic beer lineup and the usual guests including the wonderful Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House and our good friend Ed!


This weeks beer lineup featured:

Frambozen- A rasberry brown ale with a nice tart kick, a must try for fruit beer fans.

Rampant- A wonderful DIPA full of fruit flavors and aromas.

Le Terroir-  A dry hopped sour beer with a lovely kick with subtle hop presence absolutely phenomenal!

La Folie- Dark and rich with a kick of sour, words cannot describe how great this beer is to drink.

Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout-  If the name alone intrigues you then try this, taste like a chocolate covered pretzel but even smoother.

December 6, 2014

This week we are taking a look at the fantastic Boulevard Brewing Company from Kansas City and are joined in studio by our pseudo- beer geek Ed and Bill from Backyard Ale House.  We were joined in conversation by brewer Jeremy Danner from Boulevard as well!


This weeks beer lineup:

Unfiltered Wheat:  This wonderfully light and crisp wheat ale proves that if done right this is a style that can be enjoyed year round!

80 Acre Hoppy Wheat:  The addition of bright citrus hops makes this beer a phenomenal hybrid beer that is a cross between an American Wheat and IPA and has something for everyone.

Pop Up Session IPA:  A session IPA is typically thought to be too thin for many who love IPA's, but this is a session IPA that still has a wonderful malt backbone and proves that great things can come in small packages!

Double Wide IPA:  Easily one of the best Double IPA's on the market.  A solid malt backbone provides enough heft to to hold the hops in suspension

Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale: An 8.5% ABV Saison that truly shows how great American brewers just may be able to take a Belgian style and do it better!


We also had a fantastic giveaway this week featuring another subscription to the great All About Beer Magazine and a prize package from Boulevard Brewing that is perfect for true beer geeks!

November 22, 2014 Show

This week we are drinking and discussing the great PA brewery Saucony Creek Brewing Company with owner Matt Lindenmuth joining us via telephone from Colorado and in studio brewery rep Jeff O'Brien sits down with us.  Joining the show as always is Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House!


This weeks beer lineup is slightly different than pictured, we enjoyed:

Roxie's Golden Bananas:  This delicious wheat beer has hints of bananas present but no way near as sweet as might be expected when one hears "fruit" beer.  A very refreshing wheat beer!

Schnickelfritz (not pictured):  A FANTASTIC imperial milk stout with sweet notes of chocolate and cherries with hints of coffee.  A fantastic stout that is perfect for winter!

Maple Mistress: Roasted butternut squash adds a smooth mouthfeel and makes an appearance on the back end in this spiced beer that will quickly take your number one spot on pumpkin beer lists.  Maple syrup is dominate in aroma and taste and balanced perfectly against the spices, not only great for a fall but should be enjoyed year round!

North Ramp Stout:  Fresh brewed coffee in a perfectly balanced American stout that leaves a semi-dry finish, textbook example of the style and a must try for fans of coffee and stouts!

We enjoyed all the beers but time did not permit us to get all of them on live, but rest assured Saucony Creek's beers are all fantastic!

We also gave away this great Saucony Creek T-Shirt and subscription to All About Beer Magazine! 

November 15, 2014

If there is a brewery that needs no introduction it is Stone Brewing Co. and if there is a brewmaster that also needs no introduction it's Stone's brewmaster Mitch Steele!  This week we are lucky enough to drink some of Stone's best beers and discuss the brewery with Mitch Steele himself.  Joining us in the studio is Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House and our good friend Ed for a rousing conversation about this world class brewery that is slowly taking over the world!


This weeks beer lineup included:

Stone Stochasticity Hibiscusity: This Belgian ale is enhanced with flavors of hibiscus and orange peel.  Semi-tart notes are apparent which can make one think of a sour beer, but it is not nearly as puckering, but is very enjoyable and a unique take on  the style.

Stone Stochasticity Master of Disguise: A golden stout, yes a golden stout.  This beer pours a clear golden color with roasted coffee notes present that has strong aromatics of a perfectly brewed coffee stout with a mouthfeel to match.  Not only is it unique but it is FANTASTIC!

Enjoy By 12.05.14 IPA:  This DIPA has been dominating each time it is released.  The freshness of the hops is unmatched and the strong malt backbone gives this beer its heft.  Rivals any Pliny Heady, or (insert popular DIPA here) on the market now, but made even better by its availability!

Double Bastard: American Strong Ale is the beefed up brother to Arrogant Bastard, it was described on the show as a perfectly aged and balanced Barleywine, that seems very apt.  No matter what you want to call it, it is a world class beer!

This weeks giveaway featured a plethora of goodies from a Founder's Breakfast Stout cup, Backyard Ale House T-Shirt, a copy of The Brewer's Apprentice, and a subscription to All About Beer Magazine!

Click on the photo below to get a copy of Brewer's Apprentice for yourself, it is a phenomenal book with a lot of great information about your favorite breweries!

November 8, 2014 Show

This week we were fortunate enough to drink and discuss Lagunitas Brewing Company with owner Tony Magee!  We were joined in studio by the one and only Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House and some surprise drop in guests from the soon to open Celestial Brewing Company from right here in NEPA!

This weeks beer lineup included:

Lagunitas IPA:  One of the first truly West coast IPA's that was done first and still may be the best!  Highly drinkable and enjoyable, if you have not had this IPA then you don't know IPA's!

Lagunitas Born Yesterday Pale Ale:  A brand new beer from the brewery that was bottled the previous Monday and sent out to store shelves throughout the West coast.  A very drinkable Pale Ale with tons of hop character and a solid malt backbone.  WORLD CLASS!

Lagunitas Sucks:  A DIPA with tons of hop flavors and a sticky sweet malt backbone, simply delicious!

Hop Stoopid:  As the name says, this is a hop punch to the palate boasting 102 IBU's!  A perfectly dry finish leaves you wanting more.  It rivals many of the top DIPA's that are on the market and in many ways surpasses, namely due to the availability throughout the country!

Imperial Red:  The sweet malts from this sit perfectly with the piney citrus hops.  Eay to see why many call this their true go to beer.

Imperial Stout:  The rich coffee and bitter dark chocolate notes prove that Lagunitas not only can brew world class IPA's but also know their way around great stouts as well!



This weeks giveaway featured a ton of great items from Lagunitas Brewing Company as well as a copy of Tony's amazing book So You Want to Start a Brewery?

The winner also received a subscription to the amazing All About Beer Magazine!

Click on the photo below to check out his book for yourself, it comes highly recommended for those who want to know more about the craft beer industry!

November 1, 2014 Show

 

This week we are drinking and talking all things Fegley's Brew Works with the wonderful Anthony Wardle from the brewery.  We are joined in studio by a slew of guests this week with the always enjoyable Backyard Billy on hand from the Backyard Ale House in Scranton, PA, Chef Gene Philbin from Peculiar Culinary, and Blaze from RC 14 in Wilkes Barre!

This weeks beer lineup:

Always Sunny Pale Ale:  A deliciously light and sweet pale ale with strong hop notes kept in check making for an extremely easy drinking pale ale with hints of citrus fruits, a great way to start!

Devious Imperial Pumpkin: While most of us are pumpkin beer'd out at this point Devious re-awoke our pumpkin senses with a deliciously smooth mouthfeel that makes this 9% ABV pumpkin beer perfect to transition into the colder winter months!

Rude Elf's Reserve: 10.5% ABV boasts a lot from a beer and can sometimes give off a bit of unwanted heat, but not in this beer.  Instead this delicious Belgian styled ale is so incredibly smooth and perfect for sipping during a cold winter night, a must try for all the popular holiday themed beers that overwhelm shelves in the winter!

Hop Explosion:  Now the hops are starting to get pumped up a bit with this 7% ABV American IPA, strong hop bouquet comes through with hints of pine and floral on the nose and palate.  A perfectly dry finish leaves you wanting more!

Hop'solutely: This is definitely a beer that can end your night fast if you aren't careful.  The 11.5% ABV is completely hidden in this Triple IPA has a huge hop punch with a strong malt backbone.  A must try for all hopheads!!

This week also had a GREAT giveaway!

Beautiful glassware, tons of coasters, and handy key-chain bottle openers courtesy of Fegley's Brew Works and if thats not enough a 6 month subscription to the amazing All About Beer Magazine if you are not a reader of this magazine click the link and subscribe Beer Geek alumni Garrett Oliver is even a contributor!