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!

October 25, 2014 Show

This week we celebrate Halloween the best way we know how... with great beer!  We were joined in studio again by the wonderful Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House after his week off.  There was plenty to talk about with these beers and the high ABV on them can certainly get to you over time but a great time was had by all!

This weeks beer lineup:

Starr Hill Brewery- Sabbath:  A wonderful Black IPA kicks off the show and a textbook example of the style to say the least!  Rich roasted malt notes of bitter chocolate and coffee are perfectly complemented by pine and citrus hops, a must try for fans of darker beers and IPA's alike!

Clown Shoes- Undead Party Crasher:  This 10% ABV American Imperial Stout packs a wallop of flavor and also has an extremely smooth mouthfeel that you will want to enjoy for a long time.  Notes of chocolate and coffee abound and this has to be one of the best American Imperial Stout's currently available, another homerun from Clown Shoes!

Left Hand Brewing Company- Wake Up Dead:  Slowly we are climbing the ABV ranks and this 10.2% ABV is a slight step above the previous in ABV, but shows no sign of it.  This Russian Imperial Stout has a tad bit drier of a finish when compared to the previous and is full of rich dark chocolate, coffee, licorice, and dark red fruits that all melt into one another.  A perfectly smooth sipping beer, also widely available in bottle in Nitro form... another must try!

Avery Brewing Company- Rumpkin:  The behemoth of the day clocking in at 16.73% ABV this is certainly an Imperial Pumpkin Ale!  Avery has been brewing this delicious seasonal for 4 years now and it seems to get better every year.  This years batch is a bit sweeter when compared to some of the previous, but it is highly drinkable and shows no sign of alcohol heat from the rum.  A must try pumpkin ale for try pumpkin beer fans!

We also had another fantastic giveaway this week that included even more than what is pictured here.

 

In addition to another wonderful coffin shaped wall mounted bottle opener from Grave Openers (visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/GraveOpeners to pick one up for yourself!), skull glassware, Avery stickers, and plastic spigot for  making your own pumpkin keg there also was a copy of the fantastic book from Beer Geek alum. Patrick Dawson, Vintage Beer a must read for all who are interested in learning the fine art of aging beer!

October 18, 2014 Show

This week we are returning to the pumpkin beer style because there are just too many with limited time to enjoy them to contain the topic to one show.  We are joined in studio this week by the wonderful Pat from Backyard Ale House in Scranton and Rich from the incredible NEPA Scene.


This weeks beer lineup:


Shipyard Brewing Company- Smashed Pumpkin: Shipyard is known for their Pumpkinhead ale, a light easy drinking pumpkin ale but this beefed up 9% ABV pumpkin ale takes their beer to a new area.  The rich notes of sweet malts and pumpkin spices are in balance with a touch of alcohol heat on the back end remind you that this is a beer to be respected!

Weyerbacher Brewing Company- Imperial Pumpkin Ale: If you live in PA you know and love this pumpkin ale.  This has long been the go to pumpkin ale for many in our immediate listening area.  If you are a fan of pumpkin beers, find this and drink it, you will LOVE it!

Southern Tier Brewing Company- Warlock: Fans of Pumking , you must try Warlock!  This imperial pumpkin stouts is a perfect blend of all that we love about Pumking but with delicious roasted malts characteristics of an imperial stout, easy description: pumpkin pie cheesecake drizzled with dark chocolate with a delicious Italian coffee.

Sam Adams- Fat Jack: Smooth, smooth, and smooth really sum up this beer.  It is an incredibly easy drinking beer with a rich balance of malt and spices but the incredibly smooth body of this beer is the absolute highlight, the 8.5% ABV is not apparent and makes for a beer that is am ust have during the fall season!

Elysian Brewing Company- The Great Pumpkin: Last week we enjoyed Night Owl from Elysian, this time around we take on the imperial pumpkin ale the Great Pumpkin!  This is actually the first pumpkin ale to have the tag of Imperial Pumpkin and it is a big that took the style first and still holds itself as one of the best.  The rich flavors of Night Owl are present in more abundance with a delicious balance of pumpkin pie, including the crust, a must try!

Cigar City Brewing- Good Gourd:  This in such an incredibly rich and delicious ale that truly has all the right flavors of fall in perfect balance with subtle touches of sweetness from the malt.  This might be one of the most difficult ones to find from today's show, but worth the effort.  It is an incredibly delicious offering from an incredible brewery!

This weeks giveaway featured another great coffin shaped wall mounted bottle opener from Grave Openers (email GraveOpeners@gmail.com for more info) along with some great Sam Adams schwag featuring glassware, coasters, and a keychain bottle opener!

October 11, 2014 Show

This week we are examining a style that some find very divisive amongst beer drinkers, the pumpkin beer style!  While the pumpkin beer "style" ranges greatly, the idea of the pumpkin beer has made many turn their nose up to the style.  However, there is a wide range of great ones available now and we are drinking and discussing just a few this week, but they just may make you give pumpkin beers a second chance!

We are of course joined as always by the wonderful Billy from Backyard Ale House and this week also in studio with David from the Little Theater in Wilkes Barre who is putting on the Rocky Horror Picture Show, a feature that our own Fast Freddie will be making a special appearance in soon!

This weeks beer lineup:


New Belgium- Pumpkick:  The traditional pumpkin beer style is kicked up a notch with the additions of cranberries imparting a slight tart quality to the beer.  A great take on the style!

Two Roads Brewing- Roadsmary's Baby:  This pumpkin beer is aged in rum barrels which imparts a hint of rum to the beer, but does not overpower and the beer also remains at 6.8% ABV, so still a highly drinkable beer.  A must have for those who have it available at your local, absolutely textbook example of a great pumpkin beer!

Elysian Brewing- Night Owl Pumpkin Beer:  Elysian is undoubtedly the brewery that owns the pumpkin beer style with an almost uncountable amount of pumpkin beers brewed over the years.  However, they have completely nailed down the style with Night Owl and it is regarded as the quintessential pumpkin beer for a reason, its delicious!

Coronado Brewing- Punk'in Drublic:  The first imperial pumpkin ale of the day brings a bit more of a spice punch to the party, but that is expected a bit from an imperial, a must try for fans of pumpkin beers.  Plus the label and name is awesome!!

Harpoon Brewery- Imperial Pumpkin Stout:  Fans of imperial stouts will enjoy this 10.5% ABV monster.  Strong stout notes up front with hints of spicing dancing in the background.

Almanac Beer- Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine:  Hands down the favorite of the day.  The 12% ABV is not apparent at all with no heat detected.  The rye and brandy barrels impart deep layers of flavor and the sweetness of the barleywine is perfected completed by the pumpkin spices.  If you are lucky enough to have Almanac available in your area go buy as much of their beers as you possibly can they are all incredible!

This weeks giveaway featured a fantastic wall mounted bottle opener from Grave Openers, a brand new company and friend of the show, if you are interested in their products drop them a line at GraveOpeners@gmail.com  Also included was some beautiful glassware from Coronado Brewing and Duvel coasters for use in the man-cave!

October 4, 2014 Show

This week since October has rolled around, it is time to examine some of the many great fall seasonal beers that are now available.  The styles vary greatly, but all are very drinkable and perfect for the fall season.

This weeks beer lineup:

Brewery Ommegang- Scythe & Sickle:  A unique fall bear with a combination of rye, oats, wheat, and delicious Belgian yeast.  The 5.6% ABV make this a great beer to sit and enjoy during Sunday football games, but the complexities also make for a great beer to sit and sip.  Belgian beer fans now have a great fall seasonal beer to enjoy!

New Belgium- Tour De Fall:  An extremely juicy and fruit pale ale.  The hops impart delicate and decadent citrus fruit flavors that make the mouth water and the sweet malt bill makes for perfect balance.  This is an easy drinking pale ale any time of year, but the color and aroma is perfect for fall.

Sierra Nevada- Flipside Red IPA:  The sweet malt is balanced perfectly against the citrus whole cone hops.  A perfect IPA, but what else would you expect from Sierra Nevada?

Odell Brewing Company- Mountain Standard: Easily one of the best Black IPA's available on the market today,  The 9.5% ABV is completely hidden and the smooth creamy body is speckled with delicious hop notes that makes this a great beer for dark beer fans and IPA fans alike, a must try!

Clown Shoes Beer- Pecan Pie Porter:  A beer whose name perfectly summarizes the beer.  Rich creamy pecan pie flavors and aroma mix with the roasted malt and the smooth body makes this an extremely easy drinking beer that will be perfect to pair with a wide variety of foods, especially those often enjoyed during Thanksgiving!


This weeks giveaway features a fantastic cookbook, Brewery Ommegang coasters, New Belgium glassware, and 2 tickets to see Alter Bridge perform live, one luck winner gets all of this!

September 27, 2014 Show

This week we are joined in studio by Fred Maier from Susquehanna Brewing Company located in Pittston, PA.  We discuss the long brewing history within the Maier family as well as the current and future happenings for SBC.  We are of course joined in studio by the always fantastic Billy from Backyard Ale House

This weeks SBC lineup:

HopFive IPA-  The delicious combination of 5 hops gives a wonderful bouquet that isn't overly bitter or aggressive and makes for an easy drinking IPA that is more in the English IPA tradition.  A great IPA to try if you are new to the style!

Southern Rye IPA-  Brewed for the wonderful Philly Beer Week events, this Rye IPA is absolutely incredible.  perfect balance between all the malts and hops to deliver a subtle spice from the rye that does not overpower and the great hop lineup will be a favorite for all hopheads!

So-Wheat- This Bavarian styled hefeweizen is very easy drinking and perfect to have on hand all year round.  We were treated to a wonderful combination of So Wheat and fresh apple cider for a great Apple Shandy that really helps to ring in the fall season!

Oktoberfest-  Brewed as a historical interpretation of the Märzen, a topic that we covered in last weeks show.  This is true to the German tradition and is more malt forward than many other American interpretations of the style.

Pumpkin Ale- A sessionable pumpkin ale!  While many pumpkin ales this time of the year lean more towards 8%-9% ABV, it is refreshing to see a take on the style that is more reserved and is only 4.8% ABV, but still packs a lot of the wonderful pumpkin spice aromas and flavors that we all love this time of year!

September 20, 2014 Show

 

This week in honor of Oktoberfest officially kicking off in Munich, Germany we are talking and drinking all things Oktoberfest!  We have a great lineup of beers ranging from traditional German recipes to some great American takes on the style.  We were also joined in studio by the always wonderful Billy from Backyard Ale House in Scranton, PA and local German beer connoisseur Lee Burke! Prost!

This weeks beer lineup:

Ayinger- Oktoberfest - Märzen:  The quintessential example of a traditional German Oktoberfest beer.  The smooth malty character is in balance the hops for a highly drinkable beer, a must have for fans of all lagers!

Gordon Biersch- Festbier:  A great take on the style by the American based German experts at Gordon Biersch.  A slightly drier and hoppier version than the Ayinger, this is a brewery that knows how to brew great German beers!

Sierra Nevada:  The one that took many of us by surprise.  This is a bit hoppier than traditional versions, but the heftier malt backs it up nicely.  Also the highest ABV of the day at 6.2%, a fantastic beer, but one should expect nothing less from Sierra Nevada!  one not of warning, this beer is now only available in Sierra Nevada fall variety packs!

Firestone Walker- Oaktoberfest:  Smooth, easy drinking, perfect balance, and slight hop bite... this is a beer that ticks all the right boxes.  Firestone Walker is a brewery that can do no wrong in our eyes and that is certainly true with this beer!

Ninkasi Brewing Company- Oktoberfest: This is the first year Ninkasi is brewing this beer and they certainly got it right the first time out.  A fantastic take on the style that is highly drinkable with a delicious malt backbone, an absolute must have for all!

Ballast Point- Dead Ringer:  Ballst Point has been releasing this beer as draft only for a few years now and due to the popularity it is now available in bottles for the first time.  It is easy to see why so many loved this beer, the malt and hops play perfectly with one another.  Ballast Point has done it again with another world class beer!

 

September 13, 2014

This week we examined the fantastic San Francisco based 21st Amendment Brewery through drinking of course and also talking with owner Shaun "Sully" O'Sullivan!  We were joined in studio by the always enjoyable and knowledgable Backyard Billy from Backyard Ale House and returning guest Jason Jerecki to partake in these wonderful beers.

This weeks beer lineup:

Bitter American: An unbelievably flavorful and balanced American Pale Ale that is also extremely sessionable at 4.4% ABV.  An incredible beer that should be a great go to anytime you are out for an evening!

He Said Pumpkin Belgian Tripel: A collaboration beer with the also great Elysian Brewing Company this Belgian styled Tripel is enhanced with delicate spices and pumpkin for a unique spin on the popular pumpkin beer craze.  A must try for pumpkin beer fans, also try the Baltic Porter with pumpkin that comes in the special 4 packs with this beer!

Brew Free or Die!: One of the best American IPA's on the market.  Very balanced with hop presence throughout but dried out perfectly and leaves you wanting more and more and more and more!

Back in Black: Another great take on a style this time the Black IPA.  If you have had a Black IPA in the past and were maybe a little put off by it than do yourself a favor and try this one.  The roasted malts are kept in check and the hop selection perfectly compliments the overall beer.

Hop Crisis: One of the best DIPA's on the market! (are you picking up on a theme here?)  This 9.7% ABV DIPA drinks like a session IPA and has a ton of flavor locked within and the oak stave adds even more depth to this beer.  The only knock to it is that it is WAY too drinkable for being 9.7% ABV... a MUSt try!

Lower De Boom: This 11.5% ABV American Barley wine pack a wallop and lives up to its names.  The hops dropped out a bit from this sample from 2013 and leaves behind a sweet malt backbone with a fair amount of booziness.  Barley wine fans rejoice your favorite style can be enjoyed in a can!

We also had another amazing giveaway this week from 21A!

September 6, 2014 Show

This week we drink and discuss all things Cleveland as we enjoy the great beers from Great Lakes Brewing Company!  This week we are joined by the wonderful Billy from Backyard Ale House in Scranton, PA and the all things Cleveland super fan Rocky Rhodes from 98.5 KRZ!  We also enjoy a great special beer brought back by Billy from his recent trek to Vermont!

This weeks beer lineup from Great lakes:

Elliot Ness- A super smooth and highly drinkable lager that features a deep amber color and imparts a slight sweetness in the beer.  Fans of lager will love this beer!

Burning River- A great example of a perfectly balanced pale ale.  The hops are present but do not dominate as some "pale ales" have been known to do in recent times.  Balance and drinkability are the highlights of this world class beer.

Commodore Perry- This English styled IPA features a strong hop presence but more reserved than the west coast IPA's many American craft beer drinkers have become accustomed to in recent years.  Very smooth and a great mouthfeel and maintains a great balance and is not dominate in hops or malt.

Edmund Fitzgerald- An absolute world class example of the porter style.  notes of chocolate and coffee dance throughout with a slight hop bitterness dancing on the tongue.  A porter than can be enjoyed long in to the night and a must try for all fans of dark beer.

Nosferatu- This seasonal imperial red features the wonderfully creepy and classic vampire Nosferatu.  The beer is a beautiful red amber with hop highlights balanced against a sweet malt, at 8% ABV no hint of alcohol heat which means this be careful because like Nosferatu, this beer can bite you!


This week we featured a fantastic giveaway from the Great Lakes Brewing Company, one lucky winner took home all of this!

More proof that is pays to listen live!!


Our super extra special beer this week was provided by Billy after a return trip from Vermont.  Billy brought us the unbelievable Abner Imperial IPA from Hill Farmstead Brewery.  This beer is full of incredible IPA characteristics and a veritable hop bouquet in the aroma and nose.  It rivals some of the best IPA's available on the market, even the renowned Heady Topper from fellow Vermont brewer The Alchemist.

August 30, 2014 Show

 

This week we drink and discuss the world class Deschutes Brewery with this amazing lineup of beers!  We were joined by Deschutes Brewery rep Jeremy for an inside look at the brewery and were also of course joined in studio by the always enjoyable Billy from Backyard Ale House to discuss some of the happenings at the bar!

This weeks beer lineup from Deschutes includes:

Mirror Pond Ale:  A textbook example of the pale ale style with a sweet malt backbone and subtle hints of hops throughout.  Extremely easy drinking and well balanced, everything you could want from a pale ale!

Black Butte Porter:  The porter style is one that many craft beer newbies sadly overlook in their excitement for IPA's, but thankfully Deschutes paid a lot of attention to the style.  Black Butte Porter is their flagship beer and has been that way since the breweries inception.  One sip of this beer and you will gain a new perspective on the porter style with its rich chocolate and subtle coffee hints and enjoyably smooth body, this is a beer that you could drink for days!

Black Butte XXVI Birthday Reserve:  This beefed up version of Black Butte Porter tips the scales at 10.2% ABV and is full of intense flavors and aroma.  Strong notes of chocolate, vanilla, and coffee seemingly dance with hints of pomegranates and cranberries that impart a subtle tart finish.  Very easy drinking despite the high ABV, hunt this beer down and also get 2 bottles and let one age for a bit, it is said to be even better after a year of aging!

Obsidian Stout:  One of the most popular American Stouts in the craft beer industry with its rich and luscious chocolate and coffee notes give way to hop flavors that melt into one another.  The 6.4% ABV is a pleasant surprise and is not apparent at all in the beer, so be careful on this one as it drinks like a good stout should but has a bit more heft to it, another must try!

Fresh Squeezed IPA:  The bee that was the darling of the Beer Geek Festival this past April makes it triumphant return to the show!  Quite possibly one of the most easy drinking IPA's available, it is extremely fresh with hops apparent throughout the nose and taste but without being overwhelming bitter.  It is perfectly balanced and leaves a dry finish.  Just find this beer already and drink it all down!

Doppel Dinkel Bock: This collaboration between Deschutes and Distelhauser produced one fantastic beer!  Somewhere between a Doppelbock and a Weizenbock lies this beer with a strong malt backbone and notes of bananas, cloves, caramel, and toffee all play off one another.  The 10.5% will also sneak up on you fast, a limited brew but worth hunting down if you are a Doppelbock fan!

We also had this amazing giveaway for listeners this week provided by our good friends at Deschutes Brewery!

If you are looking for Deschutes Brewery beer in your area, try checking with the brewery's beer finder here, and don't worry they are a brewery on the move and are expanding into new markets!

August 23, 2014 Show

This week we not only enjoy great beer, but great cheese as well as we discuss cheese and beer pairings with author Janet Fletcher whose book Cheese & Beer covers the topic in great depth.  We are also joined in studio by our wonderful repeat guest Ed and of course the wonderful Billy from Backyard Ale House

This week's beer lineup with cheese looked and tasted great, here is a teaser picture!

Beer Lineup:

Oskar Blues- Dale's Pale Ale:  A perfect example of the easy drinking pale ale style, we were able to enjoy this one out of a tall boy as well which added to this beers wonderful allure.  It is a must try for Pale Ale fans and we paired this with some delicious New York cheddar.

Jolly Pumpkin- Bam Noire:  Jolly Pumpkin is a world class brewery and what makes them even better is that they produce amazing flavored filled beers such as Bam Noire and also manage to get the ABV at 4.3%.  This dark farmhouse ale has subtle notes of raisins and cocoa balanced with hints of tartness and funk making for a very enjoyable experience.  It was paired with a wonderfully creamy Triple Cream Brie cheese.

Victory Brewing Company- Wild Devil:  A unique take on Victory's already well established Hop Devil.  This beer takes the aforementioned beer and spikes it with Brettanomyces giving it s subtle sour characteristic and added an extra layer of complexity, a fantastic beer that would be an interesting beer to age to see what the Brett does over time, this beer was paired with a studio favorite Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove Chevre a cheese that is also a must try for those who are unfamiliar with it!

Allagash Brewing Company- Four:  This Belgian Quad boasts an impressive 10% ABV, but does not give any hints to it from the taste.  It is smooth and easy drinking and has all the lovely dark fruit characteristics we love in darker Belgian beers, find this and try it now!  We paired this beer with an aged Gruyère cheese.

Great Divide- Oatmeal Yeti Stout:  Another well established beer from a well established brewery.  The Yeti imperial stout series has a cult like following and it is easy to see why, strong notes of coffee and cocoa play off of one another while the addition of the oatmeal create an even creamier version of this amazing stout.  This beer needed to be paired with something strong enough to hold up to this beer and we chose Maytag Blue Cheese, an excellent pairing!


After chatting with Janet about her book we gave away a copy as well, it is a highly recommended book and features a layout that is perfect for the subject matter.  A must read if you are interested in beer and food pairings!  Click on the cover below to pick up a copy for yourself!

August 16, 2014 Show

This week we drank and discussed all things Brooklyn Brewery with the one and only Garrett Oliver!  The man is a wealth of beer knowledge and always great to talk to and we of course enjoyed just a small sample of the amazing beers from Brooklyn Brewery.  However, we did have one small change to the lineup right before airtime we swapped Pennant Ale for Post Road Pumpkin Ale, it's getting to be that time of year!

The Beer Lineup:

Post Road Pumpkin Ale:  This is an extremely sessionable pumpkin ale and comes in at 5% ABV but still has that wonderful pumpkin aroma and taste that we love in the fall season.  It is brewed more to be a traditional pumpkin ale than the newcomers that can become over the top spice bombs.

Brooklyn Blast- At 8.4% ABV this DIPA is surprisingly sessionable and easy drinking.  Brewed more towards the East coast style of IPA's and not intended to be a hop bomb, but still delivers the goods that hop heads enjoy.

Sorachi Ace- The first repeat beer on our show and it is making it's second appearance for good reason, it's a fantastic beer!  This Saison is brewed with a wonderful dosing of Sorachi Ace hops that impart a delicious bouquet of lemons, words cannot fully describe how great this beer truly is, so try it for yourself!

Local 1- Brooklyn Belgian Pale Ale again is surprisingly sessionable despite it's 9% ABV.  In fact Garrett informed us that a sign needed to be hung in the brewery to warn drinkers of the higher ABV, delicious Belgian aromas and flavors abound!

Local 2- WOW! What a great beer, again at 9% with no alcohol heat, this Belgian Dark Strong Ale is also imparted with honey and sweet orange peel.  The dark rich characteristics of this beer must be experienced first hand.


We also had a fantastic prize pack to give away this week, a signed copy of Garrett Oliver's AMAZING book The Brewmaster's Table.  If you do not own a copy of this book already, click on the cover below and get a copy now!

August 9, 2014 Show

This week we drink and discuss aged beer with a great selection of styles to showcase aged beer and also learn how to properly age beer in your beer cellar with author of Vintage Beer Patrick Dawson.  We were also joined in studio by our wonderful guest Billy from Backyard Ale House.  It was a great show with a lot of great information and of course GREAT beer!

Beer Lineup:


Allagash Brewing Company- Golden Brett:  This world class sour beer kicked things off with a great sour tart character that seemed to sooth the palate while at the same time deliver that puckering quality we love in sour beers.  A rare one from May 2013, but definitely holding up well and is a true showcase for the wonders of Brett!

North Coast Brewing Company- Old Stock Ale Cellar Reserve (2011)- Words simply can not do enough justice for this beer. It is truly on a level of its own.  Strong aroma of cherries, chocolate, vanilla, pretty much everything delicious and sweet that you can imagine is in this beer.  The complexities run deep and it also tips the scales at 15.2% ABV, so this is certainly a sipping beer, an absolute MUST TRY!!

Avery Brewing Company- Hog Heaven: A 2013 bottle of this dry hopped barley wine.  It carries itself like a super beefed up DIPA but with great balance and high drinkability, another big one at 10% ABV, another sipper, but very enjoyable and fans of barley wines will want to hunt this one down!

Brew Dog- Rip Tide (2009)- This 5 year old bottle of imperial stout still holds up pretty strong and imparts a wide array of flavors from coffee to chocolate to hints of red fruits.  At 8% ABV it is surprising how well this beer held up over time, if you can find this one around don't be afraid of the date, crack it open and give it a try!

Thirsty Dog- Wulver (2012)- This Scottish Wee Heavy was aged in bourbon barrels for an extra kick and the flavor profile on this beer reaches far beyond typical Wee Heavy beers.  The bourbon barrel impart strong notes and flavors of coconut and vanilla, but flavors of chocolate and hints of coffee also come through, another sipping beer, but a great one!


After talking with Patrick Dawson we also gave away a FANTASTIC copy of his book Vintage Beer, the aging beer topic is covered in much more depth in this book and is highly recommended reading, check it out by clicking the cover below!

August 2, 2014 Show

In honor of Mead Day we are drinking and discussing some great commercially available versions of the style as well as some homebrewed versions brought in by our special guests this week.  The discussion ranges from history to style guidelines to variations within the style and we even go into some unexpected and hilarious areas, it is a GREAT show packed with A LOT of great information!


Mead Lineup:

Chaucer's Mead-  The most widely available mead in the United States currently, it has a very clean profile with a smooth body and a sweet honey aroma and finish, great introductory mead for the style.

B. Nektar- Kill All the Golfers: B. Nektar Meadery is an upcoming meadery from MI that is not afraid to experiment with the style.  This statement is proven with their wonderful take on the mead style with this wonderful example, the honey notes take a back seat to iced tea and lemon flavors and all blend wonderfully to create a wonderful Arnold Palmer-like taste (but MUCH better of course!) a must try for those who say "I have had meads and I don't like them."  Also the 6% ABV is great and makes this a pretty sessionable mead!

Moon Light Meadery- Desire: Moonlight Meadery is certainly leading the charge of quality meads and this is their flagship mead and it is easy to see why this meadery is winning over fans everywhere they go.  Strong notes of blueberries, black cherries and blackcurrants meld with honey for an incredibly smooth mead and the 16.7% ABV is completely hidden!

We also partook in some homebrewed meads brought in by our lovely guests from the Scranton Brewers Guild and we of course had another great giveaway this week featuring a book helping to introduce meadmaking at home!

Making Wild Wines and Meads gives some introductory lessons and great started recipes for those looking to make meads and other types of wine at home!  Click on the cover below to check the book out for yourself!

July 26, 2014 Show

This week we drink and discuss some great craft beers and craft spirits from New Holland Brewing Company with brewery co-owner Fred Bueltmann!  We were also joined in studio by the wonderful Chef Gene Philbin from Peculiar Culinary bringing some more absolutely AMAZING food with his, as always!


This weeks lineup:


New Holland Brewing Company:


Imperial Hatter: This beefed up DIPA has a great hop punch and a thick mouthfeel with delicious sweet malts.  The hop aromas and taste seemingly dance around the palate and each drink leaves you refreshed and wanting more and not even the slightest hint of the 9.3% ABV!

Hatter Royale: This Hopquilla is a delicious hop whiskey with those standard whiskey notes but with a citrus backbone, namely lime, from the hops.  Very easy drinking and not your standard whiskey!

Beer Barrel Bourbon: This was one that we all LOVED, the bourbon gains (and loses) a lot from the transfer to the used Dragons Milk beer barrel.  The bourbon gains notes of cocoa and biscuits from the barrel but loses the sharpness and instead is an incredibly smooth and easy drinking bourbon that is a dream for bourbon lovers everywhere.

Dragons Milk Reserve w/ Toasted Chiles:  A very smooth imperial stout with absolutely no alcohol heat but instead is replaced by a bite from chiles on the back end.  The chiles aren't present in the aroma or up front when drinking but instead all on the back end with a slight burn, spice lovers rejoice!

Michigan Awesome Hatter: Another wonderful addition to the Hatter series this one using all Michigan sourced ingredients.  A smooth hoppy pale ale styled beer with great balance and easy drinkability, not overly hoppy but extremely enjoyable!

We also gave away a fantastic prize pack including New Holland Brewing Company shirts, bottle openers, stickers, buttons, glassware, and Fred Bueltmann's wonderful book Beervangelist's Guide to the Galaxy: A Philosophy of Food & Drink .

If you are interested in picking up a copy of this book for yourself, and we highly recommend that you do, click on the cover below!

July 19, 2014 Show

This week we are taking a look at just some of the great craft beer being brewed in the greater Boston area, with some side trips as well!  We also discuss the brand new and extremely limited Stone Brewing Co. release of w00tstout 2.0 with one of the collaborators, Drew Curtis from Fark.com


Clown Shoes- Muffin Top:  The beer is labeled as a Belgian Style Tripel India Pale Ale, that is certainly a mouthful!  The beer fits the description perfectly though with a strong presence in aroma and taste of a Belgian Tripel but with a lovely kick of bitterness and citrus fruit from the hops.  It still maintains a great balance and does not give off any hint of the 10.5% ABV bomb locked inside, a must try but show the beer some respect or the high ABV will come back to bite you!

Stone Brewing Co.- w00tstout 2.0: If you were lucky enough to have w00tstout 1.0 than you already know what this beer is capable of as far as intensity of flavors and high ABV.  The 2.0 version has kicked it up a notch with a lot of chocolate in the aroma and taste with notes of coffee, pecans, coconut, and vanilla dancing in the background.  If you can find this beer BUY IT!

Harpoon- Leviathan IPA: Harpoon is a brewery that needs no introduction to craft beer drinkers and they may very well have been the brewery that got you on the craft beer kick, but they are still brewing some absolutely stunning beers.  Case in point, the world class DIPA Leviathan, it clocks in at 10% ABV and has a strong hop and malt punch and remains fully balanced and highly drinkable, hunt this bad boy down!

Sam Adams- Double Agent IPL:  A beer that really kicked off this burgeoning style of IPL's (India Pale Lager).  The beer has that wonderful hop punch that we love from IPA's but with a silky smooth lager mouthfeel creating a highly drinkable and wonderful poolside beer.

This weeks ultra special beer:

Sam Adams- Utopias:  This 29% ABV behemoth is so overwhelmingly flavorful that it is almost difficult to describe.  The strong aroma and flavors dance on the border of a fine cognac with strong flavors of caramel, toffee, vanilla, and maple syrup.  There is a hint of alcohol heat but at a volume this high its not surprising.  The price tag can give some sticker shock, but rest assured it is well worth every penny!


We also had this FANTASTIC prize pack this week for listeners including shirts, bottle openers, coasters, hats, an ice bucket, and a fantastic book!

 

Including in the pack was the wonderful book Boston Beer by Norman Miller.  The book provides an in depth look at the rich history and current state of breweries in the greater Boston area.  If you are interested in picking up a copy for yourself you can check it out here.

Jul 12, 2014 Show

This week we were joined by brewmaster Mike Simmons from Nimble Hill Brewing Company located in the Endless mountain region of Northeastern PA.  He brought a wide array of fantastic beers from the brewery to try and even a barrel sample of the latest sour beer!  We could not ask for more and as a special treat we also partook of a wonderful beer from Jolly Pumpkin!

We were also joined this week by Billy from Backyard Ale House located in Scranton, PA kicking off their official sponsorship of the show and we could not be happier to welcome them aboard!  If you have not stopped by their place it is a must visit if you are in Northeast Pennsylvania with a HUGE selection of craft beers!

Nimble Hill beer lineup for the show:

Nudder Czech Style Pilsner: A perfect example of the style.  Very crisp and refreshing with a wonderful hop bite and no overwhelming sulfur smell that some examples will pick up.  A perfect summer offering and hard to believe this is a new beer, Mike hit the nail on the head first attempt!

Nim Wit: Another beer that started as a summer seasonal but the demand grew and it is easy to see why!  A lovely balance of Belgian characteristics with a kick of spice with ginger being the most prevalent creating a beer that is extremely refreshing!

Hop Bottom IPA:  A hefty dose of hops goes into this bad boy and it also clocks in at 7% ABV.  The hops are fresh, dank, and balanced.  A beer that combines the best of the West with the best of the East for an enjoyable drinking expereience!

Naughty: This new summer seasonal is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale and clocks in at 9% ABV and is perfect for a summer evening to kick back and relax.  Strong aromas and tastes of dark fruits dominate throughout without the slightest bit of alcohol heat.  A sipping beer for sure, but a fantastic one at that!

Mysteria 4.0: The Mysteria series is going to be making it's 4th release with this amazing sour beer.  We were lucky enough to have Mike pull samples from the aging barrels for us to sample and this is going to be one fantastic beer.  The tartness is certainly present along with the wood characteristics, a great beer and we cannot wait to try the finished product!

This weeks special beer is:

Jolly Pumpkin- La Roja: This is a textbook example of the Flanders Red style with notes of tart cherries, figs, cranberries, oak, caramel, and a touch of vanilla.  Despite the puckering qualities this is an extremely smooth beer and is a great beer to enjoy with friends and discuss and the 7.2% ABV is also a nice touch!


This week we also gave away a copy of a great book called The Great Northeast Brewery Tour: Tap into the Best Craft Breweries in New England and the Mid-Atlantic by Ben Keene.  The book examines many of the wonderful breweries in the New England and Mid Atlantic region and provides all the necessary information about the breweries to plan a visit along with some great photography.  if you are interested in the book click the photo below and pick up a copy for yourself!