fall beer

New Beer Blog Cheboygan Brewing Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into another Oktoberfest from Cheboygan Brewing. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this Oktoberfest Beer.

It has a nice clear light amber to dark copper color with a semi white head. The smell has a candy to sweet caramel notes. The taste has a sweet candy to caramel notes with a dry malty notes for the aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a desecration from their website (www.cheboyganbrewingcompany.com):

Gold Medal award winner at the 2012 Frankenmuth World Expo of Beer!

The beer, created by the brewery’s operation manager and brewmaster Tim Perry, who was inspired by the 1976 Späten Oktoberfest bier from Munich, Germany, is orange in hue with a pronounced malt presence. 6% ABV IBU 28. Available in the Fall. Available in six packs seasonally.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.cheboyganbrewingcompany.com

Twitter: @CheboyganBrew

In the end, I have been really impressed with all the fall seasonals asides the Erdinger, Griffin Claw, Atwater Brewery, and Weihenstephaner. I have to say those were bad. I believe that is four out of fourteen fall beers. This brewery puts another good one on that list. I am so happy to have a great streak of fall beers this season. I love the candy to caramel notes from the malt. It is pretty sweet but yet has a nice malty dry finish. It will have you coming back and drink more and more of this beer. I highly recommend this beer. You can find this one in the Michigan market. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Erdinger Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into Erdinger Oktoberfest. Erdinger was founded in 1886 by Johann Kienle. It is number one Hefeweizen in the world. They brew several different Hefeweizen beer styles. Let us get this fall beer.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white constant head. There is not really a smell on this fall seasonal. The taste has a malty lemon to clove notes. The aftertaste has a lemon to citrus finish. It is pretty drinkable.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.erdinger.de

Twitter: No Address

In the end, all those years living in Chicago, I never picked up a bottle of this beer. I mean it was every liquor store I was in during the fall season. I am pretty amazed that I did not pick one up. It was a no brainer to pick up a bottle in this season. I did not think I would find a bottle in Michigan. I am glad I found a bottle right away. I am shocked by the color but I really not. It does not taste like an Oktoberfest. I was pretty disappointed with this beer. I was hoping for a lot more malty notes but then again it is another Hefeweizen. I have to say it is nothing really special. It is good but I am looking for malty fun at this time of the year. If you are a fan of Hefeweizen, you would like this one. I get why they put this up because it gives the beer drinkers something different. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Griffin Claw Screamin’ Pumpkin Ale (2014)

In this fall seasonal beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Griffin Claw Brewery. I do not know why I keep coming back to this brewery. I know why for this beer because this is an old Michigan Brewery Company recipe. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this young craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this pumpkin ale.

It has a light amber to dark color with a semi white head. The aroma has a heavy cinnamon and nutmeg notes. The taste has really no notes but slight sweet malt. The aftertaste is a heavy cinnamon and nutmeg notes. It is so not drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.griffinclawbrewingcompany.com):

Our Screamin’ Pumkin Ale is like a slice of warm pie. Cinnamon, clove, sweet pumpkin, a little molasses. A couple sips in you’ll mistake the malty aftertaste for a crispy crust. The perfect beer to celebrate Halloween. Or Thanksgiving. Or Christmas, if there’s any left. From the time we brew it in July get it while it’s good.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.griffinclawbrewingcompany.com

Twitter: @Griffinclaw

Closing, I was a pretty big fan of the Michigan Brewery Company Screaming Pumpkin Ale. I use to make trips back from Chicago to bring some back. Later years I stop because of being busy and then they went out of business. I was pretty excited to hear that a craft brewery brought the rights to the recipe. I do not know what they did with this recipe but it is not the same beer as I remember it. It has been a long time since I had it. Maybe my taste has changed over the years. I might have to retry it but I am hoping I do not get a bad batch. Who knows, maybe this first one was a bad batch. It was not really good. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Alaskan Pumpkin Porter (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to sample a brewery new to Michigan. It is Alaskan Pumpkin Porter. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Northwest craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into this pumpkin porter.

It has a jet black color with a nice tan head on this porter. The aroma has hints of cinnamon and nutmeg notes. The taste has a light chocolate to cinnamon and nutmeg with a smokey malty aftertaste. It is drinkable beer for a porter.

Here is a desecration from their website (www.alaskanbeer.com):

Style:

A native plant of North America, pumpkins were first used in beer in colonial America as a substitute for hard-to-find malt, and none other than the father of our country George Washington had a highly touted recipe. This imperial porter pumpkin beer combines the robust, full-bodied style of a porter with a, frankly, crazy amount of pumpkin.

Taste Style:

With over 11 pounds of pumpkin added to every barrel of this imperial porter, this beer has a smooth, velvety rich texture. Brown sugar, holiday spices and a scoche of Alaskan’s famous alder-smoked malt are added to create an aroma and flavor reminiscent of grandma’s Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

History:

This is the first bottling of our Alaskan Pumpkin Porter, after a highly sought-after holiday Rough Draft release in Alaska. This Alaskan Brewing take on a colonial American tradition is perfect for autumn and Thanksgiving, as here in Alaska we see the nights get longer and colder and can find comfort in the richness of this brew.

Ingredients:

Alaskan Pumpkin Porter is made from our glacier-fed water and a blend of Magnum and Goldings hops, 6 different malts including Alaskan alder-smoked malt, brown sugar, and a spice blend including cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Plus, of course, Red Hubbard variety pumpkin.

Story Behind The Label:

Alaska is home to some of the world’s largest cultivated vegetables, squashes, gourds and pumpkins. The long daylight hours in the summer promote fast growth, and also prompt fierce competition amongst the farmers of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, who converge on the Alaska State Fair with their gigantic prize produce in the quest to be crowned State Fair champion. It is a common sight at the fairgrounds in Palmer to see a pickup truck barely able to contain the huge pumpkins they haul to the competition, which can weigh in at more than 1,200 pounds.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.alaskanbeer.com

Twitter: @alaskanbeer

Closing, Yay! This is my first Pumpkin Porter of the season. I am glad it is coming from one of my favorite breweries out west. There is a nice balance between from the porter and pumpkin. To me, I found this beer taste like a chocolate cover pumpkin with some cinnamon and nutmeg notes. It is a sipping beer but perfect for the fall and winter seasonal. I can see many beer drinkers drink this beer after fall is over. This is a great and well designed beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Goose Island Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into the 2014 version of Goose Island Oktoberfest. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this Midwest craft brewery, you know the history of this 1980’s craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Chicago Orignal craft brewery. Let us get into this fall beer.

It has a dark clear copper color without a head. The aroma has a slight sweet malty notes. The taste has a sweet malty to slight but faded caramel notes. The aftertaste has a dry malty finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.gooseisland.com

Twitter: @gooseisland

In the end, I have to say this year’s version is so much better than last years. I was not a fan of last year’s beer. It is night and day compare to these beers. I am pretty stun and impressed. The layer of depth has some notes of caramel notes. I did not really pick up too much of the toffee and apricot notes that is marked on the bottle. I am not too sure and I came up with these tasting notes before reading the bottle. I had a chance to try it on draft and it is pretty constant from bottle to keg. This is a great beer and I highly recommend it. Get it while it last if you are outside of the Chicago market. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest (2014)

In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into this year’s Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Midwest Craft Brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Ohio craft brewery. Let us get into this fall beer.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a sweet malty to caramel notes. The taste has a depth of sweet malt, slight caramel, and nut notes. The aftertaste has a dry crisp malty finish. It is a pretty drinkable fall beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Our Oktoberfest is the noble brother of the Vienna lager…. As if wearing “lederhosen” and getting your “oompah” on didn’t make you noble enough. Oh, and enjoy this German lager in our energy effcient Beer Garden, complete with a retractable roof, straw bale wall and radiant heat fireplace and floor.

Cleveland’s celebration of Oktoberfest dates to the mid 1800s when German immigrants gathered at outdoor beer gardens like Haltnorth’s and Kindvater’s St Clair Gardens. Our amber lager with rich malt flavor and noble hops honors Cleveland’s diverse cultural heritage.

In keeping with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, this beer is traditionally brewed from all natural ingredients: barley, hops, yeast and water. no chemicals or preservatives are used.

Here is a description from their website (www.greatlakesbrewing.com):

An amber lager with rich malt flavor balanced by fragrant noble hops.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Twitter: @GLBC_Cleveland

Closing, it has been forever since I had a Great Lakes Oktoberfest. I was happy to get a bottle in my hand. I have to say I was not disappointed. So far, this year’s fall seasonals has not been disappointing asides New Belgian Brewery Tour De Fall. I am not going to get into it on this review. Just like Goose Island Oktoberfest, there is some nice depth of malty notes. I am getting some nice hints of sweet caramel notes. It is nice drinkable and easy to drink beer. It is true to the classic beer style and I will have a few more pints before the end of the season. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Shipyard Brewing Smashed Pumpkin Ale (2014)

In this beer blog, we are going to get into Smashed Pumpkin Ale from Shipyard Brewing. Shipyard Brewing started out as Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub at Kennebunk, Maine in 1992. The brewery kept on growing and open a brewery called Shipyard Brewing at Portland, Maine. They partner with Sea Dog Brewing Company and Casco Bay Brewing Company and they became the fourth largest brewery in New England. They are fourteenth largest brewery in the United States. They opened a brewery in Winter Park, Florida. Let us get into this beer.

It has a cloudy copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has pumpkin to slight cinnamon to nutmeg notes. The taste has a sweet cinnamon to nutmeg with a nice creamy caramel notes. The aftertaste has dry cinnamon aftertaste. It is not drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit. To fully enjoy all the flavors, this ale is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheese, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs. Try adding a little Shipyard Blue Fin Stout to Smashed Pumpkin for a fall warmer.

Here is a description from their website (www.shipyard.com):

A big bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit. To fully experience all the flavors, this beer is best enjoyed at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.shipyard.com

Twitter: @shipyardbrewing

Closing, I have been eyeing this beer for the last few fall seasons. I just finally picked up a bottle. I figure that I will make it my third pumpkin beer of the season. It has a nice color and aroma. I love the taste and the aroma notes. It has a nice bite for being a big fall seasonal but nice and kind of drinkable beer. There is a nice balance from the cinnamon and nutmeg notes but I love the nice creamy caramel notes from the malt. I will be picking up a few more of these beers with some Well’s Banana Bread beer. This is a great beer and I highly recommend it. Go get some! Drink i! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Liberty Street Brewing Pumpkin Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a fall seasonal from Liberty Street Brewing. It is their Pumpkin Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog post on this brewery, you know the history of Liberty Street Brewing. If you have not, please, read those beer blog post to get to know this young Michigan brewery. Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear dark golden color with a creamy white head. The smell has slight cinnamon and nutmeg. The taste has a slight cinnamon, nutmeg, and hints of pumpkin notes. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.libertystreetbeer.com

Twitter: @Liberty_Brewer

Closing out, I was pretty stun to see this beer on draught at my local Buffalo Wild Wings. I had to order it for two reasons. One, I am a pretty big fan of this brewery and two, it was on draft. I like this beer however, it is not the best pumpkin ale on the market. It is not the worse pumpkin ale on the market. I love the bend from the nutmeg and cinnamon. The pumpkin is there but just enough to make me happy. It is like drinking a pumpkin pie. I recommend it, if you can still find it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Beer Blog Blue Point Brewing Pumpkin Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into the fall seasonal from Blue Point Brewing. It is their Pumpkin Ale. I know it is another pumpkin beer. This one is a little different. If you read my earlier beer blogs on this brewery, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, read those beer blogs to get know this brewery. Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark copper to light amber color with constant white head on this pumpkin ale. The smell has notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and light pumpkin in this Fall Seasonal. The taste has cinnamon and nutmeg in the front, however, there is a light pumpkin notes on the back half of the drinking experience. The pumpkin lives in the aftertaste. This is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.bluepointbrewing.com):

According to Linus there are 3 things never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin. Our Pumpkin Ale, on the other hand, has made quite a buzz from New Hampshire down to Florida. Every season has its pleasures. Harvest your own with our Pumpkin Ale and reap all that Autumn has to offer. Brewed with pumpkins from only the most sincere patches, this seasonal brew is golden orange, crisp and delicious, with an innocent hint of cinnamon and nutmeg that articulates our favorite season. Gather with friends and family and enjoy the change of seasons while savoring a pint of Pumpkin Ale. Just like the leaves, it’s gone after Thanksgiving.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.bluepointbrewing.com

Twitter: @bluepointbrewer

Closing, I know what you are asking. Why is this pumpkin beer different from the rest on the market? It is pretty simple. This pumpkin ale gives you the pumpkin but it is not over the top in your face that goes with the spices. You taste the nutmeg and cinnamon up front and the pumpkin at the end of the drinking experience. I love this beer for that because it makes it pretty drinkable unlike most pumpkin beers. I believe this is the best pumpkin beer on the market or one of the best on the market. I recommend you trying this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Beer Blog Upland Brewing Harvest Pale Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a seasonal ale from Upland Brewery. It is their Harvest Pale Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog on their Dragonfly IPA, you know the history of this up and coming from Indiana. If you have not, please, read that beer blog post about their flagship ale. Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color with a semi white head on this Fall Seasonal. The smell is piney to slight citrus notes. The taste of this hoppy pale ale has a slight malty notes with a piney to slight citrus notes. The aftertaste is a heavy bitterness from the hops. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.uplandbeer.com):

An American Pale Ale by design, but an even more vibrant rendition by loading up our hopback with freshly harvested Citra hops. Expect huge wafts of tropical fruit notes, balanced by a moderate bitterness and light tasted malt character. A showcase for one of our four favorite ingredients and a delight for all the hopheads.

ABV: 5.5 | IBUs: 62 | SG: 14 | SRM: 13

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.uplandbeer.com

Twitter: @uplandbrewco

Closing, this seasonal ale gives the craft beer drinker something else. Normally for the fall, the craft beer drinker will have to reach for the countless list of Oktoberfest, Pumpkin ales, or start looking at porters and/or stout. Upland Brewery and a few more craft breweries are looking at this as opportunity to give their drinkers something a little different. This brew is something different. It is a west coast pale ale. It is hopped up and it is very good. They did a nice job on this brew. It is well balance from the malty backbone to the hops. I will have to say they were not shy on making the hops shine through this beer. I wish this beer was available all year-long but it would loss that special shine that it has right now. I recommend you hunting this beer down. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

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