What Was the Last Beer You Drank?

[DerekRx]

Decided it was time for another International Beer Week theme, so here goes.

While not my all-time favorite beer, this is definitely my favorite Quadrupel and among the best beers out there. Tastes of apples, pears, spices, citrus, figs, plums, caramel, pepper, spices, yeast, bread, all making their appearance known and then gently fading away. The taste is great, but the feel of it is amazing! Well worth obtaining, and a return to Belgium may be in order soon.

That's right, it's time for the bad boy commonly known as "Westy's 12", Trappist Westvleteren 12, a quadrupel ale from a bunch of awesome monks in Belgium

Finally, we'll finish off on Friday with a bottle I know some here have enjoyed, but I think this is its first appearance in the beer thread, ranked #1 beer in the world, but quite humble as you can see by no label, ever!

Very good stuff with lots of fresh dark fruits up front and nice notes of caramel, vanilla, and toffee to accompany cinnamon, brown sugar, and a very cake-like feel. Thanks, Joe!

Holland's Struis, a Strong Ale from Brouwerij 't IJ, was next. 9%

not something I'd drink frequently, but pretty good. Lots of fruity notes, though a little salty at first, and boozy on the back end

Thomas Hardy's Ale was next, an English old ale, 11.7%

Tastes of chocolate, raisins, coffee, smoke, and leather, just like a RIS should, but packing way too much red wine booziness to really enjoy. This took me a while to finish

Next up, Mikkeller's Black Hole, a really crude Russian Imperial Stout from Denmark, weighing in at 12.5%

great maltiness and molasses sweetness in this one with good coffee, brown sugar, and some nice hop presence too, a fantastic dopplebock

We'll start off with a bottle of Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock from Germany that I found in the basement

[ParkTrips]

Scott came over this weekend and we did a little drinking for my first beer thread appearance in a while... the summer heat is behind us and Im back to drinking regularly again. Scott got in late Friday night so we just chilled at my place, but fortunately I had a couple good beers lined up that I wanted to share with Scott...

Finally, one more photo of Scott for the fan girls, as he was enjoying the Oak Aged Rye Pale Ale.. our pours were supposed to only be 4oz but Im pretty sure every pour I saw was more like 8-10oz.. and with 8 pours available, you could really get pretty well drunk.. gotta love Athens. The end!

All their awards are on display in the small gift shop

As you see, not exactly elaborate..

This is where happiness is created

mmmmm malt.. check out the honey package, Terrapin has a new beer coming out soon called the Sun Ray Wheat, which is obviously a wheat beer, but with a bit of honey flavoring. They were pouring it today, and we both enjoyed it - I could see it being a nice alternative to the people who like Sweetwater Blue

Here is our tour guide, showing us what the kids in Athens do best: get drunk

It was certainly a production brewery with no intent to make it into any sort of clean-cut museum or display of Terrapin greatness.. nope, it was pretty raw

Finally!!! after months of talking about it, we finally made it over to Terrapin for a tour and tasting

After we got out of the pub, we headed east...

Somewhere in there Scott had his first ESB, Wells Bombardier, and I squeezed this in as my pretzels began to get old. Vichtenaar is just a flanders ale with a wonderful range of vinegar-strength tartness, sour apple, sugar sweetness and some wine-like characteristics.

Scott, demonstrating to Loo that he knows how to hold his glass....

I decided to split the $15 bottle of Liberator with Scott, and its hard to believe I had one of my favorite beers on this day and it totally got overshadowed and forgotten. This was an 06 bottle so it had really lost some of the bite but just as enjoyable

Remember I said the place was empty? All of the sudden 40 people showed up dressed like pirates... they were a day late on the talk like a pirate day, but some of them were cute chicks and we were all drinking good beer so I dont think we minded

My 2nd beer selection was the Reinaert Wild Ale, a nice Belgian pale with a lot of brett and the other wild yeast I never remember another solid beer that got a bit heavy on the alcohol

I kept my selection to the upstairs bar, going with the Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor on draft.. it was a very tasty Belgian IPA but it was a bit lacking on the "Belgian" part as the hops really overpowered the candies and belgian yeast, but it was still tasty stuff

Scott had to be difficult though and put the dumbwaiter to use, starting off with a Weyerbacher Old Heathen stout.. Im not sure he liked it as much as Insanity but believe me he liked it (as did the two other people he later got to try it)

it was strangely dead, especially considering it was a Saturday and there was a waiting list downstairs.. normally you can't find a seat up here in the dark and warm bar

Hoppin and cozy as always, we were delighted to find out that the Belgian bar was already open so we went "upstairs and to the left"

We didn't stay long knowing that Taco Mac wasn't the only joint in town, and seriously Bama and Tech games were blowouts... so off to the Brick Store Pub, which was already spilling out into the sidewalks, for some afternoon drinking

2. Good beer, as we both opted for Sam Adams Oktoberfest

Now that we're watching football all we need is two things. 1. Game food, as Scott demonstrates with their pretty good queso dip... and...

After getting Scott drunk and watching him sleep till noon, we headed out to start our afternoon at Taco Mac in Decatur to watch out respective teams kick ass

I'm not gonna speak for Scott, but I'm pretty sure he liked it almost as much (if not more so) than the Westvleteren we split a few months ago. A perfect beer for the midwest bourbon lover like Scott

Again, Insanity is one of my favorite beers to date. You take a great barleywine in Blithering Idiot and age it delicately in bourbon barrels a superb blend of beer and bourbon flavors is created.. great stuff

I finally broke down and decided to crack open my lone bottle of Insanity knowing that Scott would love the bourbon aged barleywine... this was a tough call to make as I was hoping to let it mellow some more, but it was perfect

Interpreting the Bubba face, I think he liked it a lot, even more than the Black Albert

Ive had this one before and loved it, but what did you think Scott??

Next up I brought some Lost Abbey to the table, for some more dessert in the form of Judgement Day, their chocolate laced quad

Scott? Yeah, he likes it too, being the stout guy anyways

It was a very good beer to start off with - very drinkable despite being 13%, and a wonderful blend of belgian sugars and dark fruits, roasted malt, and with some bitter chocolate and a touch of coffee to round out the robust taste. A very solid beer but I can't help to feel that exclusivity probably helped this one rate so highly.

First up, Black Albert, the world's only "Belgian Royal Stout"

[DerekRx]

This weekend it was off to Virginia to start the Halloween season off right (and early). Heath was so ready to do some Halloween haunts, he practically begged to come with, and who am I to say no. It just so happens to also be the time of Oktoberfest, so on the way to Busch Gardens we just so happened to stop off at one of our favorite places to partake in the celebration.

you just can't beat the combo of pulled pork and slaw sandwich, hush puppies, and a sweet tea

and finally, leaving the park in mid afternoon, we stopped off at one simply awesome BBQ place down the road, Pierce's Pitt

it wouldn't be a trip to BGE without this obligatory shot thrown in. The park was so empty we never had longer than a 2 train wait for any ride

and because I inquired about it as it wasn't listed on the menu, our really awesome host hooked us all up with a taste of their new American Ale, which was pretty flowery and nicely dry hopped. I'd actually consider purchasing this one too

and we all chose the seasonal Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale, which is one of my favorite AB beers that I'd actually purchase a 6 pack of

Heath goes all Michelob with the Porter and Amber Bock

Two of Nicole's four beers were the Michelob Ultra Tuscan Orange Grapefruit Ale, which tasted kinda like a mimosa, and the Bacardi Silver Mojito Pomegrante which tasted like a dentist's fluoride treatment

in the Brewmaster's Club we find our menu of options

I miss the real Oktoberfest, as nice and impressive as this looks it pales in comparison to the real tents in Munich

on Sunday we returned to the park and were able to book a slot at the Brewmaster's Club. Time for more free booze at the Festhaus

Bud Light Lime intrigued me, and since the Brewmaster's Club was already booked for the day, I actually purchased an Anheuser Busch beer. It pretty much tasted like carbonated lime water. I'd give the nod to Miller Chill

and then some haunts to partake in

we've got some credit whoring to do

Here's the tent where more of the event will take place after 5, but we gotta be moving on well before that, sadly

Heath went for more Pschorr while I gave the Hofbrau Munchen Dunkel Lager a try, excellent as expected!

unfortunately, it seems a good portion of the rest of the Oktoberfests didn't survive much past Friday night, as they were out of almost everything we ordered. Nicole kept it German themed though with a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

time for a round of German Oktoberfests: Hofbrau, Hacker Pschorr, and Paulaner. These were so smooth, they didn't survive long

but at least the Oktoberfest vibe is all set up, and the brews are pouring

it just so happens to be Oktoberfest and they're hosting a big event this weekend, though not until after 5pm both days, boo

look at all those wonderful taps, and huge 1 liter complimentary steins to put the beers in.

Innsbrook's Capital Ale House, one awesome beer bar/restaurant with a plethora of beers

[Rugged One]

Happy First Day of Fall everyone!

 

I haven't been around here in the thread lately but I'm hoping to post a little more regularly now that it's time for all kinds of delicious Fall beer offerings.

 

And with Oktoberfest kicking off in Munich on Saturday, it's definitely that time of the year for some tasty Oktoberfest/Marzens to be had.

And the Trogner Bros. have done very well by this style. Bready toasted grains and caramel sweetness that are well balanced by a touch of spicy Noble hops. Very tasty and hugely quaffable. Well done Troegs!

We'll kick things off with something REAL local. Like down the street from where I work. It's the lucky #13 offering from the Troegs Scratch Series. A 4.9% Oktoberfest.

[coreyml]

FLYING DOG DOGGY STYLE

i have a glass to go with it now!

[DerekRx]

Enjoying some great stuff this week while the weather is cooling off nicely.

the age has done this beer nicely. Great chocolate and coffee flavors balancing each other out with other notes of dark fruits, molasses, smoke, roasted malt, vanilla, espresso beans, cocoa powder, anise, and alcohol. Really good stuff, extremely smooth and creamy with a nice bitter bite

Finally, we conclude this week with a gift given from Heath back in February, Sexual Chocolate, a Russian Imperial Stout from Foothills

nice roasty character with some molasses and caramel notes as well

now seems like a nice time to break out a Reserve Special Black Bier from Dark Horse

While it's no Westy 12, for an American take on a Belgian quadrupel it's pretty darn good, even better when aged

This bottle has been aging for a while, Tom cellared it for over a year, and then I must have cellared it for another year. Time to let this Weyerbacher Quad out of the bottle

one thing's for certain, Troegs Scratch 13, an Oktoberfest is good stuff, lots of bread and caramel, but with a nice citrus and light pine finish

This looks oddly familiar, I must've spent too much time around Heath this past weekend, as I poured the same beer in the same glass just minutes before he posted the same scenario

[DerekRx]

This past weekend was the Fall Fest at Victory, their Oktoberfest event. While the weather wasn't very cooperative, it still held back enough that we managed to get down there to check it out.

Furious makes me happy. Gotta love that variety of hops punch and great malt balance. Curse you for being so far away, Minnesota- that's the one thing that makes me furious

Finally, tonight we'll crack open my last can of Surly's Furious before it starts losing its hop punch

it's holding up pretty well and was pretty sweet yet crisp

last night it was time to clear out some old stuff from the fridge, like this Whitetail golden ale from Rock Art

fairly decent stuff, not as smooth and buttery as many Oktoberfests, but it had some nice bread notes and a nice earthy/grassy finish

we came too late last year for the Rocktoberfest, but managed to make it this year

next up, back to King of Prussia's Rock Bottom

as we prepare to head elsewhere, things are starting to get a little more lively outside. Hopefully next year the weather cooperates better and we can stay longer

and boy is it ever fresh! I just love this time of year

It must be so fresh they didn't even put it on the board yet, because here it is!

inside was a bit more crowded, especially at the bar, but there was still room to breath and lots more on tap. But no listing for the Harvest Ale, what gives?!

The main reason we came though was for the fresh hop Harvest Ale, which sadly wasn't available outside, so let's check inside. Notice how there isn't a line 75 minutes long waiting to get in, Three Floyds?

a German band was kicking some classic German festival music while we were there

Even the fire department came out to show support and show the kids around the trucks

Being Oktoberfest, we started off with Victory's Wiesen, an Oktoberfest. Not to be confused with their Festbier, also an Oktoberfest.

The selection of beers on tap outside, and signage so you can actually see what you're in line for. (oh yeah, they had queues set up too. Take that Three Floyds!) We found it odd that it was only these beers being offered, but they are the more sessionable ones

We got there just after the 2pm opening and there wasn't much of a crowd yet. The rain just letting up about 30 minutes earlier probably helped with the lightness

Here you can see the entrance tent, where you do all your purchasing of beer tickets, food tickets, merch pickups, etc, with Victory's brewpub in the far back. Sure looks more organized than anything Three Floyds would ever do

It's a big event, talking place at the entire old industrial site/Pepperidge Farm grounds where Victory now stands. Taking up all of Victory's parking lot means you have to park elsewhere, even down at the high school and be shuttled in. Luckily these signs help you know where you can park

[ParkTrips]

I wanted to try this one fresh...

Seriously good, this is about as good as IPAs get. Lots of hops, I love Simcoe hop bites, and a beautiful bouquet in the nose. Throw in an underlying maltiness a wicked mouthfeel and Pliny delivers to the hype.

.. consumed one week after bottling, as Vinnie intended

Pliny The Elder, Russian River's famed double IPA

[Rugged One]

It's been a while since I've done a BTR but hopefully I'll get more up here in the future.

 

So last Friday, with the day off from work, Kim and I were supposed to make a stop at the SGB and then go up to a concert at the Bloomsburg Fair. Well unfortunately, they canceled the concert the night before, so we now had some free time to check out something else.

 

We decided to make the most of it and make our way up to two areas that we haven't visited in a while.

Naturally I had to get a few to go! Thanks for reading and look for an SGB update after the weekend.

And here's something new from the last time we visited. A To-Go fridge stocked with bottled Bullfrog beer! They actually started this back in June and have been putting out some crazy stuff. The bottles are a bit pricey but it's all quality.

I also gave the new Saison Noire a try. It was tasty but a touch too heavy for my taste.

And more root beer for Kim!

Including the freshly tapped McMinn's Hop Harvest Ale. Tasty stuff!

Not quite as much on tap as we've seen on other trips but still some quality stuff.

Being a Friday night, the place was naturally rocking.

One more stop before we head home and of course, it's got to be a stop at The Bullfrog. Another place that got criminally undervisited by us this year.

All in all, we had a great time here and look forward to coming back for more growler fills in the future.

What's nice about them being a production brewery is that they are allowed to pour up to 12 oz samples. And they sure do! Here I try their Square Feet Wheat, a hoppy Wheat Ale.

They had 4 beers on to try with a 5th (Steel Drivin' Stout) coming on next week.

They also naturally have a really nice sized tasting room called affectionately, the "Horde Room".

The brewery itself has had a lot of history, serving as both a car dealership and food bank, among other things.

Brewer Mike Hiller is originally from the area but he cut his brewing teeth down at Legend Brewing Company in Richmond, VA. He and his wife (who was our hostess for this visit) relocated back here to Williamsport and are trying their hand at the production brewery thing.

After fleeing town because of the approaching weekend football crowd, it was off to Williamsport, PA, a place we haven't been to since last December! Our first stop is a newish brewery that opened late last year. The Barvarian Barbarian. We had tried some of their wares at the Harrisburg Brewers Fest and were really looking forward to checking the place out.

And with two choices on the hand pumps at all times, I've got to finish up with a snifter of their cask Old Fugget Barleywine. This was an English style with a firm maltiness and some good warmth to it.

And I think that this is our first visit where they have had their own root beer on. Kim, of course, was most pleased.

I honestly think that of all our local brewpubs, this place might have thee best menu and food. Lots of variety and quality items, like this cup of Chile cooked with their Black Mo Irish Stout.

Kim get's some beer of her own and grabs a half pint of their Oktoberfest. Decent stuff with bready malt sweetness and German Noble hops for balance.

Never fear though, they haven't left their local hop heads hang'n. Just tapped the day before, this is their new Slab Cabin IPA. It uses the same Amarillo and Chinook hops of the Double D but half the amount to keep prices in check. This was really tasty too!

Good stuff as usual on the board but something seems to be missing. Double D, their staple hoppy offering has had to be temporarily retired the because the required hops have just gotten to be too expensive.

Back at Otto's in State College for the first time in like 6 months. We really need to get up here more often as we like this brewpub more and more every time we come up.

[Rugged One]

Since we weren't going to be able to see Derek on his birthday today, we had him come over last night and treated him to a little pre-birthday hanging out. We busted out some cool beers, had some tasty eats, and watched some High Def goodness. All in all, I think he had a good time.

 

Happy 29th Dude!

And we're happy to report that it's held up just fine! Lots of deep chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, and roasted malts with a nice tingle of smokiness to it that reminded us a bit of a gunpowder smell. Really nice stuff from COAST!

Why is it so rare? Because they only bottled 4 cases (48 bottles total) of it. This was their first bottling project, so the brewer suggested that people not sit on these too long as they didn't know how the carbonation was going to hold up. So let's give it a try!

Finally, I bust out a real rarity to end the night. From the rather newish COAST Brewing in Charleston, SC, it's a bottle of Blackbeered Imperial Stout.

And because we didn't get to see it together in the theater, we had to fire up the newly released Iron Man Blu-Ray DVD on the home theater.

Pizza time! Not just any pizza will do though. It's Derek's favorite Barbecue Chicken Pizza from Ledo Pizza down near Baltimore.

We've had some other Midnight Sun Alaskan offerings before and these guys just don't disappoint when it comes to bringing the West Coast awesomeness. The Cascade hops in this smelled like a pine forest and were well balanced by some sticky caramel sweetness. Nice!

Something cool from the West was up next. A bottle of Midnight Sun Sockeye Red IPA.

Wow! This was a coffee lovers dream here. It just smelled and tasted like freshly ground dark roasted coffee beans. Definitely one of the better Coffee Stouts we've had.

First up, something from the great beer state of Wisconsin. Sitting just outside the Top 100 over at BA, it's the Central Waters Brewhouse Coffee Stout.

[Bubba83]

Happy Birthday Derek! I too celebrated a birthday about a week ago. Pretty uneventful though.

 

These pictures go back a ways, I feel so guilty for not being very active, and especially guilty for lagging on sending Heath his box of goodies! I did finally get hired on permanent with salary/benefits at my new job though so hopefully things will settle down and I might even take some time off with my paid vacation now that I'm not hourly wage anymore!

 

Oh and, I'm super excited about the fall season. Sharks Hockey, great Fall seasonals and german beers are soon to come! I'm even playing Fantasy Hockey this year which should be exciting.

My uncle bought me some Filet Mignon for my birthday, so that I could barbecue it for my Mom and I later in the week. So on Monday I barbecued it. I must say I cooked it perfectly Medium, just the way I like it! Yummy stuff, just thought i'd make you all drool before I head over to the uncles to take some more pictures... Til' next time!

An unbelievably good Barleywine. I need to go tour Anchor's Brewery sometime soon.

The last of the really old Anchor Old Foghorn six pack I found hiding away in that local liquor store that was priced by the new owners at just $6.99.

Good stuff too, I think I gave this a little bit too harsh of a report the first time. Maybe it does deserve the A-. Plus, don't I kind of have to support a brewery that originated in San Jose?

Gordon Biersch Dunkelweizen, part of a six pack we've had laying around.

And I am happy to report it held up wonderfully. Seriously, not even a touch of oxidation. Fantastic stuff this doppelbock was, really loved the dark fruit tones that developed likely from the aging, mixed with a nice dark caramel backbone. Thanks Heath!

Enjoy by July 27, 2006. I think Heath had mentioned he found an old bottle of this laying around for me and was hesitant about sending it, but I told him to go ahead anyway because I fathomed 8.5% Doppelbock's would age okay.

But wait, I found another one I hadn't yet drunk from the Heath shipment! Victory's St. Victorious Doppelbock.

Think of it as Stone XI light. Business in the front and party in the back.

One of the more interesting beers out there. Drake's Expedition Ale. A Stout/IPA sort of concoction.

Astoundingly good and worthy of this Bubba face. This English style Barleywine gives Old Foghorn a run for its money, and that's saying something! Thanks Heath!

The last beer in the Heath Shipment that he sent to me. Weyerbacher's Insanity. A Barleywine. Oak aged infact.

Oh well, I love this beer and will be buying another sixer the next time I go to BevMo, so it will be even fresher for when I send it to you Heath!

Consuming Heath's can of Big Swell IPA... My bad, I accidently drank this guy forgetting I had set it aside for you!

Come with me if you want to live.

The staple.

It wouldn't dissapoint though. A nice hopped up belgian tripel, really kind of unlike anything I've had.

This one is arriving a bit late to the party. Infact, we couldn't even get our hands on it until a couple weeks after 8/8/08.

Also quite nice! Midnight Sun is pretty solid all around it seems.

Another little something something I picked up while in Oregon. Midnight Sun's Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter.

Pretty good standard stout to have lying around.

My uncle picked up a sixer of Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

Superb. The bitterness it brings is very nice.

More Stone XII. Not sure if I already said so but my uncle and I went in on a case of this.

Excellent piney hops, with a light mouthfeel.

Hard to beat Alaskan IPA bombers for $2.99, a special at BevMo. I picked up 5.

This stuff is flippin' good man! Wow. It's as advertised, a crazy version of Black Butte, an awesome Porter. I think I enjoy this more than Abyss.

A little something kinda special... Deschutes Black Butte XX Porter, a little something the guy at John's Marketplace got for me from the back after I proved my beer geekyness to him.

Remains one of my favorites in the double IPA world.

It's been a while since we've ruinated our palates.

Really different and yummy, which seems to be what Dogfish Head is all about.

Palo Santo Marron

I like it! When is Harvest coming? =[

The last of the Anniversary Ale six pack.

It seemed a little bit more flavorful last time around, but I absolutely adore the flavor balance. I really hope I get the chance to try Brutal Black at some point.

Was able to find some Rogue Brutal Bitter at BevMo which I really loved the first time I had it.

[Coaster Palooza]

^Happy B-Day Kevin!

 

I haven't posted here in a while. Gyendolynne came home with some beers from the Santa Cruz Ale Works. I have only had one so far.

Last week's Monday Night Football game. A Pale Ale from Santa Cruz Ale Works. Very tasty.

[DerekRx]

Thanks for the birthday wishes, and happy belated to you, Kevin! (I thought you vanished or something from your lack of posts).

This one is a winner, not as awesome as Sierra Nevada's Harvest Ale, but still quite good with lots of fresh hop character and a nice biscuit backbone

Finally, we end with Weyerbacher's Harvest Ale, an apparent local exclusive made with fresh hops

This is another great coffee stout, very smooth and velvety. I'm sad I'm out of this stuff for now, but happy that it returns shortly.

Following in the enjoyment of Breakfast Stout, it was time for more stouts, like last year's Wake N Bake from Terrapin, which has held up nicely

I can't wear a Founder's shirt, see Breakfast Stout on tap, and pass it up. Excellent stuff, very deserving of its ranking amongst the best out there.

Afterwards I hit up Capone's to pick up some bottles for October consumption and decided to stop into the now smoke-free bar to see what was on tap. Big mistake!

To finish, I went with Erie Brewing's Misery Bay IPA. Just an ok IPA, not very hoppy, but a little too hoppy to be considered a pale ale

and with excellent food like Beef on Weck, I'll most likely be joining him on occasion!

next on Tom's agenda was Lagunitas' Sirius, which he loved even though he isn't big into hops or cream ales. Something tells me Tom will be checking out this place again very soon

next up for me, Clipper City's MarzHon, an Oktoberfest. It wasn't that spectacular, kinda watery, which surprised me for Clipper City

Conveniently, Spinnerstown is only 10 minutes from Tom's work, so he decided to join me in checking out the place. Tempted by the Southern Tier Pumking, he was pleased to discover that this year it tasted more like pumpkin cookies than pumpkin meat

Being October and all, I decided to start out with Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale, among the best pumpkin ales out there, and always consistently good

Their restaurant and bar area has a pretty impressive selection, with a manager who gets lots of good beers in. Besides this nice tap arrangement there's a huge book with lots of bottles, some of them really rare (like Perkuno's Hammer)

On Tuesday I found myself checking out a place I hadn't yet visited, Spinnerstown Hotel in Spinnerstown, PA, just outside of Quakertown

[Coaster Palooza]

^I wished you a happy birthday somewhere else, but I want to post one here too! Sorry it is late.

[Rugged One]

This past weekend was PPP of course but it was also a continuation of another annual tradition that's now in it's 3rd year. The Pre-PPP visit to the SGB on the way to Knoebels.

 

Derek and Nicole were naturally there with us but as a bonus this year, both Jeff and Deuane were able to stop by as well for a couple as they were each passing through the area.

Afterwards it was on to PPP and the Covered Bridge Fest, where we of course had to get some pumpkin rice pudding. Yum!

Jeff and I then go for our own goblets of the Peche Saison. This stuff was seriously awesome. Juicy fresh peachs, tartness, and a bit of yeasty funk to liven things up. Great stuff!

In the meantime, I try the new Hotshot Pils (infused with spicy pepper notes) while Jeff has the Marketfest Marzen, and Deuane their regular IPA.

Of course the big hit of the day was the new Peche Saison, another tremendous fruit beer form these guys that Derek & Kim show off here. Nicole wonders whey the heck she didn't get one!

As you can see, they actually had some cool new stuff on tap.

Back at the SGB for the first time in a while and needless to say, the place was PACKED! Turns out it was Homecoming at nearby Susquehanna U. Luckily Derek & Nicole were there right at opening and secured us the BIG table.

[ParkTrips]

I'm sad I'm out of this stuff for now, but happy that it returns shortly.

I'm pretty sure I read that Terrapin wants to go to PA next....

[Bubba83]

^ What happened to your pictures from SF Joe?

[mcjaco]

Ugh. So as you might remember, my camera crapped out on me. Thanks to a fellow beer thread contributor (Rick), I have a nice new/used camera, and finally got back into action of drinking, and taking pictures. While, at least taking pictures again!

I think I'm a fan of Arrogant Bastard more. Yes, I'm leaning towards hoppiness now. I'm such a weakling.

Stone Double Bastard.

Absolutely love this brew. Dopplebock x2. Yum!

Capital's Autumnal Fire. What I think is the best fall seasonal brew.

Ugh. This makes me want to go back to SoCal.

Stone Pale Ale.

Not one of Larry's better brews, but it's nice. Abra loves it, so if it makes the wife happy......

Bell's Octoberfest.

There was a reason it was on the clearance shelf. When I brought it home it was full of sediment. It wasn't half bad. The half I got to actually drink!

Rush River's Bubblejack. I picked this up in MN with Derek.

Still one of my favorites. So happy I can get it readily now.

Stone Arrogant Bastard. I cleared Woodman's out of this stuff. At $3.99 a bomber, you'd be dumb not too!

I can't complain. Nice malty backbone, great color.

Pyramid's Broken Rake. Do you sense a theme with my selections???

I couldn't get past the color. It was a pretty meh ale, but the color just kept throwing me off. I wanted to think it was Strawberry Crush.

Coney Island's Freaktoberfest. Ahhh, it's red!

Wonderful hop smell, and taste. I loved this one.

Southern Tier's Harvest Ale.

And, I'm not sure I'll be making many more. Nothing spectacular, except the awesome fall color.

Red Hook's Late Harvest. This was my first venture into Red Hook.

Decent. Nice vanilla, not much else.

Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter.

It was lacking for a Barleywine, but I like mine a bit strong. I couldn't believe the cloudiness.

Stone Old Guardian. I picked this up back in June while in Ohio. Ironically, Stone became available in WI the next weekend. D'oh!

[Coaster Palooza]

^You're right about that flash! Hopefully you'll get some good pics at Disney...

[ParkTrips]

^ What happened to your pictures from SF Joe?

I literally only took one beer wise since I forgot my mem card @ home and just had my phone.. and that was at Russian River which I decided to visit in lieu of Toronado since I really liked SF and hope to go back for a few days in the future

[DerekRx]

Nice to see some more action in here this week. Here's my contribution of this week's goodies.

It's starting to lose its taste a little, but the nose is still amazing. If all Bitters tasted like this, I'd be a happy camper

Finally, we'll finish off with my last can of Bitter Brewer from Surly, before it isn't fresh any longer

holy freaking bourbon notes, Batman! Thankfully you could still taste the dark fruits, oak, chocolate, soy sauce, and coffee flavors afterward, but this thing is definitely a sipper with lots of alcohol heat still residing inside

This ain't no homebrew or mystery beer, it's Voodoo Brewing's Black Magick, a bourbon barreled RIS that they just can't wait any longer for label approval to release

this thing was definitely packing in the hops, lots of citrus, pine, and grassy notes, but not a whole lot of caramel malt balance I like from an Imperial IPA, or at least it was way overshadowed by the hop presence

next up, something Matt Capone suggested I try, Harpoon's Leviathan Series Imperial IPA

in true West Coast style, it packed in lots of hops, making for one fantastic red ale with great citrus and pine notes, but still balanced

Next, a birthday present from Heath, Hop Head Red Ale from Green Flash out of San Diego

Lots of witbier qualities, but still enough yeasty funk to be considered a tripel

First up, a gift from Matt, Oh Brother! from Two Brothers, a Belgian Tripel

[mcjaco]

^ I had some Surly Cynic on tap last weekend. I need to go back up to MN soon!

[Sue]

I also work close by the Spinnerstown Hotel in nearby Pennsburg. I pass by there every day on the way to work. I've never been in there though. How did you find out about it? It seems to be in an out of the way location unless you're specifically looking for it.

[brilinjo]

No longer a sticky thread?

[Bubba83]

Oh man we got demoted!