Weyerbacher, Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Easton, PA, 8%abv., is dark red-amber with a quickly receding tan head. Cinnamon, clove and allspice blend with pureed pumpkin and roasted malt. The palate basically follows the nose creating a liquid pumpkin pie. I would fill a glass with the Weyerbacher, Imperial Pumpkin Ale and add a scoop of rich vanilla bean ice cream, creating a liquid pumpkin pie ala mode. Brooklyn Brewery, Post Road Pumpkin Ale, 5%abv. This brew gives a nod to early American brewers who used the plentiful pumpkin to brew their ales. Rich amber with a quickly receding khaki head has … Continue reading Pumpkin Beers 2018, part 2

September is always an exciting month for beer lovers. Oktoberfest beers start to show up on the shelves, but it always seems these special brews shelf space is shrinking. Pumpkin beers seem the hot beer this time of year now, hogging the space one occupied by the Oktoberfest lagers. Brewers like to show off their skills at this beer, a brew steeped in history when colonial brewers couldn’t get barley from the British and resorted to using pumpkins. The pumpkins were plentiful in the colonies and provided the necessary sugars to brew beer in the New World, screw the king. … Continue reading Pumpkin Ales 2018, Part 1

Now that late September is here, so is Oktoberfest. Huh? That’s right, Oktoberfest, the world’s biggest beer festival actually begins in September. The first Oktoberfest was held in 1812 to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig. For 2018 the festival starts on September 22 and runs until October thru October 7. Below are several Marzen, the beer brewed for Octoberfest. Marzen is generally amber in color from roasted malt and has a slightly sweet flavor and typically a little more alcohol than other German lagers.   Devil’s Backbone Brewing, O’Fest, Lexington, VA, 5.9% abv, is crystal clear amber in the … Continue reading Oktoberfest beers of 2018, keep it local

is light gold in the glass. Aromas of sweet summer peaches backed by tart lemon and bright minerals tease the palate of what’s to come. Peach and pear and juicy mango fill the mouth and are soon joined by bright acid of lemon and grapefruit giving the Tikves, Rkactelli has a medium body and a long dry finish. The long finish cleans the palate out ready for another sip or another bite of food.   Tikves, Rkactelli, Special Selection is the perfect warm weather wine, best enjoyed sitting on the back deck or on a picnic blanket on a hilltop … Continue reading Tikves, Rkactelli, Special Selection, Macedonia, 2013