Blue Mountain Barrel House, Spooky, Arrington, Virginia, 8.2% abv. Is light brown in the glass with a tan head.  Spooky forgoes the pumpkin pie spices; instead it was brewed with pureed pumpkin and cocoa nibs and aged in charred bourbon barrels.  The nose is tinged with roasted malt, and pumpkin and vanilla and caramel from the bourbon barrels.  The cocoa is in the background towards the back end of the nose.  The palate pretty much follows the direction of the nose.   The finish is medium but leaves you wanting more. The Blue Mountain Spooky is unique because the brewer takes a different approach to his … Continue reading Blue Mountain Barrel House, Spooky

San Pedro, Gato Negro, Pinot Noir, Valle Central, Chile, 2016 has a light ruby red color in the glass. Ruby red cherry, wild strawberry, and graphite greet the nose.  Flavors of tart cherry, tangerine and hit the tongue first, secondary notes of minerals accompany strawberry and raspberry through the mid palate.  The finish is medium with crisp acidity, getting your mouth ready for the next sip.  Enjoy with some grilled salmon garnished with candy corn. San Pedro, Gato Negro, Merlot, Valle Central, Chile, 2016 is deep garnet color with purple highlights around the corona.  The nose has highlights of dark cacao with some savory roasted … Continue reading Gato Negro Wines, the perfect sips for Halloween

Drinking a beer in the shower has been a thing for a while now, but no one brewed a beer specifically to drink while taking a shower. Until now! Well at least since 2014. Champion Brewing Company in downtown Richmond, VA makes Champion Shower Beer, 4.5% abv. to enjoy in the shower. Champion’s Shower beer is bright yellow with a fluffy white head. Clean and crisp malt notes greet the nose and the palate. Czech Saaz hops lend a slight bitterness that balances the malt. Over all this is a very satisfying lager. Champion’s Shower Beer won a gold medal … Continue reading Finally a beer made for the shower Champion Brewery’s Shower Beer

Hardywood Brewing, Richmond, VA, Rum Barrel Pumpkin Ale, 12.3% abv. Packs a punch. Dark amber with a quickly fading tan head, this is a unique heady beer. The nose has strong aromas of caramel and pumpkin pie spices up front. The palate follows the nose, with a nice vanilla sliding in mid palate. The high alcohol can be felt as it is going down, but not an unpleasant burn, kind of warm welcome, especially is sipping on a chilly evening. The aging in rum barrels does add another dimension to pumpkin ales, but do we really need another pumpkin beer … Continue reading Hardywood, Rum Barrel Aged Pumpkin Ale