Brews of the Season

Yes, we take pictures of our beer.  When you drink a good beer and you’re thinking of good friends spread around the globe is there a better way to capture warm thoughts?  So here we provide a couple of shots and thoughts of brew sampled during the past football season.  Wonder what pleasures we’ll uncover during bowl season?

I’m a sucker for good names and good graphics when looking for something new to try.  That’s why we started the season with Pike Brewing Company’s Naughty Nellie.  Nellie was more like a lazy sunny day beer and perhaps that what the brewers had in mind, just not what I expected from the Pacific Northwest.  We did make a note to try a few more styles from these guys; the labels are just too damn appealing.

Ah, now we’re talkin’.  A rich brown ale called “Tumbler” from Sierra Nevada.  Don’t let the “rich” adjective scare you.  This beer wasn’t too malty and had the right balance to satisfy the IPA lover in you.  This was the first in several seasonal varieties we tried through the season.  We’ll keep an eye out for it next year!

Here’s one we go to again and again, Olde Richmond No. 4 Brown Ale.  I understand the brewery is attempting to replicate beers of the 18th and 19th century with its recipes.  The No. 4 is my favorite, and one of my favorite beers period.  Talk about rich, yet it is very drinkable.  Be prepared for sweetness but whether its malt or molasses I couldn’t tell you.  There is a earthy nuttiness as well, thick brown head, and leaves a very sexy lace down the glass.  (Couldn’t find a web site for these guys.)

We tried many Oktoberfest beers this year.  There were none to unseat our favorite from Paulaner but this version from Victory called Festbier was nice.  It was a lighter Amber which surprised me with a subtle season spice.  The aroma was very nice – spice, sweet, hoppy – something I like in a seasonal = gets your blood pumping for the Fall season.  Of course the orange and blue colors of the picture make it a favorite too.

Dad’s favorite beer was Guinness so somewhere this Fall I tried a few Stouts to see what all the fuss is about.  Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout was an instant hit.  There hasn’t been any Bell’s style I don’t like but the Stout caught me by surprise.  It is probably one of the most complex beers I’ve had and like many reviews I’ve read each sip does in fact have something new to offer.  It has a heavy body yet is very drinkable.  The aroma has hints of chocolate and vanilla.  A really neat beer to try and go back for seconds.

Got a few beers for us to try, let us know and follow us on Twitter.

Cheers!