#303: Hopshire Farm & Brewery » Figgy Puddin' (Cask Brown Ale)

Figgy Puddin' (Cask Brown Ale) | ABV: 6.2%
Between the day-job and a Friday evening meeting, I scampered over Hopshire Brewing for a taste of their limited cask offering, Figgy Pudding. This brew is a variation of Round Yon Virgil (an enjoyable spiced brown ale in it's own right), cask conditioned with dates, figs and vanilla beans, which all sounded like a warming pause to a blustery and busy evening.

Figgy Puddin' introduces itself with a deep nose of red fruits with notes of sticky figs, plum, and mild red table wine peak through as well. The aromas are bright and juicy with a dab of sour cherry.

It's smooth, with a low level of carbonation. Layering notes of clove are well received against flavors of overripe red fruits and a touch of bourbon. Firm flavors of fig, cassis dance alongside smooth vanilla and punctuating vanilla extract notes rise quickly after the first few sips.

As for mouthfeel,it's not too sticky for a sweeter beer. It's wet, with a subtle spice mouthcoat that ends with a relatively clean finish for a fruit & spice brew.

Further through, a touch of sour cherry peaks through, which is a pleasant complexity balanced against the sweet fruits. All-in-all, a solid, warming brew.

#283: Yards » Frankford Hall, Cape Of Good Hope, Russian Imperial, Trubbel, General Washington's, Thomas Jefferson's, Poor Richard's, Love Stout, Cicada, Brawler, ESA, IPA, Grand Cru

My partner & I rolled into Philly at the start of December for our Anniversary, as usual, much centered around beer. I was laid out ill the first night, better by day two, and by day three, it was time for some serious beer exploration. We set aside an afternoon to spend at Yards and were glad we did, splitting three flights & a tulip.

(right to left...)

Frankford Hall (Session IPA) | ABV: 5.5%
A session IPA seemed like a fine place to start the afternoon. Frankford Hall serves up with a translucent straw body and a ring of while head. Grassy hop aromas introduce this drinkable IPA. Taste & body akin to an offspring from IPA and a Pils parents.

Cape Of Good Hope (West Coast IPA) | ABV: 9.3% | IBUs: 76
Stepping up a notch, this Imperial IPA entices with sweet mango aromas emitting from a hazy straw body. Bright, shimmering tropical notes pair well with the lively carbonation. Further flavors of lemon zest arise, gaining piney momentum with a touch of floral futher through. Refreshing and tightly bitter.

Russian Imperial Stout | 10.8% ABV
Boasting an alcohol volume over ten percent, this Russian style stands tall, deep, and dark with strong notes of molasses on the nose. It's robust & roasted, nutty and growing evermore bitter, never turning sweet or sticky. Food brings out the huge booze notes in this hardy stout.

Trubbel de Yards (Tripel Dubbel Ale) | ABV: 9.3% | IBUs: 66
The hazy, dark brown brew with off-white head, yields sweet, dark red fruit aromas. Smooth raisin & fresh plum flavors splash across the palate alongside rich, engaging overtones of caramel and chocolate in the far back. A notable brew.

(round two: Ales of the Revolution)

George Washington's Tavern Porter | ABV: 7.0% | IBUs: 34
Robust! Authentically brewed to Washington's own recipe, this strong porter bursts out of the gate with big notes of molasses and dried red fruits. Inferred winter spices are threaded through as well with mild, herbal and medical characteristics. A wonderful step back in time and away from the usual brew.

Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale (Strong Golden Ale) | ABV: 8.0% | IBUs: 28
Once again, historically authentic, Jefferson's is a standout, brewed with honey, flaked maize, rye malt. It's a wonderfully smooth golden ale, spiked with sharp rye notes peaking through sweet biscuit flavors and boozy esters.

Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce (Spice Ale, Indigenous Ale) | ABV: 5.0% | IBUs: 13
"Based on Franklin’s original recipe, which called for barley, molasses, and essence of spruce, our Tavern Spruce is as approachable and engaging as was the man himself." I've had good spruce beers and I've had bad spruce beers, but they're always worth picking up. This one absolutely lands in the former catagory.

Spicy notes abound, Poor Richard's calls on cinnamon & sarsaparilla, mild & sweet white fruit, faint honey flavors with pleasant honey and apricot on the nose. A unique, heavily spiced, and admirable brew.

Love Stout (Nitro Stout) | ABV: 6.9% | IBUs: 30
A growing seasonal favorite in the region, Love Stout, served on Nitro, was the first lackluster brew on the bill so far, in this blogger's humble opinion. A nutty, roasted nose is followed up by wonderfully smooth flavors of coco & nutty. Soft and straightforward. If you're a straight stout fan, this is you in a glass.

Cicada (Belgian IPA) | ABV: 8.5% | IBUs: 60
With an alluring, deep amber body and pink-white head, Cicada has a surprisingly transparent nose for an IPA. Countering the lack of a telling nose, suble notes of candi sugar, bubble gum, and hop citrus bloom on the palate. Bright flavors - hot hops, boozy esters, grapefruit, toffee all dance freely with a touch of caramel in the back. A solid limited brew.

(round 3: signature ales)

Brawler (English Mild) | ABV: 4.2 | IBUs: 12
Once of Yards' year-round flagships, Brawler is full English. A sharp, minerally nose is followed up by a crisp, refreshing session brew with plenty of character. Mildly bitter with firm malt support.

ESA (Extra Special Bitter) | ABV: 6.0% | IBUs: 16
ESA has assertive English styling, with a sweet nose of toffee and nutmeg, with a dance of spice & bitterness on the tongue.

IPA | ABV: 7.0% | IBUs: 62
Soft, tropical & passion fruit notes spring from the nose. Puckeringly bitter at first, this year-round IPA settles in nicely. A solid, east-coast IPA.

Grand Cru (Belgian Strong Ale) | ABV: 9.9% | IBUs: 50
We were able to swap out Yards' flagship Pale Ale (as we'd enjoyed a sixer over the days prior) for a sampling of their Grand Cru to see if we wanted to pick up a 750mL for home.

This brew was wonderful and a hell of a ride, starting with an intriguing pumpkin spice nose, with notable auromas of nutmeg, brown sugar, and yeast. Further whiffs reveal subtle sour cherry notes. On to the palate, it's impressive and heavenly. Hands down the best brew of the day and one of the best of the week.

Yards Grand Cru is elegant and silky smooth with just the right touch of lively, but soft Belgian-style carbonation. Coupled with firm, traditional Belgian spice & mouthfeel, flavors of white stone fruit flow amongs a touch of alcohol heat, all wrapped up in a big, velvety mouthcoat. A great end to the day.

Overall, Grand Cru, Jefferson, and Poor Richards were the winners in my mind, but every brew stood on it's own. High quality, consistency, with one foot in tradition and the other in modern creative craft brewing.

#232: Bottle Share: Victory Mad King's Weiss, Sam Adams Longshot Gratzer, Founders Rübæus, Elysian Oddland #2, Dogfish Burton Baton, Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

First in a series of summer '14 bottle shares!

Victory Brewing Co. » Mad King's Weiss (Hefeweizen) | ABV: 6.2% | Rating: 8.6/10
I was delighted to see one of my favorite draft-only offerings from Victory had made it's way to bomber status. It's not as rich as I recall, but still packed with Golden Belgian-style spiced goodness, wonderful wheat and yeast notes and at around $5 a pop, it's a steal.

Samuel Adams » Longshot Grätzer | ABV: 4.4% | Rating: 8/10
An excellent brew for summer. Soft smoke notes and a touch of tartness backed by smooth, drinkable wheat and soft bitterness. Not as complex and sour as some more traditional Gratzers, but brew worth trying for sure. It's rare you'll see a Sam Adams on this blog, so take that for what it's worth. A great value for a still rare old style.

Founders » Rübæus | ABV: 5.7% | IBUs: 15% | Rating: 9.1/10
My second round of Rübæus this summer, Founders once again shows they do fruit beer like no other. Packed with juicy, tart, and semi-sweet raspberry notes, it's massively drinkable, but still an ale. The raspberry never dips into tart, Lambic territory and remains fresh. A delightful warm weather alternative brew.

Elysian Brewing » Oddland Spiced Pear Ale | ABV: 6.5% | Rating: 8.8/10
Brewed once as the second installment of Elysian's Oddland series, this brew is an ale brewed with pear, cumin, and cardamon. We were all expecting something in the fruity, juicy spiced-peary realm, but instead got an adventurous, spice-packed, hardy ale with considerable more hops that expected. The cascade and saaz hops pack a firm punch of hops, providing a solid backbone to ride the savory, spicy, and herbal exotic dance of cumin & cardamon. This one won't be for everyone, for sure, but this was the unexpected standout of the night.

Dogfish Head » Burton Baton | ABV: 10% | IBUs: 70 | Rating: 9.3/10
As a hybrid of English Old Ale and American Imperial IPA, this is easily and predictably my favorite of the night. Silky sweet Old Ale malt notes notes elegantly dance with dense, but softened hop flavors. Citrus, vanilla, and oak notes are perfectly balanced. Tasteful bourbon notes are threaded throughout, but the ABV is well-mellowed making for a dangerously drinkable whopper of a brew.

Sierra Nevada » Hoptimum 2014 | ABV: 10.4% | Rating: 8.5/10
There was a lot of discussion before popping open this one. 100 IBUs will do that. The majority of us are hop lovers and IPA fans, but were seemingly in agreement that there's definitely a "too far" when it comes to the hop-arms race of recent years.

Cracking into this year's batch, Hoptimum screams out with biting, bitter grass notes, sharp pine, and astringent citrus rind. There's almost an herbal quality to the brew, being so hop-forward. While the Magnum, Chinook, and Simcoe hops are relentless, the 10.4% provides some relief. I'd honestly love to see this brew barrel aged and show a bit more dynamic character. Overall, a hop-head must try and the last word in bitter, massive Imperial IPAs.

#173: Southern Tier Brewing Co. » 2XMAS (Spiced Beer)

Some holiday items are welcome to hang around past Xmas...

The Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)
The Brew: 2XMAS (Spiced Beer)
Availability: 6-pack, draft (Seasonal)
ABV: 8.0%
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? Considering we're in the single digits this week, here in Upstate NY anything warming is welcomed, Xmas-themed or otherwise. This regional late fall/winter staple is on my radar every year and I was more than obliged to discuss it when a bottle was sent my way.

The Beer? 2XMAS starts strong out of the gate with a big, wet nose of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It's appearance is surprisingly transparent (a wonderful red-amber hue) for a spice-packed brew with minimal, fizzy, cream color head that quickly dissipates with no lace.

The taste is full of smooth spice. Malty, but not too sweet. Flavors of clove, all spice, and cola are all present throughout, coupled by soft hops in the finish, which ends with soft spice and hop heat. There's a pleasant mouthcoat that is never overbearing or tiresome - not quite velvety, but it slowly lingers.

Overall, a solid, expertly well-balanced holiday offering from one of the most consistent breweries in Western NY.