Your Next Pint

Bob for apples with Juggernaut Fall Seasonal Red Ale

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Juggernaut Red Ale, usually available August through September, may smell like a red, but tastes & looks more like a brown. This less-than-festive beer – i.e. more apple than apple pie – comes up rich and washes down smooth.

The Washdown:

- tangy apple 'n orange nose, yet malty 'n bittersweet taste Juggernaut Red Ale (Pyramid Brewing Company in Seattle, WA) 5.6% ABV

The nose on this ale is a bit misleading. Think sour Granny Smith Apples, Oranges, and a hint of Caramel. Drink it up and malty, burnt brown bread comes through, then ends on a sweet Roasted Barley Groat. The color matches the bottle. The head is thin. The carbonation dies fast.  And yet it goes down so easily.

Made from Simcoe & Cascade hops, and 2-Row and Carared malts, this pint tastes best paired with some Strawberries & Cheese – I'm doing so myself right now and it's blending fantastically – or a hearty Meat Stew.

Keep up with more of the label's seasonal ales @PyramidBrew.

High Tide IPA takes 2nd in Draft Mag's Top 10 Harvest Beers

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One thing comes to mind when describing why High Tide IPA from Port Brewing Company is #2 on the Top 10 Harvest Beer list of this month's Draft Magazine – it's so full-bodied it tastes like an ENTIRE harvest of hops. (180 pounds to be exact.)

The Washdown:

- grassy, piney, orangey, bitter High Tide IPA (Port Brewing Company/Lost Abbey in San Marcos, CA) 6.5% ABV

While this may be a seasonal "harvest" beer, don't let the term fool you. 'Cuz this beer tastes like the farthest thing from a Pumpkin Pie or Spice treat.

Instead, the tangy sourness of this IPA will blow your mind, your nose, and that sensitive inner part of your  cheek – I had a spasm with each gulp. The reason why is because its brewed with "Fresh" Yakima, Washington Hops that are "plucked straight from the vine" then processed without being dried to emphasize the full hoppy flavor. Five different kinds of Hops are used in the brew – Centennial Fresh, Chinook Fresh, Two Row Malts, Amarillo Pellets, and Port Brewing Co.'s own White Labs.

The nose is piney with distinct Orange scent. The tongue is extremely hoppy 'n bitter with an Herbal, grassy, and faint bready – not sweet – malt flavor. The finish has a harsh tangy bite that makes your cheeks quiver. The carbonation congeals to a cream inside your mouth. And the head, while frothy and pillowy, dissipates fast.

Between this seasonal beer's high hoppiness and ABV, unless you want to have a great fall, drink with caution.

P.S. my cheek is still twitching.

Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale is more Punk than Pumpkin

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'Tis my favorite season of all, Fall, primarily for all things Pumpkin. While last week's pint, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, totally embraces true Pumpkin flavor, this week's pint, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, tricks you with a Nutty Brown attitude.

The Washdown:

- spicy, bready, malty, creamy 'n bitter Punkin Ale (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware) 7% ABV

Punkin Ale first made its debut in a recipe contest at the 1994 Punkin Chunkin – a crazy event in which serious Pumpkin throwers hurl the squash 4,000 ft plus to compete for a grand prize.

While the Ale is brewed in Pumpkin Meat, Organic Brown Sugar, and Spices, it doesn't taste as Pumpkiny or sweet as others I've had.

The nose is spicy Nutmeg. The tongue is nutty, malty, and resembles burnt Bread. And only at the finish does the hint of Pumpkin arrive along with bitter Citrus. What I like most about this beer is its creaminess – which you can see displayed in the giant thickness of its pumpkin-size head and cloudy orange amber color. It helps balance out the bitter, soothing your tongue all the way down.

Pair this Nutty Brown Ale with some Roast Duck, Lamb, or Apple Pie a la mode.

Follow @dogfishbeer for more incredibly complex pints with some at ridiculously high ABV's!

It's the Great Pumpkin Ale, Buffalo Bill!

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Good news – Fall is here and so is the end of your search for the perfect Pumpkin Ale.  For 25 years Buffalo Bill's Brewery has been brewing their Pumpkin beer the same way George Washington did – apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree – with real Baked & Roasted Pumpkins and Natural Spices.

The Washdown:

- truly pumpkin flavor, spicy cinnamony, slightly citrus Imperial Pumpkin Ale (Buffalo Bill's Brewery, CA) 5.2% ABV

It's literally described on Buffalo Bill's website as "Pumpkin Pie in a Bottle". So if you're a Pumpkin freak like me, and wait all year long for everything Pumpkin to come in season – lattes, pasta, beer, you know, the "essentials" – then you'll love this Ale.

For those of you turning your nose thinking it might too sweet, I've got news for you. The nose is spicy & malty. The tongue has an immediate rush of Clove, Nutmeg & Cinnamon spices followed by a yeasty, Hefeweizen-like Pumpkin Puree flavor. And the finish is all about the citrusy tang.

Made with Pale & Crystal Malts and Nugget Hops, I could drink this beer, and only this beer, all night long (and I have). It's filling, it's nutritious, and even at 5.2% ABV, just one bottle is all you need to get your spirits up.

Buffalo Bill's Brew Pub – "one of the nation's oldest" – is based in Hayward, CA. But you can find their Pumpkin Ale seasonally at your local Whole Foods Market.