Stoudts Pils Review #46

Stoudts Pils
Style: Classic German Pilsener
ABV: 4.7%
Regular Rotation
12oz Bottle Poured Into A Peroni Pilsener Glass

 The driest and most delicate of our lagers. Stoudt’s Pils is characteristic of the traditional European Pilseners. Straw-yellow and assertively hopped with Saaz hops, this frequent medal winner has a refreshing bitterness and refined hop aroma.

Stoudt's Brewing Company
Adamstown, Pennsylvania
Ed and Carol Stoudt
1987

Appearance:
Dumb Blonde Color
"Sexy Looking Beer"
Massive Porous Head
1/4in. Head Retention Throughout
Crystal Clear Clarity
Sheet Lacing
Tornado Quality Carbonation

Aroma:
Noble Hops
Pilsner Malts
Corn On The Cobb
Stable Straw
Golden Crisp Cereal
Honey
Lemon


Mouth Feel:
Easy Drink ability- A Good Session Pilsner
Smooth Mouth Feel
Medium Bodied
Well Balanced Beer
Straight Forward Full Palate, It Is No B.S.
Dry Hop Spice Finish
Refreshing Foe Sure

The taste is of light sweet malts that is quickly checked by a balance, but well footed hop bitterness. Nice flavor of malts and some vinegar in the middle. Herbal hop spice lingers on the finish. Nice bold peppery flavors on the palate, that fills you with glee on each sip. At first sip I wrote this beer off, but as I kept going and it warmed this beer intrigued me. The pilsner is a lot better than the massed produced shit out there

3 Out Of 6
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Southern Tier Imperial Crème Brûlée Stout Review

Appearance
Pours a deep, dark, raw umber, verging on black, with about one finger of toffee-colored head.

Aroma
Burnt sugar, vanilla, heavy butterscotch and light alcohol heat. If I’d been blindfolded, I would think this was actually crème brûlée custard with a touch of alcohol. Dave and his party also noted merengue and coffee in the nose, with which I wholeheartedly agree.

Taste
Sweet vanilla, caramel and butterscotch are balanced by a dry hops bitterness, leaving desiccation on the sides and back of the tongue. Each sip finishes with vanilla-sweet alcohol heat. Some in Dave’s party caught a bit of astringency on their palate, but that was not the case for neither him nor I. We only felt the heat intensity from the alcohol.

Mouthfeel
Creamy, medium-heavy body with minimal carbonation; just what I’m looking for in an after-dinner beer. Like Dave and his party, I noticed that the brew left a lasting impression on the palate, long after it was swallowed.

Overall
One of my favorite seasonal brews, Imperial Crème Brûlée Stout never disappoints. It’s not a beer I could drink a ton of but then, it wasn’t brewed with session drinking in mind. Consensus in Dave’s party was that the 2011 may be even better than the 2010 a year from now.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to pick this up, I highly recommend it (and I think Dave would agree).

Cheers!

Yards Poor Richard's Spruce Tavern Review #45

Yards Poor Richard's Spruce Tavern                               
Style: Ale
ABV: 5%
Ales Of The Revolution Series
From A Yards Variety Case
12oz Bottle Poured Into a Yards AOTR Snifter

Tavern Spruce is brewed to celebrate and commemorate Ben Franklin’s 300th Birthday. Yards are proud to bring you this historically brewed spruce/molasses beer. Brewed with Norwegian Spruce tips and a whole dwarf Alberta Spruce. 

Yards Brewing Company
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tom Kehoe and Jon Bovit
"the Yards Guys"
1994

Appearance:
Dark Caramel Color
Molasses Color Rocky Head
Short Lived Retention
Night Time Clarity
Light Lacing
Moderate Carbonation

Aroma:
Evergreen
Pine Needles
Woodsy Spruce
After Swirled It Has A Sawdust Aroma
Sarsaparilla
Juniper Berries
Dark Prunes
Spicy Malts
Christmas And Poinsettias Aromas

Mouth Feel:
Spice/Sour Balance
English Mint Tea Mouth Feel
Complex Rich Palate
"Winter Returns" Beer
Mild Refreshing And Quenching
High Drinkability- You Can Knock A Few Back And Not Get Sick Of It

At first taste there is a whole lot of spice upfront. Then the spruce hits you right away, layered with a gingery spice. The taste then dissipates into a minty metallic flavor. There is a lot going on in this beer, which isn't bad in this complex beer. Overall a nice, quality Yards beer that can be enjoyed at any time.

4 Out Of 6
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