Happy Halloween!

Greetings,

No beer reviews for today.  I've busted out a bunch of reviews leading up to Halloween so for tonight I will leave you with a list of beers reviewed here that are seasonally appropriate for Halloween.

I've got links below to my Halloween tunes as well so crack open a cold one and click "play" and enjoy this wonderful holiday!

I snagged this photo from Doug Getty - thanks Doug!

Be safe - have fun - drink responsibly!

Here goes:

Southern Tier Brewing Company Imperial Pumking Ale - review here

Almanac Beer Company Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine- review here

Midnight Sun Brewing Company Trickster Belgian Style Ale - review here

Midnight Sun Brewing Company T.R.E.A.T. Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter - review here

Elysian Brewing Co. Night Owl Pumpkin Ale - review here

Hermitage Brewing Company Fruit Crate Pumpkin Ale - review here

Uinta Brewing Co. Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale - review here

Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale - review here

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale - review here

The Bruery / Elysian / Stone La Citrueille Céleste de Citracado - review here

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Punkin Ale - review here

Pumpkin Beer...taste tests (includes Shipyard Brewing Co. Pumpkinhead Ale and Wasatch Pumpkin
Seasonal Ale) - review here

Uinta Brewing Company Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale - review here

Shipyard Brewing Company Smashed Pumpkin Ale - review here

New Belgium Brewing Pumpkick Ale - review here

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale - review here

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat - review here

Heretic Brewing Co. Gramarye Rye Pale Ale - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Evil Twin Blood Red West Coast Amber - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Evil Cousin Imperial IPA - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Shallow Grave Porter - review here

Knee Deep Brewing Company Midnight Hoppyness Imperial Black IPA - review here

Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Dark English Ale - review here

Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale - review here

Newcastle Werewolf Blood Red Ale - review here

Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur - review here

B. Nektar Meadery Black Fang Mead- review here

B. Nektar Meadery Zombie Killer Cherry Cyser- review here

B. Nektar Meadery Evil Genius IPA-Style Mead- review here

B. Nektar Meadery Necromangocon Mead- review here

The Willow’s Market Dark Matter Imperial Stout - brewed by Strike Brewing Company- review here

The Lost Abbey Witch’s Wit Summer Wit Ale- review here

The Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout- review here

The Lost Abbey Inferno Ale- review here

Unibroue Maudite Belgian Strong Dark Ale - review here

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Robert Johnson's Hellhound on my Ale - review here

Clown Shoes Second Anniversary Ale Vampire Slayer Imperial American Stout - review here

Jester King Craft Brewery Farmhouse Black Metal English Imperial Stout - review here

Jester King Craft Brewery Wytchmaker Rye IPA - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Torment Dark Belgian-Style Ale - review here

Drake's Brewing Company Jolly Rodger American Barleywine-Style Ale - review here

Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company Black Widow Oatmeal Stout - review here

Anchor Brewing Company BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red Ale - review here

Enjoy your Halloween festivities and be sure to check out my Halloween music...

Happy drinking and haunting!

Mark Harvey
(P.s.. read my other blog here)

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Fall Hornin' Pumpkin Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Anderson Valley Brewing Company Fall Hornin' Pumpkin Ale. I figured it would be fitting to finish my October/Halloween seasonal review string here at 10:31 pm on 10/30/13 with a beer from one of my favorite breweries.

From the Anderson Valley Brewing Company website: “With a brilliant, deep copper hue and creamy beige-colored head, our Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale has inviting aromas of caramelized malt and baking bread with highlights of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and seasonal spices. The pleasantly creamy mouthfeel and silky body embrace the sweet caramel flavors and tang of spices (with just hint of hops) that ends in a smooth, round finish.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours chestnut brown with a large cream colored head and great lacing.

Aroma: Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, brown sugar and caramel malts.

Taste: Cinnamon and nutmeg take the lead with caramel malt, pumpkin, allspice and clove mixed in for good measure.

Overall: Balanced and super drinkable, Anderson Valley Brewing Company Fall Hornin' Pumpkin Ale is tasty.  At 6% ABV I’d put this on the list of “must try” Pumpkin Ales.  I’m glad I picked up a six pack of this one!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

10 Barrel Brewing Company S1nist0r Black Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is 10 Barrel Brewing Company S1nist0r Black Ale.  I picked up this beer while in Bend, OR at Broken Top Bottle Shop & Ale Café (here).

From the 10 Barrel Brewing Company website: “This beer has been around almost as long as the brewery. Don’t be fooled by the name, this dark beer is surprisingly light bodied and refreshing.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours very dark brown, nearly black with a tan head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Roasted and chocolate malts and floral hops.

Taste: Roasted black malts, chocolate, coffee and a bit of a charred flavor.  Hop presence is very slight.

Overall: Easy to drink, 10 Barrel Brewing Company S1nist0r Black Ale was enjoyable.  At 6.7% ABV this beer is a lot like a Schwarzbier, but not quite.  I’d certainly drink this one again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

AleSmith Brewing Company Evil Dead Red

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is AleSmith Brewing Company Evil Dead Red. I was very excited to see this beer show up on Caps & Taps Facebook page and knew I needed to get in and pick this up (along with a few other beers) before they sold out.  As I’ve said many times before, please visit local shops and support them.  The guys at Caps & Taps (here) are really cool and if you go in there tell ‘em you heard about them here.

From the AleSmith Brewing Company website: “Halloween is time for our annual Evil Dead Red specialty brew. Vivid mahogany color, good head formation and retention. Rich, chewy, toasty, malty flavors perfectly balanced by a moderate hoppy bitterness.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark amber with a large cream colored head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, grapefruit, orange, pine and earthy notes.

Taste: Sweet caramel malts, roasted malts, orange, grapefruit and pine hops.

Overall: Excellently balanced and really tasty, AleSmith Brewing Company Evil Dead Red is hoppy, malty and well worth a try.  This Halloween (before and beyond) reach for this 6.66% ABV gem.  You’ll be glad you did!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

The Bruery Autumn Maple Belgian-Style Brown Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s second featured beer is The Bruery Autumn Maple Belgian-Style Brown Ale - Ale Brewed with Yams, Molasses, Maple Syrup and Spices. In trying to get EVERYTHING possibly Halloween related reviewed before the 31^st of October I’m pushing this review ahead of a bunch of others.  This is the second review dropping tonight and if you haven’t noticed I am scheduling this second review for 10:31 pm.  GET IT?

From The Bruery website: “Brewed with 17 lbs. of yams per barrel (in other words, a lot of yams!), this autumn seasonal is a different take on the “pumpkin” beer style. Brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, and fermented with our traditional Belgian yeast strain, this bold and spicy beer is perfect on a cold autumn evening.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours cloudy reddish-brown with a thick eggshell colored head and chunks of lace on the glass.

Aroma: Yams, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, cloves, vanilla, slight maple syrup, Belgian yeast and malts.

Taste: Big yam flavor upfront followed by all of the above mentioned spices, Belgian yeast, sweet molasses and maple syrup and a solid malt backbone.

Overall: With a taste like sweet potato casserole (or pie), The Bruery Autumn Maple Belgian-Style Brown Ale is delicious.  I enjoyed this 10% ABV gem so much that I’ve already gone out and purchased another bottle.  I’m a big fan of The Bruery and would place this high on my list of fall seasonal beers.  Not only is this a great beer to sip on Halloween, but this is something I plan to have around for Thanksgiving. Not overly sweet, but certainly a treat!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Brasserie Dieu du ciel! Péché Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Brasserie Dieu du ciel! Péché Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout. I couldn’t pass this beer up while at Caps & Taps (here) for a couple of reasons.  One, I’m a sucker for Imperial Coffee Stouts and two, the name of this beer (translated to Mortal Sin) felt right for the Halloween season.

From the Brasserie Dieu du ciel! website: “Péché Mortel (French for "Mortal Sin") is an intensely black and dense beer with very pronounced roasted flavours. Fair trade coffee is infused during the brewing process, intensifying the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste. Péché mortel is brewed to be savored; we invite you to drink it in moderation.

This stout style, high in alcohol and bitterness in order to favour preservation, was historically brewed to support the long and arduous voyage necessary to export the beer from England to Russia. The word Imperial comes from the fact that the beer was specially brewed for the Russian tsar’s court.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, nearly black with a huge mocha colored head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Huge roasted coffee scent followed by roasted malts, chocolate and a slight vanilla note.

Taste: Black bitter coffee and espresso tones rule this flavor profile with roasted malts close behind.  Chocolate and vanilla are very slight.

Overall: If you love coffee flavored beers Brasserie Dieu du ciel! Péché Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout is for you.  Smooth and satisfying and weighing in at 9.5% ABV I’d put this in the “must try” category for Imperial Stouts.  The alcohol is well hidden so sip this one slowly and enjoy it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing He Said Belgian-Style Tripel

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is 21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing He Said Belgian-Style Tripel - Ale Brewed with Pumpkin and Spices. This is the “part two” review for this tasty collaboration four pack. As I mentioned in my previous review I'm a big fan of both  21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing and I was particularly excited to try this Tripel since I'm a big fan of Belgian and Belgian-Style beers.

From the 21st Amendment Brewery website: “This box is a collaboration with Dick Cantwell of Elysian Brewing and contains two cans of He Said Baltic-style Porter and two cans of He Said Belgian-style Tripel, both brewed with pumpkin and spices.

That much we know is true.

Here’s what Shaun said about the collaboration:

The story starts in 2010 when Dick Cantwell walked into our San Francisco pub. We’d heard about his little pumpkin fest and wanted to get together to brew a pumpkin beer like no other: a Belgianstyle Tripel brewed with pumpkin, galangal and terragon. In a dark colored can.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours golden orange color with a huge fluffy white head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Belgian yeast, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices and sweet malts.

Taste: Belgian yeast, sweet caramel malts, pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.

Overall: A solid Belgian-Style Tripel with pumpkin and spices added, 21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing He Said Belgian-Style Tripel is delicious. I completely enjoyed this collaboration and would say that I liked it better than the He Said Baltic-Style Porter.  At 8.2% ABV the alcohol was well hidden. I would absolutely recommend this beer.  I’ll probably pick up another four pack before it exits stores and the main reason to pick up another is this Tripel.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing Company He Said Baltic-Style Porter

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is 21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing Company He Said Baltic-Style Porter - Lager Brewed with Pumpkins and Spices. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this four pack at the store.  I’m a big fan of 21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing Company beers so a collaboration effort with pumpkin was RIGHT up my alley.  With Halloween approaching I am putting this (and other) Halloween seasonal releases ahead of other beers I’ve taken notes and photos of.

From the 21st Amendment Brewery website: “Lager brewed with pumpkin and spices. This box is a collaboration with Dick Cantwell of Elysian Brewing and contains two cans of He Said Baltic-style Porter and two cans of He Said Belgian-style Tripel, both brewed with pumpkin and spices.

That much we know is true.

Here’s what Dick said about the collaboration:

The story starts in 1999 when Shaun O’Sullivan walked into my Seattle pub. He’d heard about my massive pumpkin fest and wanted to get together and brew a pumpkin beer like no other: a Baltic style Porter brewed with pumpkin, caraway and cinnamon. In a light colored can.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours an extremely dark brownish red, nearly black with a huge and thick bone colored head and sticky lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Roasted malts, coffee, bitter chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, slight pumpkin spice and slighter pumpkin scents.

Taste: Roasted malts, dark bitter chocolate, slight coffee, pumpkin and spices.  There’s some kind of smoky component to this beer as well.

Overall: Although the pumpkin and spices take a less pronounced roll in 21st Amendment Brewery and Elysian Brewing Company He Said Baltic-Style Porter - Lager Brewed with Pumpkins and Spices, I liked it nonetheless.  I would put this in the “interesting” category.  At 8.2% ABV this may not be the traditional October beer (Halloween), but it is worth a try.  Plus, since you get two of these and two of the He Said Belgian-Style Tripel it is a nice four pack of goodness.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Left Coast Brewing Company Voo Doo American Stout

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s second featured beer is Left Coast Brewing Company Voo Doo American Stout. When I ran across this bottle I figured I should pick it up since it IS the Halloween season after all.  This is my first Left Coast Brewing Company beer (review) and the style and artwork led to the purchase of this one.

From the Left Coast Brewing Company website: “Voo Doo is a full bodied, dark brew that is rich and malty with plenty of roasted barley character. This hearty stout is layered with flavors of roasted barley, chocolate, and coffee coming from the highest quality imported malts. Its creamy long lasting head completes the brew, tempting your taste buds to be spellbound.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a thin tan head and a little foamy lacing.

Aroma: Roasted malts, bitter chocolate, coffee and a slight caramel sweetness.

Taste: Huge roasted malts WAY upfront followed by bitter chocolate and coffee.  Not a lot of sweetness and just a touch of caramel malt in the finish.

Overall: Roasty and bitter, Left Coast Brewing Company Voo Doo American Stout is enjoyable.  I wasn’t expecting it to be as roasty as it was nor as bitter, but once it warmed up a little it was nice.  At 8.5% ABV I would suggest this one to folks who enjoy Stouts that aren’t on the sweeter side.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Boulevard Brewing Company Dark Truth Stout

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Boulevard Brewing Company Dark Truth Stout.

From the Boulevard Brewing Company website: “Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated by the quest for hidden knowledge, the search for the secret to transforming the elemental into the extraordinary, the simple into the sublime. Ladies and gentlemen, we present for your consideration this exotic, inky concoction, the almost magical creation of our modern day alchemists who have turned humble grains—barley, wheat, rye, and oats—into black, liquid gold. Layers of complex flavors slowly emerge from the glass: espresso, roasted fig, crème brulée. Belgian yeast provides a plum-like fruitiness, noble German hops reveal spicy, herbal notes, while the rich, velvety mouthfeel mellows to a dry, smoky finish.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours midnight black with a large light brown head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Dark chocolate, dark fruits, Belgian yeast, roasted malts and coffee.

Taste: Espresso, roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, Belgian yeast, spicy hops, dark fruits and a touch sweet.

Overall: Smooth and creamy, Boulevard Brewing Company Dark Truth Stout is boozy, funky and I like it. This 9.7% ABV offering is enjoyable and perfect for the cooler months ahead.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)