Towards the end of July, John C. and I made a day trip to Pittsburgh to meet face-to-face with some local brewers about the upcoming Oktoberfest. We met with Andrew Maxwell (Rivertowne) and Brendan Benson (East End), and then the GM at Church Brew. We also stopped in at The Beermuda Triangle and House of 1000 Beers for some samples.
#172/365: Church Brew Lichtenhainer:
Sampled on tap at Church. Very mild maltiness, smokey notes with very light hops. Pale straw clear with light haze, topped with thin head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Starts wheat with nice sweet flavor. Medium smokey notes throughout, just enough to be tasty and not overpowering. Sweet clean finish with no bitter after. Grodziskie/Gose/Lichtenhainer 66/100
#173/365: Church Brew St. Agricola Ale:
Sampled on tap at Church. Mild spicy sweet nose. Malt and some molasses. Herbal note like lemongrass and/or ginger. Dark brown amber clear with thin head. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Starts somewhat sweet with herbal/lemongrass citrusy notes and light bitterness. Medium nutty/hoppy bitter finish. Kinda tastes like Sen-Sen (breath freshener) and licorice. Sweet-smooth finish with light nutty sweet after. Spice/Herb/Vegetable 68/100
#174/365: Church Brew Kenya Coffee Pale Ale:
Sampled on tap at Church. Very mild coffee aroma with neutral fruit sweetness. No discernible hop aroma. Pale golden clear with white lacing head. Medium bodied with medium-light carbonation. Starts with pale malt sweetness and light coffee. Interesting to have this flavor in a light-colored beer for a change. Finish is coffee and nutty sweet, with good hoppy bitter punch. American Pale Ale 60/100
#175/365: Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Oatmeal Stout:
On tap at Beermuda. Roasted malt, molasses, light chocolate, coffee, and smoke. Sweet nose. Dark black opaque with foamy tan lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Starts sweet and malty with lots of molasses, chocolate, and coffee. Light bitter finish with sweet lingering after. Imperial Stout 78/100
#176/365: Bullfrog Blackberry Juju:
On tap at House of 1000. Mild bitter berry nose, semisweet with some muskiness. Light golden amber clear with light haze. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Starts sweet with mild pale malt and wheat, nice berry flavor and a bit of bitterness. Smooth sweet fruity after. Fruit Beer 72/100
#177/365: Bullfrog Op Tight:
On tap at House of 1000. Wet canvas and hoppy nose, lactic acid and coffee. Smells like the seat of a deuce-and-a-half with coffee spilled on it. Dark black opaque, light tan creamy head. Medium-heavy body and smooth nitro carbonation. Very sweet, rich, malty stout with soy. Sweet nutty finish and sweet after. Sweet Stout 68/100
#178/365: Central Waters Illumination Double IPA: Sampled on tap at House of 1000. Apricot, pineapple, resin and fruit punch. Great hop nose. Golden amber clear with pillowy white lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Sweet with tons of pale malt, orange, pineapple, and apricot esters. Residual sweetness. Big bitter finish with muted bitter after, leaving you with tons of flavor. Nice IIPA. Imperial/Double IPA 82/100One evening at Benjamin's, I found ...
#179/365: Stoudts Four Play IPA Batch #2:Dana, Aidan, and I took a trip to IKEA and Pittsburgh one weekend, and I got the following on tap during the required Sharp Edge Creekhouse lunch stop.
Sweet caramel nose with light hop floral notes. Bit of dusty grain and hint of oxidation. Coppery amber clear with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts with light caramel and biscuit. Good hop bitter presence with medium bitter finish and light bitter after. Nutty sweetness. India Pale Ale 64/100
#180/365: Southern Tier Plum Noir:
Very light nose of coffee, chocolate, and a bit of plum and raisin. Bit of sweet molasses. Dark black/brown opaque with thin off-white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Starts sweet, rich, and malty with lots of chocolate, molasses, and a bit of fruity plum/raisin notes. Light bitter finish with smooth sweet nutty bitter after. Mild warming. Imperial/Strong Porter 74/100
#181/365: Three Heads Country Shwheat Imperial Wheat:At home ...
Light wheat and orange zest, raw malt, and some carbonic gaseousness. Neutral fruity character. Medium golden amber clear topped with white lacing head. Medium-light bodies with medium carbonation. Wheat notes, mild sweetness. Oxidation or perhaps beer line character? Mild to medium bitter finish with dry astringent bitter after. Wheat Ale 54/100
#182/365: East End Köst's Kölsch:
From growler. Nice pilsner malt sweetness in the nose, with mild neutral fruity character and a bit of spicy noble hops. Medium golden clear with thin white foamy lacing head. Medium watery body with high carbonation. Starts sweet with pilsner malt and neutral fruity notes. Clean. Nice medium hop flavor and nice bitterness. Finish is light and sweet with crispy bitterness. Smooth clean after. Kölsch 72/100
#183/365: Cortland Firehouse Pale Ale:On August 8, I drove down to Pittsburgh to meet up with some fellow Ratebeer members for a tasting, hosted by Justin (one of the brewers at Church). Nice afternoon ...
Mild malt sweetness, with some biscuit and caramel. Lots of carbonic gaseousness and frothy bitters, with some neutral fruity hop character. Beautiful deep amber clear with creamy-foamy white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium carbonation. Starts with muted sweetness and some neutral fruity character, a little orange. Some caramel. Mild hop flavor with light carbonic acidity. Bitterness is closer to astringent but not too detracting. Has a homebrew-y taste to it, but I’m not sure why. Finish is smooth with light sweet after. American Pale Ale 66/100
#184/365: Westbrook Weisse Weisse Baby:
From bottle, at Dog Days Tasting. Mild tart nose, light lactic, wheat, and cranberries. Pale straw hazy with white thin head. Light body with medium carbonation. Starts tart with cranberry and wheat, lactic sourness. Refreshing with sour finish and smooth tart after. Berliner Weisse 76/100
#185/365: Tired Hands Mr. Alien:
From growler. Very mild nose, a bit of pale malt but not much funk or tartness. Pale straw with haze, thin white lacing head. Watery body with medium-mild carbonation. Starts mild with light tartness and some funky quality. A bit water, wheat and mild at the finish. Light and refreshing. Berliner Weisse 64/100
#186/365: Trinity TPS Report Ale:
From bottle at Dog Days Tasting. Ginger, orange Tic-Tacs and Tang. Fruity, tart with some Brett. Pale golden with light haze and thin head. Medium body and carbonation. Starts tart and fruity with tangerine and orange, Brett and chalky yeast. Reminds me of a traditional lambic. Smooth tart after with light chalkiness. Sour/Wild Ale 80/100
#187/365: Tired Hands Lil' (Ol') Lady:
From growler at Dog Days Tasting. Funky Bretty nose with light malt sweetness and some wheat. Medium golden hazy, with white foamy lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts moderately tart with wheat, light funk and good bitterness throughout. Orange zest and nice hoppy finish with tart after. Saison 74/100
#188/365: Tired Hands Singel Hop Saison, Pacifica:
From growler at Dog Days Tasting. Subtle fruity and floral hop aroma - ethereal and heady. Mild sweetness. Pale golden yellow clear with thin white lacing head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Nice hop flavor, mild sweet notes with light bitter finish and after. Saison 76/100
#189/365: Trinity Damn, It Feels Good to be A Gangsta!:
From bottle at Dog Days Tasting. Smells like drying latex paint. Dull coppery amber clear with no head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts and stays tart with roasted barley and mild hop bitterness. Tart acidic finish with light nutty character and tart after. Sour/Wild Ale 58/100
#190/365: Santa Fe Sangre de Frambuesa:
Very mild sweet raspberry juice, musky with light alcohol. This is aged, but has held up well. Coppery amber hazy with off-white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation and alcoholic warming. Big raspberry flavor, aged but good. Alcohol. Medium sweet raspberry jam with mild funk. Mellow overall with warming. Fruity musky finish with nice raspberry after. Fruit Beer 82/100
#191/365: Funky Buddha Last Snow Porter:
Smells like Almond Joy with a hint of coffee. Dark black opaque with foamy-creamy lacing tan head. Medium-heavy body with medium-light carbonation. Starts moderately sweet with caramel, coconut, almond, coffee, and chocolate. Tastes like a coffee-Almond Joy mix. Finish is a little dry and watery with a lot of carbonic tartness in the after. Porter 82/100
#192/365: Full Sail Imperial Stout:
From 2010 bottle at Dog Days Tasting. Mild alcohol, coffee, chocolate, and tart light soy. Dark black opaque with foamy-creamy light tan head. Medium-heavy body with medium-light carbonation. Starts rich and sweet with chocolate and coffee, mild alcohol, and soy. Carbonic acidity. Light bitter finish with some bitter tang. Nutty sweet after with chalky coffee bitterness. Imperial Stout 80/100
#193/365: Stone Bourbon Barrel Old Guardian Barley Wine:More catching up to do ... September and prepping for Oktoberfest
From bottle at Dog Days Tasting. Alcohol, nutty and oaky. Sweet and malty with light hop character. Smooth nose with some licorice. Dark coppery amber clear with thin lacing off-white head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Sweet with raisin, alcohol, bourbon and oak, and vanilla. Still hot with lots of warming. Heavy viscous sweet finish. Barley Wine 78/100
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