Beers #123-135: Pints for Pets

So this has turned out to be the "summer that wasn't", in terms of feeling like it's actually summer. Yeah, we've had some warm weather and all, but between home projects and research at work, I don't feel like I've had much downtime (including updating this blog!).  But I shall attempt to get caught up in the coming few weeks before the Fall semester starts in 3 weeks.

#123/365: Sixpoint 3Beans:
From can. Chocolate malted nose, sweet with brown sugar and molasses. Tootsie Roll. Dark black opaque with foamy-rocky light tan lacing head. Medium chewy body with medium-light carbonation. Carbonic tang and light alcoholic warming. Starts sweet and malty with lots of chocolate, some coffee, and a barley wine-like sweet malt flavor. Coffee and light vanilla. Finish is sweet with a good hit of astringent bitterness. Fairly smooth after with lingering bitter.  Imperial/Strong Porter  80/100

#124/365: Leinenkugel's Canoe Paddler:
On tap at Twisted Jimmy’s. Very mild aroma - a bit of beany hops and mild pale malt sweetness. Light golden blond clear with thin white head. Light body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with light carbonic acidity, mild pale malt sweetness ,and light beany hop flavor. Mild flavors overall, with some carbonic bite to it. Some honey and dusky grain. Watery finish, clean after. Nothing really wrong with it, but not a good kölsch example.  Kolsch  42/100

On May 18, several fellow homebrew club members & beer lovers rented the Coney van to travel to the Altoona Curve ballpark for the annual Pints for Pets beer festival.  I have gone every year since this started - except for last year because IUP's graduation conflicted.  Well, this year, graduation also conflicted, but I decided to go drink beer instead (sorry grads, but no regrets here!).  We attended the 1-4pm session, followed by dinner (and more beer) at the Knickerbocker.

#125/365: Old Forge Hopsmith India Pale Ale:
Nice beany hop aroma, crisp noble hop note. Pale golden clear with white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts dry with crisp hop profile and mild pale malt sweetness. Finishes bitter but nice smooth after. Crisp and refreshing.  Premium Lager  72/100

#126/365: Rock Bottom (Pittsburgh) Surely You Zest:
Nice spicy nose with lime, lemongrass, and herbal notes. Spicy hops and aromatic. Pale golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts zesty and citric with lime and lemongrass. Nice sweetness to it. Finish is herbal and bitter with a tang of citrus.  Wheat Ale  66/100

#127/365: Victory Swing Session Saison:
Light hoppy aroma, spicy with notes of citrus, sulfur, and fruity esters. Yeasty. Nice saison aroma profile. Pale straw clear with thin head. Medium body with vigorous carbonation. Starts with wheat and pilsener malt notes, light sulfur, citrus and herbs. Tasty saison that’s not too overwhelming. Not quite crisp but enjoyable. Done well for the style, with mild chalky bitter after.  Saison  74/100

#128/365: Riepstine's Timbertown Scotch:
Buckwheat honey and sweet tang, light oak. Sweet and musky, very nice aroma. Medium brown amber clear with light haze. Thin white head. medium body and carbonation. Starts sweet with molasses and buckwheat honey, rich malt. nice oak flavor on this one. Finish sweet and smooth - a nice Scottish ale.  Scottish Ale  80/100

#129/365: Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA:
Rich roast, rubbery, light chocolate and coffee, lots of hops. Dark brown clear with thin tan head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Roasted notes, chocolate and coffee. Big hop flavor with molasses. Finish is medium bitter but not harsh.  Black IPA  78/100

#130/365: Voodoo Delicate Like A Flower:
Light hop nose, subtle. Hazy amber with thin white lacing head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts medium sweet with light pale malt and wheat character. Subtle but delicious hop flavors and an underlying herbal quality. Smooth finish with light floral orange blossom.  Belgian Ale  74/100

#131/365: Blue Canoe Cream of Hop Soup:
Wonderful hop nose, floral and aromatic, grassy. Pale golden amber hazy with thin white head. Medium body and medium carbonation. Starts medium sweet with tons of hop character. Beany, rubbery, grassy, and resinous. Delicious stuff. A nice IPA with smooth bitter finish and after.  India Pale Ale  84/100

#132/365: Straub Maibock:
Double decoction German bock aroma. Sweet and malty with light herbal hops. Medium amber golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with light carbonation. Starts and stays sweet with rich malt flavor. Nice hop finish, and sweet lingering after. Very nice!  Heller Bock  74/100

#133/365: Thirsty Dog Citra Dog:
Really nice hoppy aroma on this. Grassy and resinous. Light golden clear with white lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Nice hop flavor throughout, medium sweetness and light carbonic tang. Nice IPA, finishes smooth and well balanced with lingering hop bitterness.  India Pale Ale  78/100

#134/365: Elysian Idiot Sauvin IPA:
Hoppy nose with notes of pear and apricot. Sweet notes. Medium amber, hazy with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Starts sweet with fruity esters. Fairly bitter finish with sweet eatery after. Very nice IPA with big hop profile but not a harsh bitterness in the finish or after.  India Pale Ale  76/100

All in all, a good festival (as usual) and they once again raised a lot of money for the Central PA Humane Society.  I can't remember the rest of May, really, other than getting ready for our vacation.  I did have one new beer before that ...

#135/365: Maine Beer Mean Old Tom:
Nice rich malty aroma, smoke, charred coffee, light vanilla. A bit of tang and earth, lactose. Dark black opaque with thin cocoa-brown lacing head. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Starts dry with lots of roasted character, mild coffee and char. Some light carbonic acidity with medium bitterness. Finish is light sweet with medium bitterness. Can just taste the vanilla here but it’s subtle. Charred bittersweet after.  Stout  80/100

Coming up ... a beach trip.

Pints for Pets Was Terrific

Just a quick post - the 2nd Annual Pints for Pets was terrific (again). The early session was laid back and not crowded at all, although I understand the later session was close to sold out. Tons of great brews available - more than I could try in 3 hours. I tried several good ones, but the stand out beer was Bullfrog Frambozen. It was a raspberry lambic, blended from two separate batches. I felt like I was back in Belgium drinking something special from Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen. Sour, funky, and full of raspberry goodness.

Pints For Pets Is Coming Back!!

The second annual Pints for Pets is coming to the Blair Co. ballpark. This time with two sessions, from 12-3 and 4:30-7:30 on Saturday, May 30.

Mark those calendars!

Tastings, Pints for Pets, and Great Smoked Porter

I can't believe how quickly May is passing - already three weeks down! It's been a good beer month, so far, and I hope to keep pace for the remainder.

On May 8, actually the evening of my last post, the majority of the Homebrew Club "exec" board met at Dave's for some good beer tasting. Justin and Jon were also present. Some pretty good beer flowed that evening, including: Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic that Jon had stored properly for the last couple of years; Lost Abbey Avant Garde and Devotion from Justin; an Avery Fourteen from me; and then both Surly Furious and Bender courtesy of Dave (via trade) finished by Dave's growler of North Country Double Buck-Up Stout.

On the 13th, the Indiana Homebrewers Club had a large homebrew tasting at The Coney. The notes from that event are here.

On the 17th, several of us rented the Coney van and went to Altoona for the Pints for Pets brew festival. This was the first beer festival for everyone in the van except for me, and I think they'll now be spoiled after Pints for Pets. There were at least 1400 people in attendance for the single 4-8pm session. Over 50 brewers & distributors were present, each pouring several beers. In all, it was a well-run and well-attended event, and I look forward already to next year's festival!

And finally, because I enjoy good Rauchbier (smoked), I wanted to give praise to North Country Kian's Smoked Porter, now on cask at the brewery. Wow! Dana and I had lunch there yesterday on the way to the Prime Outlets ... always helps to have a pint before going shopping ;) Anyway, between the two of us, we tried the Nit Wit!, the Simcoe Pale Ale, and the Cherry Garcia .. but that smoked porter was delicious. Outside of the Aecht Schlenkerla line and similar Bamberg beers, this was the smokiest I've had. Went very well with their Roasted Garlic Burger.

Lichtenhainer, A Graduation, and Time Off

Last Friday & Saturday, if to be summed in one word, were hectic. I'll not bore you with the nitty gritty details, but it stemmed from needing to pick up several last-minute items in preparation for a small gathering at our house on Sunday to celebrate Dana's graduation!!

So first, a big Congratulations! to Dana for completing her Masters in Physician Assistant degree from St. Francis University. I couldn't be prouder, and I was a freakin' mess during the ceremony on Sunday.

So, part of the preparation on Friday was a trip to Altoona - which, of course, means that I stopped by Marzoni's. I walked in with a small cooler because I had two empty growlers to fill (one for me, one for my father-in-law) and two bombers filled with coffee porter to give to Bill. As I walked to the bar, I hear off to the side .. "What'cha got in the cooler? An extra liver?"

There sat Rick & Dave (of Cassidy's Brew Zoo), enjoying a late lunch. They're also hugely responsible, along with several others, for the Pint for Pets Brewfest coming up next Saturday. Bill was just on his way off to an appointment, so I sat and BS'd with Rick and Dave while enjoying a large glass of Lichtenhainer, a smoky, lightly sour session ale that I enjoyed but will take others some time to get used to. This beer was part of a collaboration between Bill and Scott at East End Brewing. They're also working on a gose, which they're brewing today in Pittsburgh.

After a pint, I grabbed a growler of Bill's Red Ale for me and my father-in-law, and hit the road.

Saturday was spent completely cleaning the house and de-junking.

Sunday was graduation day. My parents came over and we drove them to Loretto for the event. Luckily, this year SFU decided to split graduate from undergraduate graduation - so we were done in less than 1.5 hrs. A nice reception followed, then we all headed back to Indiana for the after party.

Now it's Thursday. My grading is done, finals here are over, and our graduation is on Saturday. I'm not teaching this summer (a first) and look forward to these months with excitement and some nervousness. I have some research projects and household tasks to keep me busy here and at the office, but I've never in my life had a long chunk of time where I wasn't on a schedule while still employed (I've had chunks of unemployed time, of course, but that's a different feeling alltogether). I already feel irresponsible and lazy!

Pints for Pets

What's that, you ask? Well, on Saturday, May 17 from 4-8pm at the Blair County Ballpark (home of the Altoona Curve), the first annual Pints for Pets beer festival will be held. All proceeds (that's 100%) will go to the Central PA Humane Society.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for $25, or at the event for $30. Unfortunately, in its infinite wisdom to promote safety, the PLCB squashed the idea of designated driver tickets at a deep discount. So, if you go and DON'T DRINK, you still have to pay $25/$30 - not just $5/$10.

If you plan to go, send me a comment/email - it'd be good to meet some of you!


Here's the current line-up of participants:

Abbey Wright - Duboistown, PA

Appalachian Brewing Co. - Harrisburg, PA

Arcadia Brewing Company - Battle Creek, MI

Bar Harbor (Atlantic Brewing Co.) - Bar Harbor, ME

Black Dog Brewery - Tulsa, OK

Brewerie @ Union Station - Erie, PA

Brooklyn Brewery - Brooklyn, NY

Bullfrog Brewery - Williamsport, PA

Church Brew Works - Pittsburgh, PA

Clipper City Brewing Co. - Baltimore, MD

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, DE

East End Brewing Company - Pittsburgh, PA

Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks - Millheim, PA

Erie Brewing Company - Erie, PA

Flying Dog Brewing Company - Denver, CO

Franziskaner Hefeweizen - Munich, Germany

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Denver, CO

Green Flash Brewing Co. - Vista, CA

Green Mountain Ciders (Woodchuck) - Middlebury, VT

Harpoon Brewery - Boston, MA

Johnstown Brewing Company - Johnstown, PA

JW Dundee’s Ales and Lagers - Rochester, NY

Lancaster Brewing - Lancaster, PA

Leinenkugel Brewing Company - Chippewa, WI

Lindemans - Lenniksebaan, Belgium

Magic Hat Brewing Co. - South Burlington, VT

Marzoni’s Brick Oven and Brewing Co. - Duncansville, PA

Oak Springs Winery - Altoona, PA

Oskar Blues - Lyons, CO

Otto’s Pub and Brewery - State College, PA

Penn Brewery - Pittsburgh, PA

The Raven (Baltimore-Washington Beer Works) - Baltimore, MD

Red Star Brewery and Grille - Greensburg, PA

Rivertowne Pour House - Monroeville, PA

Rogue Ales - Eugene, OR

Sam Adams - Boston, MA

Sam Smith Brewing - Tadcaster, United Kingdom

Saranac - Utica, NY

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Chico, CA

Southampton Ales and Lagers - Southampton, NY

Spaten Brewery - Munich, Germany

Stone Brewing Company - Escondido, CA

Stoudts Brewing Co. - Adamstown, PA

Straub Brewing - Saint Mary’s, PA

Troegs Brewing Company - Harrisburg, PA

Unibroue - Chambly, Quebec

Victory Brewing Company - Dowingtown, PA

Voodoo Brewery - Meadville, PA

Weyerbacher Brewing Company - Easton, PA

Yuengling Beer Company - Pottsville, PA