Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

This brew looks exactly like a pumpkin when poured, it is orange with dark brown hints throughout and holds onto an off-white head for a little bit. The smell is quite nice and includes hints of cinnamon, apple spice, and a dash of pumpkin. The taste is a little lacking for my liking since I always enjoy a nice strong beer with a kick. It is somewhat watery and tastes like a good light ale with a hint of pumpkin spice and cinnamon. I wish they would make one of these as a strong ale and make it a little bolder. Only time will tell.

Appearance - 4.0

Smell - 3.5

Taste - 3.3

Texture - 3.8

Overall - 3.65/5

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

It's Halloween! You know what that means...beer! Ok, it really means candy...but beer is man's favorite candy. And who better to turn to than Dogfish Head...pumpkin ale!

This beer poured a nice amber color with an orange hint that reminded me and Fonnie of pumpkins. It was pretty transparent and had a nice head that collapsed to a fizzy film. It smelled of...SURPRISE!...pumpkins. It also had a nice little spice from the nutmeg and auxiliary spices in the beer. It was also slightly sweet from the brown sugar in the brew. It had a very classis lager taste with a pumpkin aftertaste that lingered quite nicely for a while. It also had a slight tinge of spicy and sweet. The texture was very fizzy - it had nice carbonation to it. It was rather smooth and easily downable. It had a very nice flow of flavors from lager, to all the subingredients, to the pumpkin.

Overall, this was a great beer to enjoy in the fall with your pumpkin or apple pie at dinner. Dogfish Head continues to never disappoint me.

Appearance - 4
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 4
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.9/5

Brew Tasting the Fifteenth

Tonight, in honor of Halloween, we are having a special edition brew tasting. Also, we are really behind, so we need to start catching up. So, in lieu of the holiday, we bring to you a beer worthy of the season. List after the break. Happy Halloween!

1) Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Dogfish Head Theobroma

Oh boy what a surprise, another Dogfish Head! Yay! Anyway... this traditional ale is light brown in color with a nice white head (that actually lasts). Although the head fades over time the aroma does not. It smells like honey, some strange malts that I can't quite pick out, and a sharp spicy smell. The taste is very peculiar and starts out sweet and sour and then quickly fades into spicy. Upon further inspection I notice the ingredient list of this brew: Honey, Cocoa, and Chilies. Umm what? This beer has crushed up chilies in it and thats no joke, it is by far the strangest ale I have ever tasted. The beer is gone and I still have a slight burning in the back of my throat: it lasts for about a half an hour. All in all it is still quite smooth and the "interesting" factor bumps up my rating a bit.

Appearance - 3.5

Smell - 3.2

Taste - 3.3

Texture - 3.5

Overall - 3.38/5

Dogfish Head Theobroma

Ah, we meet again Dogfish Head. Here's another gem from the company that we obviously love more than life itself. Theobroma is a brew concocted from an ancient recipie with some really absurd ingredients like honey, cocoa powder, and....chilis? Err...

This brew poured a cloudy, amber color. It had a nice head that collapsed slowly to a thin foam. The aroma had a slight hint of honey and hops to it but not much else to warm you of the upcoming taste. The taste started off pretty sweet but ended with a spicy kick at the end. It was so weird and complex, Fonnie and I couldn't really come up with anything else it tasted like. The texture was very carbonated and thin. But, like the taste, it was extremely complex and crowded.

This brew I didn't particularly enjoy because of the spicy burn I felt well after I finished the beer. But, I did still enjoy it because it keeps with Dogfish Head's tradition of making beers that are so fucking out there, it can't do anything BUT amuse me.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.78/5

Southern Tier Oat

Southern Tier - up until this point I haven't heard of this company. But, I looked into their resume after this review and I've suddenly fell in love with them. Here's the first of many reviews from Southern Tier.

This imperial stout pours black like every other IS we've had and produces a minimal head. It smells very chocolate-y with a slight oatmeal scent and a bit of alcohol. The taste is the polar opposite of what you smell, though. It has barely any chocolate taste, the oatmeal is very prominent and it's rather alcoholic. It was truely delicious. The texture was extremely smooth and thick. It did seem to have a small body though; not very hearty. It also had a rough bite from the alcohol.

Overall, I truely enjoyed this beer. It was a little thin but it tasted great and I feel like it would go well with a dessert or warm meal (like steak). The big story here is that Southern Tier made a great first impression on me and I'm definitely trying more from this company.

Appearance - 4.3
Smell - 4.5
Taste - 4.2
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 4.23/5

Southern Tier Oat

This oatmeal imperial stout comes it at 11% alcohol and pours black (like it should) with a caramel head. The smell is quite nice and includes notes of chocolate, licorice, oatmeal, alcohol, and dark fruits. The taste is strong and bold but at the same time very smooth. It is a nice mix having the sweet taste of oatmeal and chocolate and then the kick of alcohol at the end. This is one of the better imperial stouts that I've had.

I have no idea why I've never heard of Southern Tier Brewing Company before, but after tasting this as my first brew from them, I believe Deke and I will be going back time and time again.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.2

Taste - 4.1

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 4.03/5

Brew Tasting the Fourteenth

Feeling frisky tonight. Two beers up to bat, two beers to be struck out. After the break, the work to be done.

1) Southern Tier Oat
2) Dogfish Head Theobroma