More than Alright - DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus

You know that years ago when microbrews first started being referred to as craft beer or the craft beer movement you fantasized about a beer that reminded you of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. At least you most likely did if you didn't know of a brew pub that didn't dabble in that kind of thing already.

The peanut butter was extremely pungent in the aroma. It kind of hit me hard when I popped the bottle cap off. I went in a bit closer and abruptly proclaimed "Holy God!" I then read on the side of the bottle (I love bottles with little stories on them) and learned afterwards that the brewers yelled something similar upon finishing this brew for the first time and hence the thing's name.

Sweet Baby Jesus was very dark, roasty yet smooth. It actually played light once I started to drink it though. The peanut/peanut butter flavor isn't as pronounced in the taste. I really wanted to just toss a handful of Reese's Pieces in the glass. Still, this brew was like an already melted Reese's Cup. So happy that DuClaw now has beer in the Pittsburgh market.

"Jesus is just alright with me. Jesus is just alright, oh yeah." - Doobie Brothers in Jesus is Just Alright

Beer Review: Coney Island Albino Python

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Six percent

Appearance: This brew poured a lightly-colored straw gold. Initially, it was a thin appearance except for the bright white head of foam. It was a thick layer of fluff that eventually caved in on itself and left some clumpy cake-like lacing on the glass innards. There was also a light haze in the body, but less than I expected prior to popping this bottle open. Still, I did notice a bit more as I poured the rest of the bottle out. It seemed to settle down towards the bottom of the bottle.

Smell: Very spicy and peppery. I picked up quite a few layers.  Lemon and a citrus zest as well as coriander and a little presence of yeast.

Taste: The first ave of flavor supplied me with some fruity lemon. This was a flavor that transitioned to something a little zestier on the way back. Not sour at all, which I loved. As everything got further back there was plenty of pepper and malt flavors with seemed to include coriander and some allspice. ON the finish there was a tad of mild hop notes.

Overall Rating: 

I found it very interesting to experience allspice in a lighter colored beer. I'm used to them in fall seasonal brews, but even if they are usually in lighter wits and hefe's I haven't been able to decipher any of it until this one. Beautiful color and zesty profile. This was a great drink.

Getting Closer - I mentione some number of weeks ago that I intended on changing up how I depict and review brews that I've tried on this blog. I still had to use up the photographs and beers that I've already taken notes on. I'm getting closer to exhausting that backlog of beers. Within a few weeks I should start to roll them out on here. Expect some different angles for the pictures. Maybe even a classic song lyric or movie quote that goes with said brews.

Beer Review: East End Blackstrap Stout

Serving Type: Draft/Growler

ABV: 6.2 percent

Appearance: This stout was a very shadowy black color. Almost the same shade of coffee grounds with some flashes of dark brown. It also boasted a dark beige head which foamed up to a height of approximately half of an inch. It had just a smidgeon of staying power. Once it did cave in, there was a brown wall of foamy head stuck to the inside rim of the glass.

Smell: I was able to pick up strong hints of both cocoa and molasses. The chocolate did seem to drown out the molasses a bit.

Taste: This was a very smooth beer. The cocoa was dominant once again, but the molasses did act as a supportive compliment. Also, there was plenty of roasted notes on the back before the finish. Some coffee grounds were a huge part of that roasted flavor before everything went down. Hop interference was minimal as it should be in heavy stouts.

Overall Rating: 

This is one of the better stouts you'll find brewed here in the Pittsburgh area. It's called Backstrap Stout after the molasses which holds the namesake used in the brewing process. It's for that reason that I found one single flaw in this. I wanted to notice a bit more molasses! Still a great beer. I'm just picky in some ways. If it's in the title, my mind starts to expect more of it than anything else. It was present, and I do love dark beers with molasses.

Getting Closer - I mentione some number of weeks ago that I intended on changing up how I depict and review brews that I've tried on this blog. I still had to use up the photographs and beers that I've already taken notes on. I'm getting closer to exhausting that backlog of beers. Within a few weeks I should start to roll them out on here. Expect some different angles for the pictures. Maybe even a classic song lyric or movie quote that goes with said brews.

Beer Review: Elysian The Men's Room

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.6 percent

Appearance: This Amber Ale poured a light golden-brown with reddish hues as well as a bright white/beige head. The head had a very fluffy appearance and offered some web-like and sticky lacing inside the glass as it settled downward from the crown. The amber body had a slight transparency to it, but nothing to ruin an appetite for this brew.

Smell: This brew was very strong and floral. I also noticed a small herbal essence on the medium hop nose. Overall, a very clean and crisp aroma.

Taste: I tasted a decent helping of caramel on the font, initially. Then, the flavor transitioned into a roastier profile that seemed to intensify as the beer was able to warm with each sip. The roasted flavors seemed to peak each time the beer hit the back of my tongue. There, the floral hop notes packed a nice punch. The hop bitterness is absolutely at a perfect level on this one.

Overall Rating: 

I've grown to fear 22 oz. bottles of craft beer as I'm usually disappointed with a strong effort by a brewer to knock our socks off with some form of a bold beer. This one was just simple and tasty. Nothing that's too overpowering. The beer looked pretty and had a strong body to it. A great drink. Heard great things about this one and it lived up to the bill.

Beer Review: Southern Tier Live

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.5 percent

Appearance: This brew boasted a vivid golden color once I poured it. A thin layer of fluffy head appeared almost immediately. It was white and I noticed some hay-colored hues as well. I also picked out some beady trails of carbonation bubbles that look like a small school of fish as well as a hazy body. Both say that there is a hefty amount of yeast and sediment present in the beer. Not really a shocker as it says "bottle conditioned ale" right on the label.

Smell: This was quite fruity and estery. Credit should have gone to the yeast for that. There was also a mild floral hop nose.

Taste: The yeast once again came to the forefront. The fruity and estery profile hit me not long after that. The fruity flavor seemed to resemble some lemon that tasted moreso sweet than sour. Definitely a plus. It transitioned to a malty and peppery flavor towards the back of my tongue. I seemed to gather that the peppery flavors were both coriander and allspice.  The finish was light, brisk with a minimal hop bite.

Overall Rating: 

I had a beer quite similar to this in Indigo Imp Blonde Bombshell a good while ago that was also a bottle conditioned brew. Similar colors and fruity and estery profiles. This one had a few more layers of taste in the flavor department, though. The fruit and spices were clearly differentiated and everything seemed to play off of each other amazingly.

Beer Review: Rivertowne RT Lager

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.4 percent

Appearance: This came off as a golden-brown lager with some additional honey-colored hues. There was also what looked to be an orange glow in the deep core of the body. The head was an appetizing shade of cream white. It had a slight layer of thickness, but then faded back into the beer slowly to leave just a thin layer of white and fizzy carbonation. Unfortunately not much lacing was to be noticed.

Smell: This gave off an interesting roasty and peppery profile. The roast aromas were uncharacteristically darker than your typical lager, but in an a positive way. Pair all of that with a mild and floral hop nose.

Taste: I noticed a decent of helping of sweetness on the front of my tongue back towards the mid portions. It was then that the sweetness subsided and gave way to a crackery and bread-like profile. The hop bite was a bit above mild compared to what I noticed in the aroma, but it complimented the dark cracker flavors quite well. Here it seemed like a very classic lager profile.

Overall Rating: 

I was a little worried  once the aroma went down a different road than I expected, but everything went just fine. This brew reminded me somewhat of Yuengling Traditional Lager, but this had a few more layers of flavor. Sweet, a little dark and roasty while still having a nice bite towards the finish. A little more carbonation and texture from it can vault this beer to the top.

Beer Review: Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.1 percent

Appearance: Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot glistened with a chroma of orange and golden hues. It was quite an attractive mix of the two. The body had a tinge of haze (which seemed to distort any presence of carbonation) to it and the head was a vivid white and very explosive. On an impressive note, the head rose very quick and had the notion to stop almost at the rim of the glass. It also gave way to some thick and web-like lacing.

Smell: Surprisingly, this was a little peppery and spicy. Very intriguing. The apricot aroma was slight, but complimented by a healthy yeast aroma. That provided that crust-esque combination I really enjoy in beer. The apricot aroma grew more impressive as the beer was able to warm-up.

Taste: The apricot was an amazing fruity sensation on the tongue. Especially as the beer got closer to warm temperature. The apricot was sweet, but more into the tart spectrum which I loved. The yeast provided that crusty backbone which reminded me of a cobbler or pie. I have to say that it was obvious that the fruit and the yeast were the focus of this beer. There was also a light hop bite on the back to punctuate things. A little touch of alcohol warmth peaked through as drink went on.

Overall Rating: 

An excellent fruit beer. Possibly one of the best apricot brews I've ever come across. It was very evident that the fruit and yeast were the two main characters in this play and I loved every second of it. Head was nice and foamy and provided some fluffiness and texture on every sip. It was actually kind of depressing once this bottle was gone. Luckily, I know where to get another one!

Beer Review: Stoudt's Scarlet Lady Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Scarlet Lady was a tea-colored amber that also boasted some other red and gold hues. There was an intense bustle of carbonation as soon as I poured it into the glass. The carbonation bubbles helped lead to an off-white moreso beige head which featured some medium staying power and average web'like lacing inside the glass.

Smell: Very floral hop notes. Quite a bit more than I expected. Otherwise, the aroma of this beer was somewhat bland. There was a tad of roastiness, but the scent wasn't strong enough for me to distinguish.

Taste: Asis customary, I got some sweet malt and caramel up front, but just a little of each. That was followed by some fruity esters to compliment the sweetness. The floral hops led to some zing and bite on the back. The finish was punctuated by a pale taste which also lingered into the aftertaste.

Overall Rating: 

This was an interesting drink. It's classified as a bitter. So, naturally I was expecting a struggle. It was actually more fruity and malty than bitter in that respect. I was surprised. The hops were somewhat complex. Very floral and bitter. They added an interesting touch. The brew is very attractive. Really carbonated. Attractive as the lady on the label!

Beer Review: Great Lakes Eliot Ness

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 6.2 percent

Appearance: Eliot Ness poured a lovely-looking deep amber color. With its dark brown, golden and medium ruby red hues I stared with a dropped jaw for at least two or three minutes. Then a foamy white head protruded almost to the rim of the glass, but it fell just a tad short. This opened the way for some thick and sticky lacing inside said glass.

Smell: The aroma from this beer was appropriately complex. Overall, this brew had a darker smell to it. There was a toasty profile. The sweet caramel had a slightly roasty feel to it. I also got a deluge of bread and crackers which I love. There was also a mild hop nose. The sweet notes only intensified as the brew warmed up closer to room temperature.

Taste: The caramel was the initial taste I noticed as is usually the case with a malty brew. Some roasty malt followed before some crackery bread flavors mixed well with that. The hop bitterness was a bit more pungent than what I noticed in the smell, but it just worked well with the dark and bready flavors in this. The finish was punctuated with the some bitter kick. Some carbonation texture was also there which I always love to have in a beer.

Overall Rating:

One of the first times I visited Burgatory in Aspinwall I tried the caramel pretzel milkshake with the burger I ordered. It had that sweet and salty taste that a lot of us love. Good Vienna Lagers pull that effect off. Eliot Ness was one of the brews that fall under that category. An excellent experience in just about every aspect of enjoying a beer. Medium dark and roasty. Lovely color and texture. A small hint of sweetness. Nice bitter kick to compliment everything. It's a laundry list of goodness.

Beer Review: Lagunitas Maximus

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 8.2 percent

Appearance: Maximus had a chroma of a very vivid orange/amber color. There was also a bit of sediment that stirred up as soon as I poured it. So, I'm not sure how long this sat in the cooler where I purchased the bottle. There also wasn't much carbonation at this point, but the bubbles did appear and slowly rise a little while after. The head was a bit volatile at first because the foam funneled over the rim of the glass, but once it settled it was fluffy and bright white. It was also quite sticky.

Smell: In the aroma department, this beer seemed very potent. There were generous amounts of both pine and resin. These two aspects seemed to drown out anything else that might have been present. The scents were on levels of sinus destruction for me, but this is a double IPA.

Taste: I was once again bombarded with the pine and resin flavors. Both of these were really intense for me. I thought for a second that a touch of sweetness was on the front tip of my tongue, but once again I couldn't tell entirely due to the intensity of the piney hop bitterness. This all lead to an intensely bitter aftertaste.  Still, everything did ease a bit as the beer warmed. The resin flavor actually drove itself to the forefront at this point which I enjoyed. This brew was also a very sticky experience. Lips, fingers and table top. Kind of like that annoying syrup bottle that we all have somewhere in our kitchen.

Overall Rating: 

I love the regular lineup by Lagfunitas, but I've been severely disappointed with two of their bolder offererings. It doesn't help that I'm not Mr. Imperial/Double either. Not exactly my thing. I don't want all hops. I want multiple aspects in a good beer. The stickiness of this also just made it more of an annoyance. This might be a hop head's delight, but I'll stick to the regular Lagunitas IPA.