We have enjoyed other Southampton offerings in the past (Shane reviewed the Double White), but haven’t come across many. Their Pumpkin Ale was from a 12 oz bottle, which stated it coming in at 5.5% ABV, a typical ABV range for this style.

The Pumpkin Ale poured a nice deep copper-brown color with about one inch of light beige head. The lacing is moderate, though stated, while the clarity and retention are all good to go.

The scents that came from the glass reminded me of my Aunt’s house when she would bake during winter. The cinnamon and nutmeg came right out up front. They also remind me somewhat of a freshly baked shoe-fly pie, with the caramel malt substituting the molasses flavor. There is a very slight clove touch and a musky hint of vanilla.

The Pumpkin Ale has a balanced, mild carbonation that was lively throughout, though not overpowering. There was a nice hint of spice but was rather quickly dominated by the caramel malts, with the fresh crushed cinnamon sticks and nutmeg making special appearances. It had a really clean and crisp taste to it not leaving much behind in terms of an aftertaste. The hops are pretty muted in this brew to help the spices and malt bring out the style.

This beer is what I love to call “sessionable,” especially in the coming months when the temperature cools down. This year, I need to find the perfect Fall seasonal beer for Thanksgiving dinner. So far this is going to be a solid choice, though I have plenty of others to try. This is absolutely a great Pumpkin Ale that is a great example of the style and one I would order again!

Rating

88
out of 100

In it’s simplest form, I’m going to outline the process so you can start waxing. This method originally was mentioned on the HomeBrewTalk forum, and involves extremely common, easy to find items. With the given amounts and proportions in the article, you should be able to wax at least 36 bottles.

The Process

1. Buy some Crayola (these work best) crayons. I found these 24-count assorted boxes on sale at Target for a mere $0.25 per box. You’ll need 10-12 of the same color crayons, so I purchased 12 boxes. The great thing is, these will last you for a long time if you plan on doing different colored wax. Take out the color you want and peel the paper off each crayon.

Crayola crayons, 24-count

2. The second “ingredient” in this concoction is some All Purpose Glue Sticks. These are essentially the hot glue gun sticks. I purchased a 20-count pack for around $2.50 at a craft store.

All purpose glue sticks

3. Add all 20 glue sticks to an emptied out “canned food” can. I used a bit of a larger one than a normal sized soup can. Place the can directly on top a propane burner and keep on a low heat, less than half-way to full force. Once the glue sticks begin to melt, break the crayons in half and add them to the can.

When I was stirring the mixture, I used a clamp tool to hold the can (it gets hot) while I stirred with a wooden rod. (Your stirrer will get ruined so use a scrap piece of wood or something along those lines). I kept mixing and kept the heat applied until everything felt smooth inside the can, which took about 15 minutes. Here’s what it looked like (this is after I was finished and it cooled).

Crayon & glue mixture

4. Turn the heat down even lower. Hold the can with your tool and dunk your bottle into the wax mixture. You’ll have to play with how far to dunk, as to what effect you want. Be aware that even though you may only do it quite shallow, the wax will run down the bottle a bit while it’s cooling. Place the bottles on an area to dry.

That’s about it. The wax should cool down and dry within 15-20 minutes and you can put them back into storage.

Enjoy!

The Holy Moses pours with a fluffy one and a half finger white head sitting atop a hazy golden body. The head diminishes quickly and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass until the very end. The aroma is quite yeasty with pleasant notes of orange peel. There are also smells of coriander and a small amount of spice, but an overall light yet pleasant aroma.

The flavors are a bit weak upfront, you do get some yeast, bread, grain, and a small amount of spice but these flavors are muted and not well balanced. In the back end of the mouth feel, the coriander is immediately present but there are also notes of orange peel, like in the nose, and a bit of sweetness.

Overall, the Holy Moses is a standard Witbier, though in places it does veer off the track. It’s a good summer beer worth checking out if you want something a little different. I was put off by the lack of definition in the flavor profile upfront, but the coriander and orange peel provided some interesting flavors in the back end of your palate.

Rating

80
out of 100

The signature stubby Founders bottle brands itself at 10.2% ABV and boasts aging in oak bourbon barrels. The pour into my snifter was mahogany brown with some sharp maroon hues. A faint crust of red is mixed with a deep, darkening brown. The carbonation seems to have mellowed out, considering I had a quickly dissipating head and also noticed some floaties in the body.

The Backwoods Bastard stays true to its name while the nose encompasses a huge charred oak wood flavor. The hints of bourbon served neat come through nicely along with some Werther’s Original hard candy, toffee and [unflavored] cough syrup. This eclectic mixture teases your nose for an intense and decadent Scotch Ale.

The first thing I noticed about the body was the lack of carbonation. This has seriously mellowed out since its bottling date though the body still feels on the heavier side of a medium-body. Your palate is covered with silky smooth and hot bourbon, though dangerously drinkable. The backbone is heavy in malt, while being extremely rich and balanced. This finishes off with some hints of dates, and evident, though subtle, oak wood notes.

For enjoying this bottle almost one year after being bottled, I’m impressed how well the flavor profile is still in tact. While the carbonation has definitely mellowed, the rich bourbon and oak flavors are still present. I’d be extremely interested to taste this “fresh,” to see if my speculations of differences are in tune, though for what it is, this is a seriously solid Scotch Ale.

93
out of 100

Title photo from: Flickr

From my perspective, it was great to finally meet most of the #PhillyBeer group for the first time as well as the three others from out of state. I’m going to fill this article with some photos from the event, courtesy of Stephen, and names/Twitter handles for everyone that showed up. So, first up is the #PhillyBeer group that showed up:

• Ethan (@PhillyBeerSnob)
• Sarah (@sarah_maria)
• Stephen (@lyfords)
• Rob (@Rob_Peters_82)
• Caitlyn (@caitada)
• Helene (@phillybeergirl)
• John (@jfmullen)
• Kelly (@Snow2BeerChick)
• Brendan (@mccartyb03)
• Jym (@brew_thusiast)
• Sorry if I missed anyone else!

And of course we all showed up from Passion Beer: Shane (@kabaa), Mike (@crashmaster007) and Nick (@typhoon19468). Visiting from Florida was Amie and enduring a painful 5.5 hour drive from NYC was Lee and Stevie. All three of which we were happy to have join us all! There’s really not much more to say in words; it was an amazing time enjoying some craft beer with some craft beer enthusiasts.

Before we get to the pictures, here is a pretty cool video shot by Mike using the Lazy Susan from the Brewer’s table we were sitting at. Take a look. As for the rest, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Back to Front: Ethan, Mike, Shane, Nick, Lee, Stevie, Amie, Sarah, Jym

Caitlyn, Nick, Shane, Jenna, Mike

Mixing and mingling

Helene, John, Stephen

Brendan, Kelly, Sarah

The full set from Stephen can be found at his Picasa gallery. Once again, thanks to everyone who came out, and it was nice to finally meet everyone! We must do this again.

Cheers!

The Half Moon pours a dark, rich brown, almost black, color with a good one and a half finger caramel colored head. The aroma is nice and “roasty” with plenty of malt and very mild coffee notes. There is no sense of alcohol, which is good, but there isn’t really anything on the nose besides the roasted malt. The brewery website says that the coffee aroma should be heavy, but really it’s a mild undertone.

The first flavor of the Half Moon that hits you is the roasted malt again, just as in the nose. There is a slight bitterness, with some hints of dark chocolate morsels. The beer is surprisingly refreshing and a bit thin, but I wouldn’t want it to be a big filling Stout with how large and pronounced the roasted flavors are.

As you can probably guess this is a beer for those who love roasted flavors, and nothing else. Sure, there are some other flavors in there floating around, but the roasted flavor of the Half Moon steals the show. Even with all of the roast it is still refreshing, and not dry or overly bitter. A good beer, although a little single-sided in the overall flavor profile.

Rating

67
out of 100

The Meadow Road pours a slightly hazy golden color with plenty of carbonation that leads to a good two finger fluffy white head. Already this beer is starting to live up to being a true Hefeweizen. The aromas are pleasantly spicy with a moderate amount clove coming through nicely. A bit more subtlety, are hints of citrus (orange peel) and banana.

The flavors mirror the aromas nicely with citrus, though this time mostly lemon, leading the way followed by some hints of banana. The backbone is, as expected, a good yeasty-wheat flavor that nicely surrounds the other flavors. This medium-bodied mouthful ends on your palate with the slightest hop note, just enough to remind you they’re present.

Considering I’m three out of four beers into the Penobscot Bay Brewery offerings, this has been the best one yet. It’s an absolutely solid example of a good Hefeweizen, by no means the best, but still a quality beer. It’s great take on the traditional German/Bavarian-style, while adding some American flair.

Rating

74
out of 100

Even though the American craft beer industry is growing and on the rise, there are still places out there that have yet to cash in on their success and add some craft beer selections to their line-up. If you happen to run across those restaurants or pubs, use these suggestions to your advantage.

Don’t drink beer

I apologize if these all sound obvious, but they’re all viable solutions. If there’s nothing you’ll enjoy from the beer selection, forgo the beer for once and drink something else. It’s the absolute simplest solution and perhaps the most effective. Trust me, you can go without beer. Instead, grab yourself a glass of water (for the time being) and gaze over the drink menu until you find something else you’ll enjoy, if you need alcohol.

Drink wine or mixed drinks

So, if you’re really craving alcohol check out the wine and mixed drink menu. Most restaurants will offer some great wines, if nothing else at least a house white, blush and red, and some interesting cocktails. If you normally don’t drink liquor, pick something light without a ton of alcohol. And if that’s you, you definitely don’t want a Long Island Iced Tea. Try something new, even if it’s not beer. It’s not going to kill you.

Drink imports

A lot of craft beer lovers look for those local or American craft breweries, but even if they’ve got nothing but Miller Lite, Coors Lite and Budweiser on the draft list, they’re sure to have some imports in bottles. Even if you have to resort to something like Heineken, you can rest assured you’re not helping out Anheuser-Busch InBev or MillerCoors. Even if the imports aren’t microbreweries, it provides an alternate option if you really need that beer-fix.

Suggest a different place

This may be the snobbiest solution of them all but if you word it right, you may get your way. If you happen to know ahead of time your beverage selection is bleak, suggest another pub or restaurant that will cater to the group and also satisfy your craft beer needs. Avoid choosing a blatantly obvious craft beer destination. You should always scope out your local area to see what places have even the smallest selection of craft beer, so you can use them as alternate options.

The bottom line

Again, while these may sound a bit obvious, they’re all about making the best of the time with the company you’re with. For me, at least, I don’t want to come across as the whiny, stuck-up “beer guy.” If it comes down to it, I’ll have a Sam Adams or a local Yuengling Lager. And if they don’t have anything I’d enjoy, I just don’t drink beer. Face it, it’s not rocket science and there’s no reason to make it harder than it is. If you don’t like their offerings, don’t drink it.

Remember, it’s about being a beer geek, not necessarily a beer snob.

The Farmer’s Tan pours a clear, pale, golden color with a medium amount of carbonation. Atop the beer sits a one finger white head that leaves some rings of lace on the glass. The aroma is light crisp and grassy with hops upfront and sweeter malts in the background. A good summery aroma for a beer.

The taste retains some crispness from the flavor but it is more dry than crisp. There is also a good amount of spice from the hops backed up by some citrus from the hops as well. Before it gets too intense, it is taken back by some of the sweeter malt characters. Thanks to having a 9% ABV, there is also a slight twinge of alcohol.

The Farmer’s Tan is more of an “intense” summer beer, but I don’t know if the overkill of the spices works well. It crosses the line from crisp and refreshing into the realm of dry and weak. If toned back a bit it could be a good summer beer, and the flavors could work well together but for now, it is unbalanced and doesn’t live up to its label.

Rating

68
out of 100

The brew poured with a wonderful dark copper body fused by a decent amount of carbonation. The head was small, less than a finger in height, with a creamy off-white color. The aroma is refreshing and strong at the same time. I am a hops fiend and the Devil Dancer is right up my alley. There’s an abundant aroma of a plethora of different hops with notes of some other sweet citrus scents like pink grapefruit and pineapple.

The Devil Dancer hits you first with the strong presence of hops combined with a malty taste to provide an overall balance between the two distinct flavors. The malt profile is a nice foundation for this “Triple IPA,” which is followed by a nice delicious silky, caramel and butterscotch taste. The hops were still dominant in the overall flavor but the sweet citrus hints are again, a great balance for the bitterness.

I had high expectations for this one, being labeled as a “Triple IPA.” I was expecting a heavier hops presence but the overall bitterness was muted by the malt a bit. While expectations were set really high considering the price tag and the brewery, it was still a solid beer. If you see a four pack or a single bottle of this beer, I would recommend picking it up and enjoying one in a nice snifter.

Rating

92
out of 100

Title photo from: Flickr