Three Heads Brewing Co. out of Rochester, New York has been in business for a few years now. They started out active on beer review websites and decided to open up their own brewery. They recently reached my local market and I recently grabbed a bottle of their Java Sutra Coffee Porter.
Spring House Brewing Company out of Conestoga, PA makes their first appearance on the show with Big Gruesome, a Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Stout. As one of their signature beers, Big Gruesome is brewed quite frequently and has recently seen bottles more often. We were lucky enough to get our hands on some!
As we approach what I consider to be the day of stout beer, St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to remove from my beer fridge and sample the Big John Imperial Stout from Goose Island. To help combat the 11.5% ABV, Goose Island added cacao nips to this beer which should add some nice chocolate notes.
During a recent trip to Maryland, I grabbed a bottle of Heavy Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged Siren Noire – an Imperial Stout brewed with chocolate and aged in bourbon barrels (of course). I hadn’t seen this one in the Philadelphia area yet, so the choice was easy. At 9.5% ABV, I’m expecting rich chocolatey notes with some bourbon and oak undertones.
Oyster stouts have always been a, “Oh that’s pretty cool” beer for me and only recently have I begun seeking them out. They offer another twist on my favorite malt-centric style, bringing a bit of ocean saltiness and brine into play. When these flavors are kept local (to me), as with the Flying Dog Pearl Necklace, it makes it all the more irresistible.
