What The Butler Saw

Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company 'What The Butler Saw'

Undressed Wit 

Today I am trying a brew from New Jersey. As I look forward to Fourth of July, I cannot help but thinking about the Jersey Shore where I spend it and the boardwalks we stroll up and down. Everyone has their stories that the remember and try to relive or not forget. For me that is all the fun times I have had at the beach with family and friends. That is the mindset, as I try a brew from the brewing company I am trying today. I am trying a brew from Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company. "Each beer will tell an old forgotten story that took place around the boardwalk. I think it is especially fun to, not only have a great beverage, but to have a consumer learn of an old tale." Easy to see why I might be nostalgic and reminiscent. That is the vision of the brewing company as well, which is a vision that gets people talking about the beer or beers they have enjoyed. The owner Jamie, is someone who enjoys beer and started off as a beer enthusiast like myself and turned her passion into creating brews. The more and more I look at the can, I cannot help but think about the can and the story about What the Butler Saw/The Cat. 

Story about this brew

First, let's talk about 'What the Butler Saw'. Tuck away in a dark confines of the boardwalk during the turn of the century were mutoscopes. Inside one was a silent slideshow featuring a voyeuristic butler looking through a keyhole, The film What the Butler Saw, let you privately take a peep while standing in plain sight. That describes the picture on the back of the can that you notice. Next time to talk about the cat logo, which I bet you didn't know had a tie into the boardwalk. According to the Forgotten Boardwalk website: 'Unbeknownst to most: The feral cat is the sideshow attraction and mascot to the boardwalk. No one quite knows exactly when the undomesticated felines made their homes under the piers, but most say it happened when the boardwalk was first built back in the 1880s. The reason? Some say it is due to the scraps of food dropped by tourists that slip through the cracks of the planks.' 

Growler the cat and the front of the can 

Time to focus on this Undressed Wit I am trying today. What The Butler Saw is an Undressed Wit; it has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5.% and an IBU of 18.  Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They took over a space vacated by Flying Fish Brewing Company. 

The appearance of What the Butler Saw, is typical of a Witbeer. There is a cloudy haziness to this brew and decent amount of carbonation. This Undressed Wit has a golden appearance to it, which is typical for a Wit. When you look at this beer there is a nice head or foam retention at the top of the brew. The head of the brew leaves a thin layer at the top of the beer. Now time to look at the aroma of this Wit. I noticed right away a citrus aroma coming from this brew. I think it is a blend between orange and lemon zest. After the citrus notes, I did begin to pick up on the spice aroma that was paired with the zest notes of the citrus combo. The spice note I believe to pick up on is a clove or coriander note. Both are usually used with a Witbeer or Belgian brews. 

Appearance of What the Butler Saw

Let's see if the taste follows the aroma or goes off and does it's own thing. The first taste note I picked up on was the spice note followed by a citrus note that blends together. I think the spice note is a more noticeable note in the taste and one that lingers on the tastebuds. In addition to the citrus and spice note there is subtle apple note in the taste of this brew. The body of this beer is light and is crisp with a dry finish. This is a refreshing brew that you can enjoy on a hot summer day, I think the unfiltered helps this be a crisp brew. I think the Undressed Wit, notion is fitting because this is not a normal Witbeer and plays with twists on the Wit style beers. I think it might be a little too much spice note based but it is still a delicious brew. 

If you are into Witbiers and want to see a brewery add their own take on Wits, then you should check out this Wit brew by Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company. This brew made me think about the Wit style and what I enjoy most about it. If you are around the Cherry Hill area you should check out this brewing company and their brews. This is one of their year round brews and they do have varieties of it with different takes on it. 

Check out Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company on Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

Tweet @ForgottenBoards

Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company

I Love Lamp

I LOVE LAMP! To Quote Brick from Anchorman 

Tonight I am trying a brew from a beer company, I have had on this blog before. They have very creative names and try to tie in to the younger generation beer drinkers. By taking things such as movies and tv shows we love and naming their brews after them. I think that is the thing I enjoy the most about checking out their brews. I giggle every time I read one of their beers on the shelve. Looking at the concept of tying in movies and ideas so that millennials or the younger beer drinkers easily recognize their brews. I think this beer company knows their market and makes their brews relevant to this part of their market, so that they can capitalize on it. I am big into movies myself, so I tell you if I see something that I know from a movie, I am most likely going to check it out. See if it makes me think of that movie or idea they are putting forth. Evil Genius Beer Company is that brewery. When I see their beers on the shelves, I instantly think of the movie or concept that is on the beer.  

I Love Lamp by Evil Genius Beer Company

Evil Genius Beer Company is located in Kensington part of Philadelphia, PA. The beer company has been looking for locations and found a home in Kensington on Front St. They wanted a spot to call their own and be able to have people visit them since they started the brewery in 2008. "The idea is very serious beer with very silly names." They will have a 6,000 square foot place that will have a 15 barrel system to help age their brews. I love to hear when breweries are local and want to be a part of the neighborhood, really brings the sense of brotherly love. This shows what Philadelphia is all about.

Brew for Tonight

The brew I am trying tonight is called I Love Lamp. Come on how great is that name for a beer. I love Anchorman and cannot get enough. Hopefully, this beer makes me feel the same way. I love Lamp has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5.5% and an IBU of 12. I Love Lamp is a Pineapple Hefeweizen, and something that gets you ready to quote Brick Tamland all day. Let's see how serious this beer is and how funny the name sounds. 

Serious beers with silly names

Appearance to I Love Lamp, this brew has a golden hazy hue about it. Looking more at this beer, you begin to notice the cloudy appearance to the beer. 'Hefe' means yeast and 'Weizen' means wheat. In terms of the style of beer the combination of the to lends to an unfiltered and top fermenting yeast in the style. This Hefeweizen has all the appearances of a normal hefe.  The head or foam of the beer is white and leaves a thin layer around the top of the glass. There is some lacing, but nothing that stays around the edge of the glass. The aroma of this brew is enthralling. I mean I feel like I am outside and ready for a pina colada. First whiff, I took I notice the pineapple aroma mixed with the other aromas in the hefeweizen. You do notice the traditional aromas, such as banana and clove because of the attempt to take the tart bite of the brew. Almost feels like I just cut a pineapple, that is how much I notice the pineapple aroma. You do begin to pick up on the body of the beer, while exploring the aroma. I noticed it smells like this brew has a backbone to it and is not too heavy. 

Appearance of I Love Lamp

Time to check out the taste aspect and the body of this beer. I am curious to see if the aroma and the taste align. Based off the first sip, I would have to say that the taste and the aroma do align in the end. I picked up on the pineapple right away, but it was not to fruit centric. I noticed more of a dry taste to the beer with a medium body behind it. Taking a few more sips, I begin to notice the spice aspect that finishes with a pineapple flair. The spice notes are the ones that are in the aroma the banana and clove aspects are there in the taste of this beer. Based off of Evil Genius, Serious beers with silly names, I can tell this is a serious brew. The addition of pineapple to a Hefeweizen is a serious thing to do. But they pulled it off and made a good brew that I can enjoy all summer. I do not feel like I am having a normal hefeweizen, which is what I enjoy most about I Love Lamp. It is a different twist, with a silly side. 

Overall, this is a great brew for summer. It's not heavy like a wheat brew usually are and I think that might be because of the addition of pineapple to this style. I Love Lamp is refreshing and something I could drink all day at the beach or all day sitting out by a pool. If you think fruit does not belong in beer, I think you can still enjoy this brew because of the body behind the brew. If you do enjoy fruit in your brews, can I suggest you try this and make sure you add a pineapple slice to it. Make sure you get this beer while you can, because this is a seasonal brew and is only around for the summer. This brew will take a bite out of the heat for you just like a fresh slice of pineapple. 

National Selfie Day with I Love Lamp

Check out Evil Genius Beer Company's Website and their social media: 

Evil Genius Beer Company

Tweet @EvilGeniusBeer

Facebook Evil Genius Beer

Instagram @Evilgeniusbeer

Watermelon Gose

Check out this Gose 

Trying a brew style that I have not explored in to until tonight. The style of brew is a Gose style. It is a German Style brew. A Gose is an unfiltered wheat made with 50-60% malted wheat which creates a cloudy pale color and has a crisp refreshing taste. Gose style ales have a low bitterness and have a dryness mixed with a spice note that is from coriander. There is also a sharpness or a bite which comes from the addition of Sea Salt into the brew. Most times Gose style brews are paired with flavors that will take the bite off the style, because of the addition of lactic acid into the brew. Gose is an old style German brew that has seen a revival recently. Gose style brew originated in Leipzig, Germany. Gose is similar to Berliner Weiss, so if you are a fan of them, you should enjoy this style that I am trying tonight. I am trying this beer from a beer company I have had on this blog before. This is my third beer by them on this blog. I have tried Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale and their Pumpkinfest. If you know these beers than you know what beer company I am trying tonight. Terrapin Beer Company is the brewery I am having tonight. I am trying their Watermelon Gose, their take on a Gose Style Brew. Terrapin Beer Company was born when two brewers met at a microbrewery. They focused on brews that were not available in the South East. They created their first brew in 2002, called Rye Pale Ale. Terrapin Beer Company can be found in Athens, Georgia.

Terrapin Beer Company Watermelon Gose 

Tonight's brew is Terrapin's Watermelon Gose. The Watermelon Gose has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 4.3%  and an IBU of 7.  From the can "Gose: “Gose-uh” A traditional German style beer brewed with sea salt and coriander Tart and refreshing, our Gose is sure to blow any picnic out of the water…melon".  

Appearance of Watermelon Gose

Let's dive into this brew and figure out what it is all about. Aroma wise this beer has a tart aroma. The tart aroma is similar to the Berliner Weiss, a sour wheat aroma. After picking up the sour aroma, you begin to notice the watermelon aroma, at first I'm not sure if it's real or artificial aroma. But the more and more you notice it you get a brine watermelon aroma, which lends itself to the real watermelon aroma. Almost like you just got finished up cutting your watermelon for your picnic. There is one last note that you do pick up in the aroma and that is the sea salt note, which is almost like you got out the ocean salt water aroma. Appearance wise this is a pale colored ale. The ale has a tint, which looks like it comes from the green of the watermelon rind when you hold it up to the light. For the most part, this brew has a hazy golden appearance to it. There is a decent amount of carbonation coming up from the bottom. In addition, the foam or head of the Gose quickly dissipates and does not leave any lacing around the outside of the glass. 

After the aroma and the appearance, I am ready to see what the taste backbone of this brew has coming for me. First sip, you get the sour taste note from the lactic acid and that gets balanced out with the spice note of the coriander. The more interesting taste note is the sea salt finish I get. I did pick up on the wheat style brew in this beer. It's subtle and not overpowering to the tart taste in the beer. There is a crisp and refreshing feel to this brew. The more sips I take of this ale, I notice the style more and more. There is a dry note that you notice and the sharpness note to it as well, which is from the Sea Salt. To the people that think there might be too much fruit taste in this style or in this beer, I say to you that it is subtle and rather enjoyable. Some summer beers go for a lighter taste and add fruit to appeal to most drinkers, but Watermelon Gose gives you the Gose style and gives you the subtle watermelon note for you to enjoy the Gose Style. This brew has a light body and gives the beer drinker a noticeable carbonation as you drink this beer paired with a prickliness from the tart sour taste notes. If you listen to the aroma of the beer this beer taste is similar to the aroma and gives you some subtle other notes in the beer. In addition, I think the tart or sour taste might come from the addition of lactic acid from lemons and the finishing note tastes like someone added a pinch of sea salt to a watermelon slice. 

Lookout for this Special Release Brew, Watermelon Gose by Terrapin Beer Company

This brew is refreshing and something I will have to investigate more and find out others I might want to explore. The addition of the sea salt is interesting and gives the drinker a sharp note as the brew finishes. The spice of the coriander and the sharpness of the sea salt are great additions to the wheat style ale. The light body of this Gose is something I really enjoyed and gives the drinker crisp refreshing brew. I think that Terrapin did a good job with this style brew and I look forward to trying other brews from Terrapin Beer Company, so far I have not been disappointed.  Make sure you check out what Terrapin Beer Company has brewing and what is out on the shelves near you. To me this Gose brew is perfect for sitting out on the beach or enjoying a picnic/barbecue in your own backyard.  It's not too fruity for someone that is not looking for fruit in their beer, but also caters to the people whom enjoy it in their beers. 

Check out Terrapin Beer Company's Website and their Social Media: 

Terrapin Beer Company

Tweet @TerrapinBeerCo

Terrapin Beer Company Facebook

Instagram @Terrapinbeerco

   

   

Beer Week

Recently Philadelphia area celebrated Philly Beer Week. It's an amazing time and bars and beer gardens all around Philadelphia, PA, host specific breweries and do tap takeovers. A beer drinkers perfect week. There are a variety of breweries that come and take part in Philly Beer Week, sometimes hosting their own event to draw people to sample their brews. Deschutes hosted a Street Pub. Yards hosted a pinewood derby and Goose Island hosted a block party. It's a celebration of beers and perfect for a beer enthusiast like myself. I attend a local event near me, in Doylestown, PA, which was hosted by Gretz Beer Company. This Beer Week event happened on June 9th, 2016. It was a chance to sample some different brews from breweries they distribute for. There was 11 different breweries showcased at 12 different bars. For me this is like being a kid in a candy store. Some of the breweries that were being showcased, I had not sampled brews from them before and this was the perfect night to try and sample them. Each bar in Doylestown had a different brewery there to showcase some brews of theirs. 

During this post I will talk about each bar I went to and which brews I sampled, whilst I was there.  I did sample a few brews, but I was also made sure that I could drive home and enjoy the night. 

First bar, I visited during the event was Station Tap House. Where there was a battle between V States. Star Hill Brewery took on Long Trail Brewing Company to see, which state with the letter V had a better brewery. State of Virginia took on the State of Vermont, I was very interested to see, who came out on top. I had one of the beers from Long Trail before, so I figured I would try the brew from Starr Hill. The brew from Long Trail was Mostly Cloudy, which is a Belgian Witbier. Mostly Cloudy has an ABV or alcohol by volume of 4.7%  and an IBU of 12. The brew I sampled from Starr Hill was The Hook, which is a Grapefruit Session IPA. The Hook has an ABV of 4.9 and an IBU of 39. To me, the session IPA by Starr Hill gave me all the India Pale Ale profile without the high ABV. If someone who really enjoys IPA's, this was a beer that you could drink throughout your day and still be functioning in what you are trying to accomplish. For beer drinkers terms, this beer is crushable. Starr Hill is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and Long Trail is located in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. 

Starr Hill The Hook Grapefruit Session IPA

Next, I visited 86 West. The brewery at 86 West was Kona Brewing Company. I have had their brews before. Kona Big Wave was one of the brews on tap. As was Castaway IPA. Kona Big Wave has an ABV of 4.4% and an IBU of 21. I think this one has to be one of the favorites of my night. This Golden Ale is delicious and something I enjoy when I get my hands on it. Castaway IPA has an ABV of 60 and an IBU of 50. I have not tried this brew from Kona. Kona Brewing Company is located in Kona, Hawaii 

After 86 West, I visited Penn Taproom. I got to sample a brew from Goose Island that I had never had before. The brews on tap here were Goose Island IPA, Four Star Pils, and Bee Squad. As well as a brew from 10 Barrel Brewing Company. 10 Barrel had their Riding Solo Pale Ale on tap. I did not try the Riding Solo, but I did try the Bee Squad brew from Goose Island. Goose Island is located in Chicago, Illinois and 10 Barrel Brewing is located in Bend, Oregon,  Bee Squad is a Saison from Goose Island has an ABV of 8.2%. This is a brew that was just brewed and is something you should look out for and try for yourself. It had a nice sweet honey taste, but still gave you the spice note in the Saison or Farmhouse ale you are looking for. Bee Squad had a nice dry finish and was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I think this was my favorite of the night. 

Goose Island Bee Squad 

Next was Pags Pub, where Victory was located. Victory had Summer Love and Hop Devil on Tap. There was Prima Pils as well. Jamie the Victory Beer Representative was passing out Victory gear, which was anyone who had Victory got a free beer glass. In the beer glass, the were Victory Summer Love Sun Glasses and a Victory sticker. I am looking forward to making a trip to Victory and sampling a few brews that I have yet to try. Summer Love is a awesome summer pale ale that is light and easy to drink. I think Summer Love is something people look forward to every summer because they know it's a great Summer brew. I will say that I do have Victory Summer Love and Victory Kirsch Gose waiting in my next six pack to sample and do my review on them. 

Second to last of the night was M.O.M.S, which is Maxwell's on Main Street. MOMS had Fat Head's Brewery on tap. I sampled two of their brews. I started with the Sunshine Daydreams, which is a Session Ale has an ABV of  4.9% and an IBU of 60. Next I sampled, Benjamin Danklin, which has an ABV of 7.5 %  and is only brewed for Philly Beer Week. I really enjoyed talking with Geoff and Justin, who were the showing me the brews from Fat Head's and talking about beer with me. I enjoyed talking IPA's with Geoff and  how I should look at IPA's. MOMS also had Zeus Juice and Jack Straw on tap from Fat Head's. Fat Head's is located in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.  

Last place I visited on last thursday was Chambers. Chambers had many different brews on tap, but the main brewery was Troegs. Troegs is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. At this point in the night, I was not sampling, but more showing support for the brewery. I wanted to make sure I was able to drive home. Chambers was the last meetup point for all the beer reps. After a long night of talking about beer and sharing beers, at this point it was to enjoy the night. It was a celebration of having a great night and an end to Philly Beer Week.  

Tap List From Chambers 

End to a great night. 

I think it was a great idea to showcase different brews at different locations all throughout Doylestown. It got people that might not know beer a chance to sample different craft beers, and that is what Philly Beer Week is all about. Thanks Gretz Beer Company for putting together this event and allowing me to tag along. 

    

The Berliner

The Berliner by Round Guys Brewing Company 

Tonight I am trying another Berliner Weiss. To me I think this style of beer screams summer. Seeing as how we are in June and summer is on its way, why not try brews that are going to available. I have tried one beer from the brewing company I am trying from tonight. They are a local brewing company and are thirty minutes away from my door. Round Guys Brewing Company is located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Rounds Guys Brewing Company was thought about in 2008 and became a reality in 2012. In three short years, they have become well known in the region and expanded their distribution to Central Pennsylvania to the Jersey Shore. I have not made it to the Taproom, but I am hoping to make it there soon. I know that if you are in the area, you are able to find their beers in local bottle shops and grocery stores. I always like finding new brews to try from the local breweries around me. Tonight I am trying, The Berliner, it is a Berliner Weiss Style Ale. The Berliner has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 3.7% and an IBU of 1. Compared to last night's brew this is a little stronger in the ABV and is less bitter than the Manayunk Summer Paradise. I think the more I get involved with this style the more I am able to pull out style wise from these beers. 

Glimpse of the can

To quote the can: "A Sour Ale - Try it. Explore it. Enjoy it ..."; "Bur-liner-weiss: n. The ultimate session beer. Brilliant effervescence brings to life the rich lemonade like character. Tart and sour deriving from a by-the-book traditional mash – no boil fermentation. Enjoy straight white from the can. Serves as an excellent base for creativity. Add Raspberry syrup to for a sweet splash of pink. Woodruff syrup for a marshmallowy green. Or simply build your own berliner-mosa. Try it. Explore it. Enjoy it."

Appearance of The Berliner

Appearance wise this beer is confusing me. When I first poured this brew, I almost thought it was a cider because of how clear it was coming out of the can. Then the more I looked at the appearance it looked more like a shandy. Trying to explain the appearance is proving to be more fun than I thought. To me this beer has a white tint to it, almost like a white cranberry juice appearance. Then when you look at it away from the light it looks pale and hazy. In terms of haziness, the carbonation adds to the haziness of this Berliner Weiss. This ale is not as cloudy as most wheat ales, but to me it really reminds me more of a shandy based off it's appearance. The head or foam of the beer was white and quickly dissipated, which is not uncommon with this style. In fact, this style is almost like a poor man's Champagne. You can add syrups and juices to add some sweetness to this style. Aroma is something that I really enjoy when it comes to sours and Berliner Weiss ales. The aroma for this style is something that reminds me of summer. Looking at this aroma, I notice the citrus sour aroma. In terms of which fruit aroma, I cannot pinpoint it right away. You definitely notice the lactic acid sour aroma, which is common for the Berliner Weiss's. To put it normally, when you smell this beer you might think it's bad, if you did not know it was a sour. 

Based off of the aroma and the appearance, I am curious to see what The Berliner entails. I took my first sip of this ale and the first thing I notice is the tart taste. Taste is crisp and tart, almost reminds me of Champagne. The more I drank of this ale, the more I began to pick up on the citrus sour taste. It was almost like this brew started out as a fresh squeezed lemonade. There is a spice note that I picked up as well, but it is an underlying taste note. Mouthfeel is light and crisp, the carbonation of The Berliner aides in the mouthfeel. I added a little of a raspberry tea like a syrup to see what it would taste like. It's almost like a beer-mosa. It adds some sweetness and lessens the bite of the sour or tart note in the beer.  

Kind of a beer-mosa 

Overall, I think this is a good brew. Little more tart than I might like it, but definitely a Berliner Weiss through and through. I also love the name of the brewing company, speaking as a bigger guy myself, I appreciate the name. There is no monkey business with this beer and it is a well rounded brew from Round Guys Brewing Company. This beer actually reminds me of when you make fresh squeezed lemonade and you are trying to get the taste just right, well they got it on the money. I think the fact that you can add syrups or orange juice to make it your way, is ingenious. Because it allows people that are not particularly high on sours to still be able to enjoy them, while still experiencing the Berliner Weiss style.  

Look out for The Berliner by Round Guys Brewing Company 

If you make it to Round Guys Brewing Company make sure you check out their events like :

Taco Tuesday, Sunday Brunch, Thursday Trivia.  

Check out Round Guys Brewing Company on Twitter and their Website: 

Tweet @RoundGuysBrewer

Round Guys Brewing

Summer Paradise

Summer Paradise by Manayunk Brewing Company

If you are around the Philadelphia,PA area, you know right now is Philly Beer Week. Tonight I decided that I would have a local brew, in honor of Philly Beer Week. Manayunk is one of the neighborhoods in Philadelphia. There are a bunch of them and one is even called Brewerytown. I am trying a brew from a brewing company I have tried before. I tried their Belgian Style Session Ale on this blog before and I am a fan of their Yunkin' Pumkin'. Manayunk Brewing Company created their first batch of beer on October 17, 1996. Since then they have brewed over 600 different styles of beer. In 2004, the brewing company expanded adding a stone oven pizza grill and a sushi bar, as well as space for weddings and meetings. Over the past twenty years Manayunk Brewing Company has survived several devastating floods and has grown to become a local destination in the Philly area. The beer I am trying tonight is called Summer Paradise. Summer Paradise is a Berliner-Style Weiss Ale. This ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 3.5% and an IBU of 8. I have had a few Berliner-Weiss brews on this blog, Festina Peche from Dogfish Head Brewery and Tartanium by Grist Brewing Company. I am looking forward to see how this brew compares to the others.

Appearance of Summer Paradise

Appearance for most Berliner Weiss style brews are all the same. There is carbonation in this beer, which is noticeable by the constant bubbles flowing towards the top of the glass. The head or foam of the beer dissipates quickly after I took this picture, because of how quickly it went away it reminded me of a soda that is flat. The foam was a white and the beer appears to have a straw or pale colored haze to it. The ale itself has a pale complexion and has hazy or cloudy look to it. Color wise I would say this brew has a yellow or golden hue to the ale. The appearance gives you a sense that this beer is a wheat ale. Aroma wise this beer is not similar to a wheat ale. There is a tart aroma that I picked up on after taking my first whiff. The more and more I try to pick up on the aroma the more and more I notice a lemon citrus aroma after the tart crisp aroma. 

Summer Brews are in full swing

I have been developing a taste for the sour brew or Berliner Weiss styles and I am excited to try Summer Paradise. Now it is time to see what Summer Paradise has in store for me. First thing I noticed was the tart sour taste to Summer Paradise. The tart sour taste piggybacked off of the aroma and leaves me thinking like I just sucked on a Lemonhead. I enjoyed them when I was younger and I really enjoy the tart taste of this ale. After I got past the tart taste, I notice that the brew had a crisp mouthfeel and did not leave a lingering note one the palate. I began noticing a slight spice note as I drank more of this ale, but it blended in well with the tart note that it was hard to pick up on. I enjoy this brew as I sat outside on a hot summer day. It is not heavy and not to high in alcohol content. The low ABV allows this beer to become a crush-able brew and something you could drink all day. 

If you are looking for refreshing brews and something that is not high in alcohol by volume, this is an ale style you should check out. Summer Paradise is a refreshing brew and is crisp to drink. It makes me want to just sit back and relax on the beach or actually enjoy mowing my lawn. To me this style ale takes the bite out of the heat and gives the beer drinker a refreshing finish. I really enjoyed Summer Paradise and I have to explore more brews like this ale. Great start to Philly Beer Week with this choice of brew, especially because of the weather we have been having in the area. 

Summer is upon us!

Check out Manayunk Brewing Company on Twitter and their Website, as well check out Philly Beer Week: 

Philly Beer Week 

Tweet @ManayunkBrew

https://www.manayunkbrewery.com/ 

Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Company  Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale 

Tonight I am tying a brew from a brewery, I have had before on this blog. I have had a few brews from this brewery. I think by far this one tonight, might be one of my favorites from this brewery. Lagunitas Brewing Company is located in Petaluma, California or Chicago, Illinois. I think that some breweries that are growing to bigger breweries, are looking for additional places to grow their market. Adding other breweries to your stable is an important thing because it allows you to have multiple places to brew your beer at the same time or to make specific beers at specific locations. Lagunitas recently was in the news for a growth in size because of an investment of fifty percent stake by Heineken. This allows Lagunitas to reach further markets and to stretch their reach around the world, with Heineken's distribution. The beer I am trying tonight is Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale. Little Sumpin' is an American Pale Wheat Ale, this style is an according to Beer Advocate is an Americanized version of a Hefe-Weizen. A Hefe-Weizen is a German-Style Wheat Ale. To think of combining two styles is what some breweries do. To me this makes sense because you are trying to appeal to two different style beer drinkers. Trying to capture the wheat beer drinkers, while also appealing to the hop or bitter beer enthusiasts.  Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.5% and an IBU of 65. 

Appearance of Little Sumpin' Sumpin' 

Taking a look at this ale I start to think about the combination of the two styles. This ale has a cloudy appearance to it, but is also light in color like a pale ale should be. There is a cloudy straw appearance to this brew. The head or foam of this beer lingers around like a wheat ale would. While also leaving some lacing around the outside of the glass, like a pale ale would. So far, so good in trying to incorporate the two styles of brews into this ale. The aroma is a different story. I take my first sniff or whiff of the ale and all I pick up on this the hop aroma. After taking a few more whiffs, I began picking up on the typical wheat aromas. I noticed a citrus note as well as an apricot note in the aroma. Lastly I picked up on a spiced aroma as the final note in the aroma. 

Taste is where I am eager to see the combination of the two styles play out. I took my first sip on this ale to see if the two styles blended. First thing I noticed after my first sip was the bitter hop note in the beer. The more and more I began to drink of this beer the more I notice the hop presence in the beer. The taste is where the two styles deviate. The beer is a medium body and leaves a trace of the beer on the back on your tongue. For a beer that is seven and half percent alcohol by volume, it does not drink like one. In fact, it drinks like a wheat beer in that sense. Another wheat beer aspect to this beer is the mouthfeel of the beer. The mouthfeel of this beer is similar to a wheat beer, medium thickness, but finishes not too heavy.  

Check out Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale by Lagunitas Brewing Company

Overall, I think through the appearance and the aroma this beer is more of a perfect blend of Hefe-Weizen and Pale Ale. But when it came to taste it leans more on the Pale Ale side of things. I think that blending these two styles can be very difficult and I appreciate the combinations of the two styles.  Looking at this beer, I think it appeals more to a hop or pale ale fan, but it does leave the wheat ale fan intrigued. It has it's Little Sumpin' Sumpin' for all beer enthusiasts. Gives you a little of this, a little of that and appeases the masses. 

Check out Lagunitas Brewing Company on Twitter and their Website: 

Tweet @Lagunitasbeer

https://lagunitas.com/