Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkin Ale by Thomas Creek Brewery

I am trying a brew from a brewery I have never tried before, tonight. This Brewery I am trying tonight is called Thomas Creek Brewery. They are located in Greenville, South Carolina. Here is a little about them, "Since the brewery’s inception in 1998, we have been winning the hearts and taste buds of beer enthusiasts all across the southeast and beyond. Our brewery is open to the public for tours, pints, growler & 6-pack purchases, events, and home brew supplies. The homebrew shop offers everything from equipment kits to ingredients including malted and flaked grains, grain milling, hop pellet varieties, liquid & dry yeast, bottles, caps, chemicals, draft equipment, fittings, and more". The beer I am trying tonight from Thomas Creek is, Pumpkin Ale. Pumpkin Ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.3% and an IBU or bitterness of 26.4. Time to figure what pumpkin side this brew is on: TOO SWEET/TOO SPICE or just right. 

Appearance of Pumpkin Ale 

Appearance of the Pumpkin Ale is one that looks like an amber ale. The color is a copper color or a deep brownish orange hue. Giving me the thought that this might be a good pumpkin brew. The aroma is intriguing as well. I pick up both on the spices and the pumpkin notes in the brew. The Pumpkin note is stronger and more pronounced than the spice note. The spices I am picking up are cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. I feel like baking when I have this beer, because it reminds me of baking a pumpkin pie.The foam is thin and has a brownish orange tint to the head of the brew. So far, this is like most of the Pumpkin Ale's that are out there and now time for the taste to separate is brew from the others or to fall in line with everyone else. 

Taste of Pumpkin Brews is where I think most of them separate themselves from each other. Most have similar aromas and appearances. The taste of this brew is delicious and something I would order many of. The beer is not too heavy, which is surprising because of the 7.3% ABV. Taking the second sip, I notice more of the flavor profiles in the brew. The spice note hits you as you finish you sip and swallow you sip. The pumpkin note hits you in the beginning and blends well with the spice finish, Overall I think the way Thomas Creek Brewery focused on this brew and used specific hops and malts to make this flavor, was perfectly together. This pumpkin ale has a medium body and a medium mouthfeel that gives the pumpkin fan a great brew. 

Thomas Creek Pumpkin Ale 

Check out this seasonal brew from Thomas Creek Brewery, it is available from September to October. To me this is a good pumpkin brew, but not the best I have had. This brew is in the top ten of my pumpkin ales. I think that the sweetness of the pumpkin could be too much for some, but I enjoy it and think that the spice notes pair well with the sweetness. If you are looking for a pumpkin ale this is a brew you check out and try for yourself. 

Check out Thomas Creek Website and Twitter:

 http://thomascreekbeer.com/

Tweet @ThomasCreekBeer

Matilda

MATILDA BY GOOSE ISLAND BEER COMPANY 

Trying a brew from a brewery, I have tried before on this blog. I am trying a Belgian Pale Ale from this brewery. The brewery I am trying tonight is Goose Island Beer Company. Goose Island was created in 1988 and in 1995 they opened a larger brewery to keep up with their growth. Now they are widely known and have become part of the growing craft beer scene in America. One of their most popular brews is the Bourbon County Series, which was first thought of in 1992 and actually created in 2004. Goose Island Beer Company is located in Chicago, Illinois and even though they are in a big city they are still able to focus on sustainability and creating green beers like their Green Line, which is only available in Chicago. The brew I am trying tonight from Goose Island is Matilda, part of their Vintage Ale Series. Matilda is a Belgian Pale Ale, she has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.0% and an IBU of 26. I have tried only one other brew in the Vintage Series and that was Juliet, which is a Belgian Style Wild Ale, so not exactly close in styles.    

Appearance of Matilda 

I poured Matilda in to my beer glass for the night and was shocked at the appearance of this brew. Personally I thought it would be lighter since it was a pale ale, but looks can change and depending on the brew you can get a range of colors for the style. To me this is a pale golden complexion to Matilda and it almost looks she has a goldish red tint to her. Foam or head of Matilda is does leave some lacing on the glass and has a thick appearance to it. One aroma I notice of the bat is the clove aroma that is closely followed by a spiced aroma. The clove aroma is a strong aroma and definitely makes its presence notice when you take a whiff of this Belgian Style Pale Ale. 

Taste I am eager to see, since I have tried a few Pale Ales and not been too keen on them. I think the clove aroma is giving of more of a Tripel aroma and is making me eager to try this brew, because I am fond of Tripels. I took my first sip and was pleasantly surprised by the style of brew. I thought this would be hoppy, but it was rather enjoyable and something I can really enjoy. Matilda is a light body and finishes with a sweet dry note. The spice note that you find in the aroma you pick it back up in the brews taste and it goes well with the sweet dry finish. When you drink Matilda this brew is light and has dry finish, but it does not have the taste of a higher ABV. Rather it finishes like a brew you drink that is much lower in ABV. The more and more I drink of this brew, I begin to notice the clove note and a banana flavor mixed in. I really enjoy this brew and the way it was done so eloquently. 

Check out MATILDA

Matilda is a year round brew and something that can pair well with some many different flavors. If you want to know examples make sure you check out Matilda on Goose Islands Website. Matilda was an enjoyable brew and a great style that I will be looking into more. I think that if you like Belgian Style brews, Matilda is a brew you need to try. Even if you are not into Belgian Styles, you need to explore this style and Matilda is a perfect way to start.  

Check out Goose Island Beer Company's Website and Twitter: 

http://www.gooseisland.com/home.html

Tweet @GooseIsland

Trick or Treat

Trying a new brew tonight from a brewery I have yet to try. I am always looking for interesting brews and I stumbled upon this brew. I thought ' Oh this sounds interesting and I should add it to my six pack'.  Of course it did not hurt that there was pumpkin involved in this brew. I am trying my first beer from Evil Genius Beer Company, who are located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Area. Evil Genius Beer Company was thought up at Villanova University in 2008 and became a reality in 2010. I am trying a beer called Trick or Treat by Evil Genius Beer Company. Trick or Treat has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.8% and an IBU of 35. I am curious to see what is behind this chocolate pumpkin porter. This is my first porter on this blog, so I figure I might want to explain what a porter is style wise. Seeing that they created this like a Robust Porter, I should explain the difference in styles as well. A porter is a dark ale that was created around 1722, it is a blended style of three beers at the time: pale ale, new brown/mild ale and a stale sour brown ale. The beer had a full body and became popular amongst London workers called porters and that is how it got its name. A robust porter is a porter that is made with a dark roasted malt or barley to create a dark black color and include dark roasted flavors such as coffee, chocolate without a burnt finish.  

Appearance of Trick or Treat 

Taking whiff of Trick or Treat aroma, I notice one thing right of the bat. That is the chocolate and smoky aroma of the porter. After that I pick up the pumpkin aroma, which is not as strong as the chocolate or smoky aroma. In addition to these aromas there are two notes that I pick up faintly after swirling the beer around to release the aroma and they are nutmeg/clove. The color of this brew is dark and looks like a dark chocolate color to me. There is no light shining through the beer because the beer is so dark in color like a porter should be. The addition of chocolate does help and adds to the depth of color in this brew. If you were looking for the color of this beer on a SRM it would be a 26+ following the robust porter characteristics. The foam or head of the brew is a brownish white and thick, again following the typical profile of a porter. 

Time to dive into the taste of this Robust Trick or Treat Porter. I am curious to see how the chocolate and the pumpkin come through in the beer. I took my first sip and primarily just picked up a chocolate note. I took another sip and first thing I noticed was a pumpkin/spice note followed by a dark roasted profile of the porter. The dark roast was the rich smooth chocolate profile of this porter. Trick or Treat in my opinion is a full bodied brew that is smooth and rich. I think that the chocolate and pumpkin are an interesting combination. I think this brew would go great with a chocolate crusted pumpkin pie that I create every year for thanksgiving, You would think that the chocolate is overpowering and you would not be able to find the pumpkin in the beer or the pie but you can find it in both. I think there needs to be more chocolate and pumpkin brews like this or more beers to add chocolate and pumpkin together. 

Evil Genius Beer Company Trick or Treat Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

If you are a fan of dark brews you might want to give this brew a chance. In addition if you like pumpkin and chocolate together again you might want to drink this brew. This brew is a limited availability and something you should look for every fall, like I look forward to pumpkin season every beer year.  

Check out Evil Genius Beer Company Website and Twitter: 

http://www.evilgeniusbeer.com/index.php 

Tweet @EvilGeniusBeer