2X Presso Double Milk Stout

+Southern Tier Brewing 

It is getting cooler out and we are headed towards winter, so there is nothing better as it gets cooler than a nice dark beer. Tonight I am enjoying a nice Milk Stout, cannot get any darker than that. I really enjoy a nice Milk Stout because of their sweet note that may balance out any bitter notes in the Stout. I am trying a beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company. Southern Tier Brewing Company is part of Artisanal Brewing Ventures as well as Victory Brewing. The two are part of a new way of combating  the reach of Macro Breweries. Collaboration and sharing of resources to compete with the big guys. 

Southern Tier Brewing Company is located in Lakewood, New York. They were established in 2002, and by 2005 were distributing throughout New York and Pennsylvania. Southern Tier Brewing Company is focused on providing delicious, accessible, and unique products. They aim to change the way people drink beer. Southern Tier is trying to provide their customers with consistently fresh, clean, American craft ales and lagers that stand out on their own. In the logo, you should notice the brewers star, there are six crucial parts to the star. They are as followed: water, hops, grain, malt, yeast, and brewer. These are the six parts to the brewers star, Southern Tier believes on the maintaining the highest quality for all six parts will produce world class beers. 

2X Presso Double Milk Stout by Southern Tier Brewing Company

The beer I am trying tonight is Southern Tier 2X Presso. 2x Presso is a Double Milk Stout that is brewed with coffee beans and lemon peels. 2X Presso is a relative of the 2x Stout by Southern Tier and this beer has been brewed since 2014. 2X Presso has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.5%, pretty reasonable for a Double Milk Stout. The IBU or bitterness of 2x Presso is 55. 2x Presso should be served in a Nonic glass with enhances the style of this Double Milk Stout. 

Appearance of 2X Presso 

This double milk stout has a deep black appearance to it. The foam or head of this beer as it is poured is tan brown. The foam or head is quick to dissipate and leaves a thin ring of foam around the outside of the glass. Aroma of 2x Presso is right along the name. I notice right away with the coffee or espresso aroma. Then there is a sweetness aroma that is coming from the typical body of the milk stout, the combination of lactose and sucrose in the beer. There is a bitter aroma coming from the espresso or coffee aroma as well, which is like it was freshly brewed. I notice the roasted malt aroma in this double milk stout. The last aroma note I am able to notice is the subtle citrus aroma. 

I am eager to see the outcome of the taste of this beer based off of the aroma. I notice the coffee taste right away, that is followed by a chocolate sweetness. As part of the coffee taste I notice a nice roasted note as well from the espresso that is then followed by bitter black coffee taste. The chocolate follows the bitter taste very well and is paired up with a hint of cream. The hint of cream and chocolate notes pair well together, like it was being added to an actual espresso. The last taste note that I pick up on that follows the aroma is the subtle citrus note, the lemon peels added to the beer are an interesting turn. The beer follows the path of someone trying to make the perfect espresso for themselves and adding all these notes to complete the espresso. Another thing I noticed about this beer right away was the thickness from the beginning, but the more and more I sipped on it. The more I notice the medium body behind the stout.  

2X Presso Early Winter Seasonal by Southern Tier

Overall, I thought this was a good beer that showed of the espresso and the Milk Stout. There is a noticeable effort to show how one might go about making their own perfect espresso, by adding a lemon peel and chocolate. Then the smoothness and sweetness of this 2X Presso is enjoyable. The more I drank of 2X Presso the more I enjoyed a warmness from the beer. That is what I look forward to when enjoying a stout during the winter. 

Check out Southern Tier Brewing Company on their Website and their Social Media: 

http://www.stbcbeer.com/

Tweet @STBCbeer

https://www.facebook.com/SouthernTierBrewingCompany

https://www.instagram.com/stbcbeer/?hl=en

 Google Plus +Southern Tier Brewing 

 

Devious Imperial Pumpkin

Devious Imperial Pumpkin by Fegley's Brew Works 

Trying a local brew tonight. This beer I am trying tonight is from Fegley's Brew Works in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Brew Works has been around since 1998, they are a Family owned Brew Works, which now has two locations in the Lehigh Valley. They have two locations one in Allentown and the other in Bethlehem, PA. This is the first brew I am trying from Fegley's and hopefully not the last. I am trying their Devious Imperial Pumpkin, which it is that time of year to be enjoying Pumpkin brews. Devious has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 9.0% and an IBU of 20. In this brew, I am looking for a blend between sweet and spice of the pumpkin/spices. That's my goal for every Pumpkin beer that I really enjoy. Time to see what the beer has in store for me and craft beer drinkers. 

Nice appearance to Devious Imperial Pumpkin 

Looking at this beer, I think this beer looks like an Amber Ale to start. When you look further and look at the foam or the head of the beer, combined with the appearance/aroma you know this is a Pumpkin Ale. The fom of this beer is a nice copper color and blends into the color of the beer. The color of this beer to me is a deep amber or a mahogany.  The color of Devious is really enticing me to dive into try this brew. If looking at this brew makes me want to drink the aroma is making me want to have a Pumpkin Pie right next to me as I enjoy this beer. All I can think about when taking in the aroma is baking a Pumpkin Pie and all the spices that go with it. I picked up on the nutmeg, allspice, cloves and the cinnamon that all go with baking a Pumpkin Pie. There are also hints of the pumpkin fruity aroma. These two aromas blend so nicely that it makes me think of Thanksgiving and creating Pumpkin Pies. The Aroma is what I look for in terms of a Pumpkin brew, but now what does the taste have planned for us. 

Taste of a Pumpkin beer is most important part in my mind. Too one sided on the spice or the Pumpkin can turn me off of enjoying that brew. Dove in for the first taste of Devious Imperial Pumpkin, perfect blend of what I was looking for. The taste and the aroma are right in sync with each other and that is another important factor for me when I look for a Pumpkin beer. In terms of taste all the spices blend well with each other and no one spice is overpowering. At first sip, you do get a little tartness, I would say that goes with the Pumpkin taste in the beer. Devious Imperial is a full bodied brew and smooth drinkable brew. The blend of spices and the tart taste in the beginning do a very nice job of masking the potency of Devious Imperial Pumpkin. You do not notice the alcohol content until you are halfway through the beer. 

Try this Devious Imperial Pumpkin 

Devious Imperial Pumpkin is a nice blend between spice and sweet taste that I look for in Pumpkin beers. I think anyone that is looking for a great Pumpkin brew, this is a beer you should seek out and find. This family owned Brew Works did a great job of blending everything together to make Devious Imperial Pumpkin, a brew I will look for this time every year. This may have become my favorite Pumpkin beer. This is a seasonal brew and a brew that is available late summer. In terms of beer this brew has a nice malt backbone to this brew and a beer that I think most craft beer drinkers can fully enjoy. This is a perfect beer to remind you of Pumpkin Pies and Thanksgiving.  

Make sure you check out Fegley's Brew Works Website and Twitter: 

Devious Imperial Pumpkin  - Website

TheBrewWorks - Twitter 

Carle The Great: Imperial Russian Stout

CARLE THE GREAT by BROKEN GOBLET BREWERY 

Recently I visited an up and coming brewery after their one year anniversary. That brewery was Broken Goblet in Bristol, Pennsylvania. If you get the chance and you are in the area make sure you check out this brewery and their awesome brews. When I visited them, I got the Broken Goblet Flight and was able to pick 5 different beers. Out of those five beers not a single one was bad, I loved them all. Now to backtrack a little, I was introduced to this brewery and their beers by my friend Kevin. He knew the brewers when it first opened and thought it would be a cool idea to go check them out, since he knows I love beer. When we stopped in Kevin introduced me to the owners, Jay Groose and Mike LaCouture. This was my first time at the brewery, so we decided to dive in and try some of the beers on tap. Broken Goblet has a taproom and located next room over was the breweries offices/brewery. Of all the beers we tried, I think the popular one was Bubba's Tea Bag. Kevin and I both enjoyed it. The other really awesome thing that I noticed were the names of the supporters on the wall, showing how they got to where they are.  Now, time to look at the beer I am currently drinking from Broken Goblet. 

Carle The Great Artwork 

Carle The Great Label and Story

The brew that I am trying tonight from Broken Goblet Brewery is called Carle The Great. Carle The Great is an Imperial Russian Stout that was aged in Glenfiddich Single Malt Barrels. Carle The Great has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 10.8% and an IBU of 79. Imperial Russian Stouts were brewed to win over the Russian Czar's in the 1800's. They focused on stouts that boasted high alcohol content and malt character that had low to medium carbonation. In addition they had a roasted chocolate malt that hop levels varied, keep that in mind as I look into this beer to figure out what makes Carle The Great, so great. Also, when you try beers like this, make sure you use the proper glassware the beer was designed for. Carle The Great was aimed to be poured into a snifter glass or goblet glass.

Appearance of Carle The Great

The aroma is a pleasant coffee and a slightly noticeable sweet scotch aroma since being aged in Glenfiddich barrels. In addition to those aromas there is a faint chocolate aroma I picked up on towards the end. The head or foam of the brew is brown or chocolate in terms of color. The head of the beers is thick and creamy at the same time, in my opinion. After a while the foam dissipates and loosens up to show the beauty of Carle The Great. The color of is very impressive and very noticeable for a stout. Carle The Great  color appearance is black and very dark to make sure nothing escape its greatness. 

Carle The Great by Broken Goblet Brewery

Taste can be a big factor for some when trying Stouts and beer in general, so now it is time to look at this aspect of Carle The Great. See what the flavor or profile of the beer is. Took my first sip to try this beer for the first time and definitely noticed that this beer was an Imperial Russian Stout. By that I mean I picked up on the malt forward and chocolate presence in the beer. Another interesting taste note is the full body of the beer and then the heated spice finish. There is a fruit taste that I am trying to pick up on but the profile is mixed in with the spice kick finish that it is hard to pick out. The more and more I sip on this beer, the more flavors I begin to pull out, like the coffee note of the last sip I had. While sipping on this Imperial Russian Stout, I have noticed that there is a warming mouthfeel to this beer. In that sense, I think this would be a perfect beer for the winter because usually everyone is cold, but this would warm you up in a sense. 

Another important aspect about this beer is that you should take sips of the beer and not chug this beer. That is only asking for an accident, because if you do not you are not thinking about the ABV. I poured half a glass into the snifter and I have drank a quarter of it so far and have noticed the ABV aspect of this beer. 

Being aged in Glenfiddich barrels really comes through when tasting this beer. The sweet scotch profile blends well with the roasted dark malt and bitterness of the hops used. That does help in adding some ABV to this beer and help add to the enhanced profile of this beer.

I think the big impact and thing I took from Carle The Great was to enjoy a sip at time especially when it comes to being an Imperial Russian Stout aged in Glenfiddich Barrels. Looking at the Broken Goblet website and trying to find more out about this beer, I am humbled in trying this beer brewed in memory of the one of the brewers father, Carle. Carle The Great is a rich full body beer that is great beer. 

The four owners/brewers did a great job in brewing this beer and I look forward to hopefully meeting all of you guys. Jay, Mike, Bub Groose, and Joe Fazekas. 

Beers on Tap when I visited

Broken Goblet Flight

If you are in the area of Bristol, PA, make sure you go check this brewery out and support them. If you want to support them become an Irregular and get your name up on the wall. If you become an Irregular or a supporter you get the opportunity to try bottle release beers like Carle The Great and others. Broken Goblet's passion for beer really does come across in their beers and if you really enjoy a good brew check this brewery out personally.

Last opinion, Carle The Great is a good Imperial Russian Stout that you should try when you get the chance. It's a full bodied stout that for me is a little too much ABV for my full enjoyment. Great beer that will warm you up and give you a buzz that will last the night. Make sure that if you drink this beer that you are not going anywhere, except for enjoying others company.  Below is where you can find Broken Goblet's website and twitter. 

Broken Goblet Website

Twitter Broken Goblet