Thanksgiving at the VTHopHead house is all about family, close friends, great food, football and, of course, good beer. While most people are focused on the turkey n’ stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie (I like these too) for my son Jamie and I it is also a time to pull out a “special” beer (or few) to add to the holiday cheer. This year he has scored an excellent Unibroue selection, including their abbey tripel La Fin Du Monde, and what will be my first beer from Nova Scotia, Alexander Keith’s Premium White. I also will have a slightly chilled bottle of Allagash Musette, one of their bourbon-barrel aged brews, on “standby”, just in case. This is shaping up to be a really great Thanksgiving!
Hmmm… I can hardly wait for Christmas!!
written by VTHopHead
\\ tags: Allagash, Article, Holiday, Unibroue
I have been drinking a few pumpkin ales lately… ’tis the season for harvest-type ales, of course. I am not usually one for pumpkin beers… typically the spices are just a bit too much for me, but below is a run down of three of my most recent samplings… all of my RateBeer ratings can be found at http://www.ratebeer.com/user/10669/ratings/
Clipper City Brewing Co. – Heavy Seas – “The Great Pumpkin” (ABV 8.0%, 3.2/5.0)
Bottle/22 – Pours a nice “pumpkin” amber in color with a very small whitish head that fades to almost nothing… low carbonation. Aroma is slightly sweet and almost all pumpkin spice (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon,etc.) and nothing else. Flavor is a bit more complex. Some pumpkin, spices (as noted) and a bit of harsh, unpleasant alcohol character. Slightly bitter and astringent at the end. Lingering bitterness with little else.
Shipyard Brewing Company – “Smashed Pumpkin” (ABV 9.0%, 3.6/5.0)
Draft at Great Lost Bear (Portland, ME) – Poured a coppery amber in color with almost no head and very little carbonation. Aroma is malty and sweet with the expected pumpkin pie spices. Flavor is interesting. I am not usually one for pumpkin beer, but this one was actually quite good. What made it for me was the reasonable amount of spices that were used… not overpowering at all. Plenty of malty sweetness with just enough hops to keep it from being too sweet. This one is actually a good pumpkin beer…
Weyerbacher Brewing Co. – “Imperial Pumpkin Ale” (ABV 8.0%, 3.3/5.0)
Bottle/12 – Pours a quite dark orange-amber in color with almost no head and very little carbonation. Aroma is sweet and heavy with “pumpkin” spices… cinnamon. clove, nutmeg, etc. Flavor is not nearly as sweet as I expected, but nearly overpowering with spice. Pumpkin flavor is actually apparent and lends some moderation, along with the hops that sneak in underneath, to the malty sweetness. Finish is slightly bitter and clean… except for the lingering pumpkin spices, which I seem destined to (burp!) relive for a while. Beer is pretty good, actually, but too many spices… a common complaint that I have about this type of beer.
All-in-all I enjoyed all of these beers (I usually do), but the Shipyard “Smashed Pumpkin” really stood out as my favorite. Seek it out… you will not be sorry!!
written by VTHopHead
\\ tags: Clipper City, RateBeer Rating, Shipyard, Weyerbacher
It is not uncommon for me to search the Web for artifacts concerning the particular beer I am drinking at the time. I am sitting here drinking a Pennichuck Brewing “The Big O” Oktoberfest Lager and have just run across some very sad references to the Pennichuck Brewing Company. Apparently it has escaped my attention, until now, that Pennichuck has been on the brink of closure for the last month or so; a fact that now seems virtually inevitable.
On October 18th, Pennichuck announced that they would be closing up shop after about four years of operation. No reason was given for the closing. On October 19th the company announced that it had secured “angel” funding and would not need to close after all. However, on October 31st the following listing appeared on the NH Craigslist:
Pennichuck Brewing Co is realigning all company assets. We have
multiple listings for Glass ware, grain, tools, growler bottles, 12 oz
bottles, 22 oz bottles, photo copiers, brewery equipment, milk crates, Desks,
chairs, computers, beer, pallets of boxes, 6 pack carriers, If it was
in the brewery and not listed here call or email to see if we have
what you are looking for. You are welcome to come to the brewery to
look at what is selling or just buy the last of the Pennichuck beer
that will be sold for the next 9 or so months until we begin
production again. We are located at 127 Elm St, Milford, NH 03055.
603-261-5957. Email philjewett@yahoo.com
While this listing indicates that they hope to begin production again at some point, it seems fairly unlikely; given that they are selling some of the very equipment and supplies necessary for that process.
I mourn the demise of this and any fine brewer, for whatever reason (I’m sure that the bad economy didn’t help)… its a fact that 80% of all business startups fail within their first 3 years and Pennichuck beat those odds. As I sit here enjoying one of their excellent beers… IBF winner of the Bronze Medal in 2006 and the Silver Medal in 2007… I can’t help but think of what I will be missing while I wait to see if they are able to resurrect themselves or if, unfortunately, they will simply fade into brewing history.
There is no question that I will be on the lookout for any remaining Pennichuck beers at my favorite suppliers; hoping to gather that last taste of their little bit of beer heaven… or perhaps just stash away enough to see me through for a while and hope that they get back on their feet. Either way, I am sure to enjoy whatever I can find.
written by VTHopHead
\\ tags: NH Breweries, Pennichuck
One their new “Brewmaster & Limited Edition Series”. Like many quality craft brewers these days, Long Trail has created this growing collection of “premium beers” for those looking for stepped up quality . The series currently includes their “Coffee Stout”, “Double IPA” and this “Imperial Porter”. Now the details…
Pours a very dark black/brown in color with a small tan head that faded to a thin covering over the beer. Some minor lacing on the glass. Aroma is heavy with darkly roasted malts, coffee, toffee/caramel and chocolate. Flavor is a really nicely balanced mix of roasted grains, slightly bitter coffee, creamy caramel and chocolate. Thick and chewy texture. Finish is lingering, medium bitter with dark roasted malts. Alcohol not apparent. This is really good!!
Everything I would have expected from a truly “premium” beer from a quality Vermont brewer. The “Double IPA” was also excellent and I can hardly wait to find the “Coffee Stout”.
written by VTHopHead
\\ tags: Beer Blogs, Long Trail, RateBeer Rating
Pours a nice “pumpkin” amber in color with a very small whitish head that fades to almost nothing… low carbonation. Aroma is slightly sweet and almost all pumpkin spice (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon,etc.) and nothing else. Flavor is a bit more complex. Some pumpkin, spices ( as noted) and a bit of harsh, unpleasant alcohol character. Slightly bitter and astringent at the end. Lingering bitterness with little else.
 Heavy Seas Imperial Pumpkin Ale written by VTHopHead
\\ tags: RateBeer Rating
My wife (Candy) and I recently took some time to return to one of our favorite regions… the Greater Portland Maine and Portsmouth NH areas. The weather was not that great, so we “had” to spend some time in some of my favorite watering holes… not that I’m complaining, mind you. On the list were the Great Lost Bear and Three Dollar Dewey’s in Portland as well as the Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth. All off these establishments offer many taps (GLB has 65), plenty of local beers (Portsmouth is all their own, of course) and offer “sample paddles”, to reduce the collateral damage of trying so many new brews… I have fortunately married a “designated” driver, thank goodness . They all three also have great food to go along with the beer! Below are pictures and links to their sites…
 - Three Dollar Deweys In “Old Port”, Portland, ME
 - The Great Lost Bear
 - The Portsmouth Brewery
written by VTHopHead
I just finished a bottle of Weyerbacher Thirteen… their 13th anniversary Imperial Stout. At 13.6% ABV… it’ll *rock* you!! Picked this up at Downeast Beverage during a brief foray to Portland, Maine last week. The details…
Pours a very dark black/brown in color with a medium dark tan head that stuck around to produce some nice lacing on the glass. Aroma is sweet and heavy with dark fruits, coffee and chocolate. Flavor is a bit sweet and fruity (raisins, prunes) to start, but the bitterness of the hops and the dark roasted malts quickly fills in. Lingering sweet and then bitter finish with chocolate and coffee dominating at the very end. Some alcohol, as you might expect with a beer of this strength, but is is not overpowering and fits in pretty well with the rest of the flavor profile. Very complex… Really good…
Definitely worth repeating… yummy!
written by VTHopHead
While I have not been keeping this site up to date lately, I have not stopped drinking/collecting beer. I was excited to make my 850th Ratebeer rating this afternoon… Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Hoppe Imperial Pale Ale.
This beer pours a hazy orange/amber in color with a small white head that quickly fades. Not much carbonation. Aroma is decent mix of citrus/grapefruit hops and slightly sweet maltiness. Flavor is a nicely balanced mix of grassy and citrus hops and a goodly amount of caramel malts. Slight sweet until the hop bitterness kicks in. I liked this one…
See the rest of my Ratebeer ratings at… http://www.ratebeer.com/user/10669/ratings/
written by VTHopHead
I just posted my 800th beer rating on Ratebeer.com. See all my ratings at http://tinyurl.com/dzvg36
written by VTHopHead
Bottle (2008 Vintage) – Poured a dark reddish brown in color with a medium thick tan head that hung in and produced some good lacing on the glass. Aroma is malty and slightly sweet with elements of caramel, toffee, lightly roasted malts and some alcohol. Flavor was very complex… caramel malt, some hops and some dark fruitiness (raisins, dates, prunes). Alcohol definitely apparent, but not overpowering (until I finished). Quite thick palate. An excellent barley wine… I really enjoyed this one.
written by VTHopHead
\\ tags: North Coast, RateBeer Rating
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