Neshaminy Creek County Line IPA

So, the other half picked up this beer for me awhile back. I’ve had a lot of IPAs, but I’m always interested in trying new ones. Let’s see how this one was.

ABV: 6.6%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Our search for a location to start this brewery took us across much of Lower Bucks County, many times traveling down the well known divider between northern Philadelphia, southern Bucks, and Montgomery counties, County Line Road. One of the original names we thought of for the brewery was that of County Line Brewing Company. We don’t know how or why we didn’t settle on that name, but in recognition of our location so close to Philadelphia and that potential namesake, we decided to pass the name on to our flagship IPA which comes in at 6.6% ABV and is chock full of Warrior, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Centennial hops. It’s got a bready malt backbone to counter some of that hop bitterness, but not so much that this five hop combination won’t put a smile on your face. Dry hopped for nearly two weeks, County Line IPA has a lingering hop bitterness showing a complexity of resinous pine notes, citrusy lemon, and grapefruit that many IPAs on the East Coast lack.”

Random: I watched the first episode of the new season of “The Walking Dead.” It was really good and much better than last season. I guess I’ll have to start watching religiously again.

This brew poured with a generous, two finger white head that dissipated slowly and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a remarkable cloudy, bright amber color with “floaties” visible and high carbonation. The nose was very fragrant with grapefruit, citrus and clean pine smells. Wow, I didn’t think that the nose would be so strong, but it was very inviting. The taste was almost as good. It was very hoppy with grapefruit and quickly transitions into tropical fruit notes. I picked up mango and pineapple, specifically. After that, pine needles smack you in the mouth along with a dry, alcohol note. The body is on the thicker side of the style, but has more than enough carbonation to get through that thickness. It had a long, intense hoppy finish. This beer was really impressive. It was teeming with flavor and had enough hoppiness that this hop-head was thrilled. This is worth seeking out and could easily be a go-to beer for me.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Mikkeller 20

So, we haven’t heard anything about the house. The two of us are not the most patient people, so it’s basically the only thing we’ve been talking about. To distract me, I’ll be updating the blog. Let’s see how this beer was.

ABV: 6.8%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Here at Mikkeller we love IPA, we love hops and in particular we love Single Hop IPA. Single Hop provides you with a unique opportunity to taste the different hop varieties isolated.Right now we have two different single hop series out.One is part of a PhD project that is trying to uncover how hops evolves over time and how the different types of hops taste when you measure them on bitterness, flavor, etc. This PhD series is brewed with the same amount of hops in each brew. This means that the 20 beers that are in this series have different IBU, from 38 to 114 depending on the amount of bitterness in the hops variant used in the brewing process.”

Random: This beer was a combination of all 20 hops.

When I popped this beer open, it was nearly a gusher. I caught it right before it overflowed. The head was very thick and fluffy and off white in color. It was slow to dissipate and left lots of lacing of the glass. The body was a cloudy copper color with moderate carbonation visible. The nose was very malt dominant for the style. I got lightly toasted nuts with caramel malt and bread. Some citrus and tropical fruit came through as well. The taste was malty as well. It had a lot of biscuit and caramel malt, but then the bitterness came through. I picked up grassy hops and some tropical fruit as well. The body was thick with moderate carbonation. It had a long finish with residual malt and hop bitterness. I wasn’t a huge fan of this because the malt was too much for me and needed another dose of hops. I wouldn’t have it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Southern Tier Demunck’s Cider

This is a cider that I picked up for the other half. She was nice enough to let me sample a few sips for “research purposes.” Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 5%

Style: Cider

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “If you like artificial cider made from imported, concentrated apple juice, filled with caramel color, sweetened with corn syrup, and containing more than 200 calories per serving, we recommend you look elsewhere. It makes us angry that so many ciders are made with apples from orchards on other continents. We ferment 100% pure apple juice with our house Belgian Abbey Ale yeast for a very special hard cider. Made in small batches, DeMunck’s Hard Cider is smooth, easy to drink and naturally gluten-free.”

Random: The meow keeps stealing my spot on the couch. He is a huge couch hog.

This cider poured with less than a half a finger of white head that dissipated almost instantly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, light yellow color with a slight green tinge with light carbonation visible. The nose had tart, green apples with vinegar. The taste had dry, green apples as well with light vinegar and white grapes. Yeast was present as well. The body was thin with light carbonation. It had a quick finish with dry apples and yeast. This was a nice cider that I really enjoyed because of the dry apples, but it could have used a bit more flavor to it. It’s a good first effort by Southern Tier on a cider.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Magic Hat Hi #9

In addition to getting engaged, the other half and I have been looking at houses like maniacs. About a month ago, we found one that we really liked that had a lot of character. We had to wait for my parents to come home from Europe to look at it and finally made an offer last night. Now, we’re in the waiting game portion of buying a house. I can tell you that one of us is dealing with this portion of the process better than the other. So, while I’m trying to distract myself, let’s see how this beer was.

ABV: 5.9%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “A mysteriously good India Pale Ale with citrus and piney hop notes, balanced by #9’s signature sweetness.”

Random: I’m shocked it took this long to put out this type of beer. It would have been great in the summer.

This beer poured with less than a half a finger of white head that dissipated quickly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a clear amber color with lots of carbonation visible. The nose had a lot of apricot and some light citrus with lemons and oranges. The taste was more towards the apricot side with lots of fruit that later transitioned into grassy citrus hops that were slightly bitter. The body was medium thickness with generous carbonation. The finish was quick with some bitterness from the citrus hops and apricot. This beer was an interesting hybrid between a fruit beer and an IPA and I enjoyed it. It wasn’t overly complex, but would be a good beer for the non-IPA drinker to get introduced to the style.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Two Roads Via Cordis Abbey Blonde

This was another beer that I picked up when I hit the brewery up when we went to visit my future mother-in-law. I hadn’t even heard of this one before going up, but picked a bomber up to bring back home. Let’s see how this one went.

ABV: 5.2%

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Catholic monasteries were historically major centers of brewing and learning, and their educational model evolved into the modern university. Two Roads brewers and some beer-loving professors in Sacred Heart University’s biology department collaborated to brew this beer in celebration of that history. It is fermented with a yeast strain from a centuries-old monastic brewery currently operating in Belgium. This Abbey Single is brewed to be distinctive in flavor, yet approachable and refreshing.”

Random: I’m watching “The Wrestler” while my honey is at work. It’s pretty good so far. I still think Marisa Tomei was great in “My Cousin Vinny.”

This brew poured with less than a half a finger of white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a slightly cloudy, light yellow with light carbonation visible. The nose was sweet with some lemon as well as Belgian yeast and honey. There was some spice to it as well. The taste had a lot of lemon to it as well as green apple. Grass and banana were apparent as well with Belgian yeast and spice. The body was on the thin side and the carbonation was a bit too light for the style. It had a quick finish with coriander and Belgian yeast. It wasn’t the best Belgian pale ale I’ve had, but it wasn’t awful.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Dominion Double D IPA

Here’s the last post before the other half and I get ready to go out. Last night, we headed to one of Val’s coworker’s apartments for her birthday party. We had a really good time. When we came in, we were told the good beers were in the fridge and the “other” beers were outside. I had some Stone IPA, which I haven’t had in awhile and hit the spot. There was also some Innis and Gunn and Founders All Day IPA at the party. Anyways, let’s see how this hoppy beer stacked up.

ABV: 9%

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Double D is a full-bodied Imperial India Pale Ale, flaunting sultry guava, mango, and tropical fruit aromas as a result of dry hopping with Citra, Zythos and Crystal hops. Brewed with light toasted malt and Bravo bittering hops, this double delights with smooth warming alcohols and a torrid finish.”

Random: The Eagles better win today.

This beer poured with a three finger, cream-colored head that dissipated slowly and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, caramel color with heavy carbonation. The nose was really fragrant with grassy and light pine with some alcohol. There was toasted malt present as well. It had a lot of bitterness with pine and grapefruit pith. There was also some oiliness with booze warming. The body was thick and had lots of carbonation. It had a long finish with alcohol and bitterness. This was a decent beer that I would have again. If you see it in your area and like the style, it’s definitely worth a try.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Full Pint Chinookie IPA

Now, I’m watching “Up.” The other half said that it’s really good and I feel like I’m the only person who hasn’t seen it. She has told me a few times that I need to actually sit down and watch it instead of walking around doing chores. Anyways, this is another beer that I picked up in Delaware. The brewery is in Pittsburgh and I’ve never seen their stuff around here, so I picked up this one. Let’s see how it is.

ABV: 6.2%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “We hit this full bodied IPA with ‘nookie’ four times during the brewing process to give this ale its trademark Chinook hop character. We then ‘dry nookied’ this flavorful ale to further enhance its grapefruit and pine aroma.”

Random: Football is already on. This makes me very happy. If only it were a game that I wanted to watch.

This beer poured with a half a finger of white head that dissipated quickly and left limited lacing on my glass. The body was very hazy and a dark orange color with very light carbonation visible. The nose had caramel malt and grass with some citrus. The taste was very grassy with a lot of malt. In my opinion, it had a bit too much malt. The body was on the thicker side and had moderate carbonation. It had a long finish with malt and some alcohol dryness. This was an alright beer, but nothing that is worth searching out.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Hop City Hopbot IPA

Happy Sunday everyone. The other half is still asleep, so I’ve already started some of my chores and now I’m trying to get the blog updated before she gets up. I’m also watching a documentary about World War II, which my honey is not really into. This one happens to be 26 hours long. I’m on the first disc of it and I really like it because it shows actual footage from the war. Anyways, let’s see how this beer was. I think this was another one that I picked up in Delaware.

ABV: 7.1%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Programmed with 5 West Coast American hops, HopBot IPA brings out waves of absurd citrus and tropical aroma and flavour. The Citra, Centennial, Mosaic, Summit and Willamette hops are perfectly balanced by a solid malt backbone.”

Random: Hop City’s labels are very cute.

This beer poured with a one finger, white head that took forever to dissipate and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a dusky orange color with lots of carbonation visible. The nose had grassy and earthy hops with grapefruit and tropical fruit. The taste was really crisp and fresh with grapefruit and mango. Some sweetness from caramel malt came through as well. The body was medium thickness with very high carbonation. The finish was long with grassy and earthy hops. This was a really nice IPA with good flavor. I had a few beers from Hop City at Atlantic City Beer Fest and wasn’t impressed, but I really liked this one. I would have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Magic Hat Jinx

Here’s another offering from the fall Magic Hat variety pack. Let’s see how it went.

ABV: 6.3%

Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “An Ale Inspired by Medieval Chemists. Earthy, rich and steeped in autumn’s peculiar magic; Jinx is strangely haunted by memories of waning summer and anticipation of that first mysterious frost on freshly abandoned fields. A TOAST TO DANCING BONFIRES AND FALLING LEAVES, JINX IS A MEDIUM-BODIED SCOTCH ALE BOASTING HINTS OF CHOCOLATE AND CARAMEL MALTS WITH A SLIGHTLY SMOKY FINISH.”

Random: I think the label art on this one is interesting and cheeky.

This brew poured with a half a finger of thin, white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. There was a slight crown left on top of the clear, dark copper body. There was moderate carbonation visible. The nose had some sweet malt with smoke and peat. I got some caramel as well. The taste was really smoky with lots of peat and caramel malt. There was some bread as well. I also got some hazelnuts. The body was on the thicker side with moderate carbonation. It had a long, smoky finish with peat. This could be one of the best beers that I’ve had from Magic Hat. It was a really peaty and smoky Scotch ale that I would definitely have again. The twelve pack for the season was $16.99 at Joe Canals breaks down to $1.42 a bottle, which is definitely a good price for this beer. As with all of the Magic Hat mixed packs, I think it’s worth getting, especially since this one has so many new beers.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout

So, a few weeks ago, the other half and I got engaged. I didn’t know the other half was going to ask and was pretty surprised. So, in addition to trying to find a house, we’re now going to be planning a wedding. Since we’re both control freaks, this should be a lot of fun. I sent her a picture this week of a couple lining up like a football team with their wedding party for a picture. That got immediately vetoed much like this beer did when I offered her a sip. Let’s see if I liked it more than she did.

ABV: 7%

Style: Smoked Beer

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Number Four – Brewed with all malted barley and peat malt (smoked malt). This beer is full bodied with chocolate, roasted barley flavors, and a smokey almost BBQ finish.”

Random: After this one, I just need to try One Oatmeal Stout and Plead The Fifth Imperial Stout to finish the series.

This brew poured with a thick, one finger light brown head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was almost black with lots of carbonation visible. The nose was smoky with oak and cocoa with some espresso. The taste was exactly like the nose. There was smoke, but not as much as I expected. Dark chocolate and espresso with toasted malt came through as well. It was pretty bitter, but very enjoyable. The body was smooth and thick with high carbonation. The finish was long with espresso and smoke. For $3.39 a bottle, this wasn’t a bad price. My only complaint was that it needed a bit more smoke to it, especially being branded as a smoked stout.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0