Southampton Pumpkin Ale

This was another pumpkin beer that I picked up from Half Time awhile back. I’ve never seen it before, despite Southampton being distributed in Jersey. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Pumpkin Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Southampton Pumpkin Ale is a unique amber-colored brew that has particular appeal during the autumn months and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. We use a generous amount of pumpkin as well as traditional ‘pumpkin pie’ spices to give this unusual brew a definite seasonal character. Available in 22oz bottles and seasonal draft.”

Random: My other half is working election duty tonight. This means that I have control of the remote. I’m so not used to this.

This beer poured with a one finger, white head that dissipated slowly. It left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, warm mahogany color with moderate carbonation visible. There was a slight crown left on top of the body. The nose was filled with gourdy goodness (yes, I’ve been waiting to use that alliteration all season) and some pumpkin spice with nutmeg and cinnamon. The nose was really bright and nice. The taste had a lot of pumpkin and squash and had a touch of spice but not nearly as much as to be expected from a pumpkin beer. It had a thick body with high carbonation. The finish was long with pumpkin and spice. The brew had all of the right flavors, but they were very disjointed and just didn’t taste like a well-done pumpkin ale. It was $2.19 a bottle, which wasn’t insanely expensive, but given that the beer was only mediocre, I wouldn’t buy it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Southampton Keller Pils

So, I just saw on a local news website that Rutgers is having more issues. Being a Rutgers Alum, I have obvious opinions about the issue, which I won’t go into here. But, what I found interesting about the article was in the comments. People were accusing the newspaper of specifically targeting Rutgers as an age discrimination case came out about a high up. Now, seriously? A newspaper targeting a school when they have proof that a case was filed? Ridiculous. I can only hope that Rutgers cleans their act up and I can stop reading the embarrassing articles (daily) about my school. Anyways, brew time.

ABV: 5%

Style: German Pilsener

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Visit and Old World lager brewery and the brewmaster will insist that you enjoy a “keller” beer direct from the aging tank. To a brewer this is beer at its purest: unfiltered, nuanced and gently carbonated.”

Random: I just noticed that my office still has some of its Christmas decorations up. Perhaps it’s time to put those away…

This beer poured with a half a finger of thin white head. It dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy, light yellow color with high carbonation visible through out. Notes of lemon peel and lager yeast came out on the nose. The taste was a bigger version of the nose. I got the same lemon peel and lager yeast, with some sweetness at the end of the sip and a touch of mineral water. The flavors weren’t overpowering, but they were definitely there. The body was on the thicker side with high carbonation. The finish was quick with mineral water. This wasn’t an outstanding beer, but definitely a solid offering from Southampton that I’m glad I tried.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Southampton Burton IPA

I hate staying late at work. It’s not that I think anyone really likes it. It just bites because a) I’m salaried and b) I already work 50-60 hours a week. So, this week, when I have one of my best dispatchers out, I’m forced to stay to cover her shift. So, if there is a driver running late, my butt can’t leave. Anyways, I picked this brew up awhile back simply because it was one of the few sixers in the store that I’ve never tried.

ABV: 6.5%

Style: English India Pale Ale

Trivia: According to vintagecellar.com, “Balance. That’s what separates India Pale Ales. And that’s the difference between the Southampton IPA and most others. Southampton IPA is balanced between the hopped-up West Coast-style IPAs and the Old World characteristics of a traditional European IPA. You could say that Southampton IPA is located somewhere between Europe and California, figuratively and literally. Phil uses three grains and a blend of three American and two English hop varieties to make this complex and delicious IPA. It’s full of floral hop aroma and has fruity apricot and grapefruit overtones. It has an assertive hop flavor and a refreshing hop bitterness while still showing plenty of caramel malt character to balance the flavor. It features more balance than any other IPA brewed in America. The result is an American-style IPA with the Old World characteristics of a traditional European IPA.”

Random: Milton Bradley was apparently convicted today of domestic violence. Not that domestic violence is funny at all, but his name would always crack me up. His parents must not have liked him.

This beer poured with a full finger of white head that dissipated really slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy, light orange color. There was high carbonation visible throughout as well. The nose was grapefruit, mineral water and bready malt following in succession. I mean, if you’re going to name a beer Burton IPA, this is what I would expect it to smell like. The taste was light hops with grapefruit up front and then a huge mineral characteristic came through with biscuit malt. Caramel malt followed suit as well. The body was on the thicker side with high carbonation with a long malty finish. For a style that I don’t normally enjoy, this one was definitely flavorful and drinkable. I would have this again without a doubt.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Southampton Biere De Mars

I’m currently sitting and watching the Phils game on the new 60″ flat screen in the family room. Yeah, it’s absolutely amazing. I don’t think I’m going to find a reason to go to a bar to watch a game this year. Chances are that I have a nicer tv (or just as nice) and a better beer selection which is exponentially cheaper. Add to that, the fact that Phils are looking decent against Josh Johnson. Yeah, it’s a good night. So, another brew from the New York sixer.

ABV: 6.5%

Style: Biere de Garde

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Southampton’s Biere de Mars is brewmaster Phil Markowski’s classic interpretation of an authentic French farmhouse-style Biere de Mars. Our version is brewed with a blend of wheat and barley malts and a generous amount of continental hops. It is cool fermented and aged to give it a clean, smooth, lager-like character”

Random: I got Katie’s daughter a Cliff Lee jersey for Easter. She insisted on wearing it for the entirety of Easter. Yep, I’m definitely training her well.

This brew poured with almost no head. What was there was white and dissipated quickly, leaving no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear orange color with very light visible carbonation. The nose was definitely interesting. I got celery (yes, celery), grass, and lemon. The taste also had a significant celery characteristic, along with lemon, hay, grass and peppercorns. I also got a very mild yeast flavor to it. Although the celery note sounds odd, it really worked for the beer. What also helped was a light body with mild carbonation and a quick finish. This was probably one of the better beers of the style that I’ve had. It had a lot of flavor, but was light and crisp. This is one that I’ll definitely grab for again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Southampton Publick House Double White Ale

On Saturday, Nic and I went to her cousin’s house for lunch, which turned into dinner. He’s also into beer, so we tried a bunch of different ones (so expect a lot of posts). I forgot to grab Nicole’s camera, so there aren’t any pictures of the brews. This first one, I grabbed a six-pack of. I’m stuck in between summer and fall beers now and this was chilled in the case at the beer store. I’ve also read some good things about it, so I grabbed it up.

ABV: 6.7%

Style: Witbier

Trivia: This is called a “double white” because it is a double strength or double gravity version of a Belgian White.

Random: I seriously can’t wait for it to be cool. It is way too hot. I hate the summer. Ugh.

This brew poured with a two finger pure white head that left minimal lacing. There was a lot of carbonation visible through the straw yellow body that was slightly cloudy. On the nose, there was lots of citrus that manifested mostly as lemon. There was not a lot of spice apparent on the nose, which surprised me. On the taste, the spice came out to play. I also got some banana on the taste, which I didn’t expect since this isn’t a hefe. The carbonation that is visible through the body comes out to dance on the tongue. The citrus also works in concert with the other flavors. The brew finishes quick with citrus. This is what would be a nice alternate to a “summer” type of beer. It’s light and fruity, but not watery. It is especially good served very cold. I would definitely have this again.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Southampton Saison Deluxe

After a crazy weekend, I finally sit down with the brew for the night to watch the Yankees game. It’s a little hot so I could really use a good saison.

ABV: 7.4%

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Trivia: According to the Southampton website, “During Prohibition, on the site where Southampton Publick House stands today, the original proprietors operated a proper restaurant while hiding a speakeasy in the back that served smuggled spirits and beer. Thirsty restaurant patrons would disappear for a short while, typically returning with a much rosier disposition.”

Random: I’m still sore from my workouts on Thursday and Friday. I think I’ll be even more sore after doing legs tomorrow.

This brew poured with a crazy amount of fluffy white head, at least three fingers, and it looked like whipped egg whites. The color is a cloudy orange, with no visible carbonation due to the cloudiness. On the nose, I get a lot of the usual spices: coriander, clove, even a little pepper. There’s also some other fruits in the background: lemon, orange, maybe even a little apple. This is one of the more complex noses of the saisons I’ve had. On the first sip, you get hit with a lot of lemon up front, more than I would have assumed from a saison. Then, the carbonation comes in and the finish is slightly bitter with the citrus remaining throughout. There’s a slightly alcohol burn at the end, which surprises me as I usually don’t get that with this style. The spice really comes through on the taste, especially the coriander and the pepper. My only complaint with this brew is that it’s a little too carbonated. If that could be toned down, it would make it a great brew of the style. Solid brew, but not the best saison I’ve had.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0