365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
Despite my general thinking that I don't like big stouts and porters during the warm summer months, that didn't stop me from trying a few of the new ones I found this summer (Tired Hands 5 out of 5, DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus). This one goes in the peanut butter beer category, which surprisingly is actually a category of beer for me now.
This is the Spring House Big Gruesome--a chocolate peanut butter stout. It poured nearly black as night with a chocolate milk color head. It smells of fresh peanut butter and cocoa. The flavor is predominantly coffee, bitter chocolate with undertones of peanuts. It's creamy of full of dark roasted malt flavor and finishes with a nice bite.
Beer stats
Style: Stout
ABV: 8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Spring House
After visiting their tap room this spring, here are reviews of Goofy Foot(summer wheat), Cliff (saison), Little Gruesome(PB&J stout)
I've also had Cosmic Monster(quad)
My review of beers from a recent trip to Spring House Tap Roomconcludes with today's review of Goofy Foot summer wheat.
4.6% ABV
It pours a hazy yellow orange with a very thin white head. I couldn't get a read on this beer's smell. It was mild beer. Nothing notable. The flavor was light and refreshing...some wheat with a light lemon hop. Overall I'd call this one average at best. But given the other winners I've had from Spring House, don't let this review deter you from trying them out.
Beer stats
Style: Wheat
ABV: 4.8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Average
Back home after another weekend in State College. The 125th anniversary celebration was a great event, and I was able to catch up with some old friends and share some laughs (and beers). Glad to be back home, however, as I need to catch up on some rest before a busy week at work. Nothing quite like a nap on a Sunday afternoon to recharge the batteries.
So, right into the beer review: today's beer is Goofy Foot, a summer wheat from Spring House Brewing. In the glass, this beer has a hazy yellow color and thin, persistent white head. There are light aromas of wheat and grain, and there are flavors of grain, bread, and wheat when you take a sip. This is a lighter beer that would go well on a warm summer afternoon.
Wheaty
Thing to Think About Today:
Summer beer on draft today, so I'll throw in some music that pairs well with summer. Vampire Weekend, take it away...
The second beer I had at Spring House was the Cliff Saison.
It poured a hazy opaque apricot color with a thin white head. It smells of bananas and caramel and clove. The flavor reminds me of banana bread. Not bananas, banana bread. It has a yeasty tang with light malt and slightly stronger hops. Beer stats
Style: Saison
ABV: 6.8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great
Off from work today, as tonight is the Franklin Institute Awards, which has honored the greatest minds in science, engineering, technology, and business since 1824. There is some significant genius on display tonight, which always makes me feel very, very small and unimportant; compared to the most brilliant minds on the planet, I really haven't contributed so much, after all. I mean compared to the most brilliant minds on the planet, it's rather difficult for anyone to stack up, so I don't feel that bad. Just a bit bad.
But can the greatest minds of our time decipher the flavors found in a beer? Probably, but I can too! Tonight's review is the Cliff, a farmhouse saison from Spring House. This beer has an orange amber hue, with a lingering white head. You find pepper and grains in the aroma, and when you drink it down you find malt sweetness, biscuit, bread, peppery spice, and some light lemon. Just a touch of bitterness on the end. Very enjoyable beer; if you see it, drink it.
Sort of washed out, but you get the idea
Thing to Think About Today:
Becoming one of the greatest minds in science takes some genius and some significant time in school. School? How about some Paul Simon with Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard? If that isn't interesting enough, allow me to tell you that for reasons I love but can't explain, Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane introduce the video. Why? Because that's genius! And just to keep you interested, we'll throw in some John Madden at the end. Why? I have no idea, other than because people did lots of drugs in the 80s.
If you live around Philadelphia or Harrisburg, let me encourage you to visit Spring House Tap Room in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. The tap room decor is a hybrid of surf culture, anime-like cartoons and I don't know what else. But it has a great vibe and friendly, knowledgeable folks behind the bar. Pretty much everything I need.
I was hoping the mint chocolate chip stout was still around, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead my luck hit a different jackpot and that was finding the "Little Gruesome." Strange name for a beer? Yes, indeed. But when it is as tasty as this beer, strange is A-OK with me!
Little Gruesome is a peanut butter and jelly stout. Yes, I wrote that correctly.
It pours a dense, deep brown color beer with a full dark tan head. It has a dry, nutty aroma. The flavor is pretty unbelievable. Honest to God, it tastes like peanut butter and jelly. The peanuts come in at the beginning of a sip. Roasted and nutty. Once you exhale, you get a great jelly flavor. How do they do that??? It's a surprisingly easy drinking beer and has a dry finish.
Day #500 Robot Surf Factory / Spring House Brewing Company, Conestoga, PA
Previously from this brewery: Cosmic Monster and Seven Gates
Milestone day here at Blog Named Brew, as this is the 500th day of posting! I enjoy sharing my thoughts, opinions, frustrations, and observations with the world, so let me say "thank you" for reading. There are many pages on the internet, and I do appreciate you taking the time to look at this one. I'll also use this occasion to remind everyone that we're also sharing #BeerPorn at the BlogNamedBrew Instagram page. Click and follow to see even more pictures of beer than you see here - if you're into that sort of thing.
Today's review comes from a beer stop during a recent trip to Lancaster - the oddly named Robot Surf Factory IPA from Spring House Brewing. This one caught my eye, as I haven't run across many pineapple pale ales before. Yes, pineapple. In the glass, this beer has a clear, very bright gold color with a think white head. There is a strong aroma of fresh pineapple (duh), and when you take a sip you find a nice tropical fruit sweetness, with plenty of pineapple to balance out a dry finish. There's a decent bit of bitterness throughout, in fact,. While hops traditionally impart a citrus flavor (grapefruit or lemon, most notably) to beer, pineapple isn't a flavor I usually find. This being said, Robot Surf Factory isn't a bad choice for the summertime.... if the summer ever gets around to arriving.
pretty... just like me
Their website artwork and beer names all have a unusual vibe to them; a mix of surf culture and horror film. It works, trust me.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of Robot Surf, I'll close with some Nada Surf and their 90s hit, Popular. A song that curiously uses 1964 teen advice book, Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity, for the lyrics. Hey, whatever works, right? Have a good night, all. Even you unpopular kids.
While you're reading this, me and Mr. Blog Named Brew are rocking out at the David Byrne/St. Vincent show at the Tower Theater. You all need to check out their new album -- it is AWESOME! Quirky, full of horns and just plain fun to listen to...
And what better beer to go with fun, quirky music than a big fruity quad. At 10.8% ABV, the Cosmic Monster from Spring House Brewing Company is not for the faint of heart. From Spring House's website, it is a rustic belgian style strong ale that is balanced with a generous addition of fresh fruit.
Interesting...back to back fruit beers for Marci. Where did the hops go?!?!
The Cosmic Monster is fermented with real pureed blackberries and then aged over fresh raspberries. It poured a deep mahogany color and had lots of berries in the nose. You can definitely smell the blackberries more so than the raspberries. The booze was not appratent and I imagine that you could get in a lot of trouble drinking this quad. The flavor was lots of fruit, malt and hops. Very well balanced and easy to drink. The mix of strong malts and fruit flavors also make it quite refreshing. Sort of the opposite reaction that quads usually have with me.
Beer #163 Seven Gates Pale Ale / Spring House Brewing Company, Conestoga, PA
Tonight's beer is another brewery from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Spring House Brewing Company. I sampled their Seven Gates Pale Ale mostly because it came as a friendly donation to the blog from a fellow beer geek. Unique donations always welcome, and we're happy to trade for some of the ever growing supply of already sampled beers in our fridge/garage.
On to the beer, which pours a clear copper color with a wispy, thin white head. You pick up aromas of malt and biscuit up front, and the taste delivers flavors of light citrus, caramel, malt, and floral hops. Probably not as hoppy as I was expecting, but in all a nice, mellow, easy drinking ale. It checks in at 5.7% ABV, and if you see it, you should drink it. Plus it has some awesome label art, with what appears to be a creepy, burning haunted house. Why is that, you ask?
Creepy asylum? Check. Good beer? Check.
There's an old legend in south central Pennsylvania about a mental asylum set deep in the dense forest to keep the criminally insane away from the rest of society. The asylum and its residents were kept behind seven gates, until a massive fire broke out and, well... let's just say their souls may still haunt the woods. Other variations of the folktale state that anyone who passes through all seven gates will go directly to Hell. So, if anyone is looking for a cost effective vacation that doesn't include jacked up airline fees, there you go!
Thing to Think About Today:
This beer honors a legend about crazy people in the woods, so let's relax and enjoy this beer with Ray LaMontagne (who hangs out in the woods) and his take on Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.
