Life On Tap

There are some styles that Dan always picks up when he sees them. ESB is one of them, so Fifth Hammer Brewing Co. Unlicensed was a great fit.

Fifth Hammer Brewing Co. Unlicensed

STYLE: Extra Special Bitter (ESB)ABV: 5.1%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Medium gold with a white, super-fluffy, effervescent head.

Aroma

Earthy and herbal notes from the hops with some dark bread from the malt.

Taste

Light, herbal hop bitterness typical of English hops with bread crust hitting the mid-palate and beyond.

Mouthfeel

Carbonation brings a lovely mouthfeel with a light to medium body.

Overall

I could definitely see myself having a few rounds of these either after work or to kickoff a night for sure. Food-wise, most bar fare would work, but a chicken pot pie was speaking to me at the time.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan cracks open and unusual style: a Foudre-Fermented Vienna Lager from Threes Brewing, Happy Medium, for this week’s brew.

Threes Brewing Happy Medium

STYLE: Foudre-Fermented Vienna LagerINGREDIENTS: German Vienna and Pilsner Malts; German Saaz hopsABV: 5.3%IBU: 0AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Clear, medium yellow/light orange with fine, off-white head.

Aroma

Bread, toast, honey, and a nice herbality from the hops.

Taste

Similar notes from the aroma, with the outside of a brioche roll stepping in along with an earthiness from the hops, some malt sweetness on the mid-palate, and a gentle minerality on the finish.

Mouthfeel

Crisp and dry with a round mouthfeel likely from the foudre treatment.

Overall

This a delicious, sessionable beer that easily pairs with a number of foods, from pizza to wings to other typical bar fare. I could definitely see myself having a few while watching a game or just hanging out.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan might be a little late in the season (calendar and football-wise), but he enjoys Beer For Huddles from Off Color Brewing this time.

Off Color Brewing Beer For Huddles

STYLE: American AmberABV: 5.2%IBU: 18AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited/Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange/amber in color with a half-inch, off-white head.

Aroma

Resin from the hops hits first, with some toasty, Maillard notes from the malt.

Taste

The toasted bread and crouton are heavy here, with the resin more muted than in the aroma, with more bready/biscuity notes after with some floral notes.

Mouthfeel

Light to medium body, with a more mild carbonation to accentuate the malt notes.

Overall

This beer totally evokes the fall, be it that first cold, autumn day or coming in from raking leaves or similar experiences. What else comes with the fall? Football, of course! This makes a fine beer for watching any level of the sport, be it by yourself or with family and friends.

Pairing-wise, any bar food for watching the game from nachos to wings to fries for sure, and I would even use this for beer-braising for roast beef, fries, etc.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan’s family stopped by Half Full Brewery and brought back their seasonal maple porter, Flannel Pajamas to sample.

Half Full Brewery Flannel Pajamas

STYLE: American PorterINGREDIENTS: Maple syrupABV: 6.5%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited/Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and Untappd.

Appearance

Dark brown in color with a half-inch, tan head.

Aroma

Maple starts off with a caramel malt sweetness coming after.

Taste

Maple once again comes first with more kilned malt flavor after, melding together those caramel and other notes.

Mouthfeel

Soft mouthfeel and carbonation gently places the beer on your palate.

Overall

This is definitely an autumn seasonal beer for sure, as the beer wraps your tongue in a pair of proverbial flannel pajamas. Drinking this on that first really cold day of the fall makes sense, regardless if you were raking leaves or just doing some housework.

Pairing-wise, you could go savory with lighter game, chicken, or even some lighter cuts of beef. Dessert-wise, it might not stand up for the full beer float treatment, but it would go lovely with maple candy or any sort of array of fall-themed cookies.

Thanks again to the fam for bringing this back from their travels!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan cracks open a Lampoon-inspired seasonal from Smartmouth Brewing, Lotta Sap, via a Christmas care package from Hamilton and Michelle.

Smartmouth Brewing Company Lotta Sap

STYLE: India Pale AleINGREDIENTS: Spruce tips; Lemondrop, Cascade, and Centennial hopsABV: 7.0%IBU: 35AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited/Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Amber in color and fairly opaque with a small, off-white head and some lacing on the glass.

Aroma

Pine, spruce, resin, malt sweetness, and hint of citrus peel and pith.

Taste

Leads with pine and resin, with a hint of grapefuit-like notes/acidity mixed with an orange note, leaving a nice balance between the malt and hops.

Mouthfeel

Smooth, medium mouthfeel and light carbonation. This coats the tongue like a blanket by the fire and the hops/spruce tips provide a drying note on the finish.

Overall

This is a tasty, seasonal beer for sure. I do not see many spruce tip beers out on the market anymore, so I will definitely need to keep an eye out. I drank this on Christmas Eve in the afternoon, and I think that was a good time to do so. Pairing-wise, you could go turkey, goose, chicken, or other poultry/fowl for sure with a seasonal preparation.

Thanks again to Hamilton and Michelle for this and the other brews and treats in their lovely Christmas care package!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan starts off his vacation with Starr Hill Christmas Ale via a lovely Christmas care package from friend Hamilton and Michelle.

Starr Hill Brewery Christmas Ale

STYLE: Winter AleINGREDIENTS: Orange peel and spicesABV: 7.1%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 12oz Cans, Draft (Limited/Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Dark amber in color with a small, off-white head.

Aroma

Allspice and cinnamon hit first with a mellow orange following up.

Taste

The fruit and spice flip order on the palate, with the orange leading off before allowing the malt to mix, and then full on cinnamon and allspice hit the middle of the tongue in the mid-palate and through the finish.

Mouthfeel

Medium body with a light carbonation and a slightly syrupy mouthfeel.

Overall

This is a straight-up winter/Christmas ale…it can sneak up on you likely if you have too many. Pairing-wise, I am feeling pretty hard on poultry, be it Cornish hen to turkey to even goose. I think if you cooked tagine with this, it would rock as well.

Thanks again to Hamilton and Michelle for this and the other brews and treats in their lovely Christmas care package!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Czech-style lager is all the rage in many US regions, and Dan is happy to sample Threes Brewing Foretold to further expand his palate.

Threes Brewing Foretold

STYLE: 13 Plato Czech Amber LagerINGREDIENTS: Czech Pilsner, Czech Vienna, Pils, Vienna, C-50, C-180 + Carafa I malts; Czech Sladek hopsABV: 5.3%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Deep amber/burnt orange in color with a beautiful off-white head.

Aroma

Fruitiness with a bready element behind it.

Taste

The fruity element comes into the palate as well in the form of tree fruit, maybe Damson Plum. The toastiness from the malt really blends amazingly with herbality of the hops and has a touch of minerality on the finish.

Mouthfeel

Slightly dry with a pleasant carbonation and mouthfeel.

Overall

I have heard that NYC has a water profile similar to Plzeň, so that will hopefully lead to many more Czech-style beers like this. Pairing-wise, this could go with a variety of foods like poultry/fowl and light game, but I would love to see how this could go as a Czech-style Moules Frites.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Fresh Hop/Harvest Ales are a wonder to sample, and Threes Brewing Origin Story is no different, featuring Cascade hops from Weathertop Hops.

Threes Brewing Origin Story

STYLE: Harvest Fresh Hop Ale (American Pale Ale)INGREDIENTS: Fresh Cascade Hops from Weathertop FarmsABV: 5.6%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Translucent and burnt yellow/light orange in color with a big, fluffy head.

Aroma

Pine leads off with floral and fruit notes following up.

Taste

Muted citrus note (tangerine), that meets floral and a gentle hint of pine from the aroma.

Mouthfeel

Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel and softer carbonation.

Overall

I did not know it was Cascade when I tasted it, but this expression of it was tasty and intriguing on many levels. While I do not make it out for many Fresh Hop/Harvest releases, I probably should, as it is such a unique way of sampling a specific lot of the featured hop. This could go with various different bar/pub food, but I would prefer to taste these types of beers without any accompaniment.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan dips into the seasonal English bitter from Threes Brewing, Tiny Montgomery Autumn, to lead off a tasting session.

Threes Brewing Tiny Montgomery Autumn

STYLE: Seasonal English BitterINGREDIENTS: Marris Otter, Flaked Barley, Special Roast; Whole-leaf Willamette and Sterling hopsABV: 3.9%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange/amber in color with a thin, off-white head.

Aroma

Fruit meets herbality and some toasted bread mixed in.

Taste

The aroma notes continue, with a nice tea-like element coming through and some berry notes mixing with biscuit and bread.

Mouthfeel

Light but mouthcoating and it gently slides across the palate.

Overall

This is definitely evocative of the autumn. I was feeling shepherd’s pie and other English pub staples for this.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Feeling kind of autumnally festive, Dan samples Left Bank Ciders Wild Duchess, a native yeast cider made from a unique apple variety.

Left Bank Ciders Wild Duchess

STYLE: Natural Apple CiderINGREDIENTS: Duchess of Oldenburg apples harvested mid-season; fermented in stainless steel with native yeast ABV: 8.0%AVAILABILITY: 750ml bottles, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s bottle.

Appearance

Super clear and light yellow/golden in appearance.

Aroma

The native yeast gives this a bit more of an Asturian cider feel, with notes of straw, a bit of funk, after the spiced, bright fruit character hits your palate.

Taste

Sweet apple meets a binding acidity for great balance with a hint of funk and a tannic note/structure behind it all.

Mouthfeel

Residual carbonation enhances the mouthfeel, and when moved around one’s mouth, the effervescence flows back.

Overall

This is definitely my kind of cider, since it blends acidity and funkiness along with a great expression of the unique apple’s qualities. Not sure how mid-season picking compares on the sugar/acid balance, but would love to know. I think this would be a festive choice on the afternoon before your autumn or Thanksgiving dinner.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers