Not an official type of review for these 2 beers, more of a brief note of appreciation for two beers that have seemingly no connection, unless we are to connect them in Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon style… ready, go! Troegs Scratch #32 is a California common style beer. Joel Bennett (Mainsail) lives in California. Joel sent me a package of good beer including Full Sail Brewing Company’s Session Black Lager. Ok, only 3 degrees… not too shabby.

Two drastically different beers with drastically different beer experiences, but both are fantastic. I’ll begin here in Pennsylvania.

As I have done at some point during 4 out of the 6 weeks I have worked in the Harrisburg area, I trekked on Friday to the Tasting Room for a fill of my growler. I tried two beers, as they were the two that I had not yet imbibed. One was their Tasting Room Anniversary Ale (which I may grab a growler of this week) and the other was Scratch #32, codenamed “Keystone Common”. I brought my growler up to the Poconos for the weekend and it barely made it through the first night. I did manage to save one pint-ish for my brother-in-law to try on Saturday, but that was all I could spare. Light, flavorful, with a nice little hop bite, it was a perfect Summer beer… even if it was under 60 degrees while I was drinking it. Would have been even better sitting on the dock on a warmer Summer day.

I came home from the Poconos to my half of a beer trade with the aforementioned indie rocker and surfer. I opened the box and decided that my first endeavor would be Session Black Lager. So, I chilled it while cleaning up the house a bit and playing with my son. After I put him to bed, I poured the Schwarzbier one of my recently acquired Newcastle glasses and enjoyed. On the opposite end of the spectrum from the common by Troegs, Session was malty, rich, and perfectly smooth. A great day to wrap up a weekend.

All in all, two great beers I’d recommend to anyone who likes similar styles. Cheers!

Last week, I was blessed to spend 3 days away from work for training. These 3 days entitled me to 2 evenings at one of my favorite hotels, Holiday Inn East in Harrisburg, PA. The highlights of some time in the Burg always include the great beers of this fine Pennsylvania city, notably from Troegs and the Harrisburg location of Lancaster Brewing Company (ABC is a fine brewery, as well). Last week was no different…

On Wednesday, I did dinner at LBC Harrisburg, but not before stopping by Troegs to complain and sample. The complaining was because Troegs had recently decided to pull the beer that introduced me to their fine craft brews, Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale. While the bartender in the tap room expressed understanding for the nostalgia experienced by me in reference to the ale, he assured me that the replacement, Java Head Stout would not leave me disappointed for long. After a small sample, I no longer had to take his word for it. I also was able to try Scratch Beer #28, a Roggenbeir, which was a style I’d never heard of… apparently, a Roggen is “an uncommon German ale brewed with a portion of rye malt and a weizenbier yeast strain.” Tasty, but not different enough from Dreamweaver Wheat to truly impress. Perhaps I’d have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t just indulged in that scrumptious Java Head… which of course became the beer choice for the six pack I had to buy while there.

After leaving Troegs, I made it up to LBC for dinner. The food was good, especially the crab dip (made with Amish Four Grain Ale, one of the best pale ales in the world as far as I’m concerned). I, however, did forgo my usual beer selection at LBC, the Celtic Rose, to try the Shoo-Fly Porter. I was pleased by all aspects of this American porter. Dark and hearty, sweet and chewy, smooth and clean… it’s all malt, the way I like my porters and stouts! Fantastic.

After a good first night of beer, I made plans with a friend from Harrisburg to head to McGrath’s Pub, his favorite local spot, for some burgers, some beers, and some good company. All three missions were accomplished, the company was great and my bacon cheddar burger was fantastic… the beer, also superb.

Before heading out, I scouted the tap list and found an interesting beer I’d never tried, Coronado Red Devil, an imperial red ale from a California brewery. Served in a large, deep wine glass, much like a brandy snifter in shape, the beer was very big. Strong malt flavor, powerful but not overpowering American hops (perhaps Cascade), and a little alcohol warmth, this is certainly a big, wonderfully full, beer. After this great selection, I wrapped up my night with a Pennsylvania classic… a Yuengling Lager.

All in all, two great nights of beer… heading back in two weeks. Wonder what’s next for me and the beer of the Burg (and beyond, Cali to be exact).

The region’s best homebrewing supplier, Keystone Homebrew, has their holiday newsletter up and also has a few limited time offerings not to be missed.

-The deadline to order the limited edition kits from Winexpert has been pushed. Time is not up, but it will be soon, so get on their site and order the most popular wine kits ever produced by Winexpert before it’s too late.

-If you’re a hard cider fan like myself, check this out:

DelVal has pressed a lot of fantastic apple and pear ciders for us this fall. The Holiday Blend will be our last offering of the season, and today is your last chance to pre-order! Don t miss out; this blend is sure to produce a complex, balanced and flavorful hard cider. If you’re a beginner, don t worry! We’ll provide you with instructions and all the guidance you’ll need.

Unfortunately, pre-orders ended already as this update was put out earlier this week, but keep your eye out for this blend once they have it in. I missed out on it myself, but here’s hoping there’s some extra.

In other beer news, Troegs has two special brews out now, just in time for the holidays… they are calling it the Splinter Series and if you read the writeups below you’ll understand why. Also, both are going for $22.95 and there is a two bottle limit per person for each style.

-Splinter Red sounds great. I’m not the biggest Mad Elf fan (also available now), but this mutation sounds exquisite.

Before filtering the final batch of 2008 Mad Elf we racked some beer into bourbon barrels for six weeks of tender loving care. After bottling, we aged the beer for approximately eight months. This allows the tart cherries to push to the front. Subtle vanilla, bourbon, charred wood, coconut and toasted nut endnotes emanate from Splinter Red.

-Splinter Gold sounds pretty solid, as well, though I am likely springing for the Red first.

The transformation of Scratch #3-2007 to Splinter Gold has been a slow rest in oak wine barrels dosed with brettanomyces. During a two-year aging period the horsey flavors of the brett combined with the Westmalle yeast used during primary fermentation to create a complex blend of flavors. Bone-dry and 12% abv, Splinter Gold is highly carbonated.

(NOTE: I still would recommend grabbing a case of Troegenator…. so good!)

Finally, two quick updates on two of my other favorite PA breweries:

-Update from Weyerbacher:

The latest in our Brewer’s Select Series is an Imperial Porter at 8.2% ABV. Bottles will be available for sale only at the brewery (we only have 60 cs) beginning Saturday December 12. Half Kegs are shipping out this week to PA markets as well as Ohio, MD, MA, and Florida. Brewers Chris and Nads have really outdone themselves on this one. Silky smooth and very nicely balanced, we’re sure a lot of you will be talking about this one for a while!

-Stoudt’s Winter Ale should be available in your local beer distributor. While I have not been able to confirm it, during this time of year they always have it on tap at the brewpub and usually even have it on cask.

A few weeks ago, I was in Harrisburg on business (running a training session) and decided that I had to stop by Troegs and have a small taste, likely grabbing a six pack of something while I was at it. Upon arriving, the only thing on tap that I hadn’t had at all yet was their most recent in the Scratch Beer series, Apollo Imperial Ale. While not a hophead, I have tried to branch out into the world of hoppiness, which is a specialty of Troegs (Nugget Nectar is a favorite of hopheads nationwide, maybe worldwide). Apollo Imperial Ale certainly falls into that category, delivering 115 IBU’s in each flavor packed sip.

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

This big beer has a deep amber color and a haziness, making it unable to see through at all. There is a creamy head that sticks to the sides of the glass. The head maintains throughout the entire drinking experience.

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

Beautiful floral aroma, a bouquet of hops. The strong aroma is very American, though I couldn’t identify the varieties of hops without some help from the Troegs website (Apollo, Columbus, Warrior, Amarillo, and Palisades are all present here).

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

While I’d expect a bit more maltiness by the appearance of the beer, there is enough malt to make the 115 IBU’s more than tolerable to a non-hophead. While not an IPA, it basically tasted like an IPA. It reminded me a bit of Nugget Nectar, likely due to the large quantities of American hops. It was slightly more bitter than my preference, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

Palate:
thepaintedman rates this:

Apollo Imperial Ale has a smooth mouthfeel with a dry finish and a very hoppy aftertaste. Overall, not too bad, but nothing to gush over, either.

Overall Rating:
thepaintedman rates this:

If I were a hophead, it’d likely be a bit higher, but I tried to be as objective as possible. Damn good beer.

Later on today is the start of the TPM Beerfest weekend, beginning today with a 10 in 10 post focusing on warm weather beers. Tomorrow, we’ll explore the latest offering by Troeg’s and Sunday’s beer with be Labatt’s Honey Lager. Stay tuned to get your fill of some good beer!

For now, I’d like to take a moment to promote a cause that is very near and dear for me:

For starters, here is a clip from Michael Jackson’s classic film Moonwalker:

Now, here’s what is coming up in the next few days on the site:

-Tomorrow, the first of two great interviews on TPM this week will be posted… an introduction to everyone’s favorite nerd rapper, Beefy.

-On Tuesday, the review of the Skylife EP scheduled for last week will be posted. Sorry for the delay.

-Later this week, expect an interview with Heather of Kissing Cousins, a review of Ultrachrist!, a look at the Purplish Rain, and some beer for good measure (the new Troegs Scratch Beer to be exact).