Fat Dog

Beer Name: Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Stoudts Brewing Company
ABV: 9%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a lager glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

There were a whole lot of beers on the menu that I wanted to try, but I had to limit myself to two so that I didn't explode from a full stomach of beer, burger and chips. I think that would have ruined the day a bit. I believe the beer came in a lager glass, but I'm having a little trouble confirming this as Google doesn't really interpret verbal descriptions very well.

Fat Dog is a very dark beer that poured with little to no head. That fact along with the lack of much lacing doesn't really trouble me for this style of beer. It just makes me expect a thicker, creamier feeling stout, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's a somewhat strange aroma here, with the expected chocolatey notes (sweet chocolate to be a bit more specific) mixed with something I can't really put my finger on.

If I had tried this at a brewfest, I don't think I would have liked it. A couple of sips wouldn't really do it justice, as it needs some time to warm up and let the flavors mix together. Then it turns into a nice, smooth combination of chocolatey flavors with some coffee and just a light hint of hoppy bitterness in the background for some balance. It's very lightly carbonated, and seems quite thick in your mouth, making for a sort of velvety feel to each sip.

Final thought - A bit off-putting at first, this beer warms up nicely and turns quite delicious. The alcohol really sneaks up on you though. Many high ABV stouts have a noticeable alcohol taste to them, but I wasn't getting that here. You have to be careful with beers like this, as a few can quickly take their toll.

-Jon

Oktober Fest

Beer Name: Oktober Fest
Brewery: Stoudts Brewing Company
ABV: 5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Yeah, Oktober Fest is now two words. So deal with that. I bought this beer because I wanted to try something new and the bottle had a weird looking guy with some kind of musical instrument. Apparently I am still buying beer based on appearances, which I really shouldn't do.

Oktober Fest is a amber colored beer with hints of orange to it. It poured with a decent amount of head that faded slowly but only left a light lacing behind. The aroma of this beer is very faint, but there's a maltiness to it and maybe some very faint fruitiness. There's definitely something else in the background, but it's a bit difficult to pick out.

This beer has everything you'd expect from an Oktoberfest beer. There's a nice caramel maltiness to it, very little hops, and a smoothness to each sip. This is fairly light Oktoberfest as far as the experience goes. Unlike something like, say, Sam Adams, drinking one of these does not feel like a monumental event. Instead, it's light and easily enjoyable. This is lightly carbonated with a fairly clean finish and only a slight aftertaste of sweetness.

Final thought - I found this to be a nicely enjoyable beer, and I will probably seek it out again next fall to enjoy another 6 or so.

-Jon

Hop Devil

Beer Name: Hop Devil
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
ABV: 6.7%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in an octagonal pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Wow, has it really been that long since I tried a new beer? Well, technically no, it hasn't, but it has been that long since I had a beer that I can write up a proper opinion about. Although I suppose that at some point I'll have to revisit those other beers in the interest of journalistic integrity.

Victory's Hop Devil is an amber colored beer with a hint of orange in it. The draft poured with about half an inch of head which faded very slowly, leaving a moderate lacing pattern behind. With a name like Hop Devil, I was expecting my nose to be assaulted by hops, but the aroma was actually very mellow, with a combination of hops and malt.

The flavor of this beer matches the aroma nicely, which is not always the case with beers. The beer has a nice flavor, with some noticeable hoppiness without being overwhelming. There's also a sweetness to each sip from the malt. There's a slightly bitter finish (hops again), and there is also a little bit of a bitter aftertaste. Compared to most IPAs, this one is not nearly as strong of a hop assault on the palette.

Final thought - I liked this beer a lot. In fact, I drank 2 of them with dinner. In comparison with Victory's Hop Wallop, this beer is definitely more drinkable. I doubt that people who don't like other IPAs would change their minds after drinking this, but I think it would be a good introductory IPA for the more open minded drinkers out there.

-Jon

Headwaters Pale Ale

Beer Name: Headwaters Pale Ale
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
ABV: 5.1%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 9/12/11

What an oddly specific date. I am tempted to save 2 of the bottles from this 6-pack to drink one right before the 12th and the other right after and see if there is some terrible metamorphosis from good beer to beer-like poison. But if I had to guess, I'd say that I probably won't do that and that said metamorphosis won't actually happen.

Headwaters Pale Ale is a fairly dark beer for a "pale" ale. It looks a bit like an IPA with an orangey shade of copper coloring. There was a little bit of head, but it faded pretty quickly, leaving only a light lacing behind. This beer has a very strong aroma of citrus hops. It smells like there's a little bit of sweet malt in here as well.

As I mentioned on another branch of my empire, I enjoyed this beer in 4-oz form up at the Brattleboro Brewers Festival. In bottle form, it is still enjoyable. The aroma of this beer was very accurate in predicting the flavor. This is a fairly hoppy beer, but it's not too strong, and there is definitely some sweetness in the background. It finishes with a crisp bitterness, but it's not that dry, and it doesn't leave much of an aftertaste. This beer feels very clean and light, and the low carbonation makes it very easy to drink.

Final thought - It's pretty simple: if you like pale ales, then you should do yourself a favor and try this one, as it's delightful. And if you don't like pale ales, then this one probably isn't going to change your mind. Although it's not overly hoppy, so it's worth a shot. Kate even tried a sip without me forcing it on her, so that's a start.

-Jon

Storm King

Beer Name: Storm King
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
ABV: 9.1%
Serving method: 12-oz draft in a mug
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Storm King is another imperial stout, which means it is strong. Apparently if you wanted to ship beer to the Russians, you had to jack up the alcohol so that it wouldn't freeze. There's definitely a vodka joke in here somewhere, but I don't feel like making it.

Storm King is a dark black beer that pours with about a half inch of head. This fades at a middle-of-the-road rate, but it doesn't leave much of a lacing pattern. That could also be a result of my drinking speed, but that can be addressed later. The beer's aroma is slightly sweet, like toffee, combined with a roasted scent.

This is an intense beer. There is a very noticeable alcohol flavor in it, which stands out along with the taste of roasted malts. It also has the hint of coffee in the background. All in all, the stout flavor of the beer is very strong. Even though there is a fairly bitter finish, the beer does not have much of an aftertaste. As it warms up, the beer maintains a good flavor.

Final thought - This is a beer for drinking slowly. It's just way too intense of a brew to rush through. Because of this, it's possible that the lacing just faded away as I moseyed my way through the glass. Aside from that weirdly distinct alcohol taste, the beer is delightful. Sadly, that minor issue does knock it off my top tier of brews. If I wanted to have a strong alcohol flavor, I'd drink hard liquor like whiskey or bourbon. Or scotch, like a boss.

-Jon

Hop Wallop

Beer Name: Hop Wallop
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
ABV: 8.5%
Serving method: 12-oz draft in a mug
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This marks the first Pennsylvania beer, and possibly the first "double" IPA, which means you get a beer lesson! Aren't you excited?

Double IPAs, sometimes called imperial IPAs, are a randomly named set of beers that don't actually have a fixed criteria for being in the category. They were originally named imperial IPAs in the same vein as imperial stouts. However, this didn't make any sense because imperial stouts were actually brewed for the Russian imperial family and these IPAs weren't. The only thing "imperial" about them is that they were stronger than the standard IPAs. Well, sometimes. Some IPAs have a high enough ABV to fit into the "imperial/double" category, which just makes things confusing. And let's not even get into the Triple IPA grouping. Just go into it expecting things to get really hoppy. Hopefully you learned something here, specifically that the people who name beer styles have absolutely no plan ahead of time.

Victory's Hop Wallop is a clear golden-orange color. It poured with a thick (1") head that lasted for a little while and left a very light lacing on the glass. As I was expecting from the name, the beer has a crisp hop aroma. There is also a sweet smell.

This beer is pretty hoppy, but actually a little less hoppy than I was expecting. I am not sure if it was completely a hop wallop, but it was definitely a hearty hop smack. It also has a sweetness to the taste right in the middle. It's like hops in the beginning, sweetness briefly in the middle, and then a dry bitter hop finish. The beer leaves a bitter aftertaste, and it has a nice light carbonation.

Final thought - This beer was very good and is a nice start for PA here at Mmmm, beers! There was something in the taste that made me want to keep sipping it. This is an obvious choice for the hop-heads out there.

-Jon