Gritty's Halloween Ale

Gritty's Halloween Ale:

This may be the only Halloween Ale I've ever had. Pumpkin brews are usually geared for the haunted holiday but this is NOT a pumpkin beer at all. Gritty's Halloween Ale is an Extra Special Bitter Ale with a pretty stable malty base and nifty bitter finish. The coppery color matches the aroma: kind of earthy and metallic with a tang at the end.

Gritty's Halloween has a light to medium body and an interesting flavor. There may be just a hint of caramel in ther, or perhaps vanilla. But it's not sweet at all. kind of like a cowtail candy without the sugar. I'm not sure that makes any sense.

You know, here's an interesting tidbit: I drank about half this beer from the bottle before pouring it into a pint glass. Truth be told, I prefer it from the bottle. The air from sipping gives it just a little lift. Definitely on the short list to bring to a Halloween party. The scary label and specificity of the title make it a no-brainer. But aside from that, it's an interesting selection because of the earthy undertones and bitter "snap" at the end.

I've been to Gritty McDuff's in Portland, Maine a few times now. It is certainly a worthwhile stop in a very lively and cool town. Awesome place to visit -- recommended highly by the Cabinet.

Gritty's Halloween Ale:

Representation: .90

Accessibility: .925

Style: .85

Personal Preference: .875

Total Score: 3.55 Flags

Terrapin (Side Project) Gamma Ray (Citizen Review)

Terrapin Beer Company's Side Project Volume 3 - Gamma Ray:

"Terrapin Gamma Ray - like a bowl of self-milking honey wheaties. More smooth than sweet. Very interesting and delicious."





--Reviewed by Toastmaster General

Southampton Pumpkin Ale

Southampton Pumpkin Ale:

Ooh. This is pretty nice. The pumpkin and spice flavors are lively and seasonal -- definitely got that pumpkin pie thing going on. The body is light to medium with a nice effervescence. Southampton is not over the top in style but has plenty to offer. Very accessible as well, with a fun burst of flavor but keeping it cool at 5.5% abv.

I can't help but compare Southampton to two others we've seen before: Southampton seems to posess the body that Shipyard Pumpkinhead is shooting for. At the same time it tones down the sweetness and intensity that Saranac Pumpkin gives us. Southampton looks quite comfy between the two and is recommended as a "bring with" to Halloween parties. Maybe a Thanksgiving Day Parade or football tailgater. Thanksgiving Dinner? Maybe not, but I suppose that's up to you.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale:

Representation: 1.0

Accessibility: .95

Style: .875

Personal Preference: .875

Total Score: 3.7 Flags

Read [ALL OUR PUMPKIN REVIEWS!]

Stone IPA (Citizen Review)

Stone IPA:

"Notes of clover and cinnamon with a good, hoppy finish."

Representation: 1.0
Accessibility: 1.0
Style Points: 1.0
Personal Preference: 1.0

Total: 4.0 Flags

--Reviewed by Citizen George Mangini

Stone Old Guardian (Presidential Brief)

What: Stone Old Guardian
Where: PJ's Pour House (Westmont, NJ)
When: October 8, 2009, 10:39PM
What-have-you: Stone. Old Guardian. Rich dryish and could stand guard over me any day. '07 vintage rocks!

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale:

This is an extremely well-balanced beer, and an even better-balanced pumpkin beer. Nice medium body with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. The pumpkin flavor is not faint or thin by any means -- but has a freshness and clean finish that some other pumpkin brews lack. Really awesome aroma, too, but again: not overdone. The label boasts over 7 lbs of pumpkin ber parrel and spices include the usual supects: nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. But somehow the formula rises to the top of an otherwise cluttered vat of seasonal offerings.

Elysian Night Owl is also a bit cloudy. I generally like this quality because it tells me that the ingredients are properly suspended in the brew and ready to be enjoyed with every sip. It's not a requirement, mind you, but I think in this case it adds to the body and the overall pumpkin experience.

Since one cannot avoid comparing a new pumpkin ale with its predecessors, I'll go on record as saying this Night Owl hangs with the big boys. Just as I place Southampton a little above Shipyard and Saranac because it had the good qualities of both. Well Elysian Night Owl takes that "just right" feeling to a new level: It's "just righter". Night Owl offers enough pumpkinny fun to amuse at a party but it's refined enough to set on the dinner table. Of all the pumpkin brews I've tried, it ranks up there with So. Tier Pumking and Dogfish Head Punk.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale:

Representation: 1.0

Accessibility: 1.0

Style: .90

Personal Preference: .95

Total Score: 3.85 Flags

Read ALL OUR PUMPKIN reviews!

Tombstone T's are Back!

Not sure what to wear for Halloween? Become part of the legion of Beer Zombies with this fashionable Ferment Nation- "The Party Never Ends" - Tombstone T-Shirt. In both Ghouls and Gals styles and sizes. This quality Tee features a true party animal rising from the dead to enjoy one more pint! Also sports the Ferment Nation bottle cap logo, reading "In Grog We Trust."

Just check out the Ferment National Pride store at Cafe Press. Click [HERE]

The Institute Bar: Charlie's Pumpkin Patch

So, you're trying to outdo El Presidente's Ultimate Pumpkin Showdown, eh? Well Charlie, you've stood your ground admirably. With Ten Pumpkin Beers on tap, The Institute Bar (on the corner of 12th and Green in Philadelphia) put on a heck of a show with Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Saturday.

My first time at The Institute was a cool affair. What struck me most was the really cool laid back crowd. Just lots of regular people who love good beer and gathering for a raucous good time. The V.P. and I also had food, by the way. I recommend the Pork Fries. Yes, I said PORK FRIES and they were delicious.

So how did we begin? With one beer each not nearly being enough to get a true sampling, we decided to board Ale Force One and take flight (well, two flights actually) and sample eight of the seasonal drafts at once. What follows is a brief rundown of the brews, some of which I've reviewed before, and others that are forthcoming in the next weeks before Halloween. Here goes:


Lakefront Pumpkin Lager: Pumpkin zest, lager bite. A little bitter but pretty nice.

Brooklyn Pumpkin Ale: Dry and boozy with a warming quality. This would be good to take with you on a hayride on a chilly night.

Dock Street Pumpkin: Ale first, Pumpkin second. Very even and very drinkable. Nothing crazy or scary going on here.

The Bruery Pumpkin: Light and tart. Wheaty flavor but a little dry. Not too terribly pumpkinny.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale: Draft is a little better than out of a bottle; Opens up and has a touch of tartness but a dessert-like sweetness prevails. Sweet without making me cringe.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale: Holy moly. This beer could be a little overwhelming if you're a beginner. Draft is way more wine-like than the bottle version. Draft is also a little less creamy but no less impressive. Awesome.

Wild Goose Pumpkin Patch: This beer posesses an extreme funk; kinda weird and wacky. Blow out a pumpkin candle and lick the wick if you want to approximate the flavor. So I should probably come back to this brew and give it another chance in a few minutes.......... Okay, let's see here... this isn't very good. I guess I was right the first time.

Southern Tier Pumpking: This is Halloween, This is Halloween... Just crazier than ever. I gotta say, though, it's a little much. The same style that blew me away last year is now a bit much for everyday use.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale: The Real Deal. The Rizzle Dizzle. Draft, bottle, whatever. This is an awesome Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Autumnal Equinox beer. Its the new champion of this Fall, in my humble opinion.

So my first trip to The Institute was a success. A good time was had by all. A special shoutout goes to Mark Kalbacher who tends bar at the Institute. We appreciate the heads up to the event and the access to take pictures. We hope that you, dear citizens, can benefit from the reviews of these beers. And do visit the Institute soon. It's a lively place with awesome beers on tap. Oh, and Pork Fries.

NJ Governor's Historical Brewhouse

From Todd Kimmell:

[In the 1980s, Burlington, NJ based historian, Henry 'Doc' Bisbee and a team of researchers identified an oddly shaped and oddly situated Georgian home along the Delaware River as the late 1600s brewhouse of the first Governor of West Jersey's home. That information never made it beyond the beloved Bisbee's local xeroxed newsletter, THE BURLINGTON STORY.

Philadelphia based historian Todd Kimmell bought the house and started renovations, but when he pulled down the ceiling in the dining room of what he thought was a mid 18th century home, he found the structure of the 17th century brewery in situ. A trip to the Burlington County Historical Society library revealed all of the back issues of Bisbee's historical journal, including a number of references to what is locally known as Ivy Cottage, and the early brewing that took place there. "The 1770 house had been built up and over the 1600s brewhouse," says Kimmell with a grin, "but Dr. Bisbee never lived to see the physical proof of his research."

The brew house shared a back and side yard with Collins' print shop, at the time when Ben Franklin was printing paper currency there for the Colony of New Jersey. Tired from printing money, Ben? Time for a pint of the Governor's best!

Though there are other locations in the US where earlier breweries once existed, there is no brewhouse still standing as old as Ivy Cottage. That makes it the oldest brewhouse in the USA. Pennsylvania's Yuengling is still the oldest active and continually operating brewery in America, circa 1829, and this discovery takes nothing away from their remarkable record.

Kimmell will host an open house on Saturday, October 3rd, for beer lovers, architectural historians, devotees of early American woodwork and those who just love the wonder of a great story of rediscovery. The house is currently on the market, and has been listed on The National Trust For Historic Preservation's PRESERVATION 911.

Ivy Cottage is located at 6 West Pearl Street in Burlington, NJ 08016. The open house is Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, from 1 to 4 PM.

For more information about the open house, please call Denise Barnett at (609) 304-8801]

Thanks to Todd for this great story!

Founders Breakfast Stout (Presidential Brief)

What: Founders Breakfast Stout
Where: PJ's Pour House (Westmont, NJ)
When: September 23, 2009, 9:59PM
What-have-you: Better than I remember, which is un-freakin'-believable. Rich 'n bitter 'n smooth . Kinda strong, but not too boozy.

Four + Brewing Company Punk'n Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Four + Brewing Company Punk'n Harvest Pumpkin Ale:

Okay, so... not my favorite. Perhaps this particular six-pack is simply too old to be enjoyed properly (My sample was bottled on 8/15/2008) and maybe a really fresh draft from the brewery in Salt Lake City... Alright, I'm done apologizing. This beer isn't very good.

The light-medium body is the biggest positive, but the flavor is a bit funky and metallic and the pumpkin aroma isn't very exciting. The finish of this beer is akin to that of a pale ale, so I'm not giving up on Four + Brewing just yet. Maybe their more standard beer offerings are more palatable. Then again, typically an awesome brewery does an awesome job with pumpkin beers (just refer to last year's Ultimate Pumpkin Showdown) so I don't know what to think.

Punk'n is fairly thin for an Ale and doesn't represent the Pumpkin genre very well. Stylistically, Punk'n doesn't bring much to the table. Accessibility is unfortunately lacking because of the weird presentation of the pumpkin essence. Don't expect good scores from this one. And if you're shopping for pumpkin brews to bring to a Halloween party or to Thanksgiving Dinner, choose something else.

Four + Brewing Company Punk'n Harvest Pumpkin Ale:

Representation: .50

Accessibility: .60

Style: .60

Personal Preference: .30

Total Score: 2.0 Flags

Check out ALL of our Pumpkin Reviews

Making Friends with The Brew Club

From the Office of the Vice President:

It's always nice to make a new friend! Check out The Brew Club @ http://thebrewclub.com to read beer reviews and maybe get your hands on some home brew equipment or some microbrew Beer-of-the-Month selections, AND The Ferment Nation and South Jersey Beer News will be featured in an upcoming post! We'll keep you informed and updated.

Saint Somewhere Lectio Divina (Presidential Brief)

What: Saint Somewhere Lectio Divina
Where: PJ's Pour House (Westmont, NJ)
When: September 23, 2009, 11:46PM
What-have-you: Tastes like pluots. Mighty. Delicious.

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Green Flash West Coast IPA (draft):

Superior IPA. Chilled-out enough to recommend to any lover of good beers but bold enough to stash away for the occasional hop-fits that plague the hop-head from time to time. Stable malty skeleton with citrusy hops fleshed out on top. Grapefruity yet not overpowering. Light to medium in body with a bitterness up front. The bitterness disappears for the swallow and then magically reappears at the finish. Mystically good.

IPA lovers, drop what you're doing and grab one of these. Sometimes you need a pale; sometimes you need a double or an imperial; sometimes you need something just right. I'd put this in the "go-to" category right along with Victory Hop Devil or Dogfish Head 90 Minute. Also be sure to check out Green Flash Hop Head Red and Le Freak for daring drinkability.

Green Flash West Coast IPA is also one of a rare breed of brews that has a three-pronged attack: bottle, glass, or draft. This is a premier IPA, boasting 95 IBUs and cruising in at 7.3% abv.

As we enter Football Season, here's some Presidential advice: Definitely bring this one with you to a tailgater but guard it closely. You can protect it by saying, "You wouldn't like that... it's too bitter" (and you would be telling the God's honest truth), or you can be a hero to that random hop-head who eyes your brew knowingly. Use a West Coast IPA to barter for an awesome bratwurst sandwich or something but stand your ground on the value of this brew. Rare exception: that guy who has nothing to offer but stands in awe of your superior beer selection. You may bestow a Green Flash West Coast IPA upon this fellow traveler if you see in his eyes the determination to outdo you next time you meet. A truly grateful citizen of the FermentNation will take on this quest and deliver the goods.

Why not let the Brewmaster say it for himself: "A menagerie of hops are layered throughout the brewing process. Simcoe for unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes, Cascade for floral aroma. A multi-dimensional hop experience." --Chuck Silva, Brewmaster.

Green Flash West Coast IPA:

Representation: 1.0

Accessibility: 1.0

Style: 1.0

Personal Preference: 1.0

Total Score: 4.0 Flags

Boulder Flashback (Citizen Review)

Boulder Flashback:

"Very hoppy only for those

who love hops. Also not

much body or overall

character"

Representation: 1.0

Accessibility: .25

Style Points: .50

Personal Preference: 0

Total Score: 1.75 Flags

--Reviewed by Citizen Cheryl Selah