Greater Good Good Night Moon

For this blogger, it’s very easy to like what Worcester, Massachusetts’ Greater Good Imperial Brew Co. is doing. As you may already know, I love big beers and the idea of an all imperial brewery is right up my alley. I am very excited that they are currently getting regular distribution in Western NY and am more than ready to make my way through their catalog. For this blog, I thought starting with a beer that would pair nicely with a cool, Fall evening would be a perfect way to start this journey and Good Night Moon, an 11% imperial milk porter is just that.

I can’t lie, the idea of an 11% imperial milk porter had me a little worried before I tried it. It had the potential to be unbearably sweet and I knew if that was the case, the remaining three cans in the 4-pack might end up having an indefinite stay in my refrigerator.

As I poured my first can into a glass, I could tell from the aroma this was undoubtedly going to be on the sweet side. I just hoped it would be bearable. The first note that really stood out in the aroma was chocolate, think a dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting. I found that to be delightful, along with the notes of coffee, licorice, creamy vanilla, a hint of pine, and earthy hops.

The first sip, like the nose, really brought the chocolate. Rich, decadent milk chocolate, balanced out with roasted malt and coffee. Some creamy vanilla & licorice follow and that rolls right into the semi-sweet, charred finish that lingers on the palate. It is a sweet beer, but that is what you should expect from the style. However, I never thought it was too sweet. I also thought that the 11% ABV was hidden exceptionally well. I could tell I was drinking a stronger beer but I would not have placed it as high as 11%. Good Night Moon is definitely a beer that can sneak up on you, especially if you decided to enjoy a second can.

I am not going to say that Good Night Moon is going to blow your socks off but if you are a fan of a slightly sweeter stout or porter, you will really enojy this beer. I, for one, am relieved I enjoyed it as much as I did. I am fairly certain the 3 other cans I purchased won't see the end of the week.

Overall rating: 4/5

Ithaca BullsEye Red Ale

I give a lot of credit to Ithaca Beer Company for really advancing my love of craft beer. When I was in college I remember falling in love with their Apricot Wheat, a beer that to this day I consider a fantastic summer crusher. I also loved their long-departed Pale Ale. As my tastes advanced I found myself enjoying their Nut Brown Ale, Flower Power IPA and CascaZilla Red Ale. I have always thought they made delicious beer but admittedly I do not buy their products as much as I used to. When I saw their new Bullseye Red Ale, I purchased it immediately. This was a brewery I have enjoyed over the years tackling a style I love and one they have succeeded at before. It was the kind of beer I could not wait to have in my glass. Ithaca’s latest take on a red ale clocks in at 5.5% ABV, which is a full percentage point lower than CascaZilla making it more sessionable. However, if its aroma is any indication, Bullseye is far more complex. The aroma is floral, spicey, piney, woody, citrusy with a toasted bread, toffee and caramel malt backbone. The taste matches the nose with its complexity. Grapefruit and pine come through initially before some bready, caramel malt sweetness provides a nice touch of balance. The finish is earthy, spicy, piney and dry. There is a lot to like here about Bullseye. Its flavor certainly compliments the season nicely. My issue with this beer is the lack of body. The flavor of the beer is great. What is unfortunate is that the flavor is extremely muted. My first thought after I took my first sip was, “this beer would be amazing if it was not so watered down.” It tastes exactly like a light beer version of a cold weather red ale. I wanted to love this beer so much, but I became more and more frustrated as I worked my way through the glass. This review does sound more harsh than it should. I am just disappointed because while I did like BullsEye, I wanted to love it. Still, this is one of my favorite styles of beer and I am thrilled to see Ithaca re-imagine it. While they did a decent job, I can’t help but wonder what could have been if these complex flavors were allowed to shine more. Overall rating: 3/5 Rating Scale: 1. Repugnant and undrinkable 2. Acceptable but forgettable 3. Good, worth a purchase 4. Excellent, a step above the norm 5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW! To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Rating Scale:

1. Repugnant and undrinkable

2. Acceptable but forgettable

3. Good, worth a purchase

4. Excellent, a step above the norm

5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Long Trail Harvest Vermont Maple Brown Ale

I believe I have written this before but if I see a beer with maple syrup in it, I am going to buy it. Not all the beers I have had with maple syrup in them have been winners, but like coconut in beer, I can’t seem to pass them up. When I saw Long Trail Ale Harvest, a Vermont Maple Brown Ale, I had to give it a try and write about it.

Over the years, I have become a fan of Long Trail Brewing’s catalog. The VT IPA in particular tastes fantastic and is very reasonably priced for a 12-pack. I also really enjoy their Cranberry Gose, Limbo IPA and their flagship Long Trail Ale. I had high hopes that their Harvest Ale would become a fall staple in my refrigerator. From the moment I got a whiff of Long Trail’s Harvest, a Vermont Maple Brown Ale, I thought I found a beer that was going to do just that. Chocolate, maple syrup, caramel, toffee, coffee, earthy hops all seemed to beautifully come together in the aroma.

Before I took my first sip, there was something that kept my hopes in check-- the 4.4% ABV. That is light beer territory and for a Fall beer that is extremely low. Not only did that give me concerns about the flavor but it also gave me concerns about body. I think it goes without saying but the cooler weather of Fall demands a beer with a bit more body and warming alcohol to it. I wanted Long Trail’s Harvest Ale to prove me wrong on all of these fronts but it sadly did not. It had the mouthfeel of light beer. There is decent flavor there but it is extremely watered down. The dark chocolate, coffee, maple syrup and toffee are muddled together before an earthy hop finish. The beer finishes clean, but what would you expect from a light beer masquerading as a brown ale for the Fall season?

While Long Trail’s Harvest lacks the flavor and body one would expect from a Fall beer, I did not completely hate it. As I said earlier it by no means tastes bad, it is just incredibly average. I would love to see this beer with at least a 5.5% ABV. More body would give this beer a chance to let its flavors shine. I have a feeling that would dramatically bring my overall rating up.

Overall rating: 2.75/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

2018 Sierra Nevada & Weihenstephan Oktoberfest

I had been trying to resist purchasing Fall beer until the start of September, but I recently caved. Three beers immediately caught my eye and I was waiting for any reason to drink them. A couple nights on the cooler side occurred recently and I felt it was the perfect time to start sampling some of my Fall favorites. The first was Southern Tier Warlock and this year’s batch is delicious. It delivers the taste of Fall in a bottle. The second beer I could not pass up on is Genesee Oktoberfest. It is an unmatched value that delivers tremendous flavor. Finally, I could not resist purchasing Sierra Nevada’s latest Oktoberfest collaboration with the world's oldest brewery, Weihenstephan Brewery.

Cutting right to the chase, Sierra Nevada & Weihenstephan have brewed the best Oktoberfest beer in the series so far. Up until this point, the 2015 collaboration with Riegele was my favorite in the series. That delicious beer now takes a distant back seat to this year’s collaboration. The look, aroma and flavor here is wonderful. The aroma is floral and slightly sweet with caramel, biscuit dough, a light nuttiness and fruitiness, with grassy and spicy hops. The first sip pretty much matches the nose. The caramel sweetness shines initially before some biscuit dough comes in adding another beautifully complimentary layer. The nuttiness I mentioned in the aroma is bit more pronounced in the flavor. There is a touch of fruit before a light, grassy, spicy hop flavor that provides a beautiful balance to the sweetness of the malt. Everything works here and I am actually feeling giddy here writing about it.

I mentioned earlier that this was the best Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest collaboration with a German brewery yet. That feels like an understatement. This year’s collaboration takes its place as one of my favorite Oktoberfest beers of all time. I assure you, it is well worth a purchase.

Overall rating: 4.75/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Horseheads Pumpkin Ale

For the most part, pumpkins beers suck. For over a decade, I have been trying to convince myself otherwise but I feel it is time to admit the truth. Many other beer enthusiasts have not only felt this way for awhile, they practically scream their dislike of pumpkin beers the second they start showing up on shelves. The reason I have held out so long from saying this is, there are some pumpkin beers that I really enjoy. Southern Tier Warlock and Pumking for example are two that I look forward to every year. Another pumpkin beer I really enjoy is Cigar City's Good Gourd. Still, for one of those pumpkin beers I enjoy, there are another twenty on shelves that are better off being poured down the sink than consumed by anyone.

A terrible pumpkin beer in particular that stands out in my mind is Shipyard's Pumpkin Ale. Drinking that beer practically traumatized me from not only pumpkin beers but beer in general. Shipyard's horrible base beer was not only masked by spices, it was obliterated by them. The beer is so bad I am offended whenever I see it return each August. Don't get me wrong, there are many other terrible pumpkin beers on the market but that one, to me, is by far the worst one. At this point you are probably wondering if I think pumpkin beer is so bad, then why am I writing a blog about it? The reason is, most people reading this blog are probably going to buy some pumpkin beer this fall season. Instead of wasting money on terrible ones, I want to use this blog to recommend one that I think is exceptional.

You might not have heard of Horseheads Pumpkin Ale but if you enjoy the style you should pick it up immediately. At the same time, if you don't understand why people like pumpkin beers, this one is so good it might change your mind. The aromas of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, pie crust, pumpkin and caramel can simply be described as autumn in a glass. The taste matches the nose but what makes everything work here is balance. The spices compliment the pie crust and caramel malt, they do not over power it. The mouthfeel is also pleasantly creamy, enhancing the dessert-like feeling to this beer. Everything about Horseheads Pumpkin Ale works and works well. Nothing seems out of place and no one flavor overpowers another.

Horseheads Pumpkin Ale, in my opinion, is the best pumpkin beer on the market today. If you enjoy the style and have yet to try it, do yourself a favor and buy a bottle. If you are on the fence about the style but have just not found a good one yet, give this one a try. Or if you hate the style, I still think you might be pleasantly surprised. Horseheads Pumpkin Ale, plain and simple, is a well-made pumpkin beer. It turns out there is such a thing and I highly recommend giving it a try as the weather starts getting cooler.

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Genesee Oktoberfest

Three things remind me that summer is coming to an end: NFL Preseason, WWE Summerslam and Fall Beer hitting the shelves. I enjoy all three of these things but I could always wait just a little bit longer for all of them to arrive. Now that they have arrived though, I feel I might as well enjoy them. Well, actually it is a bit difficult to enjoy NFL Preseason Football. I think you really have to be vested in a particular roster battle to even remotely care about the games. Personally, I spend most of my time watching those games hoping no one gets injured, but that's beside the point. We are here to talk about fall beer, not meaningless football and that is what we are going to do.

Last year, I wrote a two-part blog covering several Oktoberfest beers(Part 1 & Part 2. Some were great, some were not, but those were two of the most fun blogs I have written so far. One beer missing from that blog was Genesee Oktoberfest. The reason for this happening was I decided to protest the release of fall beers until I felt the weather outside could be considered actual fall. This was an incredibly stupid thing to do on my part because I missed the opportunity to have Genesee Oktoberfest chilling in my refrigerator. Arguably the best value in beer on shelves right now, Genesee Oktoberfest sold out practically as quick as it arrived last year. That may not have actually been the case, but it certainly seemed that way to me. This year however, I did not make same mistake. I bought it the moment I saw it, and ran out of the store giddy to open a can and write about it.

After opening a can and pouring Genesee Oktoberfest into a glass, I was greeted with the familiar aromas of Oktoberfest beer. Caramel, toasted bread, a light nuttiness with floral and spicy hops. The hop aroma is noticeably light but it is there. The first sip matched the nose but there was a clear difference between this Oktoberfest beer and a lot of the others I discussed last year. The difference is Genesee Oktoberfest is noticeably lighter bodied. This might sound like a criticism but that is not necessarily the case. Being a bit on the lighter side works well here. It is almost as if Genesee has created a bridge between a light, refreshing summer beer and a malty, fuller flavored fall beer. The fact that it is mid-August and still hot outside as I write this should let you know how refreshing I find this beer. If it was a cooler night in mid-September I might be looking for something with a little more body but for right now, Genesee Oktoberfest is working beautifully for me as a late summer session beer.

If you are looking to ease into fall beer, Genesee Oktoberfest is the perfect place to start. As the nights get colder, it might feel more appropriate for something with more body. For right now though, I highly recommend seeking it out. If you are not sold yet, the other fantastic thing about Genesee Oktoberfest is its price. At around 9-10 dollars for a 12-pack, I don't think you will find a better value out there.

Overall rating: 4/5. Light on the wallet & easy to drink, Genesee Oktoberfest is a fantastic bridge between summer & fall.

Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!