Fall Swing Ahead with New Seasonal Craft Beers

If you're thirsty for new and exciting craft beers, look no further!  Here's just a small sampling of what's new in our stores.

21st Amendment Marooned Oyster Stout
Exhausted by the tedious work and rancid beer, deck swabs O’Sullivan and Freccia abandoned Sir Francis Drake’s Galleon. Days later, they washed up on a tiny island in Tomales Bay, where they encountered local oyster farmers John and Terry. Soon, these beer mutineers and oyster mercenaries were feasting on roast pig, fresh oysters and goblets of the captain’s finest ale. They could think of worse fates than being MAROONED ON HOG ISLAND.  Marooned on Hog Island is our Collaboration beer with the Hog Island Oyster Company. A rich and chewy stout brewed with Hog Island Sweetwater oyster shells for a silky, salty finish. 7.9% ABV

Abita Brewing Harvest Peach Lager
Fresh Louisiana peaches are handpicked for this smooth lager. Pale malt gives the beer a sweet, crisp taste, with abundant amounts of ripe, juicy peaches added in the brewhouse to capture the flavors and aromas of real, fresh fruit. All our Harvest Series brews are made with the finest Louisiana-grown ingredients.  4.5% ABV

Left Hand Oktoberfest
This is no festivus for the restuvus – on the contrary – we start brewing in the Spring and it takes a full two months to reach lagered perfection. Biscuity, malty goodness dominates upfront while the noble pedigree hops lend a properly spicy, dry finish. Zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi. Time to roast your chicken and upend your stein before the air gets crisp, the leaves flame and fall and the skies fade to black. Auf geht’s!  6.6% ABV

Neshaminy Creek Punkless Dunkel Pumpkin Wheat AleYou may know this beer by it’s previous name, Punkel Dunkel Pumpkin Wheat Ale.  It’s also been called a lot of other names as well: Pumpkin Dunkel, Pumpkinweizen, etc.  Whatever you’ve called it in the past, we know that regardless of what it’s called, this is one of the most popular, if not the most popular seasonal beer we make.  When we set out to create what we hoped was a unique pumpkin beer we decided to brew an imperial version of our Dunks Ferry Dunkelweizen, but in an unabashedly American way by adding pumpkin to the mash and your favorite pumpkin pie spices to the kettle. We add dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to the boil as well to pair with the banana esters and spicy clove imparted by the yeast during fermentation. At 8.8% ABV it’s no slouch either. Always released after Labor Day, Punkless Dunkel doesn’t last long as the crisp Autumn nights make way to Winter just around the corner.  Do the seasons even change in Texas? 8.8% ABV

Sweetwater Hash Brown
Oh me oh my… what did we do?  We fired up the skillet to 420°, tossed in a sizzling concoction of 2-row, Wheat, Pale Chocolate, Cara-Brown and Midnight Wheat, then added in a hefty dose of hop hash and other dank-ish-ish-ish fixin’s to scatter, smother and cover this baby all the way.  Resiny, citrusy hops spice up the rich chocolate and caramel notes the malt brought to the mix, making this platter slide down the counter at 60 IBU’s.  6.2% ABV  (This is only in our Lawrenceville Location currently.  Keep an eye out for its arrival in Woodbridge later this month!)

 

Our Pumpkin Patch is Growing...

As the temperatures reach record highs this week, our beer delivery trucks are chock full of autumn favorites!  We know it's early, but stock up soon because these go fast!

New products just in:

Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale
A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with.  Punkin Ale is named after the seriously off-centered southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin. In fact, Punkin Ale made its debut as it claimed first prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest. Yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business!  Punkin Chunkin has grown in size and scale, with pumpkins now being hurled more than 4,000 feet through the air! If you come down to see if for yourself, drop by and visit us.  7% ABV

Southern Tier PumkingAll Hallow's Eve is a time of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent.  It is thought that we harness this magic to brew our powerful pumpkin ale.  Not so, but it is with great respect to the magic of their trade that our brewers produce this fine beer.  Take a whiff of this complex ale and your journey has just begun.  At first sip, a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds, yet another victim enraptured by the Pumking.  8.6% ABV

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin AleEarly American colonists, seeking natural ingredients for brewing ales, turned to pumpkins, which were plentiful, flavorful and nutritious. Blended with barley malt, pumpkins became a commonly used beer ingredient. Post Road Pumpkin Ale brings back this tasty tradition. Hundreds of pounds of pumpkins are blended into the mash of each batch, creating a beer with an orange amber color, warm pumpkin aroma, biscuity malt center, and crisp finish. 5% ABV

River Horse Hipp-O-Lantern Imperial PumpkinAle brewed with pumpkin, molasses, and a variety of hand-crushed, whole spices set up an impressive aroma and well balanced taste.  8.5% ABV

What to Drink for Thanksgiving, Part 1

Halloween is behind us now (although the candy might not be), and that means that we have to gear our palates towards the next food holiday, Thanksgiving. Our stores will be especially busy throughout the month, so we're going to offer you some holiday beverage suggestions via social media, which should help you get in and out of our stores more quickly. (And if you shop at our Woodbridge location, don't forget about our online ordering/in-store pickup feature. Click here for details).

Today, for our first installment, we'll cover beers, ales and ciders. For those who are new to the craft beer phenomena, these are seasonal products, and we eventually run out of choices. For the best selection of holiday beverages, you definitely should shop early. These suggestions are presented in no particular order.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin

Weyerbacher is brewed in nearby Allentown, PA, and that makes it a nice place to visit. This 8.0% ABV pumpkin ale is the mother of all pumpkin ales. It is heartier, spicier and more “caramelly” and “pumpkiny” than its faint brethren! We have added lots of pumpkin along with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of cardamom and clove, giving this beer a spicy, full-bodied flavor.

This truly is an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Perfect finisher on a cool autumn night or match it up with a slice of pumpkin pie and fresh whipped cream.

It pairs with turkey (of course), roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, root vegetables, hearty pastas and harvest foods. Also pairs well with spiced and cream desserts. Also try Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin with Comte or Gruyere cheese.

Harpoon Pumpkin Cider

When we first introduced Harpoon Cider, we spent some time in our tour room mixing it with different beers and sampling different combinations. The results were varied, but one pairing in particular – Harpoon Cider with Winter Warmer – was a standout. We recreated the combination at festivals and at our breweries for years before we were able to combine the seasonal spicing with freshly pressed apples in one bottle, which is exactly what we have done with Harpoon Pumpkin Cider.

Real pumpkin and freshly pressed apples are combined with seasonal spices to craft this pure and natural craft cider.

The aroma is all freshly pressed Northeastern Apples, traditional pumpkin pie spices and a hint of pumpkin. On the palate, it's apple forward with all the traditional Autumn flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, and a touch of sweetness for balance. The finish is dry, light and refreshing. And Harpoon Pumpkin Cider is naturally gluten-free.

Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale

A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with.

Punkin Ale is named after the seriously off-centered southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin (The contest was cancelled for 2015 due to the inability to obtain insurance for the event). In fact, Punkin Ale made its debut as it claimed first prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest. Yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business!

This is one of our ultimate seasonally-brewed, limited availability items. Don't miss out! Since its debut, we've brewed Punkin Ale each and every fall. It is released right around Sept. 1 each year. When you find it, grab some extra because it's usually gone by Thanksgiving.

Tasting Notes: Malty, pumpkin, caramel, brown sugar.

Food Pairing Recommendations: Turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, dessert dumplings, sharp cheddar.

Southern Tier Pumking

All Hallows Eve is a time of year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent. It is thought that we harness this magic to brew our powerful pumpkin ale. Not so, but it is with great respect to the magic of their trade that our brewers produce this fine beer. Take a whiff of this complex ale and your journey has just begun. At first sip, a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds, yet another victim enraptured by the Pumking.

Pumpkin, pie spices, buttery crust, vanilla and roasted pecans on the nose. Malty sweetness, vanilla, clove, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and pie crust on the palate. 8.6% Abv. Available in 4-pack (12oz bottles) or 22oz bottles. Serve in a goblet.

Southern Tier Warlock

We decided to turn things up a bit this year and brew Warlock to a Blackwater Series appropriate 10.0% ABV.

Warlock is brewed to enchant your palate on its own and also to counterpoint Pumking. Make your own black magic by carefully pouring this Imperial Stout in to a goblet.

Dark and mysterious, the Blackwater Series is serious about high gravity. Reanimate your senses with Warlock's huge roasted malt character, moderate carbonation and spicy pumpkin pie aroma.

In addition to the balance it brings to your Thanksgiving table, Warlock is particularly tasty with spicy BBQ, smoked and roasted foods. Try it as a float, with a scoop of organic vanilla ice cream, or paired with a slice of carrot cake.

The nose: pumpkin pie spices and roasted malts. The palate: pumpkin pie, laced with coffee and dark chocolate. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel, while finishing sweeter than Pumking. 22oz bottles.