mmm...aren't you jealous? I love my job!

Oh hell yea...it's victory beer time! So the Pens advanced to the Stanely Cup finals for the 2nd year in a row (hopefully winning this time around) so I decided to bust out something I got (thanks to a good customer!). This is the Brooklyn Local 2. I'm not sure if you ever got around to trying the Local 1 which was a Belgian Golden Ale (better than Duvel in my opinion), I was looking forward to this! This is a strong Belgian Dark bottle conditioned ale! @ 9.0% abv, this brew warms the tastebuds! It starts with a fantastic malty aroma smell/taste that is followed by a fruity and spicy taste. Can't pinpoint the fruit but man this beer is f'in great! Not much hoppiness to it, yet it just holds something herbal in it. WOW! Love it! For this style this definitely gets a 5 out of 5...too bad the price is absurd....try it~!

Ok I had to throw this one up there! This was a great 2 on 1 with Guerrin scoring off a sweet ass pass from Sid......can you say Lord Stanely?

So tonight I had a Magic Hat Circus Boy. @ 5.4%, this Hefeweizen was actually pretty decent. I really have never been a huge fan of Magic Hat but this beer had it's typical hazy yellow color, citrus aroma, notes of fruit and clove. I (normally don't put a lemon/lime in the beer) enjoyed this one. Not too complex yet actually refreshing! I give this a 4 out of 5!

Ok so tonight the Pens swept the Easter Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes! Yeaaahhh!!!!! So this is an update pic of my "beard". This is honestly the longest I have ever let my hair get...i prefer clean shavin. Anyway I updated my profle (www.beardathon.com/penguins/ums7/profile.aspx). Let's go Pens!!

Next up was the Oatmeal Stout. I was very impressed with this one! I usually enjoy these darker beers over winter but hey..it was free! Anyway, this 4.9% stout was delicious! Chocolately, roasted maltiness was found from the first sip to the last. This full bodied beer was a little creamy with minor carbonation. It had nice bitterness to it with a little sour taste. Great finish! 4 out of 5! Next up was Pandora's Bock. I was not impressed with this 7.5% winter bock had a very sweet candy like taste to it. It was very light bodied and slight malt aroma/taste. Thumbs down...I did not enjoy this one at all. 1 out of 5.

Ok so I got a couple more Breckenridge beers the other day and tried them, but forgot to post them...good thing I write things down! First up was the Pale Ale. At 5.7% abv, this Pale Ale had the bitter hoppiness to it. Not quite like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but never the less a good brew. Kinda reminded me of Troeg's Pale Ale. This copper colored ale had grassy/piney notes, citrus taste, and just the right amount of bitterness to it that made it all right! For a pale ale...4 out of 5!

So I saved the IPA for last! The 6.5% abv Long Hammer is true to it's IPA form! Plenty of hops were added into this one. The hop hammer dropped down onto this with it's piney aroma/taste. Medium bodied, amber color. Most don't like the type of bitterness that it has (must be the certain types of hops used in this) but I do. The hoppier the better (just my opinion). Not much lacing on my glass but I really don't give a rat's ass about lacing...sure it looks good but it's all about the beer...not the lacing. I give this one a 4 out of 5!

Next up was the ESB. This is probably their flagship beer as I have had this one many times. Ok so this 5.7% abv bitter beer is everything I expect in a bitter...copper color, malty taste, little notes of hops, medium body. This bitter tasting beers is a good ESB but not compared to the true ESB's from England like Fuller's. Definitely worth trying in my book though! 4 out of 5!

Ok so last night I got to try out some other Red Hook products...first was the Slim Chance Blonde Ale. At 3.9% abv, this session beer was very light. Not much malt taste, little bitter. Slight citrus taste. I know most blonde ales are on the light bodied side, but this almost seemed like a light beer ha ha. Overall, nothing to write home about. Something different for a change. Good for a summer time picnic type beer...3 out of 5!

Next up was the Red Hook Copper Hook. At 5.7% abv, this Spring Amber Ale was delicious. It had a stronger taste than compared to the Magic Hat Roxy Rolles. I was impressed! It has more malt taste, not quite the hoppiness than I had expected. Medium bodied beer that went down very smooth. This one gets 3 out of 5!

Ok so the other night I got a chance to try some new beers. First up was the Magic Hat Roxy Rolles. This 5.8% abv winter amber ale was a good smooth winter brew. Little notes of hops, more malt aroma/taste. Hints of spice and fruit (grapefruit?) Session beer for the winter! 3 out of 5!

Next up was their Pikeland Pils. @ 4.9% abv this cloudy golden pils is a decent one. It has a dry, citrusy taste to it, crisp tasting. This is decently hopped yet not too much. Aroma of grains and yeast...a little bitter. Surprisingly good! Not my favorite style of beer, but one to have every now and again. 3 out of 5!

The other night I tried some canned craft beer which I have had before, but I haven't rated them yet so here it is! Slyfox Brewing is out of Phoenixville, PA. The thing about canned craft beer is that it will prevent oxidation, and you do not have to worry about sunlight (UV Rays) attacking your beer. All cans now have a special liner on the inside to prevent that "metallic" taste. Besides you should always drink your beer out of the appropriate glass anyway! Besides that here is the Royal Weisse. @ 5.4% abv this one is a definite buy! It has that good German wheat taste to it with a nice subtle hoppiness to it. Hazy yellow color, light body with a wheat and banana taste to it. mmm...5 out of 5 for this one! Don't over look this just because it is in a can..try one!

Last up is the Agave Wheat. Typical 4.2% abv in this one. Not sure if I taste the Salmiana Agave. (not sure what that even is ha ha) I did like this wheat beer though. It seemed to have a good blend of wheat character, sour/citrus/honey taste, and a light body, perfect for summer. Now don't get me wrong this is no Franziskaner or Konig Ludwig Weiss, but definitely one to try. All in all I give this a 3 out of 5!

Next up was the Summer Bright Ale. @ 4.5% abv this is pretty much your typical summer ale(wheat ale). Pours a hazy copper/yellow color. Very light bodied, smooth. I noticed a little citrus taste similar to most wheat ales I have had. Nice wheat aroma, perfect for a hot summer day. This is probably better than Sam Adams Summer Ale (which is too citrusy for me). 3 out of 5 beer chips.

On Wednesday I got some samples of Breckenridge Brewery's beers. Breckenridge is a brewery out of Denver, CO. First up was the Avalanche Amber Ale. Medium copper color and a light bodied beer. This one is definitely for easy drinking @ 5.41% abv. Not too much comes out of this beer. Subtle caramel malt, a little on the sweet side. Not a bad beer, I would get this once in a while for something different. 2 beer chips out of 5.

This one is the Sly Fox Brewing Co. (known for their canned craft beers) Christmas beer from 2008. Their commercial description says that if this doesn't get you into the Christmas spirit then truly are you a scrooge. I have to laugh at that but then again it could be true! So anyway I decided that after 5 months I would give this one a try. Surprisingly this one only clocks in @ 5% abv...unless it has gone up from the "aging"! So here is my take. The first thing I tasted when I took a sip was clove...I though uh oh..clove isn't exactly my favorite spice (ha ha). Then came the chocolate taste-mmm. I was quite surprised because I didn't think there was going to be any chocolate in this one. After a few sips it almost seemed like it was a mint chocolate taste....with clove ha ha if you can believe that! After a few more sips the ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and all-spice come into the picture. This has a decent level of sweetness to it but for a christmas beer it is a lot lighter bodied than the color (dark red) gives away. Definitely different. For a christmas beer that isn't dark or hoppy (the way I prefer) I gave this one a 4 out of 5...try this instead of Harpoon Winter Warmer!

WOW...Voodoo Brewing's Love Child...this is their Gran Met (Belgian Strong Ale) aged for a couple months with
passion fruit, cherries, and raspberries. This one is 9.5% abv so it does pack a kick...yet you could never tell. Their is a slight warming alcohol taste that is definitely overpowered by the fruit punch taste to this "lambic". The smell is definitely unique as well as you can pick out the raspberries and cherries (not so much passion fruit...then again I'm not really sure I ever smelled a fresh passion fruit!) A little on the sweet side but not like your traditional lambic style beers (like Lindemans). Good carbonation...great mouthfeel..not too dry, yet my mouth was watering for more! This one is definitely complex tasting and gave my tastebuds a good test. 5 out of 5 for sure!

Pours a copper color with lots of floral/piney aroma. Generous amounts of hops were poured into this one! Definitely a little on the citrus side and not as bitter as most I like...more balanced with the amounts of malts in this. At 7% abv, this is definitely one I could keep in my fridge at all times. Well deserved rating of 5 out of 5 beer chips!

Ok so round 2 of the playoffs started...unfortunately we are 0-2 to start.. I have entered the beard a thon that the Pittsburgh Penguins are hosting (www.beardathon.com/penguins/Ums7/profile.aspx) to donate please visit this site!!!! This goes to a great cause (the Mario Lemiuex Foundation).

Ok this one is the celebrated Dogfish Head Aprihop....mmm...this is definitely a unique beer! Copper color and medium body this brew is not really a true apricot beer except in aroma..and a mild apricot taste. This one has the hops that one would expect yet the fruity aftertaste/aroma just catches the tastebuds. Mild hop taste/mild aprihop aroma....not too bitter not too tart. This is definitely a unique beer...in fact a fav of mine. 5 out of 5 beer chips for this one!

Ok up now is a pic of me and my beard for the 2nd round of the Pens.....