Now I will kick off (what I think is) the first ever Tuesday beer news with . . .

• A story that was sent to me by The Wife of a man in Argentina who built his house out of millions of empty beer bottles.  Maybe this is a hint that she wants me to fill our garage with empties for future building project purposes?

• Growing water scarcity around the world and increasing pressure to cut consumption has led AB InBev (and many other companies) to look at ways to cut their water use and still increase production levels.  It seems to me like that just makes too much sense to do, water scarcity or not.

• Though primarily using examples from the D.C. area, this article speaks of how the craft beer market and specifically those higher end brews are (at least) maintaining popularity through this time of a down economy.

• My love of beer, food, and travel would not let me pass up the opportunity to share a short piece about beer and pork knuckles in Bavaria.  Perhaps this is something to add to (or remove from) your travel itinerary to Germany?

• Last but not least is a drinking game to add to your March Madness fun, though judging by some of the rules you won’t remember much of the action after about half time of the first game.  However I will say that if number fifteen actually happens (which is what caught my eye with this one), I will need far more than one pitcher to make me feel better!

Better have a few poured and ready for the tournament!

Sláinte!

With that said I will move on to a travel themed string of random thoughts, starting with what a guess are the more negative ones and moving toward positive from there.

Random thought #1 – If I have not mentioned it before, it is my opinion that if you cannot lift your bag into the overhead compartment that it is not a “carry on” piece of luggage.  Also, if you see that I am already half asleep with my head phones on and you still ask me to help you with said bag, don’t plan on me chatting with you on any level during the 4.5 hour flight.

Random thought #2 – I do not think that it would be unreasonable to expect an airline to provide at least some radio as an option to listen to on cross country flights.  I don’t mind reading at all, but I would very much like to drown out the sounds of the various bodily functions coming from the rest of the passengers while doing so.

Random thought #3 – As an example of travel karma I witnessed a tennis racket fall from the overhead compartment and hit a woman in the leg after she was a nuisance (to at least me) during the flight.  Sure I am glad she is OK, but I did laugh quite hard on the inside.

Random thought #4 – Surely there are people out there who can sleep well on planes (with or without any number of drinks), but I am apparently not one of them.  Having the middle seat does not help my chances either.

Random thought #5 – There are so many cool little places (and truck stops) in remote locations of the western United States.  Either that or spending 17 straight hours in a vehicle makes every stop seem spectacular.

Cheers!

We first heard of this creation when The Wife and I were vacationing with family up in Maine and visited Shipyard Brewing last fall.  At the time the beer was not even available at the brewery because it sold out so fast.  We knew that Shipyard brews were available here in Florida so there was at least a small chance that we would see some on the shelves when arrived back home.  Obviously we got lucky and found a bottle one day without even looking for it.

Be sure to read all the way to the bottom as the long awaited judgment on the flight from The Wife is revealed!

Now to wrap things up . . .

Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Co. (Portland, ME)

Name: Smashed Pumpkin Ale  (Signature Series)

Style: Vegetable Beer

ABV: 9.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge (51 degrees +/-) and served in a pint glass.  $8.99 for 1pt. 6oz.

Aroma: Low, but prominent pumpkin spice aroma (mostly nutmeg to me) and a clean aroma overall.

Appearance: Amber in color with a slight orange/copper hue.  Slight dark(er) cream head that quickly dissipates with no trail.  Crystal clear with few rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: The pumpkin spice flavors are prominent with a sugary sweetness underneath.  The spiciness carries through to the finish and lingers slightly.  Really full flavor overall that is like liquid pumpkin pie.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low(ish) carbonation.  A low amount of warmth is noticeable.

Overall Impressions: Most pumpkiny pumpkin ale that I have tried (to date) and is definitely at the top of the Shipyard family for me.  The aroma really carries through to the flavor.  Fitting/appropriate for the holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas).

Grade: A

Her final decisions have been made . . . read below.

As for the final rankings from The Wife and her blind tasting:

1. Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale (very close 1^st and 2^nd)
2. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (very close 1^st and 2^nd)
3. Blueprint Gourdeous One
4. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (distant 4^th)

She fell right in line with the final grades that I had when drinking the four of them side by side.  I don’t know that it means we are correct, but I now know what to look for on the shelves and what to brew at home next fall.

Cheers!

Today we are continuing on up the gravity ladder by going to an imperial version of a pumpkin ale from Weyerbacher.  I think that is one of the first adjustments that I would like to make to my own version.  Though it has a low enough ABV right now to be extremely drinkable, I would like to bring that up quite a bit to add a warmth to it that would be more appropriate to the season.  I guess I need to start planning my triumphant return to pumpkin beer brewing, as I know the time will be here again before I know it.

Now to continue . . .

Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Easton, PA)

Name: Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Style: Vegetable Beer

ABV: 8.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.  $2.99 per 12oz.

Aroma: A more complex, spicy pumpkin pie-like aroma (cinnamon, cloves, etc.) with molasses-like sweetness underneath.

Appearance: Deep amber to caramel color.  Slight off-white head that quickly dissipates with no trail.  Clear with few rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Malty sweetness that is dark brown sugar/molasses-like.  Low spiciness (carried through/similar to aroma) with very low bitterness.  Clean, but slightly lingering finish (good though).

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low(er) carbonation.  Really smooth and somewhat creamy with some slight warmth.

Overall Impressions: Quality ale flavors underneath pumpkin spices.  The warmth is well balanced in to the whole.  Nice overall flavor profile(s).

Grade: A-

Two days later and she is still working through the flight!

That means moving along to the pumpkin offering from Smuttynose Brewing Company as the second of the four.  It is not too surprising that aside from my own version, the remaining three are from breweries in the northeast.  Having grown up in Northern New York, I think pumpkins are more appropriate for that kind of climate anyway.

As much as I don’t really enjoy many fruit beers (though I am slowly coming around a bit to them), I do love a good pumpkin beer for some reason, especially when the weather is a bit brisk.  Maybe that is why I waited until the days were colder here in Florida (December) until cracking these open?

Enough rambling, let us continue . . .

Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Co. (Portsmouth, NH)

Name: Pumpkin Ale

Style: Vegetable Beer

ABV: 6.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.  $1.99 per 12oz.

Aroma: Light, clean pumpkin spices (mostly nutmeg and cinnamon?) with malty undertones that are pumpkin bread-like.

Appearance: Light amber to golden color.  One finger cream color head that is frothy with good retention and some trail.  Very clear with many bubbles visible.

Flavor: Moderate maltiness with some hop bitterness.  No pumpkin flavor noticed.  Some harshness at finish that is almost metallic.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with moderate carbonation.  Creamy and smooth.

Overall Impressions: The finish definitely hurts the overall.  Really no need to drink again, mostly because there are many other quality pumpkin ales out there.

Grade: C

The Wife still enjoying the flight of pumpkin beers.