Long Trail Pollenator Spring Ale

My favorite beer seasons are Spring and Fall because those brews usually have the perfect combinations of flavor and carbonation. This Spring was definitely hard earned in the East coast this year, it was frigid all the way until early April. When the weather warmed up just enough, I was on a mission to gather the Spring brews. I am happy to write that I have sampled a handful of seasonals and none of them disappointed me.

Long Trail's Spring ale is very light with a sweet hoppy aftertaste and would pair great with a salad or burger. One of the nice things about this beer was the sweet factor did not overpower the beer. This is something I would pick up again but since it is seasonal and something I have already tried, I would choose a new seasonal to try when having to choose how much to buy.

Wolaver's Pale Ale

Wolaver's is from Vermont and a small brewery specializing in organic brews. I see the organic label and I have to try it to see if there is a major difference. As crazy as it sounds and I have written this before, organic does make a difference in the taste. It's crisper and cleaner than non-organic like they've washed some of the starch away. I'm also a huge fan of pale ales, this one did not disappoint when it came to balance of flavors without too much of a bitter aftertaste.

Magic Hat Winter Seasonal Howl

Technically, Winter just ended about two weeks ago and I have kept this in my archive for a few months and wanted to put this up before Summer begins. Whenever I think of Magic Hat, I'm always going to think of lighter beers since this is the first Winter seasonal I have seen. The first thing I noticed was the the label. I thought I saw this combination somewhere once in my life before and I probably had thoughts about that moment of time in my life. This book was once required reading in my high school class:

Back to the beer, Winter seasonal brews are usually darker and higher in alcohol content and this Magic Hat brew fits that description. It's definitely more bitter and heavier than its usual brews like #9. I found it pretty easy to drink and despite being a heavier brew the balance was good with the alcohol content. When these come around again next year, I will pick it up again.

Dale's Pale Ale

I read some random reviews and knowing that I am a fan of the American pale ale, I had to pick these cans up to see what the fuss is about. I am shocked I was able to stomach down five of these over time and only had one remain in the fridge. With a lot of beers, if I have more than one, I really give it a curve on taste, slowly drinking them to ensure I'm not dismissing a great beer because of the food I'm eating. This beer stared at me every time I thought about pulling a beer out of the fridge and the thoughts of foul, bitter, aromatic crap bubbled in my gut. I must not be trained for the major hops league, but this beer is disgusting and acidic. I have not seen this served in restaurants or bars or on tap, it's no wonder, this stuff ranks high in beer that only a select few could appreciate.

Flying Dog Hefeweizen

This is the first Flying Dog brew that I drank where I couldn't even bear to take another sip after the first. This was straight battery acid mixed in with sour funk. I'm not sure how this even passed a taste test. This is not something I can imagine drinking with any type of cuisine to stifle the taste. The only thing this beer has going for it was the label art, other than that, this is nothing more than a paperweight when filled and recyclable bottle when empty.

Harp Lager

Some folks would say any time is a great time for a lager, but I think lagers are beers designed for hot weather. They're usually refreshing and easy to drink a few at once without getting wiped out from it while eating. Harp lager is not much different than the other imported lagers, a lot of carbonation, not a light beer, and easy to drink. I wouldn't consider this a special beer but for what it's worth, it's part of the Guinness brewing clan which could make any beer pretty special.

I know I missed posting any St. Patrick's day related beer but this is it, a green bottle from last year sitting dormant in my archives.

Sam Adams Octoberfest

I figured I would get these posts going before the next beer season rolls around. Samuel Adams is local along the New England area and I'm able to find most of the seasonal brews down in NY. Since there is no issue with variety, it's a brand I can't ignore when they have such great limited edition runs and specialty brews. I did enjoy this beer, it's a bit heavier than the regular Boston lager but not by much, and the bitter bite is pretty mild. This is a beer I wish they had all year round, it has all the qualities I look for in a brew, mid-weight, not too carbonated and on the darker side.