A golden lager with a thick light moka head. A rather unpleasant mineral malt eith light adjunct notes. In mouth, a rather bland lager with light butterscotch notes, a bit of rye notes, bland. Bottle at Lucky’s Logan Airport, Dec. 28 2009.

12 ounce bottle from Kybecca in Fredericksburg, VA. Pours a dark brown color appearing black in the glass. Medium brown head with good head retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, pumpkin, caramel and spices such as cinnamon. Taste is bitter roasted malts, faint pumpkin notes, a very faint spiciness and a spicy hop finish. Medium bodied.

On tap at Oliver Twist. Hazy copper with a tiny off-white head. Aroma of malt, ith smoke and a hint of peat (I didn’t know the smoke came from the lapsang while drinking it). Sweet and sugary but still complex malt flavour, with a little peaty smoke. I have wanted to brew with lapsang. Now I know it’s possible!

Draught at Barcade, New York
Hazy blond color. Very simple Ale, not worth many words.

Draught at Barcade, New York
Cloudy blond color. Golden ale without special features; light hop in the aroma; too light malt flavor; reasonable bitterness.

Draught at Ginger Man, NYC
Black color; creamy head. Light roasted malt aroma. Smooth mouthfeel, good body, with dark caramel and chocolate flavor; there is maybe a shade of pumpkin, light luckily. Pleasant.

(Bottle at Oliver Twist, Stockholm) Poured ambed and lightly hazy without any head to speak of. Aroma was musty and aged. Palate was light bodied and dry with medium carbonation. Flavour showed mostly age with some hints of bitterness and fruitiness. Aftertaste was bitter. I don’t know how this one would taste as fresh but it seems to go bad when aged. Unfortunately the bottle had no BBE date.

(Bottle at Oliver Twist, Stockholm) Poured amber and light hazy with small and white head. Aroma contained hops, malts and grain. Palate was medium bodied and dry with medium carbonation. Flavours were malts, hops, bitterness, light fruitiness, dried fruits and sweetness, Aftertaste was bitter. Perhaps a too old bottle.

Draft. Ginger Man, NYC. Finally a pumpkin beer that gets the flavors of pumpkin pie and beer to work together. Maybe the secret is using a stout as the base. Deep brown to black body with a short but fluffy tan head. Nice aroma of pumpkin and spices - nutmeg, cinamon, allspice - alongside roasted malt, wood, smoke and peat. The flavor is lightly to moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and moderately bitter. Medium body, creamy texture that turns a little watery and lively carbonation. The stout adds a nice earthiness to the sweet pumpkin and spice. Nice.

This IPA poured a deep orange colour with no head. even after a vigorous pour. To the nose there are scents of caramel, corn, sweet malts and a little resin? First swig was smooth and hoppy. Flavours of tea, spruce and caramel are in the running. Slightly watery texture though. Finish is hoppy with the tea flavours lingering. Palate has a lingering bitterness.