A listing of the top 10 pumpkin beers brewed in the United States(2013).  Great for the Holiday season.
1. Punkin  Ale – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. Perfect to warm-up with, as the season cools. Food Pairing recommendations: Turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, dessert dumplings. 7% abv. 24 ibu.    

    2. Pumking             - Southern Tier Brewing Company Pumking is an ode to Púca, a creature of Celtic folklore, who is both feared and respected by those who believe in it. Púca is said to waylay travelers throughout the night, tossing them on its back, and providing them the ride of their lives, from which they return forever changed! Brewed in the spirit of All Hallows Eve, a time of year when spirits can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent. Pour Pumking into a goblet and allow it’s alluring spirit to overflow. As spicy aromas present themselves, let its deep copper color entrance you as your journey into this mystical brew has just begun. As the first drops touch your tongue a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds making it difficult to escape. 8.6% abv  

3. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale - Stevens Point Brewery Handcrafted using real pumpkin and savory pumpkin pie spices with hints of all natural cinnamon and nutmeg. Perle hops balance with rich Munich, Roasted, and Caramel malts for the full-bodied taste and exceptional flavor. 7.5% ABV. 2012 Gold Medal Winner at the Great American Beer Festival.  

4.  Terrapin Pumpkinfest  - Terrapin Beer Company ‘Pumpkinfest’ is a traditional Octoberfest brewed with over 1 pound of pumpkin per barrel along with pumpkin spices. All of the malt of a German Fest beer and all the spice of Grandma’s pumpkin pie!”

5. La Parcela- #1 Pumpkin Ale – Jolly Pumpkin Packed with real pumpkins, hints of spice and a gentle kiss of cacao to lighten the soul. An everyday easy way to fill your squashy quotient. Only available for a few short months. Not to be missed.   6. Alaskan Pumpkin Porter – Alaskan Brewing Company With over 11 pounds of pumpkin added to every barrel of this imperial porter, this beer has a smooth, velvety rich texture. Brown sugar, holiday spices and a scoche of Alaskan’s famous alder-smoked malt are added to create an aroma and flavor reminiscent of grandma’s Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.
7. Ichabod Ale – New Holland Brewing Company Ichabod combines malted barley and real pumpkin with cinnamon and nutmeg in a delicious and inviting brew.

Big Fun at Oktoberfest

Cleveland Oktoberfest

DATES FOR OKTOBERFEST 2013

When: Aug. 30th – Sept. 2nd, 2013

Where:     Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds

164 Eastland Road     Berea, Ohio 44017

(just outside Cleveland)

Admission : $10 for adults   12 and under free

Costs : Beer is a dollar a ticket – Prices vary pending on beer size and souvenir mug

Count on spending at least $6 per beer or refill.

Beer selection :  HB, Sam Adams, Yuengling,  Warstiener

Food :  Tons of ethnic food stands

Entertainment : ethnic bands, Rock n Roll and more

Kids : Games, blow-ups, crafts, kids entertainment

Review:

I always look forward to labor day specifically because of the Oktoberfest.  This year is no different.  The warm weather brought out big crowds on Saturday 8/31/13.  The Glokenspiel was mobbed at every hour with happy beer drinkers looking to grab flying trinkets and t-shirts.  This year the new attraction was a t-shirt gun that propelled the sought after clothing far into the back of the crowd.  Sadly, our entourage walked away with only a few necklaces, but it was entertaining none the less.    Rumor has it that the Glokenspiel trucks in over 1 ton of plastic gimmicks to give away through out the weekend.

The beer always goes down way to quickly in the hot sun so the lines tended to be long at the beer stands,but if you weren’t picky about your beverage we could find open stands to quench our thirsts.

The kids had a blast jumping in all the inflatables. However after several Sam Adam’s Oktoberfests I found it best to not watch them too closely so as not to get a bit seasick.

I highly recommend this experience. Here’s looking forward to 2014!

8:00pm at the Glokenspiel

American Pale Ale

Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

MOODS

Bill F. – “Laid Back” (and eventually shocked as hell)

Bill S. – “Outstanding”

Tracy S. = “Silly”

Jeff D.- ” Glad it’s Friday and I’m at home”

Emily D. – “Smooth”

Kurt O. – “Weekendy”

Melanie O. – “Groovy”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Bill F. – “Creamy and hoppy”

Bill S. – “Hoppy, Peachy, good and smooth”

Tracy S. –“Smooth” (Seems there’s a trend here)

Jeff D. – “Hoppy. It tastes very good”

Emily D. – “It’s not bad”  (Possibly a new tag line for the Brewpub)

Kurt O. – “Orangey and Hoppy” ( another trend brewing here)

Melanie O. – “ I don’t think it’s bad” (SHOCKING per Bill F.)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

OVERALL RATING

Bill F. – I like it alot! “At $14 a bottle I would buy it, but not share it

Bill S. – “Very good. I would drink it again, but not buy it”

Tracy S. – “Best IPA I’ve had”  (Bill F. almost faints)

Jeff D. – “I Love it. Taste almost like a an Alchemy”

Emily D. – “ Very good” ( Bill almost had to be rushed to the hospital)

Kurt O. – “Great label. Great taste. I like the American IPA”

Melanie O. – “I would taste it again ” ( Bill, Bill? Hello, McFly?)

“In Heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it here,” the lyrics to an Irish song go.

Unfortunately, there is one thing this song fails to mention: beer makes people terribly dehydrated, hence the fact that many get severe headaches after gulping down one too many pints.

Australian researchers at the Griffith University’s Health Institute claim to have figured out a way to solve this problem.

Long story short, they’ve created a new type of beer that contains loads of electrolytes, i.e. an ingredient common in sports drinks.

The scientists named this beverage “hydrating beer” and explain that, unlike other varieties presently available on the market, it allows people to drink as much of it as they want while staying refreshed.

According to HuffingtonPost, this new beer is about one-third more effective at keeping drinkers hydrated than run-off-the-mill varieties are.

“Our augmented light beer was by far the most well retained by the body, meaning it was the most effective at rehydrating the subjects,” specialist Ben Desbrow claims.

The researchers suspect that this feature could also help make hangovers more bearable.

The only bad news is that the hydrating beer created by the Australian researchers contains a tad less alcohol than the average brew.

However, the scientists say there are no detectable differences in taste. Especially after one gets to their fifth pint.

John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad,     started his project now known as the Beer Can House in 1968 when he began     inlaying thousands of marbles, rocks, and metal pieces into concrete and redwood     to form unique landscaping features. When the entire front and back yard were     completely covered because he “got sick of mowing the grass”, he     turned to the house itself and began adding aluminum siding – aluminum     beer can siding, that is. Over the next 18 years the house disappeared under     a cover of flattened beer cans for both practical and decorative reasons.     Garlands made of cut beer cans hanging from the roof edges not only made the     house sing in the wind, but also lowered the family’s energy bills. Ripley’s     Believe It or Not estimated that over 50,000 cans adorn this monument to recycling.

John considered his work an enjoyable pastime rather than a work of art,    but he did enjoy people’s reaction to his creations. He once said, “It    tickles me to watch people screech to a halt. They get embarrassed. Sometimes    they drive around the block a couple of times. Later they come back with    a car-load of friends…”

The house and landscape are adorned with many different types of beer that    John, himself, drank (though his neighbors and his wife, Mary, were always    glad to lend a hand!). Did he prefer one brand to the next? His favorite    beer was always “Whatever’s on special”.

Being a professional beer-taster probably sounds like a pretty good job, until you are asked to taste samples of 200-year-old beer found in a Baltic Sea shipwreck. The tasters who were asked to do so recently, on behalf of researchers in the Åland Islands (an autonomous region of Finland), said that the beer, found in a shipwreck dating back to the early part of the 19th century, “did taste very old… with some burnt notes,” not to mention “quite acidic.”

Even so, they’re going to try and brew it again. The beer, which was discovered alongside 145 bottles of what seems to be the oldest champagne in existence, is the oldest drinkable beer yet found (assuming a loose definition of “drinkable”), and scientists are working on a chemical analysis. With luck, they’ll find live microbes or yeast (they say they’ve seen bacteria and yeast under the microscope but don’t know if its alive), but even if nothing turns up the brewing team can examine the DNA for similarities to modern yeasts.

The hops, unfortunately, will be more difficult to place, meaning that a fair amount of “interpretation” will take place. Which is fine! Because “quite acidic” with “burnt notes” doesn’t sound so appealing, frankly.

BBC; image via Shutterstock]

]]> http://loisbeerclub.com/?feed=rss2&p=305 0 http://loisbeerclub.com/?p=298 http://loisbeerclub.com/?p=298#comments Sun, 28 Jul 2013 16:12:04 +0000 admin http://loisbeerclub.com/?p=298 World Record for Beer Chugging – 1.3 secs

Posted on Men’s Corner.net
Of all the fantastic things ever invented, beer is definitely among the top ten. Most of the beers you’ve drank look like juice for children in comparison with the strongest international beers.

Brewery: Dogfish Head Origin: United States Alcohol: 15-20%
With version 60, and 90, this brewery produces a version 120 which contains between 15 and 20% alcohol. Unlike other beers on this list, this is more readily available and of course if you live in the United States. Light pours because of its density and has a very mild taste of beer with such a quantity of alcohol.

Brewery: Sam Adams Origin: United States Alcohol: 27%
Is prohibited in 13 American states and sold in packs of six bottles. This beer is the pride of the Boston brewery and its unique strength thanks 15-year maturation in oak barrels, with the same kind used for maturing whiskey. Sales in ceramic-copper bottles resembling kettle.

Brewery: BrewDog Origin: Scotland Alcohol: 41%
Eccentric Scottish brewery BrewDog has produced a beer with 41 per cent alcohol. “Sink the Bismarck!” Celebrated command the British war Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which was the Royal Navy met 27 May in 1941. , when the North Atlantic Ocean after a three-day manhunt destroyed the famous German warship. Bismarck particularly disturbed Churchill because it had sunk the pride of the British fleet, the battle cruiser Hood. Although the method of production and the characteristics of beer indeed, Sink The Bismarck is not smooth like its less alcoholic relatives – in fact it has more alcohol than vodka or whiskey.

Brewery: BrewDog Origin: Scotland Alcohol: 55%
In addition you have a chance to see what it looks like a squirrel who swallowed a bottle, see also the second most expensive beer in the world. End of History beer is characterized by extremely high udiu alcohol. Produced only 11 bottles of this exclusive beer, called by the book of philosopher Francis Fukuyama.

Brewery: Schorschbrau Origin: Germany Alcohol: 57%
To be precise, this beer produced in Germany has a flat 57.5% alcohol. If you happen to try this beer, consider yourself a lucky guy, because currently this beer can not get anywhere, and it is produce only 36 bottles.

Brewery: ‘t Koelschip Origin: Netherlands Alcohol: 60%
Dutch brewery ‘t Koelschip produced a beer called Start The Future, which is – believe it or not – 60% alcohol, and currently holds the status of the strongest beer in the world. It certainly does not drink like beer, but like a cocktail in a glass of whiskey or brandy, otherwise you might have a strongest hangover the in the world.

In the two weeks ending on July 7, 2012, beer was the largest selling category of all food and beverage categories in Nielsen measured channels, with sales reaching $1.36 billion. This year, brewers and beer importers hope to see beer again be the top choice for Americans celebrating the occasion.

This week also marks the release of a new analysis of state-by-state beer consumption data from the Beer Institute, the national trade association representing America’s brewers, beer importers and industry suppliers. The analysis found that the five states that consumed the most beer per capita in 2012 were:

1. North Dakota

2. New Hampshire

3. Montana

4. South Dakota

5. Wisconsin

Overall, beer consumption rose 1.5 percent in the United States in 2012 as the economy began to come back after the recession and above normal winter and spring temperatures helped boost beer sales. This means that, on average, each American over the age of 21 drank a little less than one 12 ounce beer per day in 2012. That equates to about 300 beers per year.

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