Name

Gifts are really nice.  They are even nicer when you aren’t expecting them.

A number of months ago, and I mean a number of months, I was contacted by a representative of Great Northern Brewing Company.  They asked if they could send me some samples of beer.  Who am I to turn that generous offer down?  So I gave my address but in the following weeks I saw nothing.  Eventually I just forgot about the communication until last week.

A box arrived and was placed in front of me with a return address saying Great Northern on it.  I opened it to find a bottle of Frog Hop Fresh Hopped Pale Ale and a sticker in it.  Well I guess they didn’t forget about me after all.  So of course I decided to drink it as soon as I could.

The brew arrives in my nonic pint glass a slightly hazy orange color.  A fluffy white head sites on top of the liquid and leaves a small amount of lacing on the glass as it disappears.

The nose has a definite citrus aroma to it, mainly oranges.  Some slight hop scents are rounded out with a biscuit like smell.

The taste again was very citrus in nature with plenty of malts to balance things out.  I must say I’m a bit surprised by how much in the background the hops are.

It’s a really easy drinking beer.  The 5% ABV makes it such.  And I found myself done with the 22 oz bomber quicker than I normally expect.  But I would be a bad writer if I didn’t say I was slightly disappointed.  The hops just were not as present as I typically like in a pale ale.  Maybe I am spoiled with super hoppy pales like Dale’s and Sierra Nevada.

And I definitely don’t want to come off as ungrateful for the nice gift I was presented with.  That is not the case at all.  I actually enjoyed drinking this beer.  Like I said it went down really easy.  I just saw fresh hop on the label and I guess got this notion in my head that I would be smacked int he face with hops.  And you know what maybe it is the hops that they used that just gave off a more subtle and more citrus flavor.  Obviously they are proud of what they make as they should be.

So a big thank you to Great Northern for sending this my way.  And if you find yourself in Montana you should stop in and check them out.

Grade - B-

Name

It’s a really special time in South Florida right now.  It’s one that doesn’t happen all the time or on a regular schedule.  So you know right away it’s not the blistering hot, humid summer.  But I guess you could say it has to do with “heat.”  Yes it’s the time of the year when a South Florida team actually makes a deep run into the playoffs and every bandwagon jumping idiot comes out of the wood works and acts like a life long fan.  I mean of course they haven’t been to a game in 4 years but they are such die hards.

In my now coming on 15 years of living in South Florida I can count the number of true South Florida sport teams fans on both of my hands.  It’s rare.  Most people down here are implants to begin with.  They have allegiances elsewhere.  But numbers of the ones born and raise here could care less what the Dolphins, Marlins, Panthers and Heat do until it comes time for the playoffs.  Call me a hater all you want.  I know that I support my teams whether they play good or are stinking up the joint.  That’s a fan.

So anyway today’s beer is sort of a symbol of my continued support for my teams.  That is because it is from Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA.  The brewery just outside of Philadelphia has become a symbol of Philly Beer.  And today’s review is of their newest year round brew, Headwaters Pale Ale.

Pouring into my nonic pint glass it arrives a clear orange color.  A thin bubbly white head sits on top for a few seconds and then is gone.

The nose is filled with citrus, piney and earthy hops.  Not overpowering but enough to give a great scent.

This brew is smooth!  Nice citrus and piney hop flavor.  A slight bit of malt backing.  Crisp and clean finish.

This beer is an absolutely perfect session beer.  It’s really smooth and easy to drink.  Has a 5.1% ABV.  And has enough character to it to put it above most other big names.  And with June now upon us I can see myself having a number of these on the hot summer days.

Victory again shows why they are well respected brewery.  They make solid beers in so many different styles.  A lot of breweries stick to their guns and don’t try to make certain styles.  Victory can and does do them all.  Their year round portfolio is larger than almost all breweries I know of.  And they don’t do a bad job on any of them.  It’s not like one is a middle child that is seemingly forgotten.  Victory loves all their children the same.

And being a Philly staple I love them even more.  I wish I was going to be up there this coming weekend for the kick off of Philly Beer Week.  I had a great time last year.  To all those going have a great time.

Now I could totally end this review with a good old “Go Mavs” to rub in the face of the Heat fans.  But I honestly don’t care about the NBA.  All I’m saying is be a fan or don’t.  Stop only supporting when they play good.  Part of being a fan is showing your distaste for when a team is playing bad.  Let them know it and maybe they will try harder to make the people that really pay their salaries happy.

Grade - A

Name

I pride myself on holding close ties to the place from which I came.  The culture, the sports, the people, they all keep my heart running and dug in to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Much of my family still resides there and I take every opportunity I can to catch a plane to Philly International Airport.  Flying in going by the skyline and the powerful Delaware River I know I’m home.

And besides the great time I spend with loved ones and the soft pretzels and the cheesesteaks there is always one thing that I look forward to on these hallowed grounds, the beer.  Oh the beer in Philly is something to love.  There are more breweries in the Philly area than Tiger Woods mistresses (and I hear there were a lot of those).  Beer is part of the culture that is Philadelphia.

Breweries like Victory, Stoudts, Yuengling and Flying Fish call Philadelphia their home market but they are all not in the actual city.  While there are not nearly as many breweries in the city as there used to be the ones that are there are making it a point to be known.  And that is where today’s beer comes from.

Yards might just be the biggest and most popular of the city breweries that includes Nodding Head, Dock Street, Manayunk and Philadelphia Brewing.  Their line of beers can be found all through out the city and the surrounding areas and they hold ties to the city to which they brew for.

I’m drinking Philadelphia Pale Ale for this one.  If that name does just say it all about this brewing city then I don’t know what does.  I admit I’ve had this beer before and fell in love with it.  And I was brought home a couple bottles by my friend Amie on a recent trip up to the City of Brotherly Love.  And I knew it was finally time to document this baby right here.

The cap is popped and it pours an extremely clear golden color into my pint glass.  There is a pretty good sized white head that sits atop the beer and does dissipate rather quickly.  But is does leave a good amount of lacing around the glass as it goes.

The nose is big and bold in pine and citrus hops.  I get a bit of a bready quality in there as well some malts to sort of balance things out.

The first sip is just full of a lot of hop flavor.  It follows up with some grainy tastes and malt for backbone.  Then a nice bitter finish.

While yes I am a sucker for beers brewed int he Philly area I have to say that this is one of my favorite pale ales I have ever had.  I said that the first time I had this and I still say it again almost 2 years later.

While it is quite hoppy it has a nice balance to it.  And at 4.3% ABV it is very easy to drink and could be your session beer of choice if you wish to go down that path.

It takes a lot courage to name your beer after an entire city, especially one the size of Philadelphia.  But I think Yards knew what they had here and took the chance.  To me it paid off.  This is beer for everyone.  It is what I would love to imagine every hard working person in Philly can come home to and have after work.  Now I just need to figure out how I can make that happen for me down here in Florida.

Grade - A-