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Thank you Steve.

Coney Island FREAKTOBERFEST

Red! Ack!

Tonight I'm drinking a very strange "oktoberfest" beer- FREAKTOBERFEST from the Coney Island Craft Lagers line of Shmaltz Brewing Company (the guys who make the "He'Brew"). It appears that the Coney Island line is for specialty weirdo beers. Let me tell you what, they hit the nail on the head with this beer. The bottle warns you that "this is not an oktoberfest..this is freaktoberfest!" Apparently I should've read the fine print better. For example: 6 malts, 6 hops, 6.66% ABV. Oh, by the way, the beverage is RED. Blood red. That was something I was not expecting, so needless to say, when I poured the freak, it freaked me out a bit! Even the head, which poured rather thick, was a light red color.
Smell wise, this is a strange beer. It is definitely not an oktoberfest, as there are no spices coming from this beer. In fact, it's more of a fruity/hoppy beer. The first sip was a complex ferris wheel of malt, hops, and fruit. Again, not what I expected from a beer with the name "-toberfest" in it. Given the spin, there isn't much lacing with this brew. The backend is a weird combination of sugar hoppiness. It kind of makes me wish I had an IPA handy to compare the two, because that's what this beer reminds me of; albeit, a poor IPA.
This was a strange beer. I think the color gimmick hurts its chances at being maybe a little better of a beer. I think I'd recommend it to someone if they want to try something different and get a laugh, but as far as trying to find a good beer, this isn't it.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

This is the first of the fall time brews to be reviewed this season. You know when there's a Dogfish Head product, it's bound to be special. Punkin Ale is really no different. The head built up into a fluffy light brown pillow right to the rim of the glass, which was entertaining. The scent is great with the nutmeg punching through at the top. This brown ale is spicy, with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, two key ingredients in fall brews. There is a lack of pumpkin though, which was a bit disappointing. What wasn't disappointing though, was it's - macro defined - drinkability. A somewhat light to medium texture, so I could see a few of these being had in one sitting, which is a pleasant surprise.

What I really enjoy about the fall brews is that the color usually tastes the way it looks. What I mean is: with the brown coloring, I'd hope to get spiciness, brown sugar, biscuits; and that's what I'm getting. The contrast to that is, during the non-fall months, you may end up with an IPA or a more malty brown ale. I'd suggest buying this beer if you see it in the store. Like I said earlier, any Dogfish beer is bound to be special, and this beer is no different. So go be Off-Centered, like Dogfish wants you to be! 

It's Fall at gulp!

I've returned for your reading pleasure and beer education. The fall season is upon us, and concurrent with that is one of the best seasons for beer. I've put together a small collection of seasonal brews that I will be reviewing over the next month. I'll probably add more as the month goes on as there are more than the 7 pictured that need to be talked about. Continue checking back on the blog, and I think you'll like what you see and read!