Cigar City Good Gourd

Oh baby, we're on a roll this week at gulp! If my research is correct, this is the busiest beer review week in gulps! short history. It's actually quite sad if you think about it. I've been running the blog for about 11 months, and this is the first week where we've reviewed almost the same number of beers as there are days in a week. I wish there was a prize for this. Oh wait, I run the blog, so I get to drink the great beer. Game, set, match.

So, earlier today I reviewed a great Terrapin beer: Pumpkinfest. Well, this evening I'm coming at you with a really special beer from a really great FLORIDA brewery. Good Gourd from Cigar City Brewing based in Tampa, Fl. Cigar City Brewing has been around about 3 years and have totally revolutionized the beer scene not only in the cigar city of Tampa, but the entire state of Florida. So much so that they were the only Florida brewery to win a gold medal at this year's Great American Beer Festival.

If you're a Florida citizen, I imagine that you know Tampa is known as "cigar city" due to their rich cigar history. Cigar City Brewing has grasped that by the horns, and presents it with almost all of their products. Take one look at their logo, and it's quite obvious how much they enjoy the rich history of Tampa. Many of their beers have built into their labels, or names, hints of the history of the area.

I myself have only had 1 Cigar City beer: Jai Alai IPA. I had it at their tasting room in Tampa over the summer (I think I've had it once before that, but don't remember). It was a really good IPA. Cigar City has many other standard offerings though: Maduro Brown Ale, White Oak-aged Jai Alai IPA, Cubano-style Espresso Brown Ale (which is in my fridge), and Jose Marti American Porter. They also have special 750mL regulars: Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale, Guava Grove Farmhouse Ale, and Improve Oatmeal Rye India-style Brown Ale. Just look at that list. I'm sure you notice how unique these guys are, along with today's earlier brewery, Terrapin. Cigar City also takes pride in using local ingredients as frequent as possible, which is something they should be applauded for.

Tonight, I am very excited to try the Good Gourd 750mL seasonal from Cigar City. I've read that it is pretty comparable to Pumpking by Southern Tier; some say it's even better than said pump-king. I'll of course be my own judge of that. On their website, Cigar City writes a playful intro to the description of the beer by saying "Legend has it that when a pumpkin comes into the world it is possessed by either a good or an evil spirit". Well, they think that at Cigar City, they got all the good. We are told to prepare for real pumpkin flavors, spices, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. All the great ingredients to a really good pumpkin beer. I should note that this is an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. The Gourd is sittin pretty at 8.5% ABV... and being 750mL, I suggest bringing a friend along for the ride. However, in my case, my wife isn't here tonight, and my dogs still don't like beer, and I'm not a huge fan of keeping an open bottle in the fridge, so, we'll just see where this goes (wink, wink).

Upon popping the cap, the bottle let out a little fizz noise. I've had this in my fridge for about a month or so... I'm hoping that doesn't ruin anything. I let the bottle sit for a few minutes as well so it wasn't as cold when I poured the beer. It was a bit difficult to get any scents from the bottle, but upon pouring into my St. Bernardus snifter glass, I was catching the cloves, spices, and a little bit of nutmeg. No shockers with the golden copper coloring. At this point, there should be a special name for this color. Let's go with copper pumpkin shall we? This is the last pumpkin beer of the season that I'll be reviewing, so I figure we better make it interesting.

The Gourd has a medium body feel, and is not overly complex on the way down. It's very smooth, and you can certainly catch all of the different flavors and spices at different points of the drinking. I do wish I knew what the Jamaican allspice smelled like pre-brewing because based on my research of this beer, it is pretty apparent throughout. It isn't as heavy on the nutmeg as Pumpking is; but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Without a doubt, it knocks the doors off of any standard pumpkin ale. Compared to Pumpking though, I'd say they're neck and neck.

Now that the beer has had some time to warm up, the carmely texture is really shining, as well as the different spices. It's almost become a different drink than when completely cold, and it's fantastic. I'd say it's complex, and a bit edgy on the way down. Without a doubt, it helps the case. I'd say the only thing missing is some whipped cream to go on top to finish the pumpkin!

Well folks, that about wraps up this seasons pumpkin beers. Pumking and Good Gourd are without a doubt the two most amazing pumpkin beers out on the market. With Good Gourd being our feature tonight, I strongly recommend you find some before the season is over. Gulp it down with family and/or friends, but savor every sip because it won't be back until next year. Thank you Cigar City for making an incredible product. I'm looking forward to having the Espresso Brown Ale very soon!

Terrapin Pumpkinfest

Happy 11-11-11! I have the day off, so in beer speak, that means we're drinkin early today! I'm actually planning on reviewing two beers today. I'd love to do three, but the second beer is large and I plan on milking it for a while. Until then, I have a fantastic Terrapin product to talk about: Pumpkinfest. I've never had it before today, so I'm really looking forward to it because Terrapin has some solid-solid beers. I think they're slowing becoming my favorite craft brewery. What a love story.

A little about Terrapin. They're based out of Athens, Georgia and have three year-round beers: Hopsecutioner, Rye Pale Ale, and Golden Ale. I've had the first two (I think I wrote about Hopsecutioner), and they were pretty good. They have three seasonal offerings: Pumpkinfest (new to the lineup), Moo Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout (OMG), and Hop Karma Brown IPA. Finally, they have four "Monster Beers": Wake'n'Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout (which I had earlier this year and was unbelievable), Big Hoppy Monster, Monk's Revenge (Belgian IPA), and Hopzilla (Imperial IPA). They also have some random side projects and collaborations too - including Hoptaneous Combustion (a SMOKED Double IPA - which was intense). So I'd say that is quite a line up of very, very unique beers; and as I said, I've had several and they've all been amazing.

On to Pumpkinfest. This beer is pretty unique for a couple reasons. One, it's a lager and not an ale. Most pumpkin beers are ales and incorporate different ingredients. Since the main brewer at Terrapin is a bit of a nutcase, they decided to do Pumpkinfest differently. It's actually the combination of a german style oktoberfest beer and a pumpkin ale (aka a 'hybrid'). Therefore, while there was about a pound of pumpkin used in the brewing, the malts are very germanesque. All in all, I am expecting a quality brew here.

As you've probably noticed, I've been on a pumpkin beer kick. However, some of the latest "non-imperial" pumpkin beers have been flat for me. Combine that with my high thoughts of Terrapin, I've got high hopes.  The beer pours the standard golden/copper hue that you normally see with a pumpkin beer. Thankfully, right off the bat, I was hit with nutmeg and clove scents; a good sign of a really good pumpkin beer. The spices are pretty complex for a pumpkin beer, which kinda gives it that tie-in to the oktoberfest/pumpkin beer, which is pretty cool. The back end is a little big hoppy, but certainly big on the spices. It's pretty smooth all around, and is a pleasure to drink.

Overall, this is a solid offering from Terrapin. Of the non-imperial pumpkin beers, this one tops the list for me (yes, above Pumpkinhead from Shipyard - which would be #2). It's 6.1% ABV, so while drinkable, it could have you topsy-turvey after a few. I definitely recommend this beer while we're still in the fall, and before the winter beers start taking over the shelves. Heck, they kind of have already. So, what are you waiting for!? Get out there and buy the latest from the crazy green turtle!!

Buffalo Bill's Brewery - America's Original Pumpkin Ale

Tonight we're picking up where we left off last night. I had originally planned to review this beer yesterday, but I got sidetracked. Plus, my wife wanted to do a review, so I helped her with that. Anyway, tonight's beer review is Buffalo Bill's Brewery, America's Original Pumpkin Ale. I think out of all of the pumpkin beers, this one is probably the easiest to find in stores. Touted as an "ale brewed with real pumpkin and natural spice flavor", the bottle really suggests that you are about to be hit with some pumpkin madness. Well, we'll be the judge of that.

The Buffalo Bill's Brewery website educates us on their five main beer bottle offerings: Orange Blossom Cream Ale, Alimony IPA, Blueberry Oatmeal Stout (which sounds pretty intense), Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and the America's Original Pumpkin Ale. Suffice it to say, Buffalo Bill's wasn't created to brew regular beers.

Now, today is November 9. So, I've had probably about 6-8 different pumpkin beers this season. At this point, Pumpking is far and away winner of best pumpkin beer. I haven't gotten to Good Gourd yet, but I have a feeling that beer will be just as good as Pumking. But, I guess what I'm driving at is I'm getting a litte tired of the pumpkin beers; so, Buffalo Bill may suffer in it's review. I suppose I'll try to be as objective as Fox News....

"America's Original" poured a very nice golden orange/copper color, and fizzed with carbonation. The head was pretty nonexistent though. Upon first scent, there was a nice layer of pumpkin. It was nice to smell because the last couple pumpkin beers were labeled as pumpkin, but I was pretty skeptical that there was any pumpkin at all. This pumpkin is pretty drinkable, I'd say comparable to Pumpkinhead from Shipyard, but this one is a bit more watery towards the back. There's a little bit of spice, but nothing too heavy. There's also very light nutmeg, but it's not very prevalent.

Overall, this beer, which is supposed to be like "pumpkin pie in a bottle", sort of falls flat for me. I don't think the beginning carbonation did any favors for the rest of the drinking experience. It's smooth, but somewhat watery. The spices do also get lost within the drink.

Not sure how to end this one. I got it for 2 bucks at World Market, so, if you see it at your local retailer, it's cheap enough that if you don't like it, you won't feel bad about not liking it.

ABV: 5.2%

Surprise guest post! Cold Storage Florida Avenue Blueberry

Surprise, tonight is a double dose of gulp! The big surprise though, is that this review has been put together by Sarah, my wife. Actually, she wanted to do a review, so she drank the beer and took some notes. The beer she chose to review was Cold Storage Craft Brewery Florida Avenue Blueberry: "Ale with Blueberry Flavor Added". Cold Storage is based out of Tampa and is touted as "Tampa Bay's Youngest Local Brewery". They're so young in fact, that according to their Facebook page, they were founded this year! Don't know if that means, 2011 or 2010, but nevertheless, good for them!

On to the beer. Right off the pour, I was hit with the blueberry scent, which was essentially no surprise. A lack of BB scent would've been a disappointment considering the name of the beer. I also noticed a pretty high level of carbonation; this baby was sprtizin' and poppin' like a soda. Also no surprise was the light color; much like a light lager.

This blueberry beauty drank easy, but will a little zing in the malt department. Unfortunately, the more I drank, the more the blueberry flavors got lost in the carbonation and malt textures throughout. Although, those factors did contribue to a pretty high drinkability level, which I enjoy. Also of note is that the warmer this beer got, the worse it got. Unlike the pumpkin ales Steve has, which he says should "warm up" a little bit, I'd recommend keeping this ale cold to keep the flavors at "Bay".

Overall, it's no Seadog Blueberry, but for a brewery that just started out, I'd say it's a good start. If you see it at a bar, or on a shelf somewhere, support your local brewery and buy it! If you don't, stick to Seadog ;)

ABV: 4.5%

BISON Organic Gingerbread Ale

Greetings everyone. My fridge appears to be overflowing with pumpkin ales... and now "winter" ales. I've decided to leapfrog a few beers to get to tonight's review. On my to-do list is Cigar City Good Gourd, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, and Terrapin Pumpkinfest... but I thought this one was too cool to pass up. When it comes to holiday memories as a kid, there aren't many "things" that bypass gingerbread cookies. Well, tonight's beer takes gingerbread to a whole new level. Bison Brewing (out of Berkley, California - who also brew all organic beer) Gingerbread Ale is brewed with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. While the gingerbread man from Shrek wasn't decapitated to make this, it's safe to assume that with the big three ingredients, something close to gingerbread will be found. 

This gingerbread ale is the holiday offering from Bison. Note that it is a porter, so if you're not used to drinking dark beers, proceed with caution. I personally have come to really enjoy the depth offered from porters and stouts. I believe I poured this a bit haphazardly because the head was pretty big. The nice part about that though, as you see in the photo, was that it really highlighted the cocoa brown color. Unfortunately, the thick head didn't come with a powerful scent. I found myself searching for the big three (ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon). Granted, cinnamon doesn't really have a smell, but I was hoping to get some nutmeg in there. Overall, I wasn't too overpowered with any scents, including gingerbread. In general though, there was some chocolate and a bit of nutmeg. In the drinkability department, I was surprised. For a porter, it's actually quite drinkable. It's smooth, decent in carbonation, and it's not too bitter on the back end. In fact, the hops kind of peek through towards the end, which is a nice touch. 

Ultimately, if you look past the sell of gingerbread, it's a pretty decent beer. On my random sliding scale, I'd give this a solid B (like an 86-88 for you teachers out there). I especially like the little write up: "Our Spiced holiday porter is brewed with ginger, nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon, yielding the aroma of fresh backed gingerbread men! The chewy dark malt flavors are sure to smooth out that dinner with the in-laws."

6.0% ABV
Main Ingredients: Organic Malt, Organic hops, water, yeast, and organic spices

Can't hold me down WOB

Your menu online said you had this, then you didn't. Thank you Total Wine & More. Review coming soon.