The Craft Critique: Jack-O Traveler Pumpkin Shandy from Traveler Beer Company

While not technically fall, the temperatures are starting to dip, Oktoberfests are being celebrated and almost nightly the smell of a distant bonfire drifts through my open windows. No, fall isn't here just yet, but it's close enough for me! The first of many pumpkin spice lattes has already been enjoyed, my sweatshirt collection is slowly but surely making an appearance into my wardrobe and the chatter of Halloween costumes is filling the air as my kids try to decide what they want to be for trick or treat. Since I had a short day at work yesterday, I decided it would be the perfect time to break open the bottle of Jack-O Traveler Pumpkin Shandy that the good folks at Traveler Beer Company sent me to review.

Traveler Beer Company describes their fall seasonal as :

"Representing the darker side of Shandy, Jack-O Traveler is an alluring wheat beer illuminated by the tastes of fall. It strikes the perfect balance between bright refreshment and seasonal spice. Jack is made with real pumpkin for a delicious dark-hued, Shandy-inspired beer."

Here are my thoughts on this brew.

APPEARANCE: Jack-O Traveler pours a rich burnt orange hue that is deceiving to the eye. The color hints at a heavier drink than is what actually delivered. A large, airy head sat atop the beer that quickly gave way to almost no lacing on the glass.

SMELL: This brew obviously smells reminiscent of a pumpkin pie with a citrusy lemon twist. Notes of traditional pumpkin pie spices shine through-cinnamon and nutmeg make their presence immediately known and dominate the more subtle notes of pumpkin and wheat.

TASTE: In true shandy form, the first taste of this beer was more lemon than anything else. Subsequent swallows were all pumpkin pie flavor with just a hint of the lemon shining through. The flavor of actual pumpkin hides behind the spices instead of being allowed to shine through. While I love pumpkin beers, I found this particular one to be too sweet for my liking.

MOUTHFEEL: I felt that Jack-O Traveler embodied everything a shandy should feel like: light, crisp, medium carbonation. It is a very easy drinking beer. As mentioned above, the color of this beer is deceptive, I was expecting a heavier feel than what was delivered.

OVERALL: Not a bad beer, but not my cup of tea. Some drinkers will love this, some will hate it. But that can be said of every beer. Personally, I fall in the middle of the spectrum. It is not a beer I would go out of my way to track down, but I would certainly not turn it down if another was offered to me. I believe pairing this beer with the proper foods to help cut through its sweetness would have greatly enhanced my enjoyment of it. I would recommend trying it with a rich New York style cheesecake or a baked brie.

For more information about Jack-O Traveler or any of the other shandies offered by the Traveler Beer Company, please visit their website, Facebook page. Twitter feed or Instagram account.

Disclaimer: A sample bottle of Jack-O Traveler was provided to me by Traveler Beer Company in exchange for a review. This free sample in no way influenced my opinion and review of this beer. 

The Craft Critique: Bell's Brewery 30th Anniversary Ale

Every once in awhile a beer comes along that I simply must try. I thought I had missed my opportunity to enjoy a bottle of Bell's 30th Anniversary Ale until a friend of mine surprised me with a bottle a little over a month ago. I have been waiting for the right time to pop the top off this bad boy and give it a try, and even though it's not a lager, I decided National Lager Day was as good a time as enjoy to indulge.

Appearance 30th Anniversary Ale is an Imperial Stout, and as such, I was expecting something deep, dark and mysterious and that's exactly what I got! This beer is so dark and murky that when I held my glass up to the light, not a single ray penetrated through its depths. The beer was topped with a thin to medium sized, caramel hued head that dissipated fairly fast and left a thin wash of lacing. The pour appeared to be a bit on the thin side, but what it lacked in body it more than made up for in flavor.

Smell The aroma of Bell's anniversary brew is packed full of roasted malts, syrupy coffee, light notes of vanilla and a touch of dark chocolate and dark fruits. It isn't the most distinctive smelling stout I have tried, but it stays true to its style.

Taste The flavor of 30th Anniversary is as packed with roasted malts as the aroma is, and for me, that's a delicious thing. It has an intoxicating blend of sweet, roasted malt, coffee, burnt sugar, fig and toasted bread flavors. If you like strong, dark flavors, this is definitely not the beer for you. However, if you like strong flavors such as espresso, dark chocolate or licorice this may very well be the beer for you. The booziness of this beer, in smell and flavor, creeps in slowly as the beer warms and fully opens up.

Mouthfeel At first, while this beer was still fairly cool, it felt somewhat thin in my mouth but as it warmed, the viscosity definitely increased until it felt creamy. It's a medium weight beer with a lighter carbonation that accentuates the flavors beautifully. As the beer warms in temperature, a boozy warmth also makes its appearance across the tongue.

Overall Stouts and porters are my favorite styles of beer, so I was excited at the prospect of trying this imperial stout, especially after I thought the window of opportunity had closed. It is the epitome of why I enjoy stouts so much-the flavor is as dark as its color. I would recommend serving this brew between 45-50 degrees from a goblet to maximize both its aroma and flavor. When pairing with food, I would suggest buttery cheeses, such as brie and Havarti, if serving with an appetizer, smoked meats with an entree and dark chocolate or raspberries with a dessert.

For more information about Bell's Brewery, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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The Craft Critique: Organic Cherry Ale from Samuel Smith

I recently wrote a review for this brewery's Organic Raspberry Ale and the time has come to follow up that review with a new one. This installation of my Bottoms Up! review series centers on Samuel Smith's Organic Cherry Ale.

Samuel Smith describes its cherry ale as:

"High natural acidity makes sour cherries a great choice for creating an ultimate fruit beer. The vibrant cherry character of this beer is perfectly underpinned by deliciously complex beer notes which result from the multiple yeast strains used for fermentation."

Here are my interpretations of this beer:

Appearance-The appearance of Samuel Smith's Organic Cherry Ale is a reddish hued beer that is topped off with a soft, hazy, pink head that fades away to a light to medium amount of lacing in the glass.

Smell-This ale offers a fresh fruity scent that imparts obvious notes of cherry. Upon smelling this beer, my mouth immediately began to water in anticipation of its cherry flavor. The scent of alcohol is almost imperceptible.

Taste-The taste of Organic Cherry Ale is immediately and strongly that of cherry juice balanced with a light hoppy finish. As this beer warms, the cherry flavor fades as a hoppiness begins to creep in. It has a crisp tartness paired with a slight hint of malty sweetness that is more of an aftertaste. The blending of flavors in this brew are magnificent as none overpowers the others and they truly blend together in a harmonious fashion.

Mouthfeel-Organic Cherry Ale is much lighter on its carbonation than Samuel Smith's Organic Raspberry Ale. It is a medium bodied ale that glides across the palate cleanly with a crisp feeling on the tongue.

Overall Impression-This beer is very easy to drink and I highly recommend it to those who don't like the hoppiness of most other beers. It lacks the fake flavor that comes with many fruity beers. I can honestly say this has been my favorite fruit beer to drink to date. I highly recommend this beer for a hot summer day or to serve with your holiday desserts. Pair with soft cheeses and fruit, chocolates, ham and chicken dishes. This beer would also make a great beer float!

For more information about Samuel Smith Brewing and their Organic Cerry Ale, please visit Merchant du Vin online, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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The Craft Critique: Eel River Brewing Company's Porter

While out shopping at my local Kroger store a few days ago, I decided to peruse the beer section and see if there was anything new and interesting in the single bottles. After being confronted with what felt like row upon row of IPA's during my last trip, I was pleasantly surprised to see a wider variety of brews this time.

I have always been partial to stouts and porters, so when I saw Eel River Brewing Company's Porter on the shelf, I snatched up two bottles. One for me, one for my partner in beer crime. I am not a huge follower of the trend towards an all organic diet, but being able to put two bottles of organic beer into my mixed 6 pack did seem like a bit of steal to me.

Eel River offers this description of their Porter:

"This certified organic Porter uses a complex blend of five malts that compliment and highlight one another in a harmonious mixture. While decidedly in the robust porter category, Eel River Brewing Company's Porter has none of the harsh characteristics often associated with dark ales. Instead, you find a rich, smooth beer with suggestions of chocolate and just a hint of coffee. So smooth and malty, this porter will convert even the non-dark-beer drinker."

While not the most descriptive summary of a beer I have ever read, it is fairly accurate. Here is my review of this beer.

Appearance
This beer pours a dark brown hue with ruby highlights, reminding me of my favorite cola. It was topped off with a slight tan head that quickly fades to a thin ring around the perimeter of the glass. There was very little lacing as I enjoyed my beer.

Smell
The first whiff of my freshly poured porter instantly reminded me of red wine-very cabernet-ish. I could smell dark fruits and a slight musky presence. Upon letting the beer warm a bit, the wine smell dissipated and the aroma became more of what is expected from a porter-dark roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and a faint whiff of vanilla.

Taste
I was instantly put off by the initial taste of Eel River's Porter. It reminded me of black olives, kind of a dark fruit flavor and earthiness with an almost imperceptible touch of brine. Once the beer was allowed to warm, the flavor shifted into something very different. It presents with an obvious dark chocolate flavor with a malty sweetness and a touch of coffee. There is a slight acidic taste on the back of the tongue after drinking this beer.

Mouthfeel
This beer has a nice, medium body as it flows across the palate. It is neither thin and watery nor heavy and syrupy. The carbonation matches the heft of this beer perfectly. It finishes with a bit of a dry, crisp feel.

Overall Impression
My initial impression of this beer was not a good one. Taken straight from the refrigerator, neither the smell nor the taste appealed to me. However, letting the beer warm to the proper temperature for serving porters was a crucial step for my enjoyment. Nothing stood out to me as exceptional about this beer, but I do have to say it is a decent representation of what a porter should be. I would recommend it to anyone who has shied away from darker beers for fear of them being too strong or bitter but is still curious to try them. Food pairings for this brew would include barbecue, ribs, blackened fish or chicken, chocolate-peanut butter desserts, desserts featuring toasted coconut or with a high quality vanilla ice cream in a beer float.

Eel River's Porter is certified organic and has won a number of awards, including Gold Medals at the 2010 Australian International Beer Awards, 2009 Los Angeles International Beer Competition and 2006 California State Fair Commercial Craft Brewers Competition.For more information about Eel River Brewing and their beers, please visit their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Aimee Plesa