FYM CRAFT BEER: SOUTHERN TIER PUMKING BREW DOWN!

(Editors Note: FYM's Boston beer connoisseur Jeff 'pumpkin head' Preussner every week delivers obscenely detailed knowledge on the best craft brews in America, enjoy one for us, Cheers!)

Finally it's October,  time to start enjoying what fall brings other than crappy weather and leaves.

Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale!!!!!

For those who love all that is pumpkin, if you haven't tried this brew yet you should be ashamed of yourself! Bottom line it's the best pumpkin out there here are the facts.

Southern Tier Pumking - Autumn Seasonal
Classification: Bossiest Pumpkin Ale on the Planet
IBU: Pumpkinrific
ABV: 8.8% but it feels just like 9%
*sold in 22 oz and keg only

Pumking is well, intensely pumpkin, with a hint of thanksgiving dinner. One of the best pumpkin ales I have had, sure to be a favorite. It tastes like pumpkin without throwing spices down your throat. It is reminiscent of my mothers pumpkin pie in beer form. The aroma is one of the first things you will notice about this beer that is completely unique, and sets it apart from all other similarly named brews. It fills the room with a spicy scent, a bit of an exaggeration, but hardly far fetched. This aroma is followed by an intensely sincere pumpkin flavor that will truly knock your socks off. That is why it is my top pick for this fall. If you haven't had anything from Southern Tier drink this one first. Then try the rest. Then repeat. Drink from a goblet or tulip glass, I always prefer a snifter to really get that pumpkin up my nose. Enjoy…

If you like Pumking you may like what I have lined up. Here are my favorites of fall:

Avery The Kaiser 
If you like Pumking and love Octoberfest brews this is the one for you. An Octoberfest with balls "finally!!" those who know, understand they have nothing but great beers. (My favorite) The Maharaja which I have coined the holy grail of beers because it is just as hard to find than it is magical (at least in my neck of the woods).

Dogfish Punkin 
They have the 90 and the 120 but but there pumpkin falls short of Southern Tier. It's good don't get me wrong, it's strong, and has an intense aroma and tastes like pumpkin (duh…) Just what I would expect from Dogfish Head, they never disappoint.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale 
Smuttynose is always impressing me. A somewhat underrated brewery from NY their flavors are always so rich I don't understand why they aren't HUGE by now!  I just tried their pumpkin, and it was very well balanced not to spicy like a lot of pumpkin beers tend to be.

Shipyard Pumpkinhead 
A good average pumpkin ale, a bit too much spice, and not enough pie in my eyes. Still all in all a good beer, and should not be overlooked if you have the chance pick it up.

Well anyhow my beer is empty time to get a fresh one.

Cheers!

Coming up!
East Coast Vs. West Coast is not just a rap thing anymore…( The beer war starts brewing next week!)

FYM CRAFT BREW: THE BITCH IS BACK! DOGFISH SENDS OUT FLAVORFUL ODE TO MILES DAVIS

(Editors note: FYM Art Director went to design school with Jeff "BrewDaddy" Preussner: our Boston Beer Buddy. Back in the day I had to edit his horrible art history papers.. but when it comes to talking shop (beer)-- as he has started his own craft brew co. "Brew Daddy" knows more about brewing than his west coast bros will ever. He truly is a genius when it comes to describing beer, and FYM is better for it. Cheers!)

Dogfish  Head is a brewery that likes to set the bar high (as a kite by then). First their flagship brew 90 minute, and again with the limited release of Miles Davis Bitches Brew. A strong yet smooth Stout/hybrid with hints of honey ale and gesho.

Dogfish Head Miles Davis Bitches brew
Classification: Imp Stout/hybrid
IBUs: 38
ABV: 9.0

Similar Brews:
Try any imperial stout but they wont come close to that flavor.

If you like the brew try:
Southern tier choklat/mokah/jah-va
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Stone Imperial Russian Stout
Youngs Double Chocolate Stout

One of the Best stouts I have ever had. Being more of an IPA guy that doesn't say much but I like to think I have tried enough stouts throughout the years to establish personal likes and dislikes, and let me tell you there is nothing to dislike about this beer. It's composed of 3 parts Imperial stout and 1 part honey beer which gives it a rich malty flavor,  followed by a sweet honey bitterness-complimented by the addition of gesho. Gesho is derived from the root of a shiny-leaf Buckthorn, an African shrub, that is boiled and the malt is used in a matter similar to hops. This exotic combination of ingredients gives the beer a very unique taste. (in preparation before drinking: visit your mother, smoke one, play the record, and then buy the beer, enjoy!)



Sam Calagione the owner of Dogfish and creator of the Bitches Brew designed it "as the ultimate partner for chili or spicy curry chicken" -but I think it goes just as well with a nice steak, and fries. After dinner turn down the lights turn up the record and get close on the couch. Enjoy Bitches Brew cool-out of a snifter to really experience flavor and unleash that dark aroma.

At $12-15 a bottle (750ml) it runs a bit expensive, but I for one would say that the experience is worth the expense (quality baby)...

coming up soon…

Get ready for the pumpkin season!
FYM BrewDOGS coastal war begins: East coast Vs. West coast is not just a rap thang anymore…

J. "brew daddy" Preussner
Boston Mass.

FYM CRAFT BREW: THE GREAT AMERICAN BREWDOG

(Editors Note: FYM's Boston Beer Connoisseur, Jeff "BrewDaddy" Preussner, is this weeks guest contributor.)

I am so glad my first beer review for FYM is Dogfish Head 90-minute. Not only is there a lot to talk about, but it's probably my favorite beer of all time (FYM AGREES), so lets just start with the facts.

Dogfish Head 90-Minute
Classification: Imperial IPA
IBUs: 90!!!
ABV: 9.0

Similar Brews:
Avery Brewing Co: Maharaja
Green Flash:  Imp IPA
Southern Tier: Unearthly

So what does this all mean? 90-minute is a continuously hopped Imperial IPA, meaning that for a whole 90 minutes the wort is boiling hops continuously, and then dry hopped after cooling to ensure a flavor that is not too bitter. It has a deep amber color to it (I'm guessing about 8-10 SRM). If  you drink it out of a snifter (preferred) you can smell the fusion of hops + malt and REALLY appreciate the work that went into this particular IPA.

The flavor is something that I feel truly sets the 90 apart from other Imp IPAs that I have tasted and brewed. The flavor hits you all at once and is gone a second later (and they're usually quite bitter). Because of the continuous hop additions, and the perfect hop to malt ratio, the 90-Minute flavor tastes the same from beginning to end. A very smooth yet strong hoppiness balanced perfectly by the presence of lots of malt a perfect mixture of bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

At almost $12.00 for a 4 pack the prices are steep but it is worth it (higher alcohol content too)! Give this beer a shot! We guarantee, you will not be disappointed.

The 90-minute was the first in Dogfish Head's family of continuously hopped feats of BEERDOM (freeing America from the chains of pissy-cheap beer). They also offer, the 60-minute which is a bit lighter but with the same well-balanced mixture of hop and malt. The 75 minute, a bit harder to find, cask conditioned mixture of the 60 and the 90 and the 120 minute that is boiled for a full 2 hours. I find it a bit too crazy for my taste buds, but I have never let it sit for the recommended 10 years it takes the flavors to mature…

90-minute is the perfect end to the work day. Drink one, or in my case two. Regardless, pick up a couple four-packs, and enjoy the Best Brew in America with friends.

Cheers!

J. Preussner