HopHead Brew Blog

Buffalo Bill’s Brewery: Pumpkin Ale is a beer that is of course a seasonal item, and yes it is January and this review could be considered to be a bit late, but, here it is anyway.

No, I am not a big fruit beer fan, but this stuff is pretty good. I decided to get a second opinion on it before I wrote this because I am a Hophead and I wanted to be fair, so, I gave a bottle to my mom! She is not a beer drinker, although she does like Arrogant Bastard, she just doesn’t drink much of anything. Her first sip of this beer, her eyes lit up! She told me she wants more of this Pumpkin Ale! I was shocked and gave her 3 of the beers in the six pack!

My opinion of this beer is simple, it is good, it is different,and no, it doesn’t taste like pumpkin pie.

Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale has a strong resemblance to a German Hefe Weizen that I used to drink when I lived there, this is a spiciness that I believe comes from not just the cinnamon and spices, but it is also the yeast that gives it a bit of a clove flavor.

I really like this beer, but it doesn’t bother me that I won’t find it again until next year. If anyone sees this in the store, buy it, try it, and see what you think, I feel it is worth drinking  and I will get more next year. I just wonder if I can find any of their other beers?  If so I will try them too.

Check out the Buffalo Bill’s website, it is also pretty unique! They don’t offer much information about their beers but this is a Brew-Pub/ Brewery that sounds like a good place to go and they have a nice website.

If you have tried this beer, any of their other beers, or have been to the restaurant, post a comment and tell us about it!

Technorati Tags: buffalo bills pumpkin ale, pumpkin ale, fruit beer, beer review, brewpub, hophead

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This is an oldie but a goodie to me, this won’t actually be a review, just as much info as I can find and my opinion about this wonderful brew!

It must have been about 6 years ago, I stumbled into my favorite beer store, Joe Blows, which has been bought out by Specs I hear, anyway, I saw this on the shelf and had to try it!

I immediately  fell in  love. No, this is not a “hop monster” as is usually my preference, but it does max out for the style at 40 IBU’s! Hmm, a Maibock hoppier than an IPA (Redhook: Long Hammer IPA), thats ok, they are both good brews!

This is what Rogue says about Dead Guy Ale:

Dead Guy Ale

Gratefully dedicated to the Rogue in each of us. In the early
1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate
the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa
U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. The Dead Guy design proved popular
and was incorporated into a bottled product a few years later
with Maierbock as the elixir. Strangely, the association with
the Grateful Dead is pure coincidence.

Dead Guy is a German-style Maibock made with Rogues proprietary
“PacMan” ale yeast. It is deep honey in color with a malty aroma,
rich hearty flavor and a well balanced finish. Dead Guy is created
from Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan malts,
along with Perle and Saaz Hops. Dead Guy Ale is available in 22-ounce
bottles, 12-ounce 6-pack, and on draft.

Measurements: 16 degrees Plato, IBU 40, Apparent Attenuation 78,
Lovibond 16
No Chemicals, Additives, or Preservatives

Should you want to brew this yourself, you can either combine those ingredients above, using Beer Smith, until it comes out close, or go to Austin Homebrew Supply, who has a kit ready to go.

You might be able to find this recipe and more in Beer Smith’s Recipe Listing

To sum it all up, Dead Guy Ale is a definite keeper, I buy this one all the time!

Technorati Tags: dead guy ale, rogue brewing, austin homebrew supply, beer smith, hophead, brew recipes

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If you are a home brewer, I know that you are always looking for “The Place” to get your supplies, as I have been, but I have to admit that about 99% of the time, I have ordered from Austin Homebrew Supply. Why you might ask? First off they are close, and my order gets here within a coule of days, even in the summer, my yeast gets here with an icepack that is still cold!

The pricing is much lower than other stores and the service is excellent, if you order on-line visit Austin Homebrew Supply I will be making another order in a day or two myself. If you are lucky enough to live in the Austin area, here is their information.

AUSTIN HOMEBREW SUPPLY, LLC
7951 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78757

Phone numbers
If you live in Austin, have unlimited long distance, or if you are at work call:
512-300-2739 (BREW)

Otherwise, call:
1-800-890-2739 (BREW)

Maybe you have a favorite home brewing supply shop in your area, if so, post the info for others in a comment.

Technorati Tags: beer, brewing, homebrew supply, Austin Homebrew Supply, hophead

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We’re told the two don’t mix, but the National Beer Wholesalers Association is asking voters the all-important question, “Which of the presidential candidates would you like to have a beer with in 2008?”
Given that ‘08 marks the 75th anniversary of the full repeal of
prohibition, what question could be more appropriate for the election
season? You can cast your ‘vote’ here.
(Read more)

This is from another awesome site I found, Beer Philosopher. It would seem that I am not alone in sharing my “opinions”. Check out the site by clicking here, or look to the left for a feed from that site.

Technorati Tags: Beer Philosopher, beer and politics, hophead, brew blog, beer blog

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Tonight I am doing this just a little different, no sip by sip taste test, I am just going to tell you how it was, in my opinion that is, never forget, I am not opinionated, I am just always right! Anyway, lets talk about the beer.

When I opened this beer, and poured it, it somehow reminded me of a Budbrewski! It was a bit “fizzy”, in other words, not much body and even less of a head, and that went away rather quickly. It was just a bit richer in color, but not much. At this point, I still haven’t smelled any hops, “and this is an IPA?”, I’m thinking. For the price, I’ll take a Budbrewski!

Once in the glass, I started sniffing pretty hard, and yes, it has hops in it, but I can’t smell it. The next step is to taste it, well, somewhat cautiously I take a sip, it didn’t taste bad, in fact, I didn’t taste much at all! So, I took a big gulp, and another. Hmm, it’s not bad as you drink it, not very hoppy, but not bad. Then after a second or two, I notice this sour aftertaste, not sour like lemons or limes, but sour like, well, something went bad, or had vinegar it it! Others, I would guess, call that “Dry”, sorry, dry wine, isn’t soured, this was.

Well, I wasn’t expecting all that, I had read on many other sites like ratebeer.com that this got a 2.9/5.0 average, I would probably say that is close, but I didn’t give it that high of a rating, maybe a 2.0.

The brewery, Red Hook, says it like this “Longhammer IPA is the beer you find yourself reaching for again and again” , I would have to agree, I did the same, all the way through the six pack, I looked for more flavor, for more hops! I had hoped for a little more kick, but it was about like a Bud Light with extra hops, this one doesn’t go on my shopping list.

Now you know how I’ll vote on the poll!

Iknow that some want a less “hoppy” beer, and Red Hook says that this is a 38.5 IBU IPA, honest I guess, but, again according to BeerSmith, an American IPA starts at 40 IBU’s, I guess they got close.

I say this, if you too are a Hophead, this just isn’t the one! I’ll take that Snake Dog over this one! I did find this, maybe that explains it?

Redhook Ale
As part of an equity investment in the Redhook
Ale Brewery in Seattle, Anheuser-Busch wholesalers have distributed
Redhook’s superior microbrewery products since 1994 in select U.S.
markets. Brands include Redhook Extra Special Bitter (ESB) Ale, Ballard
Bitter Ale, Blackhook Porter and Wheathook Ale, among others.

Technorati Tags: beer reviews, red hook IPA, hophead

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