The Ultimate Pennsylvania Fall 6-Pack

With some added free time on my hands, I took to the road to visit some family and friends. As I traveled through the fall foliage to the south through Virginia, then north to Southern Maryland, and eventually on to Pennsylvania for a quick stay, I got an idea to do a blog on beers for fall.

At first, I thought about tying in beer for tailgating, but with the football season clearly underway, I decided to try and create “The Ultimate Fall 6-Pack” and what a better place to do it then in Pennsylvania. Sure this would take out some of my favorites like Stone, Bells, and Rogue to name a few, but it would also open my eyes to a handful of the 70+ breweries that call “The Keystone State” home.

Many of you may know of Yuengling which began brewing in 1829 and Iron City (1899), but how many of these beers in my “Ultimate Pennsylvania Fall 6-Pack” have you heard of or tied?

Oktober Fest (5% ABV), Stoudt’s Brewing Company, Adamstown, PA – Est. 1987

This seasonal, medium-bodied, amber lager combines a malty sweetness with a subtle aromatic hop character. It is brewed from imported malt and hops from Munich, Germany, and in is reminiscent of the Oktoberfest celebration beers that I had a few years ago at the actual festival.  This beer is easy to drink and would pair well with grilled or pulled pork, multiple German sausages, and even the giant pretzels of the Munich celebration.

Golden Monkey (9.5% ABV), Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA – Est. 1996

Though Victory Brewing Company is better known for their top selling “HopDevil” IPA, this high octane, Belgian styled, Triple beer combines malts and hops with Asian Spices. German Malts and Belgium yeast are tempered by a sparkling approach which creates an overall light body and a nose of abundant herbal and fruity notes.

General Washington’s Tavern Porter (7% ABV), Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia, PA – Est. 1995

This heavy, medium-bodied brew is one of four selections in from Yards and their “Ales of the Revolution” line of beers which recreates the old recipes of colonial times on the east coast. This porter pours a reddish-brown body with a tan head and has a rich nose of burnt sugar, caramel, toffee, and molasses. This carries over to a rich and sweet, malty smoothness with a coffee bitterness on the palate.

Sixteen (10.5% ABV), Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, PA – Est. 1995

This interesting medium bodied specimen is a Dark Braggot Ale, which is an ancient beverage that is a mix of beer and mead (fermented honey drink).  This dark brown brew with a nice tan head has a slightly muted nose, but you can pick out chocolate, honey, and raisins.  There is a sweetness of the honey, a slightly smoky and burnt roasted malt flavor, and cherries on the palate.  This teeth knocker would be great to down just before a roll in the leaves with a special someone!

4 Seasons IPA (8% ABV), Voodoo Brewing Company, Meadville, PA – Est. 2009

This India Pale Ale is a wonderful example of what an IPA should be with its bitter hops and bold barley coming together to make one of the most sought after new ales in the country.  The brew is golden orange in color with a foamy white head on top. The nose is full plenty of citrusy hop aromas. The bitterness is solid with just a bit of sweet malt in the back end to balance it out.

Java Head (7.5% abv), Troegs Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA – Est. 1996

I loved this beer! Troegs based this full bodied stout off their original 2005 recipe for oatmeal stout with a touch of coffee.  Once the beer is brewed (called wort), it passes through a “hopback vessel” (similar to a coffee press of sorts) which is packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of coffee beans thus intensifying the coffee nose and releasing hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal stout balanced with cocoa and roast coffee flavors.

Honorable Mention:

Hopfish Indian Pale Ale (6.7%abv), Flying Fish Brewing Company, Cheery Hill, NJ – Est. 1995

Though this beer is brewed just over the bridge from Pennsylvania, I could not include it in the “Ultimate Pennsylvania Fall 6-Pack,” but I had to mention it since it is a great brew. This I.P.A. has a deep golden color and plenty of hop bitterness, all balanced by malty sweetness. There's a floral and citrus hop finish from a combination of American, English and German malts.

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, no one pays me for my comments. These are a couple of brews that I wanted to share for the upcoming fall season! Who knows, you could drink these at your next football tailgate as well as just before a roll in the leaves. Thank you for reading and let me know if there is anything I should review!