Craft CIDER Review: Arsenal Cider, Fighting Elleck

I always loved the the idea of the Cider House named Dickens!  For today's craft beer CIDER review I'm sipping on a local cider, made with local apples, that was hand delivered by the brewer in 1/6 barrels right to my door!

That's right! Bill Larkin of Arsenal Cider House in Lawrenceville, PA personally drove up 2 sixtels of fresh hard cider, straight to my door following a visit I made to their house just 2 weeks prior! My Brew-nette lover, Emily Kate, is a die hard for good cider and while we were on a date night to see one of our favorite musicians perform a solo acoustic show, I made sure to treat her to a buffet of glassware filled with excellent local cider.  


Im enjoying an 8oz pour on tap of a 8% ABV hard cider known as Fighting Elleck. And it will be waiting for you at The Stone House

It poured a very pale, straw color with bubbles dancing up and down the center of the liquid.  It had a very spritzy, soda like head that puffs and falls rapidly.

The nose provides that of tart Braeburn apples with hints of golden raisin and honeysuckle. There are also touches of fresh cut grass, like that of a New Zealand Sauv Blanc and yeasty essences.

The flavor was very similar and resembled that of a champagne, but with fresh local, hand pressed apples.  Bright, refreshing, grassy, and biscuit are the prominent features. It is hard to decide if this falls into the semi-sweet or the off-dry category, but Im going with semi-sweet. The combination was fresh and quenching. 

The mouthfeel was light bodied.  Fresh, crisp, tart.  The carbonation was mild and right for the style.  The finish on the cider can be lengthy and left the mouth watering and puckered.


I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

Click, BOOM!
- AGtheDir

Craft Beer Review: Helltown Brewing, Spiteful Saison

Craft Beer Review: Helltown Brewing, Spiteful Saison, Mt. Pleasant
If you enjoy today's review, please feel free to go straight to Hell(town)!

Brewed around the corner in Mt. Pleasant, PA by Helltown Brewing Company, Spiteful is a glorious version of a saison, and a personal favorite for me! I first met the guys of Helltown at a small local beerfest that was taking place in the summer 2012 at a neighboring resort. Nothing but a bunch of cool, laid back dudes that spend what little time they have outside of their "normal" day jobs, brewing awesome, hop forward and eccentric styles of beer.

This particular brew is bottled in a 750ml with cork and cage closure at 6.25% ABV. Now available in this format at The Stone House

It poured a super clear straw, with a white head that steadied into a nice 1.5 finger depth, was rocky and held tight.  The lacing, was pretty but short lived.  

I found a nice dose of citrus, white pepper, hay and mild barnyard funk in the aroma. Also to be found was a wheaty malt note and an hint of sweet esters.

Not found in the nose, but available to the taste was a slight nutiness that derives from this "style". You still enjoy the lemon pith, white pepper spiciness, and the farmhouse funk. The sour notes were very palpable and low.  

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Spicy and actively carbonated.  The carbonation provided a a little extra push of tang through the yeast.   The finish on the beer was medium longevity.

Drink Local....or if you don't live around here, drink someone else's LOCAL! Support your local brewer! Supoort PA beer. Support Pittsburgh Beer. Support a nano-brewer. For god's sake, just support good beer!

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

To Hell and Back!
 - AGtheDir

Craft Beer Review: Somerville Brewing, Slumbrew, Snow Angel Imperial IPA

I start every blog promising to do this more often!  For today's craft beer review I type in pure, unadulterated joy!
Brewed in Ipswich, MA by Somerville Brewing Company, (AKA 'Slumbrew') Snow Angel is understood as the first in a series of hop concentrated ales to be experimented with and produced by Slumbrew and I can only call it luck that I received a bottle! I must be sure to give a big thanks to Mike Duhgus Johnson of FestPics, for taking the time to send me both the bottle and the gorgeous glass (as well as a small slew of other Slumbrew branded items. 

Not often enough, but sometimes, I am lucky to know some great people willing to make the effort to trade beers so that we may all expand our knowledge of the craft world. This was just that case. And while I generally wait for the right time to taste a freshly traded/shipped beer, I could not in this case

This hoppy love sits in a 22oz bomber at 9% ABV and a strong 80 IBU's.

It poured a super clear copper with specks of yeast cells that have fallen out of suspension..  The white  head puffed right up to a nice 1.5 finger depth, was very creamy but faded quickly.  The lacing, while gentle and fine, held to the glass for the majority of the first glass.  

I found a great deal of citrus and stone fruit forwardness in the aroma of the hops, followed by smooth grainy malt aromas and an apparent sweetness emanating from what I assume is the alcohol content.

Bitter, chewy, wilted floral, and citrus hoppy was just the beginning. I thought that it had so many different elements, that I found it hard to concentrate, but fun to search through. It was a roller coaster of hops, bitters, fruits, malts, fruits, bitters, hops. 

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Chewy. Sweet. Bitter.  The carbonation started strong, but I was surprised by the fade.   The finish on the beer was lengthy especially in the hoppy bitterness. oh, and it is imperial, so I hope I spell the rest of this review correctly.

I hope you can also find a way to taste this beer! Cheers to my dear friends Jeff and Caitlin! Keep Brewing! Can't wait to try 'Naked Hopularity'

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I 

Slum It Up!
 - AGtheDir