Fall Beers Already?

With the end of summer in sight, and fall is right around the corner, I've noticed many breweries have already released their fall seasonal beers. Just the other week I noticed my local supermarket had Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale, and a friend came over the other week with a case of Sam Adam's Octoberfest. I've mentioned it before, and I'm certain I'll mention it again but I love fall beers. I'm a huge fan of the Octoberfest and Pumpkin Ale Beers. The other week I went to the Boathouse in Conshohocken, and got to try a pint of the River Horse Hip O lantern. This imperial pumpkin ale is brewed with pumpkin spices and puree that was delicious. With it being as hot as it's been it was kind of weird drinking a Pumpkin beer that I would associate with the fall, but hey it just goes to show you that brewers are excited about seasonal beers. It kind of reminds me how stores handle Christmas in that they start advertisements and sales even before you get your Thanksgiving Turkey picked out. I enjoyed this beer, however it was very strong with a 9% alcohol content.

The Beer Bible

I managed to get out of work at a reasonable time tonight after working late every night this past week. Because tomorrow's Friday, I decided to head to the Boathouse in Conshohocken to get something to eat and more importantly drink some good beer. I've been to the Boathouse before and was impressed by their food but was even more impressed with their beer menu which offers many local favorites. Apparently I'm not the only person that enjoys this establishment because this placed was packed with a younger business crowd. With the number of companies in the area, The Boathouse offers a great Happy Hour Monday through Friday, so perhaps many people were left over from that. As packed as this place was we were lucky enough to get seated immediately especially since I had a prior obligation later that evening. It's been some time since I last drank at the Boathouse, and I definately forgot how large their beer menu is.

Unlike most places this place doesn't have a beer list, they beer book which is obviously updated quite often. Each beer listed includes a short paragraph describing the beer such as where it's brewed, alcohol content, how it's brewed, and how it taste. As I find myself ordering beers I never tried or even heard of, having the desciption was extremely helpful. What suprised me was that they included beers they plan to serve in the near future. I don't think I've ever gone to a place that let me know what they plan to have on tap. This was a great way to make me come back as I noticed they will be serving Sierra Nevada Hoptimum and Magic Hat #9. Because the restaurant is in Conshohocken, I ordered something with local flavor: Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA which is brewed in Pheonixville, PA. I've never had this beer before, but as its an IPA I decided to order it. I figured I would like it as there was never an IPA that I didn't enjoy. Getting my first beer I noticed the dark gold color, but as I didn't order this beer for it's look I quickly took a huge gulp and noticed it's strong bold taste. It's refreshing flavor was definately what my last few days has been missing. Not sure if I was thirsty or really enjoyed this beer, but I guzzled down the first one and ordered a second one. I did manage to drink the second one slower to savor the flavor, and soon realized I really enjoyed this beer and it wasn't just that I was thirsty.