2013 Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage Beer Raffle

This year Big John and the rest of the Ronk Beverage crew decided to hold another beer raffle...this time on Friday, November 1, 2013. Their last raffle, which occurred in March of last year, was a huge success and an event that I immensely enjoyed. This year they upped the ante and had 72 bottles of beer to raffle off to their favorite customers.

The majority of the beers at the raffle were aged for one or two years and came from Big John's own personal collection, which he had been saving just for this raffle. Bourbon County, Founders, Brooklyn Brewery and Sierra Nevada were just some of the great breweries that had themselves represented.

Before the raffle began at 10 PM, everyone was welcome to come into the store and enjoy a free glass of Palm beer as they discussed their favorite beers with other beer lovers in attendance (we even got to keep the glass after the raffle was done!). 

Eagerly awaiting for the raffle to begin

Everyone was given 24 (I think that was the number) raffle tickets and was able to divide them up as they chose, to have a better chance of winning the beers they were interested in. If you got your ticket pulled you were entitled to buy the beer you had won. Some of the more highly desired beers included Bourbon County Coffee Stout, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Firestone Walker's 16 Anniversary Ale and Sierra Nevada's Barrel Aged Bigfoot. Tom and I divied our tickets up and the raffle began shortly after we were done.

Big John gave another one of his heartfelt speeches that was both brief and right to the point. He thanked everyone for coming out and said little else besides: "Let's get to the raffle!"

With the help of his girlfriend Lindsay (who also works at Ronkonkoma Beverage) they pulled ticket after ticket and called the numbers on each. Every winner excitedly came up to the table full of fabled beers and redeemed their prize.

Both John and Lindsay had a blast while raffling off beers

The raffle lasted a little under an hour, until all the beers were claimed. I'm about 99% sure that everyone in attendance walked away with at least one prize, while there were a lucky few people who came away winning multiple rare beers. 

Tom, who only was interested in the Barrel Aged Bigfoot and the Firestone 16 Anniversary Ale (there was only one bottle in the raffle) ended up winning the 16 Anniversary Ale (so lucky!) and buying a four pack of Sierra Nevada's Narwhal Imperial Stout.

Tom was more than happy with his winnings

I ended up winning a bottle of the 2012 Stone Collaboration beer Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout (which I was ecstatic about) and DevESTATEtion by Sierra Nevada. Big John also ended up letting me buy unclaimed bottles of Sierra Nevada's Harvest Ale and Avery Old Jubilation Ale. 

 John Sr. and Lindsay ringing up some of the lucky winners

Tom and I had a great time and there was nothing but smiles among the crowd of people who showed up at Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage on November 1, 2013. Needless to say, they held yet another successful beer raffle this year with many happy customers who had the chance to bring home beers (and they did) that are no longer available to buy in any beer store. I still think however that the biggest smiles that night belonged to all the employees of Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage.

Thank you for the great time John and crew. You know I will be there every time you decide to have another beer raffle and I will always blog about it.

Your Friend,

Phil Spadanuta

The beers I took away from 2013 Ronkonkoma Beverage Beer Raffle

Pumpkin Beer Showdown: A Blind Tasting of the Final 6

Pumpkin beer should be in a class of its own with how many different types there are and the varying flavors of each. It's one of the most popular fall beverages among both beer connoisseurs and people who are just looking to get a delicious glass of Pumpkin Spice beer at John Harvard's Brew House. Brewing companies have noticed this rising popularity of pumpkin beer and as a result more and more companies are producing their own pumpkin beers. By stepping into the pumpkin beer brewing spotlight, they too hope that they can share in having their product be a part of the coveted pumpkin(beer) pie that everyone loves getting a taste of. This year Tom and I decided to do a blind taste test on what we considered the top 6 pumpkin beers that were offered this year to truly decide, without bias, which were our favorites.

  The contenders for best Pumpkin beer of 2013

We narrowed it down to these six (listed from left to right):

1) Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, 8.0% ABV

2) Ithaca Country Pumpkin, 6.3% ABV

3) Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, 7.0% ABV

4) Wolavers Organic Pumpkin Ale, 5.35% ABV

5) Harpoon UFO Pumpkin, 5.9% ABV

6) Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale, 8.0% ABV

 

To do our blind test we poured a 3 ounce glass of each beer, labeled with a number corresponding to which one it was, and each tried them at our leisure and compared them. It's the first time either of us has done a tasting of beers without knowing what we were drinking as we were drinking it. This is a great way to taste test beers because neither of us could form opinions just based on the name alone and which ones we've liked in the past.

 Waiting to be consumed and gain recognition for their greatness

The whole process was interesting because I thought I was going to be able to pick out each of the beers based on their flavor...boy was I wrong. Since I couldn't figure it out I had to go by taste alone. We even had Tom's Mom take part in the tasting as well so she could give us a third perspective on our favorite pumpkin beers. 

Tom with his flight of beers

These are the notes I took, based on what everyone said on each of the beers we drank.

1) Schlafly:

Tom's Mom - That one had a bit of an unusual flavor. (Ranked 6th)

Tom - Tasted borderline repulsive. (Ranked 6th)

Phil - Sweet and delicious, almost like a rich pumpkin pie. (Ranked 1st)

2) Ithaca: 
Tom's Mom - This one is nice, but not the best. (Ranked 2nd)
Tom - Definitely not the best, but not the worst, above average. (Ranked 3rd)
Phil - Very plain. Nothing particular that I liked about it. (Ranked 6th) 

3) Dogfish Head:
Tom's Mom - Not Bad. (Ranked 3rd)
Tom - Delicious pumpkin spices. (Ranked 1st)
Phil - Tasted more like a coffee beer. Good variety of spices, great flavor. (Ranked 4th) 

4) Wolaver's:  
Tom's Mom - The others are better than this one. (Ranked 4th)
Tom - Kind of plain. (Ranked 4th)
Phil - I noticed a taste of cinnamon. A light beer, not overpowering. (Ranked 3rd)

5) Harpoon UFO:
Tom's Mom - It's got a nice taste. This one's my favorite. (Ranked 1st)
Tom - Delicious and not too sweet. (Ranked 2nd)
Phil - Good, but the flavor is not enough especially when compared to the others. (Ranked 5th)

6) Weyerbacher:
Tom's Mom - A little off taste, not too good. (Ranked 5th)
Tom - Another one that was repulsive to me. (Ranked 6th)
Phil - Strong and satisfying. The spices were sweet too. (Ranked 2nd)       

Picking out my favorites

So to rank our beers I've come up with a points system. (1st = 6pts, 2nd = 5pts...5th = 2pts, 6th = 1pt). Here are the results:

1st place - We have a tie between Harpoon UFO Pumpkin and Dogfish Head Punkin both with 13pts.

2nd place - Another tie except this time between Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale and Ithaca Country Pumpkin both had 10pts.

3rd place - A third tie between Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Schlafly Pumpkin Ale with 8pts each.

To me it seems that the statement "like mother like son" holds true in our pumpkin beer tasting as Ithaca, Dogfish Head and Harpoon UFO were ranked as the three best by both Tom and his Mom.

I on the other hand appreciate different tastes and enjoyed the Schlafly, Weyerbacher and Wolaver's the most. 

Since we only had a test group of 3 different tasters I've consulted Beeradvocate.com for the number ranks (out of 100) for all the beers that were part of our tasting for a better understanding of where other people place them when compared to one another.

Beer Advocate ranks (average):

Dogfish Head Punkin - 89

Harpoon UFO Pumpkin - 81

Ithaca Country Pumpkin - 84

Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale - 78

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale - 88

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - 94

Looks like the Beer Advocate community agrees more with my choices haha. It just goes to show that everyone has different tastes and ideas of what makes a pumpkin beer good. What's even better is that I thought I was going to pick Harpoon UFO Pumpkin as my favorite since it consistently has been every year and I couldn't stop talking about how great it was. It came as a huge surprise when I found out that I ranked it 5th out of 6, which Tom thought was hilarious.

With the ever growing list of new Pumpkin beers that come out each year it's hard to keep up sometimes. Breweries even tend to put a slight variation on their Pumpkin beer formula, which results in a different experience drinking the same beer each year. As a beer blogger I hope to share with you some of my insight as to which pumpkin beers out of the list of hundreds are worth spending your hard earned cash on!

Please comment on my Facebook (Phil Spadanuta) or my twitter (@philchesteak) and let me know what you think of this post. Have you tried any of our final six and have input to give? Is there any pumpkin beers that you feel deserve recognition that we may have skipped over trying this year? Any and all comments are welcomed and appreciated.

If you'd like you can also check out my post from last year of The Top 5 Pumpkin Beers of 2012.

Thanks guys and keep it here at philchesteakbeer.blogspot.com for all of my opinions on the craft beers that you must try in your lifetime!

 

Beast Bitter

A knight's worst dream is a bitter beast waiting for him in that final throne room as he tries to reach the princess in peril, or if he's a bit more on the selfish side, a room filled with treasure. However, if you switch the order of the words you are left with Beast Bitter, which has a completely different meaning and is instead a beer that will have the knight(you) and the dragon(your mortal enemy) partying until the wee hours of the night as they discuss past relationships and how they both hate their jobs.

Beast Bitter is the second Middle Ages Brewing Company beer I am reviewing that my amazing friend Erica got for me on her trip to Syracuse, NY. Beast Bitter is an Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB) more on the malt end of the spectrum which results in a fruity and toasty tasting beer.

  Every time I try a new beer this is the beautiful sight I'm greeted with

Poured from a 12 oz bottle Beast Bitter is a nice amber orange color and smells of citrusy hops and toasted grain. I took a sip and the most noticeable flavor was that of toasted grain, which perfectly complimented the smell. As I continued drinking I began to notice some citrus notes with a non-overpowering bitter after taste. The carbonation was also well done and made the beer as good as it was and without it, Beast Bitter wouldn't have had the bite to it that I liked so much.

Beast Bitter is not overly inventive or as different as some of the other beers I've tried, but instead a beer for beer lovers to enjoy that want a nice standard beer that is consistently good, and at 5.3% ABV it packs a little more punch than most commercially successful beers.

Great from start to finish, I will be drinking this again in the future, right after I get a decent chestplate and shield so I could make the journey to the magical land of Syracuse, New York feeling prepared for the monsters that await me there.

 Instead of Mead they should have been drinking this in the Middle Ages

Beast Bitter is brewed by the Middle Ages Brewing Co. located in the upstate town of Syracuse, NY, where castles and dragons are abundant.

Bullseye Wholesale Beverage: A place you can find beer prices right on target!

Most of the time when you visit my Beer Blog you expect to hear about the beers I've been drinking and what makes them so great (or not so great in some cases). While it's true I love drinking beer and writing reviews on each one, the whole process and my blog wouldn't be possible without the wonderful beer retailers and beverage centers of Long Island. In the past I've written blogs on different beer stores that I frequently visit and why I continue to do so today. Recently I had the opportunity to continue in this trend and speak with Kurt Meyer Jr., the owner of Bullseye Wholesale Beverage in Smithtown, NY.

In 2009, Kurt Meyer Jr. and his father Kurt Meyer Sr. opened Bullseye Wholesale Beverage to much success. Before its opening the Smithtown area was pretty barren when it came to other beverage centers located in the area. Kurt and his father saw an opportunity to get their start in the beer business and with the help of a friend they bought the vacant building. The rest is history.

It's been five years since its opening, but Kurt continues to run Bullseye just as he did when it first opened. He makes sure that the shelves are always filled with a variety of delicious beers, including craft beers and limited releases that are normally hard to find. I've also noticed that his prices are on average lower than some competing beverage centers I go to, which I asked him about.

"If the prices are good and the product is there then people will come in. I'm trying to win customers, not increase the size of my bank account."

Low prices and fresh beer seem to be the winning formula for Kurt and Bullseye Wholesale Beverage, but running the store as smoothly as he does wouldn't be possible without the help of his supportive family, who also help out at the store as employees. Kurt's fiancé Casey normally works the register at the front of the store and always greets me with a smile when I come in. His sister-in-law Meghan and cousin Sascha also work there. 

I asked Kurt what some of his favorite beers are, and what beers got him to be the beer lover that he is today. He told me that initially he wasn't much of a beer drinker and would only drink German wheat beers because he didn't know what else was out there. Then one day a beer came into his life that changed his opinion on beer forever.

"If I had to pick one beer that opened up my beer drinking world it would have to be Stone's Russian Imperial Stout. It was just so rich, powerful and sweet, unlike anything else I have tried before. "

For a first time choice of drinking a craft beer I don't think he could have made a better decision. Other beers Kurt likes include Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA, Lagunitas Sucks and Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin.

Every experience I have had at Bullseye Wholesale Beverage has been a positive one. In addition to their great prices, Kurt has come through for me on multiple occasions. This year I was able to try Stone's R & R Coconut IPA collaboration beer thanks to him.

If you're looking for one of the best places to buy beer from with the most variety in the Smithtown area, look no further than Bullseye Wholesale Beverage.

Kurt Meyer Jr. and his fiancé Casey make Bullseye Wholesale Beverage a winning beer store

Bullseye Wholesale Beverage is located at 395 Middle Country Rd. in Smithtown, NY. Their slogan is: "A beer is not just a beer. All told, there are 27 different styles of beer, with a further breakdown of 49 substyles. Have you tried them all?"

   

Middle Ages Apricot Ale

Recently on her trip to Syracuse, New York, my friend Erica made a visit to the Middle Ages Brewery and picked up an assorted six-pack of the different beers they brew. I never heard of the Middle Ages Brewing Company before she mentioned them to me, let alone any of their beers. Trying one new beer is exciting enough for me, but six?! It's like a dream come true. The first beer of the six that I will be writing about is Middle Ages Apricot Ale.

Mmm apricots

Apricot Ale is just as you would imagine it being; a lightly carbonated, fresh and fruity beverage that was perfect to enjoy at the tail end of my summer. Just like the bottle it comes in, Middle Ages Apricot Ale pours a light orange color that is pleasing to the eye. The amount of carbonation was just right and gave this beer a head that wasn't too large or even worse, non-existent. The smell of apricots was enjoyable as I raised my glass to try a sip. 

Before I say whether or not Middle Ages Apricot Ale is "the bomb" as Jesse Pinkman would say, one side note: I've tasted a ton of different fruit beers with varying degrees of fruitiness. A lot of the companies brewing these beers seem to fall into the problem of making a beer that just tastes like a beer with a hint of fruit flavor. Luckily Apricot Ale doesn't fall into that category. 

Middle Ages Apricot Ale is delicious. It's a sweet beer, but not overly sweet. It's not as sweet as let's say a Starburst candy, but damn is it good. The tanginess sticks with you throughout the drinking experience. Apricot Ale is also a very light beer (4.4% ABV) so feel free to enjoy two or three in a night with little worries of drunken stupor. I know if I had more than one bottle I would have!

It reminded me of when I used to put a spoonful of Smuckers Apricot Preserve on my toast when I was younger. Middle Ages Apricot Ale is filled with delicious apricotty flavor and I would love to drink more of it again in the future.

Thank you for the delicious beer Erica and Middle Ages Brewing Co!!

Think this in beverage form

Apricot Ale was brewed by Middle Ages Brewing Company located in Syracuse, NY. It's the first Middle Age beer I've done a blog on.

Tröegs Java Head

Saturday is the perfect day to buy beer, especially at the start of the beautiful, sunny Labor Day weekend. While I think you should never need an excuse to have a barbecue, Labor Day is usually everyone's go to holiday to justify one last summer meat cooking extravaganza before the kids go back to school and leaves start falling off the trees.

Last night I tried a beer I've never had before; a coffee stout made by Troegs
the same people that brought us Nugget Nectar:

The first thing I noticed when I saw this six pack of Java Head was the packaging. There's a skull on every bottle that has two coffee kettles that are pouring coffee for eyes, a bowl of coffee beans for a nose and seven tall glasses of beer that comprise the mouth. I don't know who did the artwork, but it's one of the most interesting pieces I have seen on a beer bottle. 

I poured the beer into my tulip glass and was left with a foamy beer with the perfect amount of head.

It tasted as good as it looks

I took a sip and my taste buds were high-fiving each other as they indulged themselves in a very delicious beer. Java Head should be known as the standard of what makes a good coffee stout. The smell perfectly compliments the taste for a very pleasant beer drinking experience. Throughout the night Tom and I couldn't stop drinking Java Head into the early hours of the morning as we attempted to beat the bullet hell Steam game Jamestown on Divine difficulty.

 

That's one dark tasty beer!

We almost finished the whole six-pack with no trouble and we both agreed that Troegs Java Head is a beer not to be missed, especially for those who enjoy stouts and darker beers.

 

Java Head was made by Troegs Brewing Company located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It has an ABV of 7.5% and will make you wish all beers tasted this good! It's sold in six-packs and available for around $12.

Life is filled with many different beers, but not all of them are created equal.

Founders Rübæus

Founders is one of my favorite brewing companies and one whose releases I look forward to every year. Lucky for me Founders always has their beer release calendar readily available on their website, so I know when to look for my Founders Favorites (that's my new term!) in my local beverage stores Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage and St. James Beverage. The calendar is regularly updated every year to account for their new releases and the elimination of some older beers. When looking at the calendar for this year I was shocked to find out that their cherry beer, Cerise, that came out last year was no longer being brewed and would not be available to buy this summer. Cerise was one of the best cherry beers I've had so you could imagine my disappointment. That disappointment quickly faded when I discovered the beer that was taking its place this year for a summer release.

And that beer is Rübæus, Founders new raspberry beer. During the brewing process, fresh raspberries are added at five separate times which give this beer its deep red color and intense raspberry flavor.

The smell is also dominated by raspberries and the taste is sweet and fruit-filled down to the very last drop. I can drink Rübæus for weeks and not get tired of it, which is what I have been doing. I've already bought two 4-packs both of which there is not one bottle of beer left.

Simply said, every time I drink Rübæus it's a magical experience. The raspberry taste is just so good. When I'm enjoying a bottle around friends who haven't tried it before I always make sure to have them try a sip and tell me what they think. So far every person that has tried Rübæus has told me that they like it and not just like it, they like it a lot.

  My glass of Rübæus never stays this filled for too long

This is one of those beers that is so good that I wish they released it in more than just a 4-pack (I'd gladly welcome a 36-pack of Rübæus being sold in stores). Every time I buy Rübæus the four measily bottles of it don't manage stay in my fridge for more than a week, especially when sharing with friends.

I really hope Rübæus doesn't go the way of Cerise and is still being brewed next year so I could enjoy it again next summer. Right now it holds the title for "My Favorite Beer to drink during the summer," and it doesn't look like it will be dethroned any time soon.

Rübæus was created by Founders Brewing company of Grand Rapids, Michigan and has an ABV of 5.7%. A 4-pack currently goes for $13.99 (plus bottle deposit) at Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage and is still available there right now! What are you waiting for go get yourself a 4-pack of Rübæus!!!

Mr. White agrees that Rübæus is the bomb diggity yo!@