Welcome back for the fall semester! Much has happened since the Orient was last published—an earthquake shook Virginia, a tropical storm battered the Eastern seaboard, and a new crop of first years have descended on our campus like locusts—but in these uncertain times we can always seek comfort and solace in good company and good brews. To steady my nerves, I gathered together the brain trust this weekend and sampled some of the finest beers available at our friendly neighborhood Hannaford.
When you are confronted with a cooler as vast as theirs, it is easy to become overwhelmed and simply reach for a familiar can of PBR or a bottle with a cute animal on the label. I decided, however, that my first review should be a celebration of the new semester and the new season that began this past weekend. The days are subtly but not imperceptibly beginning to shorten, the nights are pleasantly crisp, and if you squint hard, you can just make out a hint of color on the tips of leaves around campus. The perfect fall beer allows us all to reflect on and reframe these bittersweet changes.
I chose six brews to inaugurate this column. I deliberately avoided choosing any of the mega-sized breweries' offerings in favor of more local beers, though any with "pumpkin" in the title were ignored as those have been reviewed previously in the Orient.
As a semi-science major (psychology), I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you a bit about my methods for tasting. I first thought it would be best to simply open up a few bottles of each and pass them around with a notebook for my friends to jot their thoughts in, but after near universal condemnation of anything beer-flavored and unanimous approval of the Woodchuck, I was forced to re-evaluate. Instead, a friend and I sampled the six brews out a glass the next day and marveled at how our opinions wildly varied from the night before.
Gritty's Halloween Ale (6 percent alcohol by volume) has a nice brown pour that surges to a creamy tan head. It has a very pleasant malty bite, which yields to a full and complex flavor and a lingering, mildly bitter aftertaste. Though it smells rather sweet, the sweetness of the malt is less prominent than first expected. For a fall ale, I believe that the bitterness of this beer is spot-on. What is most striking about the Halloween Ale is that nearly everyone who tasted it out of the bottle, myself included, absolutely hated it, but out of a glass, this was far and away my favorite beer. If you buy one beer from this review, make it Gritty's Halloween Ale.
Magic Hat's Hex Ourtoberfest Ale (5.4 percent alcohol by volume) has a surprisingly light amber color with a small head. This beer was the sweetest we tried, and it seemed generic in a complex way. It has a mild caramel taste and little bitterness, with the entire flavor concentrated on the front of the palate. One taster complained that the beer tasted "complex, but not full." This may be the only beer that tasted better straight from the bottle as it suffered from a pour. Magic Hat has always failed to impress me and this beer did nothing to change my mind. It is a good beer, though, and you may want to pick it up if you generally tend to enjoy sweeter beers.
Long Trail's Harvest Brown Ale (4.4 percent alcohol by volume) has a light brown color, no head upon pouring, and almost no carbonation. Had I not opened the bottle myself, I would have wondered if it had been accidentally opened in the store a few hours ago. There is very little to write about for this beer because it has almost no distinguishing flavor. It is neither malty nor hoppy, and it leaves no obvious aftertaste. However, as I continued to drink it, the subtle flavor began to grow on me for reasons I can't explain. I do not recommend buying just one, but you could do worse than the Harvest Long Trail if you are picking up a 12-pack.
Sierra Nevada's Tumbler Brown Ale (5.5 percent alcohol by volume) has a dark brown color and a small head that vanishes fast. It has very little flavor and a long aftertaste. The bottle advertises "fresh-roasted malt," but it could better be described as freshly burnt. Like the Long Trail, it is neither bitter nor sweet, but unlike the Long Trail, it did not grow on me over time. I cannot recommend this beer for any reason.
Geary's Autumn Ale (5.8 percent alcohol by volume) has a medium brown color and no head. The beer had a fuller mouth feel than the rest of the beers, and the flavor was quite complex with an aftertaste of fresh coffee. It is pleasantly bitter at first, but for both my fellow taster and I, the lingering aftertaste somewhat diminished our enjoyment of the rest of the glass. I suspect the verdict on this particular beer may come down to personal preference, so I would encourage you to give this beer a try if you normally enjoy Geary's.
Woodchuck's Fall Hard Cider (5 percent alcohol by volume) was the only drink not poured into glasses because it disappeared from the bottles too fast. Comparing it to beers is inappropriate, so I will only tell you that it tastes spicier than the Amber Draft with hints of ginger and cinnamon, and one of my friends claims that this cider is what butterbeer must taste like.
Whatever fall drink you choose to pursue, get it quick because some breweries will begin to pull them from the shelves as early as the end of this month. Winter is coming.