Week 10: Swear to tell the truth

1. Lancaster Brewing Hop Hog

2. Sly Fox Gang Aft Agley

3. Steamworks Brewing Conductor Imperial IPA

4. Magic Hat Vinyl

5. HeBrew Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA

6. Yards General Washington Porter

7. Philadelphia Brewing Co. Newbold IPA

8. Yards Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale

This week's selection of beer was divided between a few that I haven't had in awhile and a couple of others that I have had sitting patiently for a few months/weeks. Or was it me that has been sitting patiently?

Before I get down to business I will just mention that the Yards Ales of the Revolution will have their own blog post dedicated to them in a few days. Also, I had a mini beer tasting/dinner the other night with a few friends where we raided the fridge and enjoyed 3oz tasters of a Southhampton Porter and a Yards Porter, IPAs from Smuttynose and HeBrew, and stouts from Founders and Brooklyn. A couple random Pale Ales and Wits were in there too. It was a good night.

OK, so HeBrew's Bittersweet Lenny's Rye IPA was a delicious Imperial IPA dedicated to the man of controversy, Mr. Lenny Bruce. Just like Mr. Bruce, this beer had a lot to say. A cloudy beer for a warm night, its abundance of rye was evident when I dipped my nose toward the rim of my glass. A bit grapefruity, like all my favorite IPAs, this hopped giant also had a few more fruits circling around it. There was a very attractive floral finish to this overall pretty well-balanced beer. At 10% ABV, it never really hit you over the head.

I also enjoyed Steamworks Conductor Imperial IPA. Orange in color with a citrusy taste to follow, it was an incredibly easy to drink Imperial. However, I can't say there was a whole lot of complexity to it. It was maybe missing a few hop varieties to get its engine moving, though it was still a treat for the mild hop-heads out there.

Cheers to the weekend ahead. It is Philly Beer Weekend, so there is a whole lot going on throughout the city, including an IPA weekend at Side Car at 22nd & Christian (there will be a firken of Bell's 2 Hearted) and a Stout Brunch at J.B's in Fishtown.