Coffee with Christ

1. Lagunitas Brewing Co. Lucky 13 (D)

2. Oskar Blues Brewery Gordon (D)

3. Avery Brewing Co. Maharaja (D)

4. Monks Ale Abbey of the Christ in the Desert (D)

5. The Bruery Orchard White (D)

6. Southern Tier Brewing Co. Pumking (D)

7. Victory Brewing Co. Hop Wallop (Handpump)

8. Belfast Bay Brewing Co. McGovern's Oatmeal Stout (B)

9. Victory Brewing Co. Victory Village (D)

10. Pauwel Kwak (D)

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,

The first one said,

"Oh my, it's getting late."

The second one said,

"But we don't care."

The third one said,

"I see witches in the air."

The fourth one said,

"Let's run, and run and run."

The fifth one said,

"Get ready for some fun."

Then whoosh went the wind,

and out went the lights,

And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

There is no better way to start writing an autumn beer list than with a children's poem. I love October in Philadelphia. I have never seen beer lists change so fast in any other month than when witches can roam freely. This list in particular, I was all over the place. But there were a few with which we can sit around the campfire to talk about.

Monks Ale Abbey of the Christ in the Desert. I heard about this brew on beernews.org and was quite intrigued. The article stated that Monks Ale are the only Benedictine Monastery to brew beer in the U.S., and it is the first time that it will be available out of state of New Mexico. Once I saw that it was on draft down the street at the Olde Eagle, I was at least pretty stoked to see what it was all about. This isn't a knock-your-socks-off beer. I think that I liked their tag line more.. "Made with Care and Prayer." I found it to be a pretty mild Belgian Ale if that is what you want to call it. Easy on the hops and an overall sweet mouth on it. A very noticeable honey flavor that clings to your lips. I found this article a few weeks after. It's worth a gander and worth a taste if you are able to find it.

As for a widely accessible beer to find in past 2 months, Victory Village was all over the city and suburbs. Whether you wanted a growler from Whole Foods or a 12oz glass, this beer was on every beer bar draft list. Coffee beers generally catch my attention. I'm a coffee lover. Some say that that they don't like to mix the two together; I say that there is no reason not to carry a love affair from morning to night. Victory Village is probably the best coffee beer that I laid my lips on as of recent. 150 lbs of coffee are added into the fermenter late in the game. It definitely comes out superbly in a brown ale. Village One Coffee is a roaster right outta PA. And they make damn fine coffee. Victory and Village put out a few videos for everyone to see what they were up to just before the beer hit the bars. Check one out here.

Cheers until next time.