#rivertowne brewing

[thedaily-beer]

Rivertowne Brewing’s Patrick’s Poison (Picked up at Weis in PA). A 3 of 4. Lots of great malt complexity on this -- lots of caramel and brown sugar sweetness and plenty of herbal and resinous hop notes to balance. The alcohol stays well-hidden in the medium body, and this is nicely rich without being cloying.

[a-few-cold-ones]

Rivertowne Brewing All Aboard Anniversary Stout

Two weeks ago on the blog I reviewed Sassamanash, a cranberry beer brewed by Rivertowne Brewing Company. As I mentioned in that post, I picked up that beer on my way into Pittsburgh at their production brewery in Export. What I neglected to mention was cranberry beer was not the main reason I wanted to stop at the brewery. Just a few days before my trip into the city I saw a post on the Rivertowne Instagram account about their All Aboard Anniversary Stout getting canned. As you know, once the weather gets colder, if you even mention oatmeal, coffee and stout to me, it’s a safe bet I’ll be all about trying it. Unfortunately, when I stopped at the brewery that day, the people manning the tasting room told me that it had LITERALLY just been canned and wasn’t available to purchase yet. Bummer right? It looked like I wasn’t going to get anything except the brews that I was picking up for Thanksgiving dinner. But that is when yet again the crew at Rivertowne went above and beyond. The helpful girl in the front of house said, “Can you hold on a minute? I want to ask the brewers something.” She disappeared into the back of the brewhouse for a little while and came back with my 6 pack of cranberry beer and something else behind her back. That’s when she reaffirmed why I recommend Rivertowne to so many people visiting the Pittsburgh area. “We aren’t allowed to sell you any of the All Aboard yet because we are afraid it will run out before our actual anniversary,” she said. “But, the guys in the back said to give you a can on us and be sure to stop back in December when it’s released.” These guys could have sent me packing but instead made my day with a small gesture that meant a lot to me and my perception of their brand. And that is the story of why this week I am featuring All Aboard Anniversary Stout from Rivertowne Brewing. All Aboard is an Imperial Oatmeal Coffee stout with an ABV of 7.1%.

My first impression on the visual of this beer was,”Wow, this pours almost the same color brown as my collection of growlers!” It was a deep almost milk chocolate bar color brown with a light tan head. When I close my eyes and picture what a stout should look like, this is what I think of.

As I lifted my goblet to my nose I was hit right away with a rich chocolate aroma. The sweet smell of this beer screams chocolate malt but I also thought I could smell a little bit of nuttiness hiding in the background.

Once it hit my tongue I get that sweet coffee flavor similar to the iced coffee that comes in the cups with a picture of a mermaid on it. It still has that nice silky mouthfeel thanks to the oats added to the brew. There is a nice balance between the sweet and coffee flavors that masks any hotness that might come with an imperial stout.

Overall I’m giving All Aboard a 4.5 out of 5. I really liked this stout and I hope to find the bourbon barrel version of it soon. You should be able to find it where Rivertowne beers are distributed all month long. So have you had All Aboard Oatmeal Stout? Let me know what YOU thought of it. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about and when you had this you thought something completely different. If that’s the case, send me a message and let me know!

So until next week, get out there and have some fun! I’m headed back to Pittsburgh this weekend so hopefully I can take another little detour through Export to visit the gang at Rivertowne again on the way. Whatever your plans this weekend, don’t settle for crappy beer and be sure to drink responsibly.Thanks for checking in again this week and I’ll be back next time with another brew that’s new to me.

Cheers!

[a-few-cold-ones]

First Sip Friday - Rivertowne Sassamanash

Hopefully you all had a nice Thanksgiving holiday yesterday. My wife and I made the 2 hour drive to visit my parents in Maryland where we had all of the usual Thanksgiving offerings from turkey to pumpkin pie. That’s why for this week’s edition of First Sip Friday, she suggested I feature a “Thanksgiving” beer. At first I was having a hard time figuring out what exactly that would be. I mean, what beer really says turkey and stuffing to me? Then just by chance I was heading to Pittsburgh last week and mentioned that I wanted to stop at Rivertowne Brewing and my wife said, “Don’t they have a cranberry beer?” Why yes, yes they do. And that is why this week I’ll be featuring Sassamanash by Rivertowne Brewing because in our house, cranberry beer beats cranberry sauce any day. Coming in at 4.8% ABV also meant that I could enjoy it with Thanksgiving dinner and not worry about passing out in the mashed potatoes. So let’s put on our pilgrim hats and get into this beer.

The beer pours out a golden straw color with a very minimal head. If I close my eyes and try to remember what shade of yellow my old Pirates pillbox hat was when I was little, this beer is right about that same color. It’s such a sunny looking pint glass and after having one of their other fruit beers, Hala Kahiki which is a delicious pineapple ale, I’m surprised how clear it looks in comparison. It’s almost takes on the look of some of the local ciders that I’ve tried lately.

First off I pick up the cranberry juice in the nose. That sweet smell isn’t just cranberry cocktail though. It’s whole berries, skin an all. There’s even a whisper of citrus coming through in the aroma too. I’m chalking that up to the crew at Rivertowne using whole cranberries in juice instead of a flavoring. I haven’t read anything about them using oranges, rinds or anything but cranberries in this beer.

The first drink is malty and almost cracker like. There is a big punch of cranberry right away, but it is a balanced flavor that doesn’t make you pucker. Add that flavor to a nice carbonation that dances across your tongue and this is probably my new go to beer for Thanksgiving.

Overall I’m giving Sassamanash a solid 4 out of 5. I’m not usually a big fan of fruit beers but this refreshing brew is very good and I would definitely get it again.  If you are up for a road trip, be sure to visit the Rivertowne production brewery in Export, PA or stop at any of their Rivertowne Pour Houses. I have always had great experiences at the pour house on the North Shore and the production brewery is so easy to get too, I’ll be taking the brewery tour very soon.

So have you had Sassamanash? If you did let me know what YOU thought of it. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about and when you had this you thought something completely different. If that’s the case, send me a message and let me know.

So until next week, get out there and have some fun! Don’t settle for crappy beer and be sure to drink responsibly. If you braved the crowds on Black Friday, hopefully you found what you were looking for without too much craziness. My wife and I are off to The Knickerbocker Tavern where not only is it a Firkin Friday, but they will also be pouring Goose Island Bourbon County Stout on draft this evening at 6:30. If you’re in the area stop over and say hello! Thanks for checking in again this week and I’ll be back again next time with another brew that’s new to me.