Today we’ll be sampling the summer beers that make up the Straub Adventure Series # 2 variety pack and this mix of beers is part of the Peter Straub Signature Brews series. These beers are available now in 12oz bottled 12-packs with three bottles of each beer as well as on draft, so now is the time to try them out. Like the first sampler, each beer represents unique locations and themes of the mountains, woods and waterways of the PA Wilds.
According to Straub:
The names of the 12 craft beers in the “Peter Straub Signature Brews” series are inspired by the vast outdoor activities and destinations in the 12 ½ counties of Straub Brewery’s home region, which is known as the Pennsylvania Wilds™. This area boasts 2.1 million acres of public land and is one the largest blocks of green between New York City and Chicago with over 50 million people who live within a 6-hour drive of this region.
I think we’ve waited long enough….So how do they taste?
We’ll start with Straub Smooth Eddy Ale. This beer is a Hefeweizen that is a nod to paddlers, tubers and swimmers and this Bavarian-style beer is a really classic Hefeweizen. The color is golden with a hazy appearance and some really prominent banana and clove aromas. The mouthfeel is soft and the flavors are slightly spicy with some additional banana ester-y notes. The beer finishes clean and refreshing with just a hint of citrus. We didn’t add any citrus, but our pal brewmaster Vince Assetta suggest you not be afraid to add a lemon or orange slice (5.5%-AbV, 15 IBU). 
Up next we decided to try out the Helles Highway Helles beer. This beer is a tribute to the thousands of miles of “highways and back roads” in the PA Wilds and it is a classic Munich-style Helles. The beer pours a light straw color with slightly spicy and biscuit-y aromas. The flavors follow with some softer malt sweetness up from, followed by the herbal and floral hop presence at the end. The mouthfeel is delicate, crisp and clean making Helles Highway a very drinkable summer beer (5.5%-AbV, 20 IBU). 
Up next we leaned into a Straub Oktoberfest Elchland. This Märzen-style beer pays tribute to one of our country's “largest free-roaming elk herds which is located in Bennezette, PA” (Elchland is German for Elk Country) and this beer pour a rich copper color with a wonderful bready aromas. The flavors follow with a malty sweetness that is balanced well by the traditional hop flavors and the light toasted-malt finish. This beer will also be the only beer in the pack to be also offered in 4, 6 and 12-packs as a seasonal offering (5.7%-AbV, 24 IBU). 
Finally we opened the Stellar Night. This dunkel lager is named in honor of the starry skies of Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County. According to Straub, this beer is “fashioned after the classic dark beers of Munich” and I think we’d agree. The color is medium brown with loads of toasted bread and roasty aromas. The flavors lead with malty sweetness and finish with mild hop bitterness and after a few sips you'll see why this beer was the gold medalist at the 2017 Best of Craft Beer Awards. In the end we found Stellar Night to be full flavored with a really pleasant and drinkable mouthfeel (5.2%-AbV, 24 IBU). 
The Straub Adventure Series # 2 craft sampler is available now so get out there and pick up the variety pack…and be sure to do it before you get out there in the PA Wilds. Also be sure to check out the GPS coordinates on each bottle to lock in on some of Straub Brewery’s favorite outdoor locations. Be sure to try all four Straub beers for yourself, and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
PS Straub Adventure Series # 3 sampler will feature a doppelbock, pilsner, altbier and 1872 lager…so stay tuned for late fall release details.
.
0 comments (click to read or post):
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment...I do moderate each comment so it may not appear immediately...and please be nice! You can also comment using Disqus (below) or even comment directly on Facebook (bottom).