Great Divide Pumpkin Spice Yeti

College football is officially back, so it's okay to start drinking pumpkin beer again.  I know the stuff actually dropped a few weeks earlier this year, but you gotta have standards.  Anyway, one pumpkin beer i had not enjoyed before is the Pumpkin Spice Yeti from Great Divide, the Fall-themed take on their classic imperial stout.  The 9.5% brew pours a thick, dark black with a light brown head and smells of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg along with notes of roasted coffee and some light hints of vanilla.  The flavor is an almost creamy mix of said spices and coffee with some caramel and some earthy pumpkin notes.  It's all very well balanced, with no taste overpowering anything else, so about as well rounded a pumpkin stout as you're likely to find.

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Founders Highball Drifter

The second release from Founders' Bottle Shop Series is here, and it's a whopper.  Highball Drifter basically serves as a beer version of the cocktail and it served as a delightful addition to my weekend evenings.  The 11% ABV brew pours a dark, kind of amber-ish brown with an off-white head and smells of orange peel, cherry, vanilla, caramel, and bourbon.  The taste follows the nose with some added notes of brown sugar and bitters.  While it's certainly prevalent, the booze can still sneak up on you with this one, so take your time, sip, and enjoy.

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Red Horn Cultivating Mass

Normally in the middle of August, i'm starting to get excited about the upcoming Oktoberfest/pumpkin ale onslaught of the fall...but as it turns out, that stuff is already on the shelves.  It feels too early for it.  I mean, i bought some and drank it already, but it still feels too early.  Anyway, it's never too early for a good stout, and the good folks at Red Horn in collaboration with Turning Point Beer have a whopper with Cultivating Mass, 14% ABV cookies n' cream imperial stout.  The brew pours black with a tan head smells of chocolate, vanilla, and a little bit of marshmallow.  The flavor follows suit and is amazingly smooth considering the alcohol content.  It will sneak up on you.  So sip it slow and enjoy.

Untitled Art Espresso Honey Imperial Milk Stout

Even in the heat of the summer, i can't help but dig on the strong and dark stuff.  In the evening at least.  And the Espresso Honey Imperial Milk Stout from Untitled Art hits in all the right places for the desert beer enthusiast.  The 12% ABV brew pours black with an light tan head and smells of honey, coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon.  The flavor follows suit but with some additional notes of roasted malt, vanilla, and maybe even a little tobacco.  I spend many a Friday or Saturday night sipping on imperial stouts and watching horror movies, and this one filled the bill perfectly.

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Camp Fires and Ghost Stories

First off, dig on that "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" can art.  I am eternally a fan of the dark and heavy stuff, even in the blistering months of summer, so a s'mores brew felt like the way to go.  Camp Fires and Ghost Stories from Ingenious Brewing in Humble, Texas is an imperial milk stout brewed with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.  The 10% ABV brew pours a dark, blackish brown with a tan head and smells of chocolate, malt, molasses, and graham cracker.  The flavor is a solid mix of said chocolate and graham cracker with some notes of vanilla and caramel.  No false advertising here, it's basically a s'more in stout form.

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