December 21 - Rusty Rail Brewing Company Snow Flyer

It's so hard, to say goodbye, to yesterday-heeeeeeeeeee!

Only 3 Wednesday nights this month means that this will be your final installment of WWW.  I have another few up my sleeve for personal reflection, so you won't have to listen to me babble and backstory to death a beer review.

However, since this review is still happening and I have your undivided attention...

This beer is pretty much as local as it gets for me, coming from Mifflinburg and the Rusty Rail Brewing Company.  If you've never visited them in person at their location, you are missing out on a gem of a building.  Personally, I'm a fan of the upstairs bar/game room/80's retro game console area. I believe that the games are free.  You can choose from things like Dig Dug and the such and can play them while you enjoy a few beers.

When this place first opened, I was excited.  Unfortunately, so was everyone else.  To be honest, these guys didn't know what they were in store for and I assume they felt overwhelmed on a regular occasion with seating capacity, kitchen capacity, etc.  Our first few visits there were met with some snags and we decided not to come back until things got sorted out.  As with any business, I assume, it just takes time. 

Thanks Axl!

After our latest impromptu date night, my wife and I got to re-visit this place with friends.  It is still a beautiful place, upstairs and down.  The details that went into what they put together are fantastic and should be seen firsthand.  The food we got was on point.  The wait time was minimal (even at the dinner hour on a Saturday).  The beer choices were expanded as well. 

There have been some interesting things on tap that I've seen from afar.  The strangest concoction was an Imperial Peanut Butter Hefeweizen. 

That beer, and a few others that I had there that night, are part of what they're calling their "Side Track" series.  I couldn't find any official information on what this is all about, but my hunch is that they're getting into experimenting with different ingredients to see what works and what doesn't.  I didn't have the PB Hefe, but I talked to a few people who really enjoyed it.  Sounded strange enough for me to want to try it too! 

While there that evening, I had this Winter Seasonal for the first time, Snow Flyer HC Porter.  I was definitely impressed with it that night and again tonight to review.  This beer is brewed with hazelnut extract and cacao nibs, according to the site.  The hazelnut is definitely apparent throughout aroma and taste.

The pour was to be expected with any stout, a dark black one with a nice creamy beige head on top.  My splinter glass is doing its job!  Some nice lacing stuck around for quite a while here too.  The aroma gave a strong, but not overpowering hazelnut along with some hints of coffee and chocolate which I'm sure you could guess.

There is a strong and full body to this beer, which I really enjoy in this porter, especially at only 5.5% ABV.  The taste was pretty straightforward as well.  The same three things are the aroma.  There is a nice bitter finish this this brew from the chocolate and coffee, but the hazelnut lingers and hangs on for quite a while. 

I'm glad these guys are succeeding, because no one wants a brewer/brewery to fail, especially a local one.  It seems to me that this beer will be around for quite a while as their Winter Seasonal staple for years to come.

A solid 4 out of 5 for this beer tonight!