Beer of the Week

The beer: Basic Bee

The brewery: Black Flag Brewing Company, Columbia, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Our pumpkin pie ale for all the Ugg-boot-wearing, PSL-loving souls out there. Brewed with real pumpkin, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, it’s basically autumn in a glass. Smooth, slightly sweet, and perfectly spiced, this beer pairs well with flannel selfies, leaf piles, and pretending you’re at a pumpkin patch for the ’gram. Grab one before your yoga class—because we know you literally can’t even wait for fall."

Would I buy it again? Not exactly the time of year for pumpkin pie beer, but it was available and looked good, so why not? The maple syrup definitely intrigued me. Unfortunately, this beer didn't really do all that much for me. Not that it was bad; more that the flavor was muddled. I think they threw a few too many things into this particular pumpkin beer. When you have five different strong flavors all fighting for dominance, it ends up not tasting like anything other than sugar. I really didn't get any pumpkin, which is ridiculous considering what this beer is. So, I'd probably pass on this in the future.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Vanilla Double Wizard

The brewery: Black Flag Brewing Company, Columbia, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "This 8% ABV Hazy Double IPA features a heavy hitting blend of Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops throughout the whirlpool and dry hopping, along with a large drop-in of Tahitian Vanilla Beans. Imagine the vibrant pithy citrus notes of these popular hops blended with the mellow, full-bodied sweetness of pure vanilla bean; a genuine hopped orange dreamsicle!"

Would I buy it again? The beer itself is perfectly fine. Very juicy, with a citrusy flavor, it's easy and pleasant to drink, and I like it. But there's an issue: I taste literally no vanilla. And with a name like "Vanilla Double Wizard," I was really expecting at least a little vanilla. I wanted to experience a vanilla-flavored IPA, but I got something much more average. So I'd probably pass on it in the future. Good, but not what I was looking for.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Super Kashmir

The brewery: Black Flag Brewing Company, Columbia, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Super Kashmir is a revamped version of a Black Flag classic, Kashmir. Featuring Cashmere-Cryo and Cashmere in the whirlpool along with Cashmere and Citra pellets in the dry hopping, this almost velvety haze has tropical hop pairings that seamlessly blend with our signature flaked oat malt build. We’re VERY excited to give you our 2023 retooling of one of our most popular hazy’s to ever hit the market."

Would I buy it again? Unlike last week, the India association with this beer is purely coincidental: Cashmere hops, the geographic region of Kashmir. Not a tremendously clever leap to make. So, what we have is a fairly tasty and juicy IPA. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very solid. No complaints about bitterness or odd flavors, it's just a solid and easy to drink beer, and as a result, I would definitely consider buying this beer again.