Sebago Brewing Company – Slick Nick Winter Ale

Sebago Brewing Company – Slick Nick Winter Ale

THE POUR: Sebego’s Slick Nick Winter Ale pours a light and clear amber.

THE AROMA: A malty spice, usual for a winter beer. Not an overpowering smell here.

THE TASTE: Smooth, and and slightly sweet. Very crisp, and I would almost say “light” for a winter ale. Lots of caramel malts produce the sweetness.

THE DECISION: A malty winter ale, and a nice one. The sweet-spiciness works well and produces an original winter brew that stands out from the pack. I wouldn’t say it is in the head of the pack, but stands out nonetheless.

THE GRADE: B+

Wachusett Brewing Company – Winter Ale

Wachusett Brewing Company – Winter Ale

THE POUR: Wachusett Winter Ale pours a lightly clouded, red-amber.

THE AROMA: A mild sweet malt smell, with light spiced hops. This beer is labeled as a “Classic Scotch Ale” with little spices. As you would expect, the aroma is that of a classic ale.  Nothing out of the norm here.

THE TASTE: Smooth, and malty mouthfeel, with light spice and mild hops.  This is a classic ale – not too spiced up as in other Christmas/Holiday seasonals.

THE DECISION: Maybe a little too ordinary – yet highly enjoyable. This is a great holiday go-to, when you are in the mood for a mellow, yet full-bodied Winter Ale.

THE GRADE: B+

Harpoon Chocolate Stout

THE POUR: Harpoon Chocolate Stout poured dark and opaque topped with a thin brown head with almost a twinge of purple

THE AROMA: The beer smelled strongly of roasted malts and an occasional sniff of chocolate.

THE TASTE: Good bitter flavor, likely from the roasted malt. Hop flavor is not very present, not should it be in this style. The chocolate gives the taste an added element of sweetness.

THE DECISION: Very good beer, would go great with a piping hot bowl of chili or beef stew. I’ve seen it suggested to top  a bowl of vanilla ice cream, I’d prefer Hershey’s Syrup.

THE GRADE: A-

Beer Stats:

16 degrees Plato, 190 EBC, 5.9% ABV, 40IBU

From Harpoon Brewery – Chocolate Stout

Rock Art – Herb Jasmine Pale Ale

Rock Art – Herb Jasmine Pale Ale

THE POUR: Cloudy amber with light carbonation.  Little head retention with almost zero lacing around the glass.

THE AROMA: As the name implies, plenty of herbs.  Like the pour, it’s very earthy in smell.  Nice jasmine flowery freshness.

THE TASTE: Slight hint of hops accompanied by more earthy-herbal tones. Overall dry taste that is not overpowering.

THE DECISION: I like when a beer tastes similar to what you would imagine when looking at the label and reading the name. This beer accomplishes that. Overall I would like a more hoppy bite, but its unique, which is appreciated and expected by a Vermont beer.

THE GRADE: B

Harpoon Ginger Wheat

THE POUR: Pours a clear pale gold with foamy head. Small bubbles of carbonation float to the surface as the head settles to a thin later.

THE AROMA: Greeted by the sweet aroma of honey. Strong scent of ginger, awakening the nose.

THE TASTE: The taste is of a mild wheat beer at first, with the ginger appearing boldly towards the end of a sip. The ginger obscures any other flavors, almost overpowering.

THE DECISION: I like ginger in foods, and I now know I do not like ginger in beers. Lots of potential, but I can’t get past that single flavor.

THE GRADE: B-

This beer is #29 in Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series, a limited production of specialty beer styles.

Haverhill Brewery/The Tap – La Dame De Peronne

Haverhill Brewery/The Tap – La Dame De Peronne

THE POUR: Thick, bronzish pour, with frothy foamy head. Head retention lasts less than a minute, yet a half inch remains.

THE AROMA: Citrus and floral scents, with caramel and grain notes throughout.

THE TASTE: A very malty beer, with mild alcohol flavor at 6.8%. Bready after-tones, which leave your palate clean and dry.

THE DECISION: Almost too much malt flavor for my tastes, yet it goes down very smooth. Great pairing with cheese and crackers. A overall solid offering from Haverhill Brewery.

THE GRADE: B-/C+

Magic Hat – Black as Night Winter Lager

THE POUR: This beer poured a thick inky black. Virtually no light was visible through the glass. A foamy, khaki-colored head topped the pour, but settled to a thinner layer.

THE AROMA: Virtually no scent to this lager, just a small sniff of sweetness.

THE TASTE: Thin mouthfeel and lightly carbonated. It tastes strongly of roasted malts with some bitterness.

THE DECISION: Surprisingly dark for a lager, I am reminded more of a mild porter. Still, I’m a dark beer fan in these colder months, regardless of style.

THE GRADE: B

Review- Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale

Even though the leaves on the trees are rapidly diminishing, fall is still here. We’ve only had one snow storm In Boston so far this year and that’s already enough for me. To keep my fall spirits high I decided to partake in Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin Ale.

I poured it into a snifter and heavily enjoyed it. I should also note that the beer was drank at room temperature.

The initial pour left about a quarter of an inch of head and a very pleasant pumpkinny (pumpkinish?) Smell. not spicy or syrupy sweet smelling. It held an Orange amber color after the pour.

The Smell Beget the taste. It was a very solid ale. Pumpkin notes in it but not like drinking liquid pumpkin Pie. It had a very crisp aftertaste and I felt was an excellent beer.

Review- Sam Adam’s Winter Lager

Today I cracked my first Sam Adam’s winter Lager of the season. Poured into my trusty Sam Adam’s perfect pint glass. (What do you expect? I live a block from the brewery.)

The Initial pour left a decent head, That retains well throughout the drink. It Is dark amber in color, translucent but not light by any accounts.

Very sweet aroma, you can tell it’s spiced by the smell.

Medium malt taste to start and finishes with the spices. The label states that they use Cinnamon,Ginger and orange peel. You can taste the bite of the cinnamon and ginger faintly at the finish. I do not detect the orange at all though.

A decent spiced lager at an affordable price.

Smuttynose – Big A IPA

Smuttynose – Big A IPA

THE POUR:
Almost zero head retention, yet nice lacy white covering remains on the beer throughout session.

THE AROMA:
Piney, weed aroma with a splash of citrus. The alcohol is very apparent.

THE TASTE:
Thick mouthfeel with quick orange malts that are quickly replaced by spicy hops. Pine remains on the roof of your mouth, as your palate is coated with an alcoholic grapefruit flavor. Flavor remains minutes after sip.

THE DECISION:
Very robust, yet smooth IPA.  A bit more malts then expected for an IPA, but the smooth and piney hops make it quite the pleasurable experience.

THE GRADE: A-

Read reviews for Smuttynose Big A IPA on BeerAdvocate

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