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+

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+

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.

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

Manchester Brewing – Naughty Nancy’s Nut Brown Ale

Manchester Brewing – Naughty Nancy’s Nut Brown Ale

THE POUR:
This beer pours very dark with a foamy tan head. Once the beer has settled the color stays dark dark brown almost black.

THE AROMA:
Very roasted and nutty, with slight undertones of coffee and chocolate. Smells very good and mild not overpowering.

THE TASTE:
The taste a first sip is very nutty with a hint of black coffee. After it sits the taste turns more bunt than nutty. The finish is dry and lifeless!!!

Mouth-feel is dense and heavy.

THE DECISION:
Overall this beer was a let down. It could be in part that my first experience with a nut brown was with a Samuel Smith. The beer could have better balanced.

THE GRADE: D

Allagash – Four Ale

Allagash – Four Ale

THE POUR:
A very cloudy brown with a thin head. The head does not stay longer than 30 seconds to 1 minute!

THE AROMA:
Spicy, wheat sent with a kick of sweet apple. Also notes of dark raisinish fruit accompanied by a floral knockout!

THE TASTE:
Very spicy in the front, as the beer mellows in your mouth it reveals it’s wonderful fruit and floral notes, that rest on your palate, then the bread like quality. After your finish the booze warms your throat down to your belly.

THE DECISION:
This beer was amazing! The overall complexity of this beer was very well put together. Very well balanced, the hops are very well complemented by the spiciness. High ABV at 10% so sip with caution.

THE GRADE: A

Shipyard Brewery – Smashed Pumpkin

Shipyard Brewery – Smashed Pumpkin

THE POUR:
Light copper color with a spicy nutty pumpkin aroma, not much head.

THE TASTE:
Spicy full bodied and fairly hoppy, a good pale ale. Alcoholic content is there but didn’t destroy the taste.

THE DECISION:
All in all this is a very different beer than pumpkinhead. Not as sweet and mild, much more hops are used here. A little bit of that bitter bite. Warning; at 9% abv it is a strong brew only available in 1pint 6 oz bombers. I was left with a great taste and a buzz. Pairs well with pumpkin pie.

THE GRADE: A-

Cape Ann’s Fisherman’s IPA

Cape Ann’s Fisherman’s IPA is a full bodied India Pale Ale. Fisherman’s IPA is carefully brewed by Cape Ann Brewing, which is based out of Gloucester, MA. This beer is best served at 55 degrees, and goes great with red meats, grilled seafoods and roasted chicken.

Read more about Cape Ann Brewing here

Next Page »