Brewery Website: http://www.shipyard.com/
Type of Beer: American Pale Ale
Alcohol Content: 5.10%
Beer Review -
Appearance: The color is crystal clear bright gold, looking only a slightly bit darker then an average macro beer. Head was an easy two fingers but dissipated quickly turning leaving only a thin film. Not much lacing to speak of.
Smell: Some nice smelling fruit and bready wheat in the nose but very soft. Definitely noticed a diacetyl buttery smell that overwhelmed the other scents that may have been there. The buttery smell isn’t offensive but certainly seems like an odd smell for a summer style ale.
Initial Taste: Flavor seems to start off pretty crisp and refreshing with hop-like cleanliness leading the palate followed by a sweet bready malt. This however become overshadowed by a tangy sourness that doesn’t really seem to go away. There are some light citrus flavors that try to make themselves apparent but overall seem to fall short. The finish is dull and somewhat dry.
Thoughts: For me summer ales should have a refreshing quality not found in your other seasonal offerings. They are meant to be enjoyed in the blistering heat of summer. Usually summer ales are either pilsners or some variation of a pale ale which both offer lots of hops and clean tasting flavors with and light and crisp mouthfeel. Sadly I feel this particular selection doesn’t deliver as well as the other summer ales you can find on the shelves. While this is not an entirely bad beer it just doesn’t stand up against the competition. The flavor is just a little to buttery and sour to be considered a “refreshing” beer. But as usual don’t just take my word for it, try this beer yourself and see what you think. Who knows, this may become one of your favorites. Cheers.
http://www.smithwicks.ie
Brewery Website: http://www.redhook.com
Type of Beer: Pilsner
Alcohol Content: 5.3%
Beer Review -
Appearance: Pours a light golden yellow with perfect clarity. Gives a one finger bright white head that fizzles out pretty quickly leaving a small film over the beer.
Smell: The aroma is distinctly that of a pilsner, cereal grains with scents of spices and citrus fruit. This however has a nice sweetness to it as well, almost smells like honey and caramel. Very clean smelling.
Initial Taste: The initial flavor seems to be a mild sweetness given by the Caramel and Munich malts. Following the malt the standard pilsner flavor of toasted grains and subtle hop spiciness take over the palate. The finish was a bit dry and somewhat sharp. Leaving an extremely clean aftertaste. Quite refreshing.
Thoughts: I’ve always been a fan of Redhook brewery so when I heard they were going to be releasing a pilsner for summer I was quite excited. Being this is Redhook’s first attempt at brewing a pilsner style beer I believe they have done a very fine job. Lovers of pilsner style lagers will certainly enjoy this one. This is a true pilsner beer made with Czech (the creators of pilsner beer) hops which give it that distinct herbal bitterness that make this beer so clean and refreshing. Being a seasonal beer this is a perfect match for coming summer heat. I highly recommend.
http://www.smithwicks.ie
Brewery Website: www.smuttynose.com
Type of Beer: Belgian Abby Double
Alcohol Content: 4.8%
Beer Review -
Appearance: Pours a very deep dark mahogany with a thick, tan, two-finger head that receded quickly leaving good lacing.
Smell: I picked up on breads, dark fruits, some winter spices (cinnamon, allspice, cloves) with a brown sugar and gingerbread cookie finish. Scents were all pretty subtle but combined to make an extremely enticing beer.
Initial Taste: Nice. The initial taste doesn’t disappoint. There is a lot going on here. The smell would lead you to believe this might be a muted beer. Quite the contrary, this is a very flavorful ale. Lots of dark fruits (berries, raisins) followed up by brown sugar and sweet malts. Winter spices are also very apparent; cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and even some ginger. Finishes clean with a soft hoppy bite.
Thoughts: Smuttynose Winter Ale is a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Making this beer more of a Belgian Abby Double than a winter warmer like you would expect. This is a nice change of pace from the other winter warmers and Christmas ales out there right now. Smuttynose made the right decision to break away from the usual and give us something unique. This beer is balanced very nicely between the sweetness of the malts and brown sugars and the winter spices and soft hops. Just like their fall seasonal (Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale) Smuttynose has done a very good job delivering a seasonal beer that anything but run-of-the-mill. Highly recommend.
Brewery Website: http://www.achouffe.be
Type of Beer: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Alcohol Content: 10.0%
Beer Review -
Appearance: Beer comes in a 750ml bottle that when held up to the light reveals a myriad of spices, yeast and other goodness suspended in this heavenly nectar. The beer pours a very dark brown that is extremely cloudy and near opaque. The head on this beauty is like nothing I’ve ever seen, 3 finger light brown head that is so thick it leaves peaks like a lemon meringue pie right till the end of the beer.
Smell: Lots of winter spices, nuts, dark fruits with a sweet citrus finish. Spicy and fruity yet the scents are soft enough so they blend together well.
Initial Taste: Wow, all the spices and fruits I found in the smell come through perfectly in the taste. Starts off with sweet citrus and malts then the spices make their way to the palate; dark fruits, berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme and hops. Even though this is a 10% alc beer you can hardly notice the alcohol. This beer is like drinking a really good fruit cake. Very well done.
Thoughts: N’Ice Chouffe is limited release winter beer from the Brasserie d’Achouffe brewery in Belgium. This is the first beer I’ve had the privilege to try from these guys and now I can’t wait to try the rest of their lineup. This is unlike any other Belgian beer I’ve tried. It is a strong, bottle-fermented ale, brewed with thyme and curaçao peel amung a spice rack of other flavors. Because this beer is so flavorful and thick it was difficult to finish the entire 750ml bottle. I highly suggest sharing this with a friend. I reccomend this beer to anyone who enjoys rich, dark, flavorful ales. This has become my favorite winter seasonal beer and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Type of Beer: Porter
Alcohol Content: 5.80%
Beer Review -
Appearance: Pours a deep brown. A thin one finger tan head that remains, while leaving a little lacing.
Smell: Sweet, soft smokiness. An almost musty smell at the end which is indicative of Sam Adams generous use of English hops.
Initial Taste: Smoky chocolate and roasted caramel with the hoppy bite at the finish. Definitely a full-bodied, flavorful beer that is pretty smooth for a Porter, not harsh or overly bitter.
Thoughts: Porters have a rich and storied history in the UK. This is what I think the “porters” would have had with their suppers after a hard day’s work. A mans brew that goes well with smoked or grilled meats.
