Entries tagged with “Maine” from Malt & Barley Chronicles

I was fortunate enough to visit Shipyard a couple summers back -- good people with the goal of making good beers and an obsession with Fuggles hops. Their flagship brew is a good one, but the flavored offerings don't always make the grade.

Characteristics: Warm-gold color; light body with light-to-medium carbonation; a consistent straw-grass flavor dominates throughout, with some yeast and a slight squashy taste at the finish.

Not-so-minor Gripes: Pumpkinhead is extremely thin and carries zero flavor when cold -- it starts out somewhere around a light American lager. It opens up a little over time, but there's ultimately not much to find. The progression or evolution in the flavor is very slight over the course of a swallow or a full glass.

Bottom Line: I prefer my pumpkin beers to be a little heftier, with cinnamon and nutmeg hints (though not as thick as a winter ale). Pumpkinhead is too thin, like a Pale Ale that trades out some hops and adds some raw pumpkin to the mash tun. It's better than the Shipyard Blueberry (which was too sweet for me) but not the pumpkin brew I'd recommend.

Rating: 4 / 10

The label features two things: a white retriever in a red wool fisherman's cap (think Jacques Cousteau), and the note "With Natural Hazelnut Flavor Added."  I noticed the first but not the second in the store... and when I got home, I started thinking about what kind of damage Torani syrup might do to a beer.

Characteristics: Reddish-brown color; nearly opaque, light-to-medium body; light carbonation with some head on initial pour (into stout glass); overall wet taste and feel with a slightly roasty start and a sugary, malty finish.

Minor Gripes: The hazelnut is imperceptible (e.g. compared to the broader nutty flavor of a Bass Ale) until the beer approaches room temperature.  Similarly, the flavor (when chilled) isn't strong enough to overpower even mild Mexican food.

Bottom Line: I realize that some beers need to be served warmer, but the thin body means that the flavors open up briefly and then go bad.  Most of us don't have beer cellars where we can maintain optimal conditions for a beer that's this finicky.

Rating: 4.75 / 10

This probably isn't the most objective or controlled test I've ever done, since it comes on the heels of a Shipyard Brewery tour (and tasting) in Portland, consisted only of two drafts in one sitting (I usually like to try a beer a couple times), and was accompanied in part by some (relatively mild) hummus.  But I'd like to have the Bar Harbor again at home... so that should count for something.

Characteristics: Rich brownish amber color, medium carbonation but light head, medium body with some depth, runs mostly amber and slightly yeasty (like a Smithwick's) but finishes dry and hoppy.

Minor Gripes: That hoppy finish slides from dry to bitter as the ale approaches room temperature.  It's  similar to the core hoppiness of the Shipyard ales but not really necessary with this one.

Bottom Line: I'm not sure when "real" became synonymous with "brown, " but I'm not really complaining about the results in this case.

Rating:  6 / 10

"America's Original Blueberry Ale" is luckily a purist (of sorts).  Instead of going sugary and blue-tinged, this ale goes for the tangy side and a residual reddish color.  The result is interesting, if not entirely successful.

Characteristics: Amber color, lightly carbonated, light to medium body, tastes like a red ale but with a blueberry tangy tart kick toward the finish.

Minor Gripes: The amber and blueberry don't always match up, sometimes leading to a strange aftertaste that runs toward alcohol instead of blueberry.

Bottom Line: Not the fruity beer I feared, but not necessarily one I'd hoped for either.

Rating: 5 / 10

Technorati: Blueberry, Bar Harbor, Maine, Ale