I picked up this big brew (750 ml) at my local grocery store based largely on the strength of its label... I was well familiar with the "pink elephants" of Delirium Tremens, but the happy pink pig was a new one for me.
Characteristics: Slightly cloudy straw gold color, medium weight, plenty of sugar throughout with a little malt body and then a yeasty tang in the finish. 8.5% ABV is hidden in the sugar, no real burn to be found.
Minor Gripes: A touch too sweet -- it could actually use a little hop bitterness to cut the sugar rush.
Bottom Line: As Belgian golden/blonde ales go, this one just doesn't get the job done. I would probably look to La Chouffe or Delirium Tremens or something else next time around.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
On the last day of my summer 2010 vacation, I stopped in to the Bar Harbor Brewing shop in the quaint downtown district of Bar Harbor and picked up a six-pack of this brilliant beer named for one of the defining geographical features of Mount Desert Island. Now nine months later, I've busted out the last bottle to see how it fared.
Characteristics: Opaque brown color, medium-to-heavy body, low carbonation and minimal head, strong vanilla flavors throughout the deep roasted malts. Sugary taste is rather moderate considering the depth of the brew. Definitely more on the milk/oatmeal end of the stout spectrum.
Minor Gripes: Bar Harbor doesn't have the greatest distribution connections, so you may have to be in northern New England (or a real specialty shop) to score your own sample.
Bottom Line: Quite simply, the best stout I've ever had. Rich, creamy, complex, smooth, balanced -- from start to finish, regardless of age. A must-try for anyone who's ever thought about stouts.
Rating: 9 / 10
Not quite sure what Blue Point is going for this time... it's called a "copper ale" on the label (which made me think "maibock") and yet the malts never showed up. Eek.
Characteristics: Pale orange-yellow color, light body, average carbonation, slight yeasty notes quickly drawn into battle by piney hops.
Minor Gripes: My mega-hop anti-bias is pretty well documented in these parts... this isn't exactly the Troegs Hopback Amber, but the limited biscuit malts here just can't keep up.
Bottom Line: If you're on the east coast and looking for a locavore alternative to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, then the Spring Fling should work just fine. And though I wanted to say that the Otter Creek Copper Ale was superior, it seems they are pretty close (assuming my tastes haven't shifted over 5+ years of occasional reviews).
Rating: 4.75 / 10
I'm still "cellaring" my 2009 edition (on the refrigerator door), but I had to bring a nice beverage to a friend's dinner a few weeks back and grabbed the new one. Both 2009 and 2010 are Belgian-style dark ales "on lees" -- somewhere in the neighborhood of a dubbel-brun. And of the various brewers working with TJ's, Unibroue is probably the most highly regarded.
Characteristics: Dark brown and opaque, well carbonated with a thick foamy head, medium body; malty sweet with a balanced cinnamon-pepper finish that hides the 9% ABV veeeerrrry well.
Minor Gripes: Very few. As with any good Belgian, you do need to let this one warm up a little for the whole flavor profile to emerge.
Bottom Line: This is an excellent winter ale that shows remarkable restraint in the face of so much nutmeg and coriander in the world. It's getting very late in the season, but if there's a TJ's near you, it's worth searching for a bottle or two.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
My favorite fruit is the cherry. And luckily, cherries and beer are often a good match. One of my best experiences last spring was finishing off a pint of slightly sour cherries along with a belgian-style golden ale... "two great tastes that taste great together." This time out, it's a combination of a New Belgium ale mixed down with a Frank Boon Kriek Lambic.
Characteristics: Clear red color; very light body; light head but high carbonation; sour cherry flavors run consistently over a neutral base ale, with a tart finish.
Minor Gripes: Perhaps it's because I had a Flemish Sour Ale earlier in the evening, but I could have used just a touch of sweetness in this one. The thinness also takes away from the experience a little -- I don't want a cough syrup, but this beverage could use a little higher viscosity.
Bottom Line: New Belgium deserves big props for pursuing this direction -- melding one of its own brews with a tempermental cherry lambic. A little more weight (and a corresponding touch of sugar), and this entry in the "Lips Of Faith" family would be a grand champion to obliterate Lindemann's Kriek.
Rating: 5 / 10
