"; } else { echo "";}> Shoals Pale Ale / IPA -- Smuttynose Brewing (Portsmouth, NH) - Malt & Barley Chronicles

Shoals Pale Ale / IPA -- Smuttynose Brewing (Portsmouth, NH)

Two separate beers, but so close in overall impressions that I'm going to lump them into a single review.  And as much as I like Smuttynose's other brews, I am not particularly excited by these beers. In other words, I need to stick to mostly malty beers.

Characteristics: Shoals has a rich reddish gold color, light-to-medium carbonation and body, and a taste that starts with an oyster cracker or stale biscuit taste that is quickly dominated by citrusy hops through the aftertaste.  The IPA is yellow-gold and lighter-bodied, starting with a sharp carbonated moment but mellowing out into a flat bitterness.

Minor Gripes: The Shoals is almost like drinking a raw Arnie Palmer (lemon juice and unsweetened tea), while the IPA needs a little more malt for balance.

Bottom Line: When it's all about the hops, I just lose interest... and that's exactly what these two beers present -- two different, but equally dominant, hop experiences. 

Rating: Shoals -- 4.5 / 10; IPA -- 5 / 10
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This page contains a single entry by SKM published on March 11, 2008 10:28 PM.

Cleaning The Draught Lines #2 was the previous entry in this blog.

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