Sebago Brewing Company - Hefeweizen

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a Pilsner glass posing as a Weizen glass

This Summery hefeweizen from Sebago Brewing Company pours a yeast-clouded light yellow body. The medium sized white foam head is light and airy. Moderate retention keeps the head around just long enough to produce light wisps of lace at the top of the glass. A fresh and grassy nose is packed with wheat malts that are featured prominently. Matching the malts is a classic wheat beer spice profile. Light clove, coriander and a citric orange peel create the beer's aroma.

Crisp carbonation takes up the wheat malts nicely and produces an airy body. Wheat malts are sweet and pleasant without much weight. The beer's buoyant body leaves it incredibly easy to drink. Grassiness is moderate throughout and meets up with the spices on the mid-palate. The flavor is semi-fleeting. It is not quite, but almost leans toward inconsequential in this featherweight of a beer. The finish is mildly earthy with a somewhat meaty component, but very light overall. The beer leaves the tongue slightly dry.

Final Verdict: C+

Peak Organic Brewing Company - Fall Summit Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a Twain pint glass

This organic brew pours a deep amber body with a tawny brown base. The head is thick and frothy colored in a slightly yellowed tan. Foam retention is excellent and leaves extensive lacing at the top of the glass. The nose is quite hoppy with a minor astringency. Lightly earthy tones define the beer and sport a mix of spiciness and a slight chalky essence.

After the nose, the beer is more malt forward than expected. A distinct dusty chalkiness develops from big mineral-heavy water notes. The malt base of the beer also carries a vegetal edge and, contrastingly, a sharp metallic edge. Caramel sweetness is clear, matched by very slight chocolate notes. Hops dominate the mid-palate through the finish. They're aromatic and oily with a slight piney essence. The finish is gristly and grainy with lasting sweetness and bitter hops.

Final Verdict: B/B-

D.L. Geary Brewing Company - Geary's Autumn Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a mug

Geary's Autumn Ale pours a very deep brown, but features a shimmering clarity and an auburn glow. The medium-to-large foam head is tan and creamy in appearance, which manages moderate retention, but leaves almost no lacing on the glass. Toffee and caramel aromas emanate from the toasted depth of the beer. A distinct fresh-like malt sweetness underlies that seems almost on the sugary side.

The beer has an initial roasted character with smokey richness over a crisp body. Almost cloying sweetness comes in on the mid-palate that's reminiscent of unfermented sweet malt extract. A minor reprieve is provided by a moderately bitter hop profile on the finish and continued crisp carbonation. The aftertaste give a mishmash of smoke and extract-like sweetness.

Final Verdict: C+

Belgian Beer Fest 2011

On Saturday September 10, 2011 I volunteered for the Belgian Beer Fest hosted in Boston, MA by Beer Advocate and Allagash brewing company. This time, as compared to my time at the ACBF in June, I was able to take more photos, some of which you will see below, but I was, unfortunately, unable to take notes on the beers I tasted. Luckily, I was able to sample and enjoy a number of beers, a (very select few) I will mention as stand outs below.

The Cyclorama as the tables and curtains were being set up. If you've never been, the Cyclorama is a great space with exposed brick walls and a gigantic dome ceiling. The echo was loud during the set up and the magnification of the general hum of the beer drinking crowd was impressive.

During the set up period we delivered cases and kegs of beer to the tables for the breweries and distributors who would be in attendance.

Boston Beer Company featured two beers from their barrel aged series.

On the right side of the hall a number of breweries set up their tables with decorations and tap boxes. Smuttynose was one of several New England-based breweries in attendance.

On the left side of the hall Pretty Things worked on getting pretty with their signature felt banner and flower decorations.

The calm before the storm.

Fest attendees enjoying samples of delicious Belgian and Belgian-inspired beers.

Chimay USA, representing one of my favorite brewers, was in attendance, featuring a Seth Rogan look alike pouring excellent beer and dispensing beer knowledge.

As part of what looks like a new art direction for their advertising campaign, Chimay was giving away wooden-handled bottle openers.

I greatly enjoyed the fest and had a lot of fun working, but, unfortunately, I was unable to take notes on my favorite beers. I tried a many, but was only able to keep track of a few. Luckily, the ones I remembered were stand outs.

Low Alcohol Beers

While there may have been other in attendance, I noticed two, very interesting, low ABV beers. First was the Beerstand Berlinerweiss from Haverhill Brewery. The beer is a Berliner Weissbier that weighs in at between 2.7-3% ABV. Through a sour-mashing technique the beer has a distinctive tartness, but also features prominent wheat malt character and a mild spiciness. A great Summer-drinking beer that's light on alcohol.

Also featured at the Fest was Magnifico from Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project. Magnifico is a Summer seasonal, draft-only, Belgian-style Pale Ale. The beer came in at about 3.4% ABV, but has all the trappings of a real beer. Delicious and highly drinkable the beer has a light bodied maltiness and a dusting of hops on the finish. Magnifico is a total rarity that may be a one-off run. I'd recommend checking it out, but it might not even be possible.

Belgian Lambics

Lindemans is a great Belgian Lambic brewery that has wide availability in the USA. While many of their Lambic fruit beers are easily found, their distributor, Merchant du Vin, brought Cuvée René and Faro with them to the Fest. Faro is a blended Lambic style, formerly exclusive to Brussels and still not commonly found outside of Belgium. The beer's blend also includes the addition of candi sugar and is often spiced slightly with pepper and orange peel. The addition of the sugar syrup takes away slightly from the acidity of other Lambics and makes the beer highly drinkable, although sweet.

Cuvée René is a Lambic Gueuze from Lindemans and it is fantastic. It's everything that a Gueuze should be. The beer is delicious with sweet notes and a defined fruity tartness. Grape-like components are spectacular and the carbonation dances on the tongue. A solid, solid, beer that is available in the USA, but is certainly more rare than the fruit-flavored fare from Lindemans.

Farm House and Wild

Two other stand outs from the Fest were Cellar Door from Stillwater Artisinal and Mattina Rossa from Allagash. Cellar Door was secretly available at the Fest. No sign was hung and the bottle(s) were kept hidden from plain view. However, requesting a taste gave you a nice pour and a wink. The beer is a spicy saison style oozing with freshness and yeast character. The spicing was elegant, but powerful.

Mattina Ross from Allagash is a Wild Ale style beer aged in oak and flavored through two additions of raspberries. Unfortunately, the bottle conditioning of the brew turned out a bit spotty. Some bottles refermented to produce carbonation, while others remained still (at least so far). As a result, the quality control issues prevented the beer from being offered for sale to the general market. Luckily, a few cases made it to the Fest. Delicious, tart, fruity, and spicy, this beer is a gem. I can only hope Allagash won't be deterred from trying this beer again, or following up with an even better entry sometime in the future.

Stand Out Stinker

I had a feeling, but I kept an open mind and tried this unusually flavored beer with some hope. Unfortunately, the Chapeau Banana Lambic from De Troch was just bad. The trappings of a quality Lambic were seemingly missing and the banana flavoring seemed artificial. Slight tartness was nice, but the flavors of a Lambic beer and a banana may just be destined to clash. I wouldn't recommend the beer to most people.

Shipyard Brewing Company - Summer Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a pint glass

The Summer Ale from Maine-based Shipyard pours a moderately pale straw body. The beer's medium-thin head is bright white in color, but has almost no retention and leaves no lacing on the glass. The nose is slightly sour and gives an overly sweet malty aroma. There's a bit of dryness among the almost candied edge with no noticeable hops of substance.

The beer sports a sweet raw maltiness that is thin and disappointingly almost sugary sweet. Despite some redeeming honey-like characteristics, it comes off vaguely cloying. There are no perceptible hops and likewise no true depth of flavor. The malt character is not enough to hold its own without an aromatic counterpart. The carbonation is moderate and semi-refreshing, but it doesn't help make this beer any more enjoyable.

Final Verdict: D

Shipyard Brewing Company - XXXX IPA

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a tulip

The clear amber body of this double IPA from Shipyard reveals a tight, rising carbonation. The head is large and colored in a yellowy tan. The foam retention is solid and the lacing is sticky and clings to the glass in large swathes. Toffee-like toasted malts define the nose with cellary yeast, hints of vanilla and a mild booziness. There's a light fusel alcohol and the beer seems to have minimal hops on the nose, although those present have a pine edge.

The beer has a mouthfeel that seems immediately crisp and pairs with the very strong character. The beer's alcohol is prominent, but not off-putting. Toasted malts play well with the hops, which are higher on the aromatics and accenting flavors than on distinct bitterness. The character of the beer's Cascade hops seemingly take center stage. There are hints of sweet fruit on the mid-palate that subsides to a dry, boozy finish with light oak elements.

Final Verdict: B

D.L. Geary Brewing Company - Geary's Summer Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a Collins glass posing as a Stange

Geary's Summer Ale is a Kölsch-style beer brewed in Maine. The brew pours a shining brownish amber with a crystal-clear body. The head is a large, off-white, fluffy foam. It's airy and voluminous with excellent retention and fine lacing. The nose is very lagery with a mild bitter dandelion. There's a slight skunkiness to it, with a minor toasted malt sweetness.

The beer is crisp and full-bodied with a sparkling carbonation. The lagery edge is in full force with an added dryness on the foretaste. The malts are sweet with a toasted biscuity flavor. A slight metallic tinge seems to line the beer and gives it additional bite. The finish is crisp and refreshing with a mild lingering bitterness.

Final Verdict: B

D.L. Geary Brewing Company - Geary's Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a Mark Twain pint glass

Geary's Pale Ale pours a tawny, deep amber body with a large creamy light tan head. The retention and lacing are both excellent. The nose is sweet and malty, but fairly light on hops. There's a slight lagery aroma and a light cellary must that gives this ale an interesting and somewhat different character.

The mouthfeel is full-bodied with a robust and solid carbonation. Geary's is highly malty with a minerally hard water tone. The body of the beer is earthy, but somewhat understated. There's a seeming depth of flavor, but none is particularly marked. There's a moderate hop bitterness that gives this English-style Pale Ale a clear tie to the ESB. Seems as if there's an easy to see influence of the style in this beer.

Final Verdict: B

Allagash Brewing Company - Tripel

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a goblet

On recommendation from a friend and reader, Julie Markus, I picked up a four-pack of Allagash's Tripel. Being a fan of Allagash White, it didn't take much convincing to buy some of this beer. The beer pours a hazy, light orange with a fine yeast suspension. The head is thin, but creamy with light retention. The lacing is broad and chunky. The nose is sweet and citrusy with spicy notes. Prominent coriander with a slight hint of lavender adds pleasant depth to the aroma.

The beer is sweet up front and clearly strong. This is an excellent tripel that manages its 9% ABV quite well. Three's a fruity tone to the beer and the spiciness develops an herbal balance to the powerful malts and alcohol. It's smooth with a clean mouthfeel that makes it refreshing and highly drinkable. There's a barely perceptible hint of leafy green vegetables on the finish with lasting spiciness and hints of alcohol.

Final Verdict: A

D.L. Geary Brewing Company - Geary's IPA

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle with a crooked label, poured into a pint glass

Geary's IPA pours a mildly attenuated amber with a slight chilled haze. The thick head is creamy in consistency with an off-white complexion. Vanilla sweetness is present off the start on the nose with a bouquet of fresh hops with a citrusy tone. The toasted malts provide a mild caramel sweetness.

The mouthfeel is velvety with a balance of carbonation and body. The grapefruit hops are pungent, but far from overpowering. The biscuity malts work in harmony with the hops to provide a tightness or flavor, that keeps a commendable depth. The grains are lightly grassy and make for a crisp and flavorful finish.

Final Verdict: B+

Sebago Brewing Company - Frye's Leap India Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

Frye's Leap pours a slick pale amber with a mild brown tint. While mostly clear, the beer has a slight murkiness. The creamy light tan initially fades quickly, but keeps a fine layer of foam for most of the life of the beer. Clean hops define the nose with slight vanilla hints. There's a slight perfume that mixes earthy tones with a floral bouquet.

The hops are very fruity and work well with a huge malt caramel sweetness. The texture is smooth and creamy with a slight carbonated crispness. Without the extra tinge of carbonation, the beer might have seemed a bit watery. The beer has an almost spicy character to it. It's not quite a cinnamon, but the same slightly powdery texture is apparent in the beer. The finish is big with leafy vegetation, graininess, and a mild mineral water flavor.

Final Verdict: A-

Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company - Best Brown Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a mug

The last in my short series from Gritty's (but not nearly their last beer) is their 'Best Brown Ale.' The beer is on the light side, but still a fairly full brown color. A very light yellowy glow flares from the bottom of the glass. The head is a sizable (but not huge) light tan foam. The foam retention is decent, but the lacing is quite minimal. The nose is malty sweet with bits of brown sugar and spice. There are hints of cinnamon and maybe full-blown apple pie spice.

The beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel on top of fairly robust and toasty malts. A caramel sweetness comes customary with the toasted malts and it adds pleasing character. There's a gentle hopping that seems to add a bit of depth, but definitely takes the back seat. The finish is crisp, making this a very drinkable brown ale. After there's a very minor prevailing sweetness.

Final Verdict: B

Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company - Original Pub Style

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a Mark Twain pint glass

Gritty's Pub Ale is an American Pale Ale that stands in contrast to many of the quite-hoppy examples typical of the American style. The beer pours a moderate straw with an amber tint and high active carbonation. The head is thin to begin with and manages only modest retention. There's not much in the way of lacing either. The nose is sweet and grainy with a minor toffee edge. The hops are light and it leaves the beer seeming like it might be syrupy.

The beer is very interesting and different, but I'm torn. I'm not sure how much I actually like it. It's highly floral with hibiscus hints throughout. There's a sweetness like honey that pushes this beer into the interesting realm of almost resembling a sweet tea. Maybe more like a hibiscus-infused herbal tea? There's also a minor artificial tinge to the beer, although I have no reason to believe that it's anything actually artificial causing that. I'd say its worth a try, but not something I'd go out of my way to have again.

Final Verdict: C+

Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company - Christmas Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

With warmer (low 40s) weather promised for the next few days, the time for Winter seasonals is quickly disappearing. Up today is the Christmas Ale from Gritty McDuff's, which will also have two more beers up for tasting this week. This ESB (Extra Special Bitter) pours a medium brown with a slight yellow glow. The light tan head is modest in size and quite light on retention. The nose is malty with subdued hints of vanilla and coffee, as well as a moderate bitterness.

The beer seems fairly light on carbonation, and as a result, the mouthfeel is a bit on the watery side. The moderate hops are present up front and seem very earthy. The toasted malts have a cracked grain flavor that seems somewhat bready. Bits of coffee are seemingly sprinkled throughout and a slight caramel sweetness appears to round out the finish.

Final Verdict: B

Allagash - White

Allagash - White

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits

Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a mug

Allagash White is an excellent example of a Belgian White Ale, except that it is from Maine! One quick note, make sure to give this beer a proper pour for full effect and flavor. Pour about four fifths into the glass then give the last fifth a vigorous swirl in the bottle and top off your glass. This adds to the appearance considerably and rounds off the taste nicely.

The body is extremely yellow, nearly florescent, but with a silky and milky complexion. There’s plenty of frothy white foam head with solid retention. Not a whole lot in the way of lacing here, but still a pleasant looking beer. The nose is spicy and malty. It’s at once refreshing and complex.

The wheat malt is sweet and mildy tart. Before topping off the beer with the last bit of yeast and sediment the tartness is much more pronounced. Not off-putting, but not as nicely mellowed. There are citrus fruit notes to be picked up as well. The spices, which seem to include coriander, clove, and pepper make up a considerable amount of the flavor here and complete this beer very well. 

Final Verdict: A-