Liam Sullivan's Ideas and Reflections
Beer: Prime Porter
Brewer: Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery
Source: Draft
Rating: *** (7 of 10)
Comments:
Another Brattleboro exclusive, this porter is jet black with a thin ahead and the aroma of roast coffee. The flavor is velvety milk chocolate. The glass is lacey although the head dissipates. Overall: yum.
Beer: WIPA Snappa
Brewer: Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery
Source: Draft
Rating: *** (7.3 of 10)
Comments: The first of a couple of beers from this experimental brewpub in Brattleboro, VT. It’s a cloudy, straw-colored beer with light carbonation and a thin head. The aroma is a mix of grapefruit and sweet pastry, while the flavor includes lemon drops and rye bread. It has a thin mouthfeel and leaves whispy lace on the glass. Whatever it is, it works!
Beer: Super Fresh
Brewer: Peak Organic Brewing Company
Source: Draft
Rating: ** (6.7 of 10)
Comments: This is a hazy orange beer with a finger-width head. The aroma is floral with apricot. The taste is bready with some citrus and spice and a grapefruit aftertaste. There’s a nice balance and interesting complexity, but too much on the bitter side for me.
Beer: Peak Organic Fresh Cut
Brewer: Peak Organic Brewing Company
Source: 12 oz. can
Rating: ** (6 of 10)
Comments: This is a summertime beer that looks like golden sunshine with a bit of haze and smells of fresh-cut grass. The taste is hop bitterness moderated with a little pepper spice. The head deflated quickly and the beer has a thin mouthfeel. This beer is bit too much on the bitter side for my taste but is a good summertime beer.
Curiously, I’ve reviewed this beer before from a bottle and liked it more then.
From the same brewery:
Beer: Narragansett Del’s Shandy
Brewer: Narragansett Brewing Co.
Source: 1 pint can
Rating: * (5.1 of 10)
Comments: Two of Rhode Island’s favorites, ‘Gansett Lager and Del’s frozen lemonade come together for a little bit of summer in a can. The beer is straw-colored with little carbonation. The aroma is a bit off-putting, kind of a mix of sour lemon and stale bread. The lemon flavor is strong on first sip, but the beer becomes a bit bland after and leaves a sticky mouthfeel. Overall it’s kind of bland and artificial, but it’s okay for a cheap summer drink.
Previously: Narragansett Beer
Beer: Zen Arcade
Brewer: Notch Brewing
Source: Draft
Rating: ** (6.1 of 10)
Comments: A beer named for a Hüsker Dü album should be interesting. It’s clear and caramel brown in color. The aroma is all grapefruit, and a bitter grapefruit flavor with hints of melon. The beer retained no head or left behind no lacing. I’m not a fan of bitter beer or grapefruit so this is not a beer I’d like to revisit, but I acknowledge that it is a worthy effort.
Beer: Red Barn Ale
Brewer: The Lost Abbey
Source: 1 pint, 9.4 fluid oz bottle
Rating: ** (6.7 of 10)
Comments: A golden, bubbly beer with an apricot aroma, and the flavor of a bread roll and spices with a grapefruit aftertaste. There are clumps of lacing on the glass with a medium mouthfeel. Not a flavor to my taste but the effort to make a balanced beer is evident
Beer: Smuttynose Hayseed
Brewer: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Source: 12 oz. bottle
Rating: ** (6.7 of 10)
Comments: This beer is a trip to the farm in a bottle. The beer pours out golden with a matrix of tiny bubbles. The aroma is sweet timothy and the flavor is a subtle blend of grass and pepper. There’s minimal lacing on the glass and a light mouthfeel.
Beer: Infinite Jest Bitter
Brewer: Notch Brewing Company
Source: Draft
Rating: ** (6.5 of 10)
Comments: A golden beer, clear & Bubbly, with a thin head. There’s a STRONG apricot aroma. Despite the hoppiness, the beer is not overly bitter and maintains a citrus tang. There’s a thin mouthfeel, and lovely lacing. The head remains thin but sturdy. I was worried by the scent but surprised by this solid beer.
Beer: Mountain Ale
Brewer: The Shed Brewery
Source: 12 oz bottle
Rating: ** (6.7 of 10)
Comments: This hearty bear seems like the type of thing to drink in a shed on a mountain on a winter’s night. It’s a caramel-colored ale with light carbonation. The aroma is wheat bread with a whiff of alcohol (as it is 7.40% ABV ). The flavor is sweet and nutty with a hint of butterscotch (and real scotch when the alcohol kicks in). There’s a kick of citrus in the aftertaste and a medium mouthfeel. This could make a good, everyday beer especially if you like your beer sweet and malty.
