Three new Scottish Ales

When there is snow on the ground it is time to break into some of those warming winter beers. Here are a few reccommended Scottish Ales I tried of late.

Atlantic MacFoochie's 7+ Scottish Ale
22 oz -- Luke's, Rockland
kind of strange name on this one -- the number seven refers to the 7.8% alcohol. malty with some smokiness in there too. pretty smooth. sat on my shelf for a while, which probably didn't hurt this one at all.
Score: 7

Penobscot Bay Old Factory Whistle Scottish Ale
22 oz -- The Lighthouse Wine & Seafood, Manchester, ME
i loved the first beer i tried from these guys -- their blonde ale. pretty good follow i thought. not overly alcoholic, and quite flavorful. nice.
Score: 8

My favorite:
Olde Burnside Ten Penny Ale Reserve
Bottle -- The Lighthouse
have been looking for this ever since dan managed to get a sample of this at the great international beer festival. got to say though, i chalked up his raving review to him being very drunk at the time. but this was really phenomenal. sweet malts, alcohol, and smoke, but they work together very well. high enough alcohol that it could be considered a wee heavy. whatever you call it, this is an amazing beer and i was surprised to find it only listed as a B on beer advocate. perhaps i should do a post of the most underrated beers of all time...
Score: 9

Battle of the Double IPA's

On my last trip up to Maine I also had the privilege of trying two excellent double IPA's. Here they are:

Sebago Full Throttle Double IPA
Bottle -- Luke's
was a little surprised to see the usually conservative sebago brewing tackle this more extreme style. apparently they dry hop this for over a month. hazy pour with a hop nose that is pure citrus. strong bitterness but taste of biscuit and fruit too. downright tasty. a strong, bold beer that i just loved. sadly, it is only available from february to april... keep an eye out.
Score: 9

Shipyard XXXX IPA (Pugsley's Signature Series)
22 oz -- Maine
shipyard unveiled this"big beer" -- the third in their pugsley's series -- this past may. however, it wasn't until august that my dad finally came up with this beer for me. all those x's in the title are supposed to be a british thing to denote strength (it's 9+ abv.) amber pour with excellent head retention. hops are both citrus and pine -- quite hoppy. diacetyl (butteriness) comes on strong. lively. this beer makes me think that pugsley sat down and said what if we took a popular american style of beer and made it british. a very different double ipa but also very good.
Score: 8

Winner: Sebago (by a nose)

Maine vs. Canada

On my recent vacation up to eastern Maine I got to try a lot of beers from Maine and our neighbors to the north. But who brews a better beer? Let's put four beers from each head-to-head. This is a highly scientific study.

Canada's Contenders:

Alexander Keith's IPA
Can -- Campobello, Canada
an ipa in a can... so i had a hunch this wouldn't be very good. but still, this was shockingly bad. very light, few hops -- more like a lager than an ipa. not a good start for team canada...
Score: 2

Picaroon's Best Bitter
Bottle -- Campobello, Canada
the grocery store i bought this from had a very limited selection. this stood out as the only beer not in a can. from fredrickton, new brunswick. taste black patent malt, lively grassy hops up front that gives way to wateriness. not bad.
Score: 6

Picaroon's Man's Best Friend
Bottle -- Campobello, Canada
a porter. burnt malt and a little sour. not very good.
Score: 4

Unibroue Chambly Noire
750 ml -- New York
my first beer from this epic canadian brewer. this belgian dark ale is very yeasty, not especially dark, with a chalky mouthfeel. a little unsatisfying. not exactly their most acclaimed beer so i will have to try them again.
Score: 5

Maine's Contenders:

Atlantic Brewing Bar Harbor Summer Ale
Bottle -- Global Beverage Warehouse, Ellsworth, ME
i have taken a renewed interst in these guys after they bought up Bar Harbor Brewing and its Cadillac Mountain Stout. citrus and Belgian yeast reign here, just as you would expect in a summer ale. little raw for my taste.
Score: 4

Gritty 21 IPA
Bottle -- Global Beverage Warehouse
a fresh, classy label to celebrate gritty's 21st birthday. the fact that caramel malts dominate this ipa is jarring. only minor bitterness will disappoint most hop heads.
Score: 5

Kennebec River Summer Ale
Bottle -- Global Beverage Warehouse
dan berated me for not having rated more than one beer from kennebec river... so of course i had to pick this one up. glad i did too. bright attractive pour, clean nose, hoppy but rounded around edges, and quite refreshing. recommended.
Score: 7

Penobscot Bay Whig Street Blonde Ale
22 oz -- Global Beverage Warehouse

my first beer from this winterport brewer. translucent amber... very malty aroma... distinctively musty/earthy Perle hops... tongue tingeling... very balanced by pale malt. pretty impressive. my favorite of the bunch.
Score: 8

Winner: MAINE wins again!

Malt Liquor Madness

Beer tasting parties are something I have been wanting to try, but I knew my friends weren't quite ready for it. Now don't get me wrong, they have been really good sports about my beer fetish by going to brewpubs most every weekend and trying countless styles of beer. But that doesn't mean they have always liked it. With this in mind, Malt Liquor Madness was born.

To begin, I had to find 8 different kinds of malt liquor, which was harder than you might think. Seven liquor stores later, I had my lineup of contenders and started peeling labels so that this could be a blind taste test. All of my friends participating were then given a scorecard with space for tasting notes on each of the five categories (I was the only one to actually take down notes...) and were asked to give the beer an overall score from 5 to 1. (Odds are the best malt liquor in the world is a 5 on a 10 point scale, so this worked out about right...) As for the tournament, there would be four contenders going head-to-head on either side of the bracket, with the two beers receiving the highest total of points from the judges advancing to the finals. (20oz was split nine ways into clear solo cup so that there would be enough left if that beer advanced to the championship match...) With all of this worked out, we were ready to start.

And as samples of contender number one were being passed around, every single person at the party asked me what a malt liquor is. Oi. Okay, let's take a step back. Beer advocate?

"For the most part, Malt Liquor beers are sold in the infamous 40 oz sized bottles. Straw to pale amber in color, most use excessive amounts of adjuncts, such as corn, rice, refined brewers sugar (dextrose) and as a result there are very few "all malt" brewed malt liquors. Hops are barely used, just enough is added to balance off any cloyingness. Higher alcohol versions tend to have a loads of fusel alcohol, which gives off solvent or fuel like aromas and flavors. They are attenuated very well, meaning a higher ratio of fermentable sugars are present over other beers, but without using as many ingredients and still ending up with a high alcohol content. Some breweries enable the use of special enzymes to further breakdown the malt and adjuncts so they will yield a larger percentage of alcohol. This makes for quite a dry beer, with only a small amount of unfermented sugars and a kick that will knock you on your ass."

Bottom-line? It's a macrolager with alcohol. Our contenders started at 5.6% abv and topped out at 8.1% (Steel Reserve). This was one of the reasons I chose malt liquor; even in the small samples we were doing, you will feel the alcohol a little. That would not be the case with the Bud Light's and Coor's. I originally toyed with the idea of doing this tournament with these macrolagers but feared that when something like Miller Light won, people would take it as an endorsement to drink that vile stuff. I doubt we will have that problem with malt liquor. (Although, I will say I was surprised to the extent that all of these beers were owned by the big boys... probably should have seen that coming.) Alright, let's do this! I will list these in the order that they finished, with my own notes and score below. May the best malt liquor win! Please?

#8 Steel Reserve 211
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
hold on, steel reserve finished dead last?! you have got to be kidding me! i don't think these people are even qualified to rate malt liquor! okay, deep breath. this malt liquor from texas was my favorite beer of them all. good head retention and actually has an aroma of light malt and even a few faint hops. corn isn't the only flavor going on, with some clean malts and not unpleasant alcohol. i will actually buy this again. i think the problem was that this was the first beer tasted of the night, and for most people the first malt liquor they had ever tasted... well, live and learn.
Score: 5

#7 Mickey's
22 oz -- Blanchard's, Brockton
owned by miller. i had high expectations for mickey's as well, but i can't disagree with the low rating. i found this to be very watery.
Score: 2

#6 King Cobra Premium Malt Liquor
40 oz -- Cheers, Brockton
a product of A-B. very bland, with the little flavor being corn. light bodied. very bad.
Score: 1

#5 Colt 45 Malt Liquor
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
from pabst, the classic 40. picked up some faint hops here. taste is quite sweet. very creamy mouthfeel. really what you would expect in a malt liquor. that said, i wish i had liked this more than i did.
Score: 2

#4 Haffenreffer Private Stock
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
in my mind, this was the favorite going in. very classy label stating that this has "the imported taste." funny. again, misseeding may have cost them here as this was the last beer of the night... this was the hoppiest of the beers in my opinion (which isn't saying much), but bitterness does show up here. as a result, it was also the most balanced.
Score: 4

#3 Olde English 800
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
A-B. raw taste of corn and water. very light. very unpleasant. nevertheless, it only missed advancing to the finals by one vote! oi.
Score: 1

#2 St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor
40 oz -- Blanchard's, Brockton
this pennsylvania malt liquor advanced to the finals from the first bracket. fresh malt, lots of corn, and very creamy. fairly well constructed. my third favorite of the contenders.
Score: 3

#1 Molson XXX
22oz Can -- Blanchard's, Brockton
molson xxx?! in a landslide?! what a shocker! well, this was the only contender coming from a can and weighs in at 7.3% abv. husky alcohol, grainy, with some bitterness. in no way pleasant to drink. to be absolutely clear, i in no way endorse this beer. the only lesson to take away from this little experiment is what a bunch of savages my friends are. apparently it is going to have to be a while longer before i have a proper beer tasting party. or as dan suggested, we may need to get some new beer friends.
Score: 2

Guinness vs. Murphy's

Guinness v. Murphy's. This is a choice that happens all too often when drinking in and around Boston. And there are a lot of people out there that love both of these beers (and Beamish too)... but I am not one of those people. I am sure it is sacrilegious to say so, but let me just say that many American brewers do a much better job with Irish dry stouts. But that is a question for another day. Right now, what do you choose: Guinness or Murphy's?

Guinness Draught
Nitro can-- Blanchard's, Brockton
while i am not a guinness fan, i will say that i do love that cascading effect from the nitro pour... so cool! aroma is pretty good with sweet roasted malts filling your nose. roasted malts in flavor are paired with bitterness... which quickly fades to bland wateriness. creamy enough to chug though. ultimately guinness is a watery, ridiculously overrated beer.

Score: 4

Murphy's Irish Stout
Nitro can -- Blanchard's, Brockton
"ingenious floating draughtflow" inside can creates creamy off-white head you expect to see in an irish stout. smell is of sharp java, sweet malt, and bitter hops. taste is heavily burnt malt, earthiness, and some bittering hops. dry mouthfeel and still fairly watery, but much more flavorful than guinness.
Score: 5

When-Trapped-In-One-Of-Boston's-Ubiquitous-Irish-Bar's-I-Would-Prefer-To-Drink: Murphy's Irish Stout

Strongest, Darkest Belgian Ale

I bring to you today two of the highest rated American takes on the style of Belgian Strong Dark Ales. But which is the strongest, darkest Belgian Ale?

Avery Collaboration Not Litigation
750 ml -- Cork's, Mansfield
this is another beer i bought out of curiousity. great story behind this beer: avery and russian river both brewed a beer called salvation and rather than sue each other they decided to blend their two beers together and market it under this clever name. pours appealing amber color into snifter. aroma of raisins, sweet malts, yeast, spice, and some alcohol. raisins and yeast come through clearly in the taste, along with a sweetness that tastes a lot like brown sugar. still, taste is slightly subdued. acidic mouthfeel and weak carbonation. drinks easy. good, not great.
Score: 7

Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
750 ml -- Cork's, Mansfield
great name... i don't have much of a sweet tooth but it still sounded pretty good to me! dark body and big tan head, but what an aroma! cocoa, candy, and dark fruit (with some alcohol emerging as it warms). flavor is more cocoa than chocolate, roasty bordering on burnt, with an unsweetened bitterness. smooth, creaminess you would

expect. i supremely enjoyed this.

worth the money, for sure.
Score: 9

Strongest, Darkest Belgian Ale: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout

Barleywine v. Barleywine

Atlantic Brewing Brother Adam's Bragget Ale
750 ml -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro
i held onto this good looking maine beer for a couple of months since i was so excited for it and waiting for a special occassion to drink it. unfortunately, it fell a little short. ruby, translucent in appearance... aroma of sweet honey, grape juice, caramel malts... taste of alcohol, sour liquorice, and a lingering burntness... mouthfeel is quite dry and acidic... overall, a lackluster taste and quite strong. a lot of wine-qualities here.
Score: 5

Rock Art Vermonster
750 ml -- Cork's Fine Wine & Liquors, Mansfield
my first beer from vermont's rock art brewery. deep mahogany color, with big head that lasts until end... complex aroma of floral hops, dark fruit (dates and black cherries), alcohol, sweetness... taste is marked by bitterness you would expect with 100 IBU's (international bitterness units)... rich malts and dark fruit balance hops though... creamy and smooth mouthfeel, with dryness you would again expect. very complex and flavorful, but i would call this a pretty extreme beer with so much bitterness.
Score: 8

My Pick: Rock Art Vermonster

Belgian Quadrupel vs. Belgian Strong Pale Ale

I am really getting into Belgian styles of beer, but more often than not it is a Tripel or a Witbier that I am drinking. So trying new Belgian styles is a high priority on my shopping list. Here are a couple of good New York brewers take on two very different Belgian styles.

Brooklyn Local 1
750 ml Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
thanks to dan on providing this one; i almost purchased it on my way to his house as i had heard very good things prior to. a belgian strong pale ale -- it even sounds awesome. golden pour with fluffy white head -- nice lacing... fruity, yeasty aroma... distinctively belgian yeast dominates taste, with fruity apple overtones in background... alcohol is well disguised, but it goes down so smooth you almost want to chug it right down... excellent.
Appearance: 4/5, Arom: 8/10, Flavor: 10/10, Palate: 5/5, Overall: 18/20, Total: 4.5
Score: 10

Ommegang Three Philosophers
Bottle -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro, ME
a belgian-style quadrupel, my first i believe. interesting pour: dark brown with a reddish tint, neat head... bold aroma of sweet toffee, raisins/molasses... wow, surprisingly strong taste of tart cherries, and some alcohol... VERY sour finish that lingers on palate... interesting but not great.
App: 5/5, Aro: 8/10, Flv: 6/10, Pal: 4/5, Ovr: 12/20, Tot: 3.5

Score: 8

My pick: Brooklyn Local 1

Battle of the Porters

Summer is coming so time to drink up those dark beers. I don't totally buy this conventional wisdom since I love porters and stouts enough to drink them year round. That said, on a cold spring night these really hit the spot! But which hit the spot more is the question? Here we go, Smuttynose's Robust Porter versus Great Divide's St. Bridgets Porter!

Smuttynose Robust Porter
Bottle -- Chris Gasbarro's, Seekonk
wow, what a great looking beer: very dark with tan, churning, one-finger head. strong -- even robust -- aroma of roasted chocolate and hops. the first thing that strikes you in the taste is an astringent (i.e. dry and biting) bitterness. savory burnt coffee and chocolate sweetness tastes come next. pleasing bitterness softens to finish creamy and full-bodied. awesome label too. balanced, flavorful -- this is a great, well-rounded porter!
Appearance: 5/5, Aroma: 10/10, Flavor: 9/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 17/20, Total: 4.5
Score: 10

Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Dartmouthfairly similar pour to the robust porter: dark brown with frothy off-white head. i caught a good amount of chocolate on the first whiff, fading to a general sweetness and fresh hops. taste is of a pretty standard porter: burnt malts, molasses, and chocolate. you do taste some hops in the background, but it plays a much smaller role here. body is a little watery, with the slightly syrupy texture found in many porters that kind of turns me off. a good beer from a good brewer; st. bridget just happened to run up against a ringer, that's all.
App: 3/5, Aro: 6/10, Flv: 7/10, Pal: 3/5, Ovr: 12/20, Tot: 3.1
Score: 7

Winner: Smuttynose Robust Porter

LongShot v. LongShot

I generally stand up for Sam Adams as I find their beers err on the side of drinkability... not a bad thing. And while I do have my share of problems with the brewer, I also really like their American Homebrew Contest. They decided on eight winners, brewed up their winning beers, and released them in limited quantities. My friend Dan and I pitted the LongShot Grape Pale Ale against the LongShot Weizenbock. It wasn't a fair fight.

Sam Adams LongShot Grape Pale Ale
Bottle -- People's Liquor Warehouse, Fall River
fresh (but minor) aroma of raisins/grapes and some grassy hops. grape-apple taste, with kind of sour finish... much more subtle than most fruit beers. thin body and very lively on lips. i wasn't impressed.
Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 4/10 Palate: 2/5 Overall: 6/20 Total: 1.8
Score: 3

Sam Adams LongShot Weizenbock
Bottle -- People's Liquor Warehouse, Fall River
pours hazy brown with two fingers of frothy off-white head. on the first whiff i was nearly knocked over by distinctive german yeast. on closer inspection spice, sweetness, and banana emerge. all of these elements are found alongside toasted wheat taste, as well as a very strong presence of alcohol. very complex, very good.
Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 8/10 Palate: 5/5 Overall: 16/20 Total: 4.2
Score: 9

Winner: Sam Adams LongShot Weizenbock

Gritty McDuffs vs. Long Trail

Occassionally I will put a few beers head-to-head and determine a winner. I am going to start with the Scottish Ales offered up by two longstanding New England Brewers: Gritty McDuffs of Maine and Long Trail of Vermont. Go!


Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale
Bottle -- MAINE

clear reddish-brown with head that lasts all the way to the end. aroma of bread, caramel, and earthy hops. very sweet with good bitter hop presence. crisp, smooth, very carbonated, medium-bodied. a strong beer and good example of the style.

Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 7/10 Palate: 4/5 Overall: 12/20 Total Rating: 3.5 Score: 7


Long Trail Hibernator
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Fall River

hazy amber with sustained head. malts, fruity hops, little spice, but pretty muted aroma overall. nutty, grainy, some hops, but mostly watery. medium-bodied, sticky, with lingering aftertaste. simple, bland, uninspiring.

Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 5/10 Palate: 3/5 Overall: 10/20 Total Rating: 2.6 Score: 5


Winner: Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale
hands down. a very nice scottish ale. MAINE wins!!!