Funky Bow G-String Pale Ale

Another brewery in Maine? No surprise, because Maine's a mecca of craft-brewing. So when I saw an unrecognizable sixpack in the Maine brew section of the cooler, I had to take a look. Funky Bow, isn't too far from Portland, where so many of Maine's brews are oriented. So Funky Bow needs a tasty one to compete:

Before the G-String hit my lips, I knew it wasn't going to be a typical pale ale of an intensely bitter malt. It wasn't completely clear and had a slight sweetness to the smell. Once on the tongue this sweetness was almost citrusy and floral, but it does have the malts in it that are expected to make a Pale Ale. Just not so much that it's a bitter sipper. The body is crisp in a great way that correlates with the crisp sweetness too. But I wouldn't let this one get too warm. Gets solely bitter.

Even though the day I write this it's snowing, Funky Bow's G-String reminds me of summer. A great taste to cool off by, and it's title made me think of a more visual art that's on the beaches in summer. The g-string. B (good)

Bull Jagger Dirigo Crimson Lager

Bull Jagger has already started making a recognized name in just two years by making the first micro-brew lager in the Portland, ME. But tonight I have their Dirigo Crimson Lager, the second micro-brew lager in the Portland area. I can already tell it's going to be a good one before taking a sip: A deep red hue for a lager and a foamy head that I know will leave a long-lasting foamy residue on my lips.

My nose knew malts would be a BIG player in the taste, but my first though from my tongue was angostura bitters with caramel malts! This might seem to be a negative taste to some, but it's a phenomenal taste to me. The malts have a slight sweetness to them, but bitter is a stronger effect than sweet. There is a very crisp overtone from a bit of hops and the lager body. It is quite full in the body for a lager as well.

Dirigo certainly isn't a lager that can be drunk quickly due to the strong tastes in effect, but it also isn't hard to drink and can easily be enjoyed by anyone who likes a fine beer. So I'm giving it a solid A (excellent) and I recommend you grab a bottle to see what tastes the Maine micro-brew scene is expanding to!

Sebago Brewing Full Throttle Double IPA

When I visit Sebago Brewing in Portland Maine, it wouldn't be unacceptable for the bartender to bring me a Frye's Leap IPA before even asking me what I wanted to drink because I ask for it almost every time! Strong floral-citrus hops in the Frye's Leap IPA brew is going to be hard to out-preform, but Sebago's Double Throttle Double IPA is released only once a year. So why is it anticipated?

Unlike many other brewers Sebago's special IPA isn't just more intense than their 'standard', (the Frye's Leap is already very strong), it's a different approach on an IPA by adding malts and using many varieties of hops. The Full Throttle is best described as tasting piney and like grapefruit instead of just crisp and citrusy, because the malt with the hops puts in a unique sweetness. It's still intense on the palate and it isn't hard to notice that this brew is unfiltered. The last thing noticed when put down your throat is that there is little taste of alcohol and the malty-sweet aspect doesn't take away from the tingling dry aftertaste once swallowed.

After you try Sebago's Full Throttle Double IPA the first time, you know why they make it almost every year and why people anticipate it so much. It adds so many flavors and keeps it all balanced. A (excellent)

Rising Tide Tempest

Beer and Coffee are Portland's biggest local drink interests, with brewers and roasters creating names that have traveled well beyond the Maine state. This review is about a porter that's from a correlation of Rising Tide Brewing Company, and Bard Coffee: The Tempest. Let's see what Rising Tide can do with a fine bean from Bard.

This beer poured impressively in my pint glass with a light foaming head, and a bit of carbonation seen on the walls. The aura given off of the head wasn't of brewed coffee, but of coffee beans. On the tongue the first thing noticed is the carbonation leaving a tingle of a texture, but the dark roast coffee comes right after and stays throughout the rest of the experience. Like the scent, it's more of beans but not a brewed coffee because this part is not bitter at all. Semi-sweet malts in a dark-chocolate way exist on the palate too, working their way through the initial coffee and carbonation elements after a few sips. It's mid-weight body makes the Tempest very easy to drink in comparison to other porters, even with the coffee and chocolate aspects.

The Tempest isn't the dark beer that will put hair on your chest, (despite the strong palate), because of how well the chords played by Rising Tide's Tempest play together. It's an A (excellent) in my book and will be a common choice of mine when I want something to sip at the end of the day. I hope it becomes a staple on the shelves of fine beer selections.

Sebago Trekker Pale Ale

At the time of this review, the Trekker Pale Ale is the Sebago Brewing Company's newest release. It's a part of their single batch series and their fundraiser for the Trek Across Maine (an American Lung Association support). It was created at the event "Brewing for a Cause" where people who purchased tickets helped to create this concoction. Let's explore their experiment's taste:

If I had never seen the title of this defining it as a pale ale, I could have mistaken it for an IPA. It pours a creamy head that visualizes a pale ale (not as much lacing), but as soon as your other senses approach it things go the IPA way. You immediately smell hops on the more citrus side compared to Sebago's Frye's Leap IPA. There's also an interesting pine hue to the hops. If you're paying enough attention you can smell the caramel-malt going on behind the hops though. On your tongue you're brought back to the IPA effect of a tingling and citrusy-crisp hops, but the malt notes are a bit stronger. The body is on the rounder side and it ends with both aspects of IPA and pale ale once swallowed. A bitter kick and the malty dry.

This isn't just a classic pale ale, but an American pale ale due to the amount of hops used. I find it quite appropriate due to the title's cause and I will be supporting the event with this choice in my pint glass. It deserves the B (good) because of the tastes going on with some intensity but balance. I'd like to point out that the combination used makes this quite easy to drink as well. In addition to enjoying the taste, it feels good to "Drink for a Cause".

Chimay Grande Réserve

Tonight's luxurious taste is from Chimay, a brewery that's been around for quite some time in a monastery in Belgium. They make fine cheeses as well but only their blue labeled Grande Réserve sits in front of me, waiting to be tasted. I'm sure monks making beer and cheese do their best to make it taste great, so lets see what they think makes a beer desirable.

It has a very foamy head that'll leave you with a mustache if you don't give it some time to settle, and like many Belgium ales it has a lot of yeast. In addition to the wheat scent there's a combination of clove, pepper, and dark fruits. On the tongue the fruit becomes a little more along the lines of apples though. Sweetened malts are strong on the tongue and mostly overlap any taste of the yeast. You can taste the crisp and dry aspect of the yeast though. It finishes with a dry "bite" (like some wines) and caramelized overtone that relates to the fruits on the nose and malts tasted.

It isn't the smoothest Belgium ale I've had, or even one with exclusive tastes, but I am impressed by it. This is because the order of the classic tastes and balance of them makes for a very enjoyable experience. I'm ok with it not being smooth to swallow because I want to keep it in my mouth until it's warm, not chug it. A (excellent).

Bull Jagger Original No. 19 Baltic Porter

Bull Jagger has released their first opaque brew recently, the No. 19 Baltic Porter. It would seem like quite a jump in styles from their lager wouldn't it? Well I found out the process isn't as different as you would think, but I'm not writing about that. You can contact the brewer if you would like to know technical details of the process. I'm writing about the taste.

The first thing my tongue noticed is the sweetness of the malt, which a friend characterized as a "fruitiness". This is a good adjective for saying it has an upfront sweetness unlike like sugar. Don't think that there's any fruit notes on the palate though. The rest is quite perplexing but with some hard thought and slow sips (done with extreme enjoyment), I found wheat/yeast, rye, and barley which is a seasoning crisp for tastes. It works very well together. These notes of spice imperceptibly convey to the liquid body sensations of a citric dry that leaves a tingle. Despite all this extreme taste and an ABV of 8%, it's very smooth to drink.

This is not the type of beer you choose to compliment a robust beef stew, you choose your dinner recipe to compliment this beer. This is because it'll be the focus of your taste buds luxurious experience. Undoubtedly an A (excellent).

Bull Jagger Portland Lager

I was a bit confused when I first saw this bottle. A lager made in Portland, ME? After I had to looked into this, and I found out that this was from a new brewery called Bull Jagger. I must say I like their approach to keeping the classic micro-brewery standards but experimenting with brews that aren't just what everyone else has in their variety pack. Only one other brewer in Maine makes a lager.

Poured into the glass it looks like an ale instead of a lager because of the haziness. Once the head hits your lips you're reminded of it's category though, because it's on the fizzy side and the sweet aroma. I would almost say the combo of crisp and sweet is citrus, but it is undoubtedly not because these two elements are defined in their own separate ways. On the tongue the sweetness stays but malt, hops, and yeast come well ahead of it in potency. It's not an intense IPA or pale ale with these, but you can feel it on your tongue as well as taste it. The body is 'sparkling' too, but not to the extent of canned lagers though.

Bull Jagger will be coming out with another brew soon, that has quite a bit of my attention. Porter with rye. Even though it was not in bottling condition, I was quite impressed with the sample and can't wait to add it here with a review. Don't wait for this release to give them a try though! the Portland Lager is a step out of the box with the high standards of Maine brewing kept and I'm giving it a solid B (good).

Sebago Frye's Leap IPA

It's been a little while since my last review, but I think this is partially due to my focus being just on the drinks. The taste is still my prime focus, not the effects. (This applies to positive and possibly negative ones). Like today's beer that'll do the trick quicker, with a ABV of 6.2%. Sebago Brewing's Frye's Leap IPA.

Frye's Leap IPA is a bit of a leap from other IPAs, being more than just intense with regular hops. It pours with a large and foamy head like most micro-brewery IPAs. But once you put your nose to the glass the hops is strong like others, but it's of a very different character. The floral aspect is as strong as the citrusly crisp! The  malt note is a bit more diligent than other micro-brew IPAs as well. The commonly rich body is similar to typical IPA though. (Wouldn't be as good if that wasn't the case).

This is a common choice for me at Sebago's new location or the grocery store. So it didn't take me long to contemplate the score. I'm giving it an A (excellent).

P.S. Even once I'm well past my last sip I enjoy this beer. The hops is still there at the back of my tongue. Mmmmmm...

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry

Shipyard's best selling beer is their seasonal Pumpkinhead, and they made a Smashed Pumkinhead as a spin off of it in 2009 (still around). Today I have a spin on their Smashed Pumpkinhead, the Smashed Blueberry. It's only sold in single bottles, but that might be all you need because this brew is 9% alcohol! If that's what you want though, I'd recommend a plastic bottle of liquor. If you want a tasty beer in your glass, read on!

The back of the label reads that this is a "hybrid between a porter and a Scotch ale." I can see why because of the body and what's happening on the palate. Smashed Blueberry starts with the blueberry part paralleled by the sweet malty chocolate in the nose though. Once in the mouth things get pleasantly complicated. The body is more along the lines of a Scottish ale due to the 'round' body. I don't think heavy is a way to put it though. I wouldn't be surprised if your tongue gets confused by this one, but I've sorted out the sweet maltyness, a touch of coffee-like barley which works perfectly with the malt, a blueberry extract on the back of the tongue. The fruit note isn't very sweet, just true to blueberries. It ends dry with all the tastes lingering.

Turns out this has been a big hit for Shipyard and now I can see why. I've noticed this bottle on the shelves for awhile now, but I didn't pick one up because I'm not a fan of fruity beers. I'll be buying this one again though because it's a fine dark beer with strong tastes that work togeather. And it's the best use of non-citrus fruit in beer I've ever tasted. A (excellent)

Rising Tide Ursa Minor

It's a pleasant surprise to notice a new bottle when shopping for a social lubricant. Today's trip to the luxurious single bottle beer aisle didn't just show a new brew, but a new brewer! Rising Tide Brewing started just last year in Portland, ME. There's plenty of brewers in this city already, but if they can meet it's high standards in a pint-glass there's definitely room for them. My first Rising Tide:

Although labeled a stout, I think it's closer to a porter because barley exists but roasted malts are in front of it. The body isn't what most would think of a stout either with a brisk feel and head that doesn't stay as long. I think this is because it's a weizen too (wheat beer). The roasted malts and touch of barley participate well together with the yeast. These are not the only flavors because after your first few sips an aftertaste starts to accumulate in strength. Dark cherries.

For those that're wondering what Ursa Minor is, it's the Little Dipper constellation. For those wondering what Ursa Minor beer is, it doesn't fit in a category like ale, stout, lager, and such. It's a drink you have to explore because much is going on, and I'll be enjoying again because I'm leaving it with an A (excellent). Rising Tide may be a small brewer but they leave a big impression, and a good one.

Peak Organic Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai

You'd think pomegranate and acai berry would be put in a healthier product like tea!

*I pause for a moment to get your reaction*

If you agreed with that statement, then you need to be informed of the invisible health triangle that takes priority over the nutritional one. This one has to do with your mental health. Products like Peak Organic's Pomegranate Wheat Ale might not compliment your physical health even with acai berries and being organic, but what good is it to be physically healthy if mentally unhappy? Lets find out if such a brew would be a supplement for your triangle.

As the label would suggest, this is not your typical beer. It's not opaque like most other wheat ales, but you can make out a haze. The aroma given off could make some think it's a malt drink due to the sweetness, but it doesn't overpower the actual malt note. Once on your tongue more beer elements kick in. It has the crisp carbonation of a hefeweizen and a well rounded body for such a beer. Wheat was most noticeable on the back of the tongue and a little in your nose once swallowed. Of course pomegranate and acai was tasted as well, right on the center of the palate, but I was quite pleased to not be overwhelmed by it like many fruit beers and it worked with the wheat malts.

This beer is well off of the beaten path for my usual choices, but I'm not regretting a single drop to be put between my lips. Peak Organic's Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai is a B (good) to me and I'll be choosing it on warm nights with a salad for dinner. It supplements my conscious nutrition but perhaps a pomegranate tea would be better for me? Wait!... "Enjoy the drink, not the effect", even if it's a nutritional one.

Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

Those that know me know that I have an obsession with drinks. I keep a range of drinks of every type and variety on hand. Beer has been the hardest to keep a wide selection of though! Usually the same beer is chosen for awhile due to weather and other conditions. With the current weather stouts and ports have been frequent. Tonight's Stockyard Oatmeal Stout can only be bought at Trader Joe's and it's been a common stout in my fridge due to it's value.

This is a strong barley stout, but not in the same way as Guinness Extra Stout. The barley used parallels semi-sweet baking chocolate fantastically. It has a creamy tan head with plenty of lacing that sticks to your upper lip like all good stouts. The barley tastes like coffee as well as chocolate, and they match in a way that I'd call this a mocha stout. Oats are hinted at through the aftertaste as well. The body of this beer is far from a traditional Irish stout though. It's not as heavy in a creamy way and there's a good amount of carbonation in the ale way.

If I were craving a stout fresh from the tap, this wouldn't do. I'd have to make a run to the store to buy an Irish stout with the widgets or even just go to the bar. It does deliver a strong barley palate though and because of this it's a common in my fridge and I've given it a score of B (good).

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Stout beers and chocolates have a major thing in common, they're both luxurious. Not physically necessary though. *The other part of my mind coughs it's throat* (On some days needed for your mental health though).  I must agree with this. Today had a huge snowstorm in my area and after a long day of cleaning inside and out I'm not going to regret the pint in front of me one bit. But I'm here tonight to let you know if you'd regret making such a purchase.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout follows the standard appearance of stouts; black opaque body with a heavy creamy head that retains. This stout doesn't just follow the lines with your other senses though. It doesn't smell of barley much but it shows much chocolate. This exists on the tongue as well of course in a smooth velvety way that's quite velvety. This isn't too bitter as well with the barley that isn't heavily roasted like many other stouts and the chocolate is created with malts. I think semi-sweet baking chocolate is the type of chocolate used here. The body isn't as creamy as the traditional Guinness Extra Stout or Murphy's I've had before either and there's a little bit of carbonation here too. You're left with a smooth and not-to-dry finish when swallowed.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout isn't your traditional stout, but this isn't a bad thing. It's rather unique even when you compare it to other chocolate stouts with this untypical approach and it leads me to rate it with a B (good). If the title of this beer attracts you at all with the tastes listed, you will not regret it. Now I'm going to enjoy the rest of my pint with a fine book, feel free to pick one up a join me.

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

It's easy to let the dimmer and shorter days get to you, but it can also be an excuse to spend more time relaxing. The antique characteristic of Samuel Smith's label makes me think this would be appropriate to enjoy in front of the warm fireplace with a book. For the younger, I feel it would be just a appropriate in a classic British Isles pub. However, this being the first time I've had this I feel obliged to share my thoughts so those of you reading can determine if this would be a good choice for you

Even before tasting this I knew this would be a good choice because the sensations it gave. The visual ones showed a head that could compete with a classic Irish stout, and the color of it matched the body's. Nutty brown with a touch of red. Before the beer touched my lips I could smell the malts that somehow were walnuts! Past the lips it also showed wooded and roasted notes through the malts. The body was medium weight but on the back of the tongue you got a hint of sweet and a nice crisp. I didn't get these last notes as much because it was hard to swallow, I loved it in my mouth.

It only took me a a minute at the end of my pint to add the plus with the A. It's an A (excellent) and I recommend it to anyone who can enjoy a beer that's heavier than a generic lite beer.

JosephsBrau Winterfest

Before I begin, I'd like to note that JosephsBrau is just a cover for Trader Joe's. That's not to say this could be a bad beer, I think Trader Joe's does a good job with many of their beers for a great value. I paid a mere $6 for a six pack, and for something outside of cans, that's great these days. So lets see how this dark lager (pretty rare these days) does.

This starts with a good sized head as pictured above, but this does not stay that way. Putting my nose in the glass showed a sweet maltyness and a hint of alcohol! Looking back at the bottle I see that this is due to 7.5% abv, which is a better deal for some. This alcohol taste doesn't have any notice with the finish though. The body of this is right in the middle of my other beer experiences, and it has malts for a taste like the head. I was surprised by the lack of carbonation despite being a lager.

For such a high alcohol percentage this one is easy to drink. I'm not a huge fan of it though. It's just kind of odd in my opinion and the malts aren't as good as ones in others, so I'll be leaving it with a C (decent).

McSorley's Irish Pale Ale

An Irish pale ale? When I think of a pale ale's origin I think British, and Irish are obviously known for stouts. McSorley's is actually an old pub in New York City that was established in 1854, so it's not as Irish in origin as some others beers. This isn't a history lesson though, I'll tell you how it tastes.

Once poured the hue didn't look like a pale ale. It looks copper like a red ale, which is more traditional to the Irish! It has hops and malt in the aura characterized in a sweet way. On the palate hops takes a back seat to a 'creamy' malt, but this is not heavy in body. The body is actually crisp in a citrus way. Once swallowed the taste dwindles and you get it dry in a pale ale way.

I'd say this is a cross between a red and pale ale. There is a variety of things going on but I don't think they're working together well. I have to give it a C (decent), but on a positive note it's fairly easy to drink despite being dry at the end.

Long Trail Double Bag

It's been awhile since I've visited Long Trail but tonight I have a brew they seem to be very proud of, their dark ale Double Bag. I say they're extra proud of this beer because they state "you'd never believe it has an alcohol content of 7.2%!!!" on the neck before you even get to the bottle's label. I'm not drinking this to enjoy the alcohol content though.

When you glass up the beer it acts exactly like an ale with a foamy head that laces around the cup but once in your mouth the parallels to a pale ale end. The palate is very malty in a chocolate way and the body is surprisingly crisp and heavy. The nose doesn't show this as strong as the tongue with lighter notes of a homely earthiness (something like oak, toast and chocolate). Unlike the statement made on the neck I don't find it 'smooth', you can tell it's a little higher on alcohol. This isn't enough to make this uneasy to drink.

A quote I made that I share frequently is "enjoy the drink, not the effect." If I were to ever buy a Red Bull I'd break this rule. Long Trail's Double Bag may give you an enjoyable effect sooner than other beers but you can still enjoy this beer beyond an alcoholic buzz. I think it's an A (excellent).

Peak Organic IPA

Where I'm at going green and all organic is quite popular, so it's no surprise that there's an organic brewery here in Portland, Maine. I certainly don't limit my choices of liquids to organic but I do feel a little good about drinking a 'healthy' beer. But I'm not here to speak of a products health benefits but how it tastes.

With the bottle claiming the alcohol content is 7.1% I suspected this would be an intense IPA like others with higher percent. After pouring I was impressed to taste that it wasn't just that. It does have a strong taste of hops but it wasn't as tangy as other IPAs of this sort. The selection of hops brings out much more of the floral notes than just the citrus. The nose is like that, you won't sneeze taking a big whiff over the glass. Sweet malt is another taste behind the floral and citrus, but more interesting is a buttery affair that I don't think can be described as tasted but just felt. This buttery feeling is in the smell as well.

Not your typical American-style IPA, and I like this new approach. I'm leaving it with an A (excellent) and recommend Peak Organic's unique IPA to any beer drinker who enjoys hops.

Shipyard Wheat Ale

Shipyards newest release, wheat ale. I do like the label, it's like the pint glass I got from them with a mermaid. I'm guessing that image is now a symbol of this brew, like Old Thumper's boar head or Chamberlain for the pale ale. But I didn't buy it for the bottle.

Shipyard's website states that this is an American wheat ale, and you can tell by putting your nose over it. Grainy-wheat came first to me and it was soon followed by a fruity note and a touch of the very floral hops they must use in their IPA. It's light and crisp body brings the wheat again along with the fruit. The finish is a little dry and you're left with the wheat but the hops replaces the fruit.

A great summer beer I think. If I had to describe this simply, it's a cross between Shipyards summer ale and IPA with wheat. It's a little to light bodied for my preferences though. It's a B (good) in my book. This will be a beer I'll purchase on hot and humid days.