Berkshire River Ale

Brewed by Berkshire Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
South Deerfield, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Dimpled mug

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UPDATED: JAN 24, 2004 Bottle. Very nice cloudy brown color. Aroma is malty and sweet fruit. Taste has caramel and fruit. Fairly sweet. This was MUCH better than I thought it was gonna be. Good job BBC.

Muddy brownish orange. Super cloudy!!! Smells very enticing. Warm, thick banana nut bread smell. Sweet raisin pudding. I could go on for a while about the aroma. Small lacy white-tan head. Initially very malty with a strong caramel/cinnamon alcohol follow up. Almost like cinnamon raisin french toast, but not overly sweet. Mild and lightly bittersweet fruit flavors dance on the palette. I definitely agree that this beer goes well at the start and then just peters out. It gets watery towards the middle of the body, and then just dies from there. Thin with a touch of caramel cappucino in the finish, and then, almost nothing. . . Too bad, this beer definitely has potential. And I can't get over how good it smells. Definitely a unique effort here, but needs improvement. If they could make this thing good all the way through, I'd rate it much more highly. If you saw potential in this, try Ipswich Dark Ale, you will be impressed.

The color is a dark purplish-brown. Aroma is somewhat sweet and fruity. Can smell the 7.0%. Taste is on the sweet side. The hops are definately "delicate". Not what I expected, but as I am almost done this bottle, I am getting used to it. Not your typical brown ale.

Bottle: Good nose light gingerbread,banana. Great clear amber color. Coffee,fruity, and carmel body. Finishes creamy smooth, though kinda thin. Little warmth to it. Better than I expected.

Smells great, looks nice but tastes a little above average at best. Nice foamy white head. Misty dark brown in color. First taste is nice, but hen it goes funky. Hard to put my finger on what goes wrong, but the aftertaste is too spicy with a slight alcohol burn. Not as good as their other efforts.

Massive lasting bubbly/foamy head; nutty/orangy aroma with light herbal hints -- and its downhill from here. Exceedingly sweet; strongly malty, hazelnut-caramel-vanilla in that order, way too sweet overall I think, some alcohol presence, really no hops. Decent but just too sickly-sweet-syrupy, not malty enough at the end, just ok body.

Has a slightly cloudy red/copper color with little carbonation and a sweet fruit smell. Taste is somewhat sweet and malty and finishes mildly bitter. Overall not one of my favorites from this brewery, but it is not bad so it is good for a change of pace every once in a while.

Pours with a slightly cloudy deep red brown body topped by a medium thick head leaving behind a good amount of lace. Sweet and fruity aroma similar to banana bread. Sweet and fruity(banana) malt flavor with a good hoppiness. The finish is malty with roasty notes. Medium to full bodied, slightly warming and smooth.

Misty dark apple juice. Small but dense light beige creamy head. Single lined carbonation. Fruity aroma, with berries and plums and pears atop a faint caramel whiff. Initially a bit crisp but full and rich with light toffee malt flavors, moderate sweetness and fruit juice splashes. Medium body. Light hop bitterness and flavor. Yeast pour further clouds the body and thickens the head. Softens the brew a bit, leaving the crispness hidden. Quite smooth and drinkable, just not very malty or complex. Fairly decent alcohol punch is felt but not tasted. Finishes fuller, spicy with alcohol, less sweet but still a bit fruity. An interesting dark mild if anything.

A great Carmel aroma, and a good copper dark copper color, but a tad cloudy. Very sweet flavor, almost too sweet. Very malty. A little dry on the palate.