Casco Bay Carrabassett Harvest Ale

Brewed by Casco Bay Brewing (Shipyard Brewing Co.)
Style: Brown Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Serve in Dimpled mug

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Pours with a one-finger light brown head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Deep, clear amber color. Good carbonation. Nose is a sweet but earthy. Starts and finishes with a good malt/hop balance with the hops just winning in the end. Medium bodied. Best by 12/25/04. $1.35 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.

Reddish-brown translucent body with a half an inch of off-white head. Smells malty and yeasty. Tastes malty and roasty. Some hops are also present, but they’re definitely supporting the roasty malt. Medium bodied. This is really good. Kudos, Carrabassett/Casco Bay (once again)

12 oz bottle. Thanks Humulone Red. Reddish brown color, nice head. The aroma does have some nice hops and caramel. Nice flavor! It has a great balance of hops and malt. It’s a really nice brown ale with a great combination of hops and really nice carbonation to deliver its flavors. Spot on, delicious beer. Try some!

Best before 12/14/2005 bottle from Downeast beverage, consumed on 11/30/2005. First of all, I don’t see what’s so traditionally American about this "brown" ale. It’s not heavily citrusy, certainly not piney or anything like that. Mostly just floral hopped. Secondly, there’s no way you would pick this out as a brown ale in a blind tasting. It would be an APA or probably, more likely, an amber ale. Hardly any sweet malt, certainly no sweet brown malts (brown sugar, caramel, coffee) that sort of thing. Very crisp and dry. Dosent even look brown, it’s an amber-auburn with ruby tints when held to the light. Anyways, style aside, it has a foamy, deep beige head, with plenty of large bubbles rising and smells very dry, dusty, earthy, lightly doughy and has some fruits (cherries, dates, apples). Some leafy, dry hop notes too. Earthy, crusty, toasty malts, light caramel sugars. The flavor has a hint of diacetyl up front, but this quickly passes. Light bland yeast, retronasal and light toasted grains. Some bitterness on the end, and a bit of a sticky dryness, possibly dirtiness. Spotty lace, with a head that recedes quickly to cover. Gets dirtier as it warms with only light fruitiness remaining. Very dry, with a watery texture and low to moderate carbonation. Hazy, though, with light sediment on the bottom. Gets leafy and lightly hop juicy and creamy sweet on the end. The beer changes character widely over different temperatures.

12oz. Pours a regular brown color with a light white head. Nose is semi hopy with some nuts mixed in. Taste is malty and nutty, a decent thickness, and a good bitter finish.

(Bottle, best by 12/14/05) Pours medium orangish brown, thin tan head leaves quickly. Aroma faintly sweet, caramel or honey. Lacing poor. Bitterness up front. Flavor weak. Mouthfeel smooth, watery. All bitterness, no flavor.

A pretty tastey autumn beer, very smooth. You can drink these down very fast without realizing. Roasted Malt dominated flaver with a hint of hop. Pretty decent all around brown ale.

Bottle. Thanks to jeffc666 for sending this! Ruby-brown body with a small tan head. Lots of sediment partciles dancing throughout this. Nose is earthy hops, citrus fruits, raw nuts, and toasted malt. Taste is more roasty with strong nutty notes, light hop bitterness, light earthiness, and citrus fruits. Nice! Body is medium with lots of carbonation feel to it. Almost has a soda like carbonation. Finishes with more nuttiness, toasty notes, citrus, and some light spice. Pleasant earthy hoppiness at times as well. Nice beer!

Bright sparkling clear ruby body topped by a rocky light tan head. Excellent weeping lace. The aroma is light nutty roasted malt, light citurs hops, little to no sweetness. The flavor consists of a dollop of the nutty roasted malt character typically found in a brown ale. Light citrus and earth are the predominant flavors. Medium to lightly bitter though a lingering bit of hoppy bitterness adds to the mix. Medium body dry soft palate. Surprisingly good, given the style.

(bottle, best by 05/01/05) Sparkling clear copper body with small beige head. Aroma is medium sweet, earthy, some spice, light caramel. Taste is mild sweet, earthy, light cherry. Watery medium body.