Cooperstown Nine Man Ale

Brewed by Cooperstown Brewing Co.
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Milford, New York USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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My wife brought this one back from a trip to Rochester. Pretty tasty for style. +++ Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer gushed a murky apricot color with a large foamy yellow-tan head that faded quickly and left no lacing. The aroma was bread and candied golden fruits. The flavor was bread, honey and candied golden fruits. The beer turned a moderately dry and dusty on the long finish. Very overcarbonated which distracted from what was otherwise an enjoyable beer.

Bottle- Pours a nice golden color with a decent head with bits of lacing. Mild aroma of malt sweetness, citrus and fresh grain. Flavor is a mild caramel sweetness, bit of citrus and fresh grain. There is a nice mild bitterness and the finish is quite dry. Light body, smooth with an intangible character. Easy drinker. Good session beer.

Tap @ the Brewery, Cooperstown, NY. Served in taster glass. Also had in a 12 oz bottle from the brewery. Light thin white head, no lace to speak of. Nose is light bread malt, not much else. Taste is really bland. Buttered biscuit with a touch of wheat. This was my least favorite of all the Cooperstown brews. Weak but that really is what I expect from this style.

12 ounce bottle. Nice yellow color with a decent white head. Crisp, refreshing and drinkable.

Draught sample at the brewery. Pours very hazy yellow gold with a moderate white head. The aroma is mild malt with citrus and floral notes. The flavor is mild caramel with followed by some mild-moderate hops bitterness. This would be a good choice for quenching a thirst after doing some yard work. No problems.

Cloudy golden color with a small white head. Light fruity aroma with grass and some spice. Pretty light aroma. Flavor is mainly caramel with some floral aspects and some grassiness. Fairly watery, and light on the tongue. Solid beer that one could drink many of in an evening.

Bottle. Pours a clear gold with a slight amber hue and a white head that dissipates completely. Aroma has sweet grains and a bit of a biscuit note with some grassy hops and a slight floral note. Flavor is is less complex with sweet grains and a crisp grass note.

1st beer of the tasting group at the brewery. Nice old gentleman pouring from bottles. Clear amber color with a tall chunky head that had a good hang time. Aroma was bready. No real strong hop presence, but just enough to keep this from being overly sweet. Well balanced and easy drinking middle-of-the road ale.

UPDATED: OCT 14, 2010 12oz - Orange pour, ivory head. Malt on nose. Spicy palate, evoking a rye malt. I liked this.

Duvel Belgian Golden Ale is one of the most revered beers on the planet and it seems like every American brewery has tried to emulate it. The problem is, American blonde ales don’t use the same yeast, so more often than not the result is something along the lines of Cooperstown Brewing’s Nine Man Ale. It’s a very light, clean-tasting, refreshing beer, but it has little character. It’s not offensive, but there’s nothing impressive about it, either.

APPEARANCE AND AROMA

I poured a 12oz bottle into an English pint glass. This beer formed a gigantic layer of soapy suds not unlike Duvel. It took me quite a while to get it all into the glass, but once poured, the head seemed to vanish into thin air and left no lacing on the glass. Odd.

The color is rather dark for a blonde beer. It’s pure orange bordering on brown (perhaps burnt umber would be the best description). It’s also very hazy, as there seems to be some yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

The aroma is light, with slight fruit notes, a touch of spice, and maybe even some candy sweetness. If only the scent wasn’t so muted.

TASTE

I hate beers that have palates with distinct flavors but are still bland - they’re very difficult to review and that’s exactly the case with Nine Man Ale. It’s typical of the American blonde style - a light, crisp, slightly fruity palate with a dry, powdery aftertaste. There’s also a noticeable buttered biscuit flavor - like malts on the verge of expiring.

Not that the taste is repulsive, though. I enjoy what the brew has to offer, but I wanted so much more. As it warms the palette seems to homogenize to a rather bland, buttery,  pilsner-like taste. It’s easily tolerable, but why drink a beer just to tolerate it? I want something I genuinely enjoy.

DRINKABILITY

I have to admit this beer is refreshing and the light body is probably something I’d prefer to the intense spiciness of a Belgian brew of a comparable style. It’s thicker than I expected, and much softer too. The carbonation dies down quickly, giving the beer a flat body. It goes down smooth and easily, but so does flat soda.

At 4.3% ABV, Nine Man Ale is an ideal summer beer and would pair nicely with food and social situations where it was used as a beverage than a component of the meal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I was hoping Cooperstown Brewing’s Nine Man Ale would be able to do something with the American blonde ale style I haven’t encountered yet. Unfortunately, it was par for the course.

NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzOo_zFbZf8