Portsmouth Whipper Snapper

Brewed by Portsmouth Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

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on tap-pours a retaining off white head and gold color. Aroma is citrus-lemon/orange. Taste is dry citrus-lemon/orange hops bite, slight light malt.

Draft at the source. Hazy golden color, thick white head, solid lacing. Aroma of white pepper and hay. Taste is very lager-like.

A more subdued version of their bottle rocket, with a nice earthy undertone and a tea like finish,

In short: A clean light APA with focus on piney hops. Nice thirst quencher
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed fresh (maybe fresh) a few weeks after it was given to me, thanks Scott
The look: Cloudy golden body topped by a small white head
In long: Nose is softly hopped with some green pine-needles and a floral component. Taste has a crisp and discreet semi-toasted malt backbone, very dry and crackery, a cross between regular salted crackers and Melba Toasts™. The beer also has a fluffy yeasty presence that actually help creating a fuller mouthfeel sensation. Then the hopping, surprisingly assertive, lots of dry pine-tree, some bitter grapefruits, sharp green pine-needles. Medium intensity bitterness. Not to say this is a hop-bomb, but the hops dominate the discreet malt backbone. I liked this beer, A light body, very clean and crisp. A light body thirst quencher for the bitter piney hops lovers. Nothing special here but I’d still drink gallons of this beer, because I love beer and I don’t care about the studies that say that excessive alcohol consumption causes short term memory loss, it’s just a bunch of wimp scientists who can’t handle beer, I wouldn’t be surprised if next publish a study about excessive alcohol consumption causing short term memory loss. Pffff..

Bottle courtesy of rpstevens. Served in a Bruery tulip. Pours a clear light golden color with an average white head that leaves behind just a bit of lacing. The nose has a bit of light malt and light hops. Mostly floral for the latter. A bit of citrus in there as well. The flavor runs along the same lines with some floral and citrus hops. Light body with average carbonation. Slight bitterness in the finishing. Pretty good; a nice mild. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 05-13-2011

Bottle thanks to Jblauvs! Pours a near clear gold with a slight amber hue and a white head that dissipates slowly to the edges and laces nicely. Aroma has a good combination of grapefruit, pine and floral hops with a bit of resin and sweet grains coming out in the finish. Flavor has a similar combination of pine and grapefruit that becomes a bit more floral in the finish. Really nice.

Pours gold into a shaker. Bright white head with medium retention recedes to hug rim. Mild resin aromas. Thin with sweet hay and caramel upfront turning to bitter grapefruit pith in the lasting finish.

Draft pours a cloudy copper color with a one-finger white head. The aroma is nicely big and hoppy for the low ABV. Great citrusy hop profile with biscuit and honey malt notes. The flavor is also very hoppy. Citrus - orange and lemon - dominate, with a considerable earthy note. Slight sweet pale malt, biscuit, and honey to back it up, but overall this is like a poor man’s Ballast Point or Alpine session pale, or Stone San Diego Session Ale. True to the west coast hoppy beer style, except it’s from New Hampshire. Great light palate with good carbonation and assertive hop resins. Really enjoyed this one overall. Could session this easily.

22oz Bottle. Citrusy, yeasty aroma. A nip of styrofoam and pineapple. This really falls apart in the flavor department in my opinion. Flavors push out a gamey, meaty English style hop mess and Mild-malt flavor. I think some of the mild ale characteristics are okay, but the American hops are disastrous. Nutty. I was expecting some really nice mini-IPA hop flavors, but I just got a messy English Pale ale. Not a successful attempt at hybridization.

Sampled at GABF! Light golden pour produced a small white head. Aroma of biscuit, honey, and hops. Flavor is similar...very sessionable. Pretty refreshing, especially after all of these heavy hitters!