Smuttynose Maibock

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

The color was yellow/orange. The head was thin, creamy, and white. The aroma was alcohol, hops, and caramel malt. The flavor was alcohol, hops, sweet, and spice. The palate was well carbonated. The finish was warm.

Pours a hazy copper amber with a creamy orangeish two finger head. Lively carbonation. The nose is nice and hoppy, sweet, earthy, malty, caramel, lagering shows in the nose. The flavor has a nice hop bite to it, a little citrusy, earthy, malty, sweet, caramel. Nice biting palate with a refreshing carbonation. Easily the best maibock I’ve ever had.

5/6/08 notes: had on tap. Pours a light amber-red. Little aroma detectable, just some malt and light cherry/strawberry. This beer starts a soft caramel sweet with some hops, and finishes a light, sour, grassy flavor. Great soft and chewy palate. Finish is interesting in that it is slightly sour. Very drinkable and refreshingly different. 3.6

Mostly clear dark golden color with a thin even loose white head. Slight spicy and herbal grainy aroma with a touch of earthy hop character. Light taste over a thickish palate. Tastes a bit spicy with a light pine hoppiness informing the finish. Grainy malts carry everything well. A refreshing bock.

My Bottom Line:
Soothing floral, herbal hoppiness is perfectly levelled with honeyed cereals in a come-hither mouthfeel where earthy yeast and herbal hop bitterness encourage you to take an even greater sip. This is as authentic a Bock as you can find in North America.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A lingering cloud of foam garnishes the hazy amber.
-Balance is achieved throughout.
-Such authenticity and quality makes me wish they’d brew a Pilsener now!
-The frothy bubbling and healthy mouthfeel are pleasant all the way.
-Alcohol never shows in the flavor profile; this is as drinkable as any other unfiltered session lager.

Bottles; 2008 and 2009 vintage.

In short: An extra-refreshing juicy maibock. Excellent execution in simplicity
How: Bottle 22oz, fresh. on the “Stone-Bourbon-Barrel-RIS-Hype-And-Disappointment” tasting session with the Montreal crew
The look: Cloudy orange body with a medium white head
In long: Lots of grainy cereals, light caramel and soft honey, citrus and orange juice and fresh grass. A light tartness. Lively carbonation and very pleasant mouthfeel. Wow! Nothing fancy, but this is an extra-refreshing strong lager that can be enjoyed by the full pint, and many of them. An unexpected surprise to me. Coming into this tasting I never thought a Smuttynose Lager would come out on top of the Stone Bourbon Barrel RIS. That’s like a piss-drunk hare beating a hare on speed in a screwed-up psychedelic La Fontaine’s Fable. Now what the fuck am I talking about?!?!

22 oz. Golden orange pour with a fine cream colored head. Good lacing. Clean toasty nose, light hops - weird chardonnay type component. Great fresh flavor. Tangerine, lemon candy, stone fruit. Smooth bitter finish. Doughy? A nice beer, one that I could session (dangerously) around the BBQ or at the beach.

Pours a murky orange amber with no head. Smells of malt and caramel and honey. Flavor of alcohol and orange rind. Medium full body, low carbonation. Light bitter finish. Not bad. Syrupy sweet with honey. Good for the style I suppose, but not my favorite.