Winterport Winery / Penobscot Bay Brewery Reviews

GDTRFB	2.9 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale Pours deep mahogany into a shaker. White head with little retention recedes to skim surface. Sourdough and pumpernickel aromas. Dark sourdough, molasses and dry, sour overripe berries before the dirty earth finish. Sunday, December 27, 2020
BroSpud	3.1 Penobscot Bay Humble B Honey Ginger Lager 16oz can. Pours a very clear pale yellow with a white head. A forgettable lager. Both the honey and ginger notes are apparent but don't really add much. Not really a lager guy but even so incredibly underwhelming. Wednesday, December 11, 2019
BrewTrub20	2.6 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Pours dark brown with a foamy, tan head. Nose is reminiscent of soil and paper. Taste is lightly sweet with few lactic notes mixed with coffee and chocolate. Heavy on carbonation. Wednesday, May 15, 2019
ClarkVV	3.3 Penobscot Bay Mountain Man Double IPA Canned some time in September, I believe, drunk 12/24/18. Pours a nicely clear, cantaloupe-peach-golden with a small, off-white head that is well-formed and shows moderate retention. Nose is indeed musty with marmalade, a bit of sweat and light fruit cup-like sweetness. Hints of buttercream, grapefruit and pine with no alcohol or flaw, but nothing particularly interesting or alluring to smell. In the mouth it's also odd with sweet, caramel-forward malt on the back of honey leading to white grapefruit that quickly is overtaken by buttercream and/or butter toffee. It lingers, syrupy-like, with growing sweetness and ending on orange lollipops and light pine. Low, somewhat engaging carbonation, pretty reasonable attenuation and at least the alcohol is well concealed and it's not horribly resinous. I do like that it's an approachable West Coast style IPA. Monday, December 24, 2018
ClarkVV	3.5 Penobscot Bay Building 5 Rye IPA Bomber drunk 12/24/18. Clear, bright copper with a massive, off-white head as all of their beers seem to have. Retention is annoyingly strong. Nose is nutty, lightly fruity rye and fruity yeast with pine-forward and white grapefruit hops adding a fair bit of acidity, but probably due to the age of the bottle, not too aggressive or intensely resinous now. Malts show biscuit, caramel and toasted barley with no alcohol and a good deal of plastic from the yeast. In the mouth it's extremely floral/perfumey with lemon balm and strong pine though the resin doesn't attack the palate. The strong attenuation and tight carbonation keep it drinkable even if the pine/grapefruit/lemon hops are wholly uninteresting. Lingering caramel-accented base malts and fruity, pine-heavy hop notes with moderate-to-heavy acidity. Clean, as long as you don't mind the heavy plastic house yeast character. Alcohol well-concealed. Monday, December 24, 2018
ClarkVV	3.4 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Bomber, undated, purchased August, drunk 10/19/18. Massively carbonated leading to a glassy, milk chocolate-to-ebony color with a rich tan head that is hard to get rid of. Nose doesnt yield much. Light lactic notes, cola, dark chocolate and very low maltiness. No alcohol or flaw though. This one isn't infected. In the mouth it's similar. Pretty mild on the flavor, with lactic acidity, high attenuation, a watery, light body and strong carbonation. Milk chocolate, very light dark chocolate, light vanilla and hints of coffee with light dark fruit and a bit of caramel on the finish. While you're not going to mistake this for Single Shot, it's fine and drinkable, especially when taking in to account the relatively low abv. Friday, October 19, 2018
GregMooreNH	3 Penobscot Bay Wildfire Rauchbier Pours clear mahogany with a full, off white head. Aroma is smoke, light caramel and light hops. Taste is light caramel, moving to smoke and a strong hop backbone. Finish is smoky. This is an IPA lovers rauchbier. Friday, August 24, 2018
jtclockwork	1.6 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Bottle - pours dark brown tan head - nose and taste of cardboard, lightly rotted vegetable mass, top soil, milk sugar and chocolate - light body. Overcarbed. Tuesday, November 21, 2017
FROMTHEBOTTLE	2.8 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout 650ml bottle. Pour is extra heavy on the foam. which tops a seriously dark pour. Cocao is on the forefront of this beer. Mouth feel is a little thin. Initial bitterness gives way to soft finish.. Just OK. Saturday, October 28, 2017
BHMarc	3.4 Penobscot Bay Old Factory Whistle Scottish Ale Reasonably good beer, but is not what I would expect from a Scottish ale. Lighter in color and malt flavors than most. If I hadn’t read the label I would rate this as a good English amber ale. Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Slubgob	3.2 Penobscot Bay Mountain Man Double IPA Label says to drink cold and young. Got the cold, but it’s probably been in my cellar for one, possibly two years. Poured into fluted glass. Brassy orange, scant head. Malty nose with some citrus hops. Taste is a decent balance between citrus and pine hops, buitl on a solid malt background. Finishes sticky with lingering hops. Kind of one, perhaps two-dimensional. Good drink, just not terribly intriguing. Thursday, May 11, 2017
zvikar	1.6 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale Pours brown to orange with a beige head, aroma of toffee, diacetyl, flavor is bitter with oxidation and diacetyl, light bodied Saturday, October 22, 2016
Franckg	3 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Monday, December 7, 2015
Franckg	2 Penobscot Bay Winnah 2012 Monday, December 7, 2015
Franckg	2 Penobscot Bay Old Factory Whistle Scottish Ale Monday, December 7, 2015
Slubgob	3.4 Penobscot Bay Humble B Honey Ginger Lager Very carbonated, foams over when I pop the cap on the bomber (probably didn’t help I inverted to suspend the sediment). Poured into a wine glass, hazy light gold color, fine white head that liners. Nose is honey and almost citrus, out of season orange or hint of lime? Ginger is there but restrained, and not biting - more ginger ale than ginger beer. In the mouth, light and the fine carbonation tickles the tongue. The honey comes off as a bit dry, almost mess like. Some dry ginger in the end, and a bit of a gray more. It’s cold, so maybe the ginger will develop more as it warms. Easy summer drinker. Different, enjoyable, but not terribly complex. Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Slubgob	3.4 Penobscot Bay Building 5 Rye IPA Bomber into wine glass. Likely way to cold at start, but... Dark tarnished brass color, sticky white heart, looks a bit like a mold infection in fermenting wort. Light hops in the nose, with an almost caramel sense. In the mouth, medicinal piney hops bounce with a dark spicy rye. Ultimately not really my preferred style, but still enjoyable. Monday, July 20, 2015
ClarkVV	3.4 Penobscot Bay Humble B Honey Ginger Lager Bomber, assumedly fresh, drunk 7/18/15 Very, very carbonated pour is of utmost pale gold with a massive, white head that is well-retained. Unfiltered, with sediment left behind. The nose is all ginger, with light waxiness from the fermented honey and a touch of tartness, as well. Little/no malt, as the residual honey seems to provide the balance here. I do get a bit of light spiciness/floral notes from the hops, on the finish, which mix with the ginger to give a sort of kaffir lime/lemongrass note. No alcohol, and no flaws. Flavor is quite gingery, not too much so, thankfully, but you’re certainly not mistaking this for a Czech pils, that’s for sure. The honey is actually quite enjoyable too, providing light stickiness and sweetness to balance, but is also not overdone. The hops, just as in the aroma, mingle with the ginger to create a lemongrass note, which further deepens the spiciness. Carbonation is natural, texture is soft and unfiltered and no alcohol or flaw is found. On one hand, there’s very little malt here and the texture is a bit thin. I do get a bit of wheat. I don’t know, I suppose the honey provides the sweetness lacking from the malt, and to be fair, the honey flavor is delicious, though unlike nicely extracted, well-attenuated maltiness, this would get fatiguing if you tried to drink it as a session beer, I think. I do like the cleanliness here as well; not a brewing flaw to be found. This is my first beer from Penobscot and it will actually cause me to try another, so I guess that’s saying something. Worried about their malt extraction, though hopefully I’m proven wrong in my next beer I try of theirs. Saturday, July 18, 2015
zvikar	2.2 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Bottle sample at the last tasting at Beer Market Jaffa. Thanks Alexey. Pours brown to black with a beige head, aroma of chocolate, slightly acidic, flavor of chocolate, acidic, light bodied. Friday, May 8, 2015
zvsn	1.8 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale Bottle sample at a tasting. Thanks Alexey. Clear amber color. Smell of honey, malt and sweet fruits. Taste of candy, diacetyl, vegetables, sweet and cloying. Medium-bodied, sticky and not pleasant. Wednesday, April 1, 2015
DSG	1.5 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale Bottle sample at a tasting at Max’s place. Thanks Alexey. Deep reddish amber. Stinky aroma, slightly sourish, with diacetyl, cabbage, candy and caramel. Sweet flavor with diacetyl, some vegetables, candy and a bit of fruitiness. Kinda creamy diacetyl mouthfeel. Awful. Monday, March 30, 2015
tomer	2.2 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale At a tasting, thanks, small stable light brown creamy head, ’ quite clear deep red color, aroma of confectionary, wood and hints of dark honey, flavor of candy and plastic with something vegetal. Just plain bad. Monday, March 30, 2015
fonefan	3.4 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Bottle 22fl.oz. @ [ (pre-Christmas tasting ) by chriso - London ]. [ As Penobscot Bay Winnah 2013 - Chocolate Milk Stout ]. Clear dark red brown color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, roasted, chocolate, light earthy, honey notes, cardboard notes. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20141207] Wednesday, March 4, 2015
DSG	1.9 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Bottle sample at the last tasting at Beer Market Jaffa. Thanks Alexey. Black with a small tan head. Sourish infected aroma with fruits, olives, a bit of vinegar and some roast. Sourish flavor, roasty, with some fruitiness, a vinegar touch, some fruitiness and a finish with harsh bitterness. Medium-bodied. Infected Friday, January 23, 2015
teorn88	3.4 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout 75cl bottle at Chriso’s Christmas tasting, London. Many thanks to Leighton for the odd rarity! It pours a dark brown color with a medium tan head. Aroma is sweet with cinnamon and toasted bread. Taste is medium sweet and lightly roasty, with cocoa powder and wood. Overall, ok stout although the label overpromises on flavours Sunday, December 21, 2014
TaktikMTL	2.9 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Bouteille de 22 oz achetée chez Madden Beverage Center (Saco, ME). Arôme: Légère odeur de chocolat amer. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un énorme col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de chocolat amer avec une pointe de lactose. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une textuer légèrement minérale. Forte effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût chocolaté. (Rating #5979) Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Boudicca	3 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Sunday, December 7, 2014
mR_fr0g	3.3 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Bottle shared at chriso’s winter tasting 7/12/2014. Dark caramel brown coloured pour with a lasting light tan head. Aroma is nutty, light powdered choc, dusty, musty. Flavour is some bitter powdered coco, nutty malt, airy, dust, nutty with a touch tart fruit. Palate is airy, moderate carbonatio, medium light bodied, Lingering dark choc. Sunday, December 7, 2014
Leighton	3.3 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Bottle shared at chriso’s pre-Christmas tasting. Pours deep brown with a dense mocha froth head. Subtle roast in the nose, some honey, bread. Light-medium sweet flavor with grainy toast, some clover honey, a bit of earth, cocoa, dark berries. Light to medium bodied with fine carbonation. Some dry roast in the finish with more mellow cocoa and roast, some burnt wood, honey, dirt. The character is a little thin but it’s decent overall. Sunday, December 7, 2014
cgarvieuk	3.5 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Bottle at chrisO... Deep black... Big tan head... Soft dry chocolate.. Soft dry roast... Little too fizzy for me.. Dark milky chocolate roast... Massive honey sweetness Sunday, December 7, 2014
apotekhin	3 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale Saturday, October 4, 2014
apotekhin	2 Penobscot Bay Whig Street Blonde Ale Saturday, October 4, 2014
apotekhin	2 Penobscot Bay Humble B Honey Ginger Lager Saturday, October 4, 2014
Bulk_Carrier	2.7 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Reviewed from old notes. This was poured into a pint glass and a mug at separate times. Both times it basically looked the same. The appearance was a nice hazy brown color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute. There was some light lacing speckling and then sliding a little bit. The smell had a bready and grainy to grassy sort of thing going on. Light combination of chocolate and coffee comes in to blend. The taste was mainly the same thing. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium with a decent sessionability about it. There’s a decent smooth creaminess about it. Overall, not a bad beer but not exactly one that is a stellar one of its style. Monday, September 1, 2014
Bulk_Carrier	4.5 Penobscot Bay Meadow Road Wheat Reviewed from old notes. This was poured into a weizen glass. The appearance was a nice cloudy yellow color with a big soft white foamy head that dissipated within about a good three minutes. Yeah, it took that long, seriously. The lacing was more than adequate with a real nice stringy speckling of spider web goodness - nice show. The smell had some light clove, light coriander followed by the citrus soft sweet banana esters and a super refreshing sort of orange juice - really nice. The taste took all of those previously mentioned flavors and combined to just about almost perfect. The palate accepted a real nice sessionability with a great refreshing banana aftertaste and finish. How this one rolled over my tongue is quite remarkable - let’s just say everything I mentioned just hits it extremely nicely. Overall, this is Penobscot Bay’s best beer, I hope some day I’ll make it back to Maine to partake in this wonderful beer. Monday, September 1, 2014
Bulk_Carrier	4.1 Penobscot Bay Humble B Honey Ginger Lager Reviewed from old notes. Sorry for the late upload. I was told that this was made with a lager yeast. So I poured this into a pilsener. The appearance was a hazy burnt yellow to orange color with a two finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute. There was a fair amount of semi - thick foamy lacing stringing itself around the glass. The smell had a nice yeasty to spiciness with a decent amount of ginger to light honey. The taste was mainly the same with more of a sweetness coming out due to the honey. The palate held its own in every sort of way it could through the honey allocating itself into the ginger to give a slight prickliness but actually smoothing out with the honey. The lager yeast helped to scale down the beer enough to make it fairly sessionable. Overall, would I have this again, ha no problem but then I’m going to have to get back into trading a bit and finding the Maine who could get this for me. I love ginger and to smooth it out with honey and a lager yeast just screams Summer for me. Monday, September 1, 2014
puboflyons	3.3 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout From the 650 ml. bottle. It pours brown to black with a nice tan head. Dark roasted malts on the nose along with light toast and a distant caramel sweetness. Light to medium body. Dark malt sat the first in the flavor but there is a distracting oily bitterness. Saturday, August 23, 2014
GIJOE	3.1 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Pours black with a foamy, light brown head. Moderate lacing. Nose is dark-roasted grain with caramel and toffee notes. Taste is reasonably balanced. Medium body, mild carbonation. Decent brew. Thursday, July 31, 2014
KYBrewer	4 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Thursday, June 12, 2014
Slubgob	3.3 Penobscot Bay Red Flannel Ale Bomber into tulip. Dark brown with red hint, lingering off white head. Somewhat sweet nose like I expect from a high alcohol beer. High alcohol sweetness in the mouth diminishes the otherwise full and warming malt. Finishes a bit sticky, with some light, nondescript hops. Wednesday, May 7, 2014
AndyW68	2.5 Penobscot Bay Mountain Man Double IPA Clear orange yellow with white head. Aroma is musty citrus. Taste is musty citrus and a little off. Not bad, not for me. Saturday, April 12, 2014
Bulk_Carrier	2.6 Penobscot Bay Whig Street Blonde Ale Reviewed from notes. The appearance has a golden amber colored body leaving a half finger’s worth of white head that lasts barely twenty seconds and fades into the body. The body is too dark for any carbonation to be seen. Minimal lacing is left here and there. The smell is based around the malts and some really light peach, more so as it warms up. The taste is pretty much the same. The palate is about a light to medium, maybe closer to medium, nothing harsh on the tongue, just an average overall decent feel. Overall, not exactly impressive, but not bad, average and unsure if I’d have again. Tuesday, March 18, 2014
puboflyons	2.8 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout From the 650 ml. bottle. dark brown pour to about black. It looks pretty good but that is where the positive qualities end. Super sweet nose, yeasty, and roasted dark malts. Medium body. The milk chocolate does bring itself forward in the taste but overall it feels kind of buttery for lack of a better description. Something is off about this bottle. I probably won’t have it a second time. Sunday, March 16, 2014
Bulk_Carrier	3.8 Penobscot Bay Building 5 Rye IPA Reviewed from notes. The appearance has a semi-brown colored body with a slightly clearness to it. There is a 2 and a half finger white foamy head that gets a bit lumpy. Carbonation is seen rising at a moderate pace. The smell is spicey through the Amarillo hops and rye, slight malts only come out as the beer warms. The taste is spicey yet sweet at times through previously mentioned flavors. The palate is light to medium, comes across sessionable, and becomes smooth as it warms. There is a crisp dry sweet aftertaste and finish. Overall, whether its a Rye Beer or an AIPA, its good to me, I would have another. Friday, March 14, 2014
Bulk_Carrier	3 Penobscot Bay Old Factory Whistle Scottish Ale Reviewed from notes. The appearance has a deep rich dark brown body that leaves a half finger creamy tan head. It lasts for about thirty seconds. Some spotty, spider webbed lacing appears. No carbonation is seen rising. The smell has some toasty breadiness with a caramel buttery background. The taste has all of the previously stated smells combined evenly. The palate is medium bodied, pretty watery, but not a bad watery, perhaps slightly expected. This is fairly drinkable. Overall, I’ve had better Scottish ales and probably wouldn’t seek this one out again at least from the bottle. However, I am interested in more beers from Penobscot Bay Brewery. Thursday, March 13, 2014
puboflyons	3.3 Penobscot Bay Wildfire Rauchbier From the 650 ml. bottle. The pour is an extremely heady amber to chestnut brown with decent clarity. That smoked cheddar character really penetrates my nose along with a kind of buttery activity that counters it. That may actually be toffee. Little to no hop note on the nose. The body is medium but a little acidic. The taste also has plenty of smoked cheese all over with a slightly bitter finish. I love a good smoked beer and this does a lot of things right but not quite there. Thursday, March 13, 2014
beerluva	2 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout Sunday, March 9, 2014
jimhilt	3.5 Penobscot Bay Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout Pours a light brown, five-finger head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Black color, no highlights. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Malty chocolate nose, flavor is baked/burnt chocolate with hints of sweetness. $6.70 for a 22oz bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me. Thursday, February 13, 2014
drjay44	3 Penobscot Bay Half Moon Stout 651 ml. bottle. Pours a thick rapidly collapsing, beige head, over a clear blackish brown (SRM 32) body....nose is chocolate, hints of coffee, cereal, grass and herbs....taste is dry throughout, with light coffee, hints of chocolate, ending with a mild herbal, bitterness....mouth feel light of medium, slightly sticky, carbonation very high making for a mouth full of foam, and high acid finish. The very high carbonation distorts the flavor and mouth feel over much. This is otherwise a rather light and simple Stout in both aroma and flavor. Both the malt and hop backbones could use reworking. BJCP7/2/12/3/6 Monday, January 27, 2014
TaktikMTL	3.3 Penobscot Bay Mountain Man Double IPA En fût. Verre de dégustation au Acadia’s Oktoberfest 2013 (Southwest Harbor, ME). Arôme: Légère odeur d’agrume. Apparence: La couleur est cuivrée légèrement voilée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Léger goût d’agrume et de caramel. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement minérale. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût houblonné. (Rating #5267) Thursday, November 7, 2013