This is the third set of write-ups from the American Craft Beer Fest. At this point my reviews are briefer and the handwriting is much worse, so take them with a grain of salt.

1051. Blue Hills IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Hills Brewery
Alcohol: 6.60%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden color, seems pretty light for an IPA. The aroma has notes of leafy hops. There are mildly sweet, bready malts upfront, and a leafy hop bitterness in the finish.

1052. Southbridge Ordinary Bitter (S.O.B.)

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Honest Town Brewery
Alcohol: 4.00%
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, golden straw color. The aroma is disappointingly mild. This seems like a session beer: crisp maltiness, and a mild bitterness.

1053. 30th Anniversary Flashback Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boulder Beer
Alcohol: 6.88%
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear brown color. There's a bit of roastiness in the aroma that complements hints of hops, and offsets the notes of fruit. There's a fruity, chocolaty sweetness upfront that move into a roasty finish with a good hop character.

1054. The Cambridge House IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Cambridge House
Alcohol: 6.70%
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This is described on the website as a "New England Style IPA brewed with all English Malt and Hopped with a blend of English and American Hops. High in Strength, Bitterness and Aroma." So I've listed it as an "English IPA." Pours a hazed copper color. The aroma is wonderfully hoppy (wish I'd described it more in my notes). Toasty malts upfront with a citric hoppiness in the finish.

1055. Ipswich (Crane's) Castle Hell Summer Barleywine

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

This was a tip from one of the volunteers. It was in the program, but not listed at the booth. You had to ask. Pours a hazed amber. The aroma is rich with notes of yeast, fruit and toffee. The flavors were similar with a strong, alcoholic spice in the finish.

1056. Mayflower IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mayflower Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, copper color. The aroma has notes of apricot, and a nice hop backing. There's the same apricot fruitiness in the flavors with a nice hop bitterness in the finish.

1057. Prohibition Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: 6.10%
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours an amber-copper color. The aroma is pleasantly hoppy: grassy and resiny. There's a nice maltiness to start things, and a pleasant hoppiness in the finish (great description on my part...).

1058. Belgica

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.20%
Style: Belgian IPA

Pours a pale, straw golden. The aroma hints more at Belgian than at IPA. There are notes of yeast, hints of graininess and a slight fruitiness. The flavors are also more Belgian than IPA. There's the typical Belgian yeast fruitiness, consisting of banana and citrus. The finish has peppery spice, alcoholic heat and a mild bitterness.

1059. Duck-Rabbit Barrel Aged Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 5.75%
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide

This porter is aged in 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle barrels. My notes get really bad on this page of my notebook. I'll quote directly here. "Amber-black. Whiskey aroma. Porter sour with whiskey flavors." Not super descriptive, but accurate.

1060. St. Lupulin

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

The handwriting is worse on this one. "Clear copper. Hoppy, resiny, citric aroma. Malty, caramel, toasty, citric, resiny hop finish."

1061. Odell IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

These notes are more of a scrawl. " Intense hoppy aroma. Resin citrus aroma & taste. Clear copper."

Labels: Beer Fests