David and his wife Megan stayed at our place on their way back to New York on the night of Ocotober 9th. We started the evening with the latest batch of home brew, an IPA that Matt and I brewed. We followed up with dinner and wine at Gran Gusto, an excellent Italian restaurant in our neighborhood. After dinner David and I broke into some of the beer that he'd brought from New Hampshire, as well as some of the beer that I had in the fridge.
1081. 6288 Stout
This is one of the beers that David brought down from New Hampshire.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tuckerman Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
6288 Stout, named for the elevation of Mt. Washington, pours an opaque black color. It's topped by a brown, half-inch head that fades to a sudsy layer. The aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate and coffee, as well as hints of dates.
The flavor profile is similar to the aroma. A chocolate sweetness greets the palate, moves into a center with notes of dark fruit and a mild sharpness, and finishes with a roasty bitterness. 6288 stout is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
I thought that this was a decent stout. The balance between sweet malts and roasted malts was good.
1082. Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale
We had this in the fridge. Jadyn and I picked it up at Trader Joe's.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Federal Jack's Brewpub
Alcohol: 4.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very pale orange. It's topped by a thick, off-white head. The aroma is pretty one-dimensional: pumpkin-pie spice overwhelming any hints of pumpkin. The flavor is much the same: heavy spicing, with a mild pumpkin undertone. This Pumpkin Ale is light-bodied. I thought this beer was disappointing. There was way too much spice, completely overwhelming any other characters.
1083. Boathouse Brown
David brought this one down from New Hampshire.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Boathouse Brown pours a clear brown, and is topped by a sudsy, brown head. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, chocolate, and roasty accents.
The palate is malt heavy as well, though surprisingly well attenuated. Dark chocolate notes upfront move into dark fruit in the center, followed by a roasty bitterness in the finish.
I thought this was a very nice brown ale. It's malty, but not too sweet.
1084. De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva 2005
I'd had this beer in my fridge for at least two years, perhaps longer. I originally picked this up at Downtown Wine & Spirits, but I don't remember when.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Year: 2005
Alcohol: 13.00%
Serving: Bottle, 330 mL
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.3
De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva pours a cloudy, brown color with orange tints at the edges. It's topped by a full, light-brown head that fades to a continuous film, leaving moderate lace. The aroma is dominated by two characters, acidity and a boozy, aged maltiness. The acidity is the more dominant of the two caracters, but when combined with the aged out malts give the impression of sour fruit. All overtly sweet, malty aromas have been aged out. There are notes of orange peel, alcohol, and a slight woody aroma.
This beer greets the tongue with a strong, acidic sourness, which mellows, but never disappears. All malt sweetness is attenuated and aged out, leaving the malt flavors, but none of their sweetness. This results in a mildly boozy impression, which melds well with the earthy and woody notes in the finish. This Oud Bruin feels surprisingly light on the palate. The mild carbonation, and relatively light body really accentuate the dryness of this beer.
I was very happy with this beer. I was expecting an aged, malt heavy brew, but instead got a nicely acidic and dry beer. Fantastic. I'll definitely pick up some more of these vintages if I see them.
1081. 6288 Stout
This is one of the beers that David brought down from New Hampshire.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tuckerman Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
6288 Stout, named for the elevation of Mt. Washington, pours an opaque black color. It's topped by a brown, half-inch head that fades to a sudsy layer. The aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate and coffee, as well as hints of dates.
The flavor profile is similar to the aroma. A chocolate sweetness greets the palate, moves into a center with notes of dark fruit and a mild sharpness, and finishes with a roasty bitterness. 6288 stout is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
I thought that this was a decent stout. The balance between sweet malts and roasted malts was good.
1082. Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale
We had this in the fridge. Jadyn and I picked it up at Trader Joe's.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Federal Jack's Brewpub
Alcohol: 4.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very pale orange. It's topped by a thick, off-white head. The aroma is pretty one-dimensional: pumpkin-pie spice overwhelming any hints of pumpkin. The flavor is much the same: heavy spicing, with a mild pumpkin undertone. This Pumpkin Ale is light-bodied. I thought this beer was disappointing. There was way too much spice, completely overwhelming any other characters.
1083. Boathouse Brown
David brought this one down from New Hampshire.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Boathouse Brown pours a clear brown, and is topped by a sudsy, brown head. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, chocolate, and roasty accents.
The palate is malt heavy as well, though surprisingly well attenuated. Dark chocolate notes upfront move into dark fruit in the center, followed by a roasty bitterness in the finish.
I thought this was a very nice brown ale. It's malty, but not too sweet.
1084. De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva 2005
I'd had this beer in my fridge for at least two years, perhaps longer. I originally picked this up at Downtown Wine & Spirits, but I don't remember when.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Year: 2005
Alcohol: 13.00%
Serving: Bottle, 330 mL
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.3
De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva pours a cloudy, brown color with orange tints at the edges. It's topped by a full, light-brown head that fades to a continuous film, leaving moderate lace. The aroma is dominated by two characters, acidity and a boozy, aged maltiness. The acidity is the more dominant of the two caracters, but when combined with the aged out malts give the impression of sour fruit. All overtly sweet, malty aromas have been aged out. There are notes of orange peel, alcohol, and a slight woody aroma.
This beer greets the tongue with a strong, acidic sourness, which mellows, but never disappears. All malt sweetness is attenuated and aged out, leaving the malt flavors, but none of their sweetness. This results in a mildly boozy impression, which melds well with the earthy and woody notes in the finish. This Oud Bruin feels surprisingly light on the palate. The mild carbonation, and relatively light body really accentuate the dryness of this beer.
I was very happy with this beer. I was expecting an aged, malt heavy brew, but instead got a nicely acidic and dry beer. Fantastic. I'll definitely pick up some more of these vintages if I see them.
Labels: American Brown Ale, American Stout, Flanders Oud Bruin, Pumpkin Ale
