BridgePort Ebenezer Ale

Brewed by BridgePort Brewing (Gambrinus Company)
Style: English Strong Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

On draft, XMas Day. (What place is open on XMas Day? I’m telling a tall tale here, surely.) I’d categorize this as a brown ale, and a strong example at that. Sweet and sticky with a moderately spicy fuminess. Go for it!

Pours a nice hazy amber/copper with a moderate tan head. Aroma is rich and creamy, with lots of malt, not a ton else going on except for some noticeable alcohol. Flavor is more richness and caramel with some spice on the back-end. This is pretty tasty but I’d like some more dimension to it.

Flavor: Hints of dried fruit, mild hops, and mild spices. It’s not a very bold beer, so it’s hard to pick up on any other flavors. Regardless, I think it’s pretty good.

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark red-brown body with a medium, fizzy off-white head. Smell: Dark caramel with freshly-grated cinnamon, a whiff of hops, and notes of dark cherries. Taste: Mild malt flavor with a slight dark caramel sweetness. Hint of chocolate. A pinch of mulling spices blends with the cherry pie fruitiness. Only a very faint hint of hops near the semi-dry finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: While not the most remarkable example of the style, it is still fairly easy-drinking for a lighter winter warmer.

Bottle. Pours dark amber-brown with a large fluffy off-white head. Aroma is roasted caramel malt with some citrus hops. Flavor is sweet caramel malt with some variety of spices, balanced by some earthy and slightly citrusy hops. Fairly thin mouthfeel. Not bad, but basically middle-of-the-road for one of these sweet/spiced winter warmers.

Date: 12/15/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

clear dark brown, wispy off white head, chocolate and dark caramel malt aroma with a touch of spicy hops, big body, rich dark caramel and chocolate flavor, nice caramel sweetness, earthy hops provide a good balance for the sweetness, lingering sweetness in the finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

Cola-like pour. Only a bit thinner, we’ll call it a watered down cola-like pour. The head was one-finger plus of off-white fizzy foam that was gone in a flash and supplied little if any lacing. The aroma was, Nestea. You know that instant tea powdered stuff that has that really dry tea and artificial lemon aroma? Yeah that’s what this smelled like. Maybe cut with a little bit of cinnamon. The flavor was tight artificial citrus, some dry earthy hops and was lacking some sticky sweet malt to balance it out. Average mouthfeel.

A brown appearance with some red hues present. Some dark fruit and caramel showing through in the aroma. A chocolate, raisin, and caramel flavor to this one. The palate is a little thin and overall it was not very complex. Bah Humbug!