Casco Bay Carrabassett Winter Ale

Brewed by Casco Bay Brewing (Shipyard Brewing Co.)
Style: English Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Clear dull red, decent head. Fruity, vanilla and toffee aroma with some floral notes. A bit thin in body and more bitter than expected. Not nearly as complex in flavor as the aroma suggests but clean.

First thought to my mind is the spices. The trappist glass is a good way to present. I thought that the head could be more robust. Perhaps a bit over spiced, but that may be why some would enjoy it.

Name: Winter Vintage
Date: 08/03/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta

hazy yellow, whispy white head, lightly spiced malt aroma with a hint of sweetness, sweet fruity malt flavor, light bitterness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

(Draft) Tasty caramel and fruitiness...Pours dark amber with one finger of biscuit head. Aroma of caramel, vanilla, yeast, fruity hops and perhaps nutmeg. Medium-bodied, lightly fizzy. Nice light rings of lacing. Tastes lightly spicy, nutmeg perhaps with light bitterness overlaying and carrying a light-medium bite through finish. Nice yeasty freshness. As it warms a nice caramel maltiness emerges and merges with the hop fruitiness. Pretty solid.

12oz bottle from Florian’s. Reddish brown translucent body with a quarter inch of off-white head. Aroma is dominated by a slightly roasty, caramel malt character. Flavor is nutty, caramelly, and roasty, with a hint of diacetyl. Medium in body, but a little lighter than expected. Fairly drinkable. An okay beer. Not the best I’ve had from them (either Carrabassett or Casco), but a decent beer anyways.

Tastey strong ale that doesn’t impress or offend. Caramel and malt dominated taste. Small head and lacing, pretty much a slightly better than middle of the road Strong Ale.

Pours a translucent cherry-wood color with a thin white head. Smells of caramel and lightly fruity with just hints of spice. Taste is fruity and spicy. Some initial bitterness up front followd by a caramel sweetness. Smooth. No fizz in this beer at all but that’s not really a bad thing. Almost flat but lightly sticky on the palate. This is a very drinkable winter ale but really nothing special here. Good for the price but Casco Bay makes a much better winter ale with a similiar price.

Bottle: pours caramel brown with a thin off white head. Big caramel, malty aroma. Flavor is malty with mild hops and bg caramel. NIce. Finish is moderately bitter. Enjoyable.