Cooperstown Nine Man Ale

Brewed by Cooperstown Brewing Co.
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Milford, New York USA

There’s a lot of reviews knocking this brew, but I really enjoyed it. One of 6 beers in their sampler pack, I really liked its grainy character and light dry finish. Wheaty notes permeate the aroma and the slightly tart finish leaves your mouth asking for more. About 3/4 of inch of white head topped the brew with decent lacing. DarkElf mentioned a slight apple overtone, and I agree. Rather malty with a toffee sweetness, which is unexpected for the style.

Bottle - from sampler pack. Not too good. Quite a bit of off flavors, and slightly sour. From my tasting and other notes, they may have some infection issues with this beer.

28-Apr-06 (12 oz bottle: Obtained 13-Mar-06 in trade with jah noth, thanks Dan!) With yet another foaming volcano on my hands, this is my final attempt with this beer. I poured about 4 ounces into a pint glass, the head then filled the glass, but then the foam came pouring out of the bottle too. Smells and tastes like flowers and apple skins. Horrible aftertaste, like I didn’t rinse the glass after washing it with lots of dish soap. Just frigging nasty. I give up.

11-Jul-05 (12 oz bottle: Obtained 28-May-05 in trade with shadey, thanks Shane!) Well, I’m now three for three with this brewery with massively overcarbonated bottles. Once again, I’m stuck with a glass of head after a few ounces of pouring. As it settles, the masses of carbonation bubbles rushing for their lives to the surface becomes apparent. And also once again, the nose is very floral and fruity, strongly smelling of peaches, and also very soapy. Well at least I know I won’t have to wash the glass when I’m done, the beer is doing the work for me! What gives with this brewery? With each tiny sip, the carbonation of this beer explodes in my mouth. The flavor is sweet peaches and orange citrus, minus the acidity, and there’s not enough hops to speak of. Oh, and did I mention soapy? Yikes. I have the impression though that if all these errors were eliminated, this would be a very bland tasting beer. Behind the soap and carbonation, the palate seems very thin and watery. Dark straw in color and slightly hazy, and those bubbles are still frenetically paced. The massive head has finally died down to only an inch in height, and has left large puffs of foam all over the glass. A very problematic beer to say the least. (3, 3, 3, 2, 6 = 1.7)

Feb. 17, 2006; 12 oz. bottle</br>
First impression is that it tastes like a watery Bass Ale. Low ABV (4.3%) doesn’t help this brew, but seems to be on par for the style. The malt builds at the end to meet the hops, draw attention away from the fizzy carbonation and give you something to hang your hat on. I like the taste of this brew, and just wish there was a bit more substance to it. I much prefer the "Benchwarmer Porter" and "Backyard IPA" from Cooperstown.

From the bottle, pours a semi-hazy pale yellow with a thin, bubbly white head. Noticable carbonation rising up the glass. Smells a lot like champagne or white wine--lightly fruity, some grapes. Doesn’t taste like wine at all though. Grainy flavors to start, as well as some corn. Some hops come in at the end, more of a bitter and dry aftertaste than anything. This would probably be pretty good on a summer day.

Bottle (12oz). Clear amber with a decent foamy white head. Aroma of sweet malt and dry straw, some vague stale hops, there’s an odd sour chocolate tang in back I don’t care for. Taste is pretty standard sweet grainy mostly hop-less ale, some light peat and sweet fruit - it’s a litttle harsh, with a fizzy mouthfeel and quite watery - it’s drinkable, that’s about it - tastes clean, without adjuncts or corn nastiness.

(12oz bottle) Large off-white head atop a clear golden body. Aroma is medium sweet, peach, caramel, some orange. Taste is minimally sweet, peach/earthy, some caramel, light herbal. Light body. Aroma is fairly inviting but the taste does not deliver.

[bottle - 12 oz] Nice golden color with a fizzy white head. Slightly sweet and hoppy aroma with malty notes underneath it all. The taste is surprisingly sweet with a caramel twinge to it and a slight hoppy bite at the end. The aftertaste reminds me a little of the taste of apple peels.