Cooperstown Pride of Milford Special Ale

Brewed by Cooperstown Brewing Co.
Style: English Strong Ale
Milford, New York USA

not a big fan really, to bitter and hoppy for my tatse, good color and palate though, semi sweet after touch

Dark amber appearance with an average size head and a small amount of lacing. Fruity aroma, replicating cranberries, followed by sweet, caramel malts as it warmed. Taste starts sweet, turns fruity in the middle and finishes on the spicy side. Medium bodied, well carbonated mouthfeel. Enough subtlety to keep things interesting. Relatively high abv was well hidden.

Best cooperstown beer to date. Pours a nice red with a lasting tan ring of a head. Aroma is faint, dark fruit and sweet alcohol. Flavor is similar, caramel, raisins, alcohol, and a nice amount of hops, pretty good.

Pour is orangey amber with a thin off white head...smell is vegetable...taste is rather sweet and vegetable-ish as well...I would not be proud of this...

Poured from bottle. Has aroma of grilled vegetables. This stuff is quite unique, with qualities of 3 or 4 different beers in the flavor. I detect nut, burnt wood, roasted malt to go along with the hops. Theres a sweetness in there that I really like. Crisp, clean aftertaste. Impressive beer.

Draught at the brewery, 7/15/2006.
Brass-goldenrod colored body shows medium-high clarity and has very slight beige tints on the edges. Large, white head fairly steadily recedes to cover, with some minimal, spotty lacing left behind.
Malty and estery from the nose, it combines to produce a note reminiscent of peaches and apples dipped in honey butter...or something like that. Medium strength overall, with very basic complexity, just malt and esters really. Some light alcohol adds a touch of warmth/spiciness but is otherwise minimal. A very slight hint of breadiness is noted, but it’s a doughy/dry combination, whereas some grainy or husky flavors might improve both balance and complexity. A bit of dried grass is noted from the hops, but very fleeting.
The flavor is very monotonous, being comprised mostly of honey-like and buttercreamy malts. Light fruitiness adds a touch of depth and there is a slight saltiness or other mineral-like note on the end. But again, it just seems very focused on buttercream sweetness, with a hint of alcohol dryness. Almost like a strong American golden ale, with medium to low attenuation. I think some different malts could do it good by adding more complexity, and a touch more attenuation my relieve some of the monotonous sweetness. But otherwise, a clean, uneventful beer with a smooth texture.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained 27-Jun-05 in trade with jah noth, thanks Dan!) Expecting the usual gusher from Cooperstown, I’m pleasantly surprised that there was only a slight rush of carbonation when I popped the cap. And pouring the beer was easy -- no foamy mess. The aroma is fruity, woody, a bit earthy. Good follow-through in the flavor, as I’m getting plenty of sweet, dark fruits, caramely malts, a bit of molasses, some earthiness, finishing with a hint of smoke on the back end. Bitterness is very mild. Medium-bodied, low to medium carbonation, fairly easy to drink. Orange-amber body is fairly hazy, but the filmy, off-white layer dissipates fairly rapidly. Not a great beer, but quite drinkable and one of the better ones I’ve had from this brewery.

The original reason for my longtrip through Montreal to Cooperstown. Ask me and I will tell you the story. POured with a light khaki head and a medium copper colored body. The aomra was oranges with some old toffee. There was also some grainy character. The taste was old toffee with some grapefruit. There was also a little butter. Finishes sweet.