Cooperstown Pride of Milford Special Ale

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

[bottle - 12 oz] Deep orange/copper color. Not much of a head to speak of. Very thick and buttery aroma with hints of malt, fruit and some grains. The flavor begins with a sweet and buttery flavor and goes to a smooth malt backbone and a slightly sweet and fruity finish with a nice alcohol warmth. Very thick and chewy.

Aroma is highly diacetyl, but not necessarily out of place. The heavy, buttery notes work nicely with some light fruitiness beneath. The body is fruity and dry, highlighting a great meaty, nuttiness. Some hop bitterness fights through the fruity esters in the finish as well. Interesting to say the least.

Bottle: Had a grass like aroma with some malty as well. The pour was nice with a lot of carbonation and a good looking sized head, although it was kind of a strange yellowish off-white color. T he flavor was veru strong, meaning it had a bite to. Almost like bitter beer face type of a bite. The malts were good and there are definitly some fruit overtones, but that bite was difficult for me to get past.

Clear copper. Fluffy white foam. Nutty with mashed dates and earthy Ringwood notes. Light waft of rounded fruitiness. Delicate carbonation with a creamy softness. Opens with a gritty stamp of dryness from the Ringwood, coupled with an earthy hop understatement. Well-attenuated, and gritty as a result of the yeast, but equally slippery and juicy to augment its remarkable depth. Complex, but so clean and devoid of flaw. Nutty malt flavor rises to the surface and continually softens the body, gaining a depth-lending touch of toffee glaze and toasted walnut harshness. Retrained, but noticeable, oily hop bitterness in the finish accompanies the lengthy Ringwood-accented toasty, nutty malt (Crystal?) depth that lingers on. Not sure what else you want from the style. This is absolutely superlative and must be to die for, cask-conditioned. Thanks, IPFreely.

After sampling 4 beers before this one, this one seemed to be a blend of the lighter beers at the brewery. Fairly sweet and bitter, and the alcohol was noticeable. Not really that special. UPDATE: pouring like a jackass gave this a large head. Poured a thin brown color like Newcastle. Aroma was fruity, alcoholic, and bitter. Finishes nutty and alcoholic. It’s fairly complex, but really the flavor lacks to keep it really interesting. It’s still a good solid brew.(3.3 --> 3.4)

Re-rate 10-8-06. I don’t know what happened. Its almost like they re-worked this beer. Its way too high on the malt side and somewhat syrupy, lacking a hoppy balance to settle things out. I used to love this one as indicated below. ********** I am extremely biased as I love this beer. It has a coppery caramelly bubble gum finish which makes me want more. The only thing that works against it in my opinion is that it has a bit of a grainy finish which you find on the other CB beers. Maybe I’m a Ringwood or a malt fan. This particular bottle I got from Half Time seemed more on the caramel side than the bottles I’ve purchased directly from the site in the past. I wonder if they have enhanced this brew since it first came out.

Rich ruby gold, next to no head. Malty nose - some chocolate, dark fruits. Nicely h opped. Rich malt up front and then a huge bitter acaramel w. dark fruits - kind of strange.

Dark gold ale with a light white head. Strong diacetyl whiff in aroma. Sweet butterscotch and fruity taste, with sweet apples and pineapple. Overbearing and difficult to drink. Tap. CNY Brewfest Feb. 5 2005.