Gearys Hampshire Special Ale

Brewed by D.L. Gearys Brewing Co.
Style: English Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Tap at Waterfront Ale House. Clear copper with a quickly diminishing head. Aroma of off-sweet grainy malts and flowery hops. Well balanced malt-hop flavor with some grassy and fruity red apple notes. Finished slightly hoppy but otherwise mostly dry and clean. But for the 7% ABV, which is undetectable, this would make a great session beer. So far the best beer I’ve had from Maine.

12 oz bottle: Crystal clear medium copper color with medium/small off white head. Aroma has lots of caramel, slight tartness, bit of corn, vanilla. Flavor is malty, fair amount of caramel, slightly tart, with a significant bitterness in the finish.

12 oz. bottle poured a clear amber under a medium off white head with decent lace. Honey, light brown sugar, spice, and some floral essence combine for an inviting aroma. Medium body, slight stickiness, and light carbonation produce a pleasant mouthfeel. Flavor has sweetness contributed by caramel malt, and a nice balanced bittering in the form of citrus rind. Well crafted, nicely balanced and easily drinkable.

Poured a reddish brown amber from the bottle with a thick slightly off white head. Malty aroma, slightly roasted, with a unique hop smell, citrus and fruity, but more synthetic of a hop aroma. Initial flavor is slightly sweet and malty, brown sugar, fruity (apple, orange) with a touch of roasted or chocolate malt. Hop taste comes in at the finish, which is clean. Nice beer, better than I expected.

This offering from Geary’s pours a crystal clear orange body that leaves a thin off-white lace. The aroma is sweet, citrus hops are what comes to mind, followed by some malty sweetness tough to make out though. The taste starts very sweet upfront on the palate, it leaves you with a brown sugar, caramel, feel that is quickly balanced with some english style hops not pungent at all more mellow and smooth. The finish is silent, no real, back end to this beer maybe a bit of spirit quality to it but overall very drinkable. This brew paired well with the pepperoni and mushroom flatbread pizza I was having.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours copper with no head. Aroma of chocolate malt, hops, and caramel. The flavor is caramel, sweet, and bitter. Good beer.

Poured from the bottle with a rolling boil of a head that topped out as a cratered, settling foam over a bright orange-red body. A little spicy aroma escape through the foam as I prepare to dive into this scrumptious-looking beer. Sweet and spicy at the same time, this carries a nice personality. Slightly metallic, but not in an off-putting way, this would go great with a holiday meal of turkey and mashed potatoes. The subtle tingliness of the hop bitterness doesn’t overpower, but if you close your eyes and concentrate you can meditate on it. Quite good.

Aroma:malt and light commercial beer nose... APpearance:Clear orange-cooper,light head.. Flavor:Caramel,alcohol,light bitterness....