Gritty McDuffs Vacationland Summer Ale

Brewed by Gritty McDuffs
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Poured from the bottle to an orange-yellow, withg thin off-white head that dissipated quickly and left little lacing. Aroma was a farily faint grassy hops, and the mouthfeel of this slightly carbonated beer is somewhat tingly. Initial flavor is actually pretty tasty grassy hop, but this tends to be overwhelming and stale as the beer warms, and the finsih is dry and stale aas well. Not bad for a somewhat novelty beer, but not much either.

Clear golden orange, fairly large head, minimal lacing and solid retention. Aroma is grass, lighter fruits, not much else. Light fruity taste, light but detectable bitterness. Just kinda boring.

draft @ lewiston site. clear orange, gold. aroma and taste of malt, slight bitter hop element. the malts reminded me of that funk that you get when a macro lager warms. hangs in the mouth. iimo, if its going to be light bodied, it should be crisp. drinkable but wasn’t impressed.

12 oz bottle shared by willblake at his place. Light orange in color. Sweet pale malts in the aroma. Taste is lightly sweet malts, with some light dough/yeast, light to moderate floral hop finish.

Pours a beautiful golden color with a medium-sized white head. This dissipated to a rind around the edge of my beer glass and hung around while I drank it. The aroma is definitely dominated by the hops. It’s an almost sour smell with hints of fresh-cut grass and citrus. The taste is definitely dominated by the hops as well, which is different than many other summer ales out there. The taste overall is bitter with a hint of lemon or grapefruit, but definitely not on the sweet side like many other summer brews available. I liked finding something quite different than most of the offerings this time of the year, even if the medium-high level of carbonation threw me a bit. It gives the beer an almost artificial feel to the finish, although there’s a good kick there as it goes down. The aftertaste is definitely on the bitter side.

pours a nice gold with a short lasting head. Overall not too impressed with this beer. I don’t like the hop aroma or the hop finish on this one. Not sure what variety they used, but apparently I’m not a fan of it. I wouldn’t really call this full-bodied either.

Bottle, from Duvel tulip, at cellar temp. Best before Aug ’07. Clear golden amber, white head fades to a ring, fair lacing. Grassy hop and citrus aromas. Medium body, lightly resinous texture, soft carbonation. Plenty of hop flavor, but the lingering, artificial tangy finish ruins it. Completely different from all those "wheat beer with orange peel and spice" summer ales, which is a plus in my book.

Pours a five finger off-white head that goes quickly, leaving traces of lace. Clear amber color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Hoppy nose. Flavor is balanced, but strong hops are in your face at finish with a lingering soapy, bitter aftertaste. $1.50 for a 12oz bottle from Capitol Convenience Concord, NH.