Manchester Koncord Kombat Ale

Brewed by Manchester Brewing
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Concord, New Hampshire USA

@Pauls Gathering that I brought -22 oz bottle-pours an off white head and copper color. Aroma is light malt, paper. Taste is slightly sweet light malt, paper, some tea/metallic hops.

22 oz bottle. Pours amber/brown with a 1/2" off white head and spotty lace. Aroma is malty with light hops and nuts. Medium easy drinking palate with average carbonation. Flavor is a mix of caramel malt, light fruit and grassy hops. Long bitter finish.

Bottle at Paul’s tasting (thanks to whoever brought). Golden pour some white head. Bitters never really interest me but i gave it a chance. Not too much to this, light bittering hops, dry finish.

22oz bomber courtesy of VanillaMike poured into a tulip. Pours a hazy brownish amber with a big thick beige head that shows excellent retention and lacing. The aroma very malty for a bitter with lots of caramel and some light fruity hints, apples maybe. There is very little in the way of hops and more banana-like fruity esters. The taste is also more fruity than I was expecting with a faint hop presence up front that gives way to the fruity esters and caramel malts. The finish is slightly bitter with a more toasted character. The mouthfeel is creamy and medium bodied with lots of carbonation. The finish is dry, toasty and slightly bitter. This is a fruity bitter with more esters and light fruit than I’ve ever experienced in the style. A unique beer.

Bottle at Paul’s place for Kan’s visit. Pours a clear orange amber with a thin white head. A bit musky and grainy. Medium bodied, light malt. Finishes up with a little bit of bitterness.

Amber pour with a thin white head. The nose is quite lovely. Light crackery malts with a bit of toasted malts. There is a light touch of coffee and toasted malt as well. Moderately earthy hoppiness and a lightly sweet finish. There is a bit of spiciness up front. It leans toward the malty, but it’s still got a good balance.

22oz bomber purchased at Barb’s Beer Emporium in Concord. Pours a translucent dark copper body with a good half inch of off-white head that clings to the side of the glass. Smells biscuity with hints of diacetyl. Tastes malty, with caramel, chocolate, coffee, with some butterscotch flavor. Moderate in both body and in carbonation. Not as much hop flavor as I’m used to from a bitter, but the malt flavor more than makes up for it, complex, varied, and balanced as it should be. An easy drinker too, more so than some examples of the style. Overall a very solid beer and a great addition to the local beer scene.

My Bottom Line:
Breaded cereals define this brew’s flavor profile, spiced up by leafy hops for a simple and drinkable pint.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A hefty head of foam dissipates into the cloudy copper with orange highlights.
-This is not as sweet as their other offerings I’ve had.
-The finish is more of the same, leafy hops provide decent bitterness as bready malts slowly vanish.
-Even though this is very drinkable, it is also forgettable.

Bottle.