McNeills Ducks Breath Ale

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: English Strong Ale
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Pours to a murky orange copper body with a creamy white head. The aroma is hugely minerally, some barley, floral hops. The flavor is strange, minerally water, floral hops, strange cereal grain. The palate is minerally.

Bottle shared by Blake. Hazy amber body, thin white head. Apple brandy and light bready malt in the aroma. Dry toasty malt and bright macintosh apple in the flavor - finishes with weedy flavor hops. Too dry for my liking.

Dirty amber color, off-white creamy head after a bit of work. Sweet flowery peach, light glue, pretty good stuff. Flavor dries out a little, some rubber, okay.

Cloudy orangish copperish hugh w/ some visable carbonation and a big off white head w/ thick lacing. Odd aroma a bit light some light spice, floral hop, some light toffee and butter present. Palate is ok. Flavor is definately burton.. full of mineral flavors a light toffee and soem light piney notes. Not very good.

660ml bottle, cloudy honey gold hue, with an off-white head, yeasty, grainy, hint of peaish malt, floral hop notes, with some piney accents in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, flowery hops character, with a juicy grassy, piney accents, zesty citrus orange fruitiness, faint peachy hop note, grainy cereals, toasted malt, leading towards a flowery hops bitterness finish.

Big ESB-style nose to this. Enjoyed on cask at the brewery -- wasn’t as blown away by this as I was by the ESB, but this is a nice, nice ale. Good hoppy nose and cloudy amber appearance. My only complaint was the thinness at the end of this one. Again, McNeills delivers. Between this and Smuttynose, you may have the best two brewers in New England.

Noogfest A white head recedes quickly to reveal a medium orange clear body. Some cheesy meat broth aspects to the aroma which aren’t apparent in the flavor. Bitter, dry. I’d like more malt to balance this one.

22 oz bottle, Hennepin glass, shared at Noogfest II, obtained via trade with Muzzlehatch. Hue is a lightly hazy copper with a moderate and frothy off-white head that receeds quickly. "Burton style" is no lie. Lots of very minerally and buttery aromas complimented by notes of toffee and some treacle. Faint herbal hop presence. Flavor comes across as bit salty. Significant toffee and peanut taste. Finishes very dry (likely due to the seemingly high mineral content) and very floral. The mouthfeel was rather standard: medium weight, watery texture and soft carbonation. Probably fairly spot-on to an actual English Strong Ale as would be brewed in the Burton area, but I’m not so sure that’s exactly my thing.