Smuttynose Maibock

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

22oz bottle pours a hazy color of peaches and cantaloupe. Moderately thick, full, chewy, upright and solid on the palate, with a sweet fruitiness and and a mild but noticeable twang that seems to lighten the entire experience and give the drinking session liveliness. Fresh, sticky, frothy, delicious stuff. Nowhere near a true maibock but pretty good for whatever sort of hybrid style it actually is.

bomber of 2007 vintage. Pours a cloudy orange with a decent white head. The nose is malty heavy and slightly resinous with hints of toast, toffee, cherries, and just a pinch of sharp hops. Mouthfeel is moderately dense and pleasingly coating. I find a few similarities here to a barleywine. Something about the sweet, brown sugar flavor and vinous qualities. . .Modest suggestions at a German lager are made and intertwine oddly well with the fruity, dense malt character. Very, very nice interpretation of this style.

Cold 22oz bottle: Pours an egg yolk orange color with minimal alabaster bubbles around edges. Aroma is of light, sweet grains and cherries with earth notes. Taste: starts and ends malty sweet with a crescendo of earthy bitterness that remains predominant throughout. Crisp and effervescent. Somewhat soapy aftertaste with some alcohol burn.

22oz bottle, 2008 vintage. fresh bottle sampled. pours hazy golden with foamy white head. aroma is leathery, hint of citrus and biscuity. leathery hop flavors coating the tongue while a good dose of bitterness balances the biscuity clean malt profile. medium sticky body makes this not as sessionable as i’d want but this is a great maibock.

2007 Bottle. Pours clear orange with a thick creamy white head. Possibly the most powerful honey aroma I have ever smelled. Flavor of honey, molasses, and caramel. Hides its alcohol well. Nice.

Pours a nice medium gold with a tall foamy white head. Aroma is of honey and yeast with a few floral hops. Initial taste is a very smooth light honey and spicey, maybe peppery, flavor.The finish is reminiscent of a Belgian yeast mixed with some of those same floral hops. Overall it’s a very good and smooth beer.

Bottle. Aroma gives off spices at first, hops come into play with the spices and put me in a meadow, and then the meadow starts to grow some apricots. Flavor similar, spices and hops/spicy hops, caramel malt shows through more. Doesn’t have me jumping out of my seat, but I can’t find a single thing wrong with it either.

Bottle. Pours a light amber with small white head. Aroma and flavor strongly of floral and citrus hops, also some spices and molasses. This reminded me of an american pale ale, actually. I thought the hops and malt flavors blended really well together. An excellent beer!