Smuttynose Maibock

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

Bottle; Poured a golden-orange; small to medium somewhat creamy head. Aroma of citrus, caramel , yeast, malt and alcohol. Slightly sweet; alcohol; citrus; malt; light hops. Hints of honey.

Bottle conditioned in 2008

April/May 2008: Smuttynose Maibock has a sweet aroma fillede with fuesels. Its color is golden copper and the beer is hazy. There is a thin beige head on top. This beer is sweet and tastes like malt and corn with an odd floral and hearbal bitterness that is difficult to describe. This beer is VERY floral with some toasted malt and dry-roasted peanut. It has a medium body and aseems a bit overcarbonated for the style. Overall this is just an OK beer at best.

22 fl. oz. bottle. Rating #226 for this beer.

Clear, rich amber color, big head of active foam atop, quick to crumble. Nose is soft, dry, vegetal/herbal, leaning into a certain sweetness. Very stately and assure. Taste is rich and full, fresh with a bright fruity quality, berries and apples, and such, but that loses hold, as the flavor feels more coppery and buttery at swallow’s end. Maltiness reigns supreme here, and hops entertain a mere tingle at the fore. Body is medium, at best, and the finish is long, flavorful, and ultimately dry. An interesting maibock, one that I think I like...this is sophisticated, truly mature, not oversome in flavorful and sweet, buttery malt, but, rather, like Baby Bear’s hand-me-downs, ju-ust right. Good balance, good taste, just plain ol’ good...and that’s good! Very happy to have a full 22 ounces all to myself, (this should cover me for the night)...

This is a well made beer, but sadly a style that doesn’t get me excited. Light to medium amber in appearance, medium lasting head. Faint bready aroma. Flavor is medium sweet malt with a decent bitter finish. Touch rough on the palate, almost over-carbonated. Again, a nicely balanced, well made beer, but nothing stood out.

Draft. Transparent copper color with frothy off-white head. Mild aroma, slightly sweet and malty aroma. Start is slightly sweet, malty, then alcohol burn. Perhaps some citrus to finish, A good maibock, but ethanol is too present. On draft at Clarks Ale House in Syracuse, NY.

650mL Bottle 5/03, 04.23.04. Pours an orangey gold, clouded, minimal head, tons of lacing. Aromas are fascinatingly unusual - heaps of malt, caramel, milk, a pile of pulled weeds, and salt air? Flavors...Wow!...all kinds of sweet, sweet malted layers: milky sweetness, some malted milk candy, potato. There is a touch of bitterness in the finish, then (and this is unusual to me) there is a second finish that is not bitter, but earth, applesauce, butter. This beer is ridiculously good, much better than I expected. The texture, like the flavor, is creamy and sugary (not cloying) at first, but finishes lighter and a bit dry. My only complaint is that the finish may be too dry, but I'm not too familiar with the style.

Rating No. 1212. Bottle. Big bready malty nose, light fruity accents. Rich clear golden pour with a soapy off-white / eggshell head. Moderately crisp body, medium-full and very, very dry with light yeasty notes. Taste is all malt with faintly prickling hops. Touch of alcohol, and a little bit of heft. Could be a bit softer, smoother (a little harsh), but otherwise, a great addition to the Smutty stable and a good brew.

Somewhat viscous golden body with moderate carbonation and a robust, dense white head. Yeasty sourdough aroma with light citric, melon, and peanut qualities, plus clean perfumy highlights. Smooth and pleasant malty flavor with good relative depth. Includes some nice spice and floral characters as well. Medium sweet with nice balancing, natural bitterness. Overall this has an interesting blend of heat, yeasty phenols, and hop flavor and bittering compounds and is nicely rounded and fairly complex. Doesn’t stray into malt liquor territory like some maibocks do. This is the best maibock I’ve had so far.