Smuttynose Maibock

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

On tap. A perfect coppery color with a wonderfully complex nose. I love the sweet malty flavor. Just another affirmation on how wonderful Smuttynose's stuff is.

The bomber was artfully labeled, evoking memories of renaissance era Europe. The beer came out golden deep yellow with a good stream of carbonation, but a small to nonexistent head. The smell was malty and yeasty, with some floral hops. The taste is where it all came together, as the malts, hops, and yeast proved to be in great balance. The honey like sweetness was pitted against an earthy and drying yeast flavor and spiced up with restrained but noticeable noble hops. The mouthfeel was a lot fuller than most of the Maibocks I’ve ever had, but it was not so full that it went out of style and became a Dopplebock. The carbonation was quite evident in the mouth. This was a wonderfully drinkable beer without having to be watered down.

22oz bomber purchased at McKinnon’s in Salem, NH - split with BA CheckMate. Pours a light amber slightly hazy body with a good inch of off-white head that slowly dissipates. Smells malty and biscuity, with a fair bit of noble hops (I’m guessing hallertau?) put there to balance it out. Definitely a bit hop forward for the style IMO, noble hops giving a citrussy bite to it, with a fair bit of malt, expressing itself as toffee, caramel, biscuit, and a bit of chocolate toward the finish. Fairly clean finish, though not as clean or dry as some lagers. Medium in both mouthfeel and carbonation. Not the quickest drinker around, but the pleasant flavors, the balance of the flavors, and the medium body definitely make one sip invite another. Overall, a very solid beer - not quite what I was expecting but more drinkable than many in the series, not to mention much much better balanced. Nice.

Pours and incredible translucient copper color with a tall fluffy ivory head that leaves moderate lacing. Aroma has a fruity maltiness and a good clean sweetness. Taste starts with a semisweet maltiness, some caramel tastes take over the middle, and it ends with just a faint bitterness to balance it out. Very smooth and clean taste that is really impressive. Another great Smuttynose brew.

My Bottom Line:
Soothing floral, herbal hoppiness is perfectly levelled with honeyed cereals in a come-hither mouthfeel where earthy yeast and herbal hop bitterness encourage you to take an even greater sip. This is as authentic a Bock as you can find in North America.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A lingering cloud of foam garnishes the hazy amber.
-Balance is achieved throughout.
-Such authenticity and quality makes me wish they’d brew a Pilsener now!
-The frothy bubbling and healthy mouthfeel are pleasant all the way.
-Alcohol never shows in the flavor profile; this is as drinkable as any other unfiltered session lager.

Bottles; 2008 and 2009 vintage.

Hazy, bright orange in color with a booming, solid, tan, thick and massive head. Aroma is caramel, anise and something fiery - potentially pepper. Sweet and bold to the nose. Flavor? Yes. Rich, sweet caramel paired with vanilla butter cream. Unfiltered aspect lends itself to a grainy, toasted complex. It’s somewhat of a conundrum to detail individual flavors because everything is in harmony – nice and smooth. Some jumpy hops liven things up and give a touch of bitterness. Carbonation, malts and hops are well-proportioned but equally bold. Chewy malts and big-bodied. No, better yet, this beer is fat. Finish is creamy vanilla custard and some cackled pepper here and there. Dry, caramel chew aftertaste. Smuttynose continues to impress the hell out of me. Big thanks to tpkenned for the bomber.

Bottle-conditioned, hazy with the yeast shot, earthy amber topped by a generous diminishing, but lacing off-white head. Pleasant fresh deep malt nose. It is even more expressive in mouth, probably more intense than a traditional maibock, but the way those flavors are displayed and coming up together is worth driving a few ultra miles (oh no.. actually ClarkVV brought that to me from liquorinos, thanks Clark!). A blend of citrus (pinneaple mostly, but also orange blossom and other fruits like peaches) and creamy, bready honey. Excellent demonstration of the power of toasted malt. It almost comes out with smoky hints, I truly want to see Smuttynose trying a smoked beer.. Yummy that would be. The toasted aspects shine in here, creating a chewy biscuit aspect working together with the bitterness. Globally sweet though drying out adequately toward the end. Quaffable medium body with excellent moderately high carbonation. 7.7%, are you kidding? I could have downed this bomber in less than 5 minutes. Plenty of earthy, floral and herbal scents from the hops. A soldier worthy of every markmanship awards!

Sparkling clear amber-orange body. The tan head is large and foamy. Lacing is excellent. Nice complex sweet malt nose. The flavor is very nice, complex maltiness, spicy, earthy, sweet, all that! Hops are very subdued. The palate is divine, medium-full and lively. What a nice beer. These Smutynose guys continue to impress.