Smuttynose Maibock

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

Poured cloudy orange with a thick tan head. The head was very creamy. The aroma was rum, caramel and honey. Flavor had a great maltiness with vanilla in the mix. This tasted stronger than other Maibocks I’ve had. Great maltiness on the palate as well. This is one of the best Maibocks I’ve had.

Solid beer here. Poured a nice golden color with a huge head good lacing. Aroma was grassy and honey. Flavor was a perfect blend of grassy hops and sweet malts. Refreshing beer well done.

In short: An extra-refreshing juicy maibock. Excellent execution in simplicity
How: Bottle 22oz, fresh. on the “Stone-Bourbon-Barrel-RIS-Hype-And-Disappointment” tasting session with the Montreal crew
The look: Cloudy orange body with a medium white head
In long: Lots of grainy cereals, light caramel and soft honey, citrus and orange juice and fresh grass. A light tartness. Lively carbonation and very pleasant mouthfeel. Wow! Nothing fancy, but this is an extra-refreshing strong lager that can be enjoyed by the full pint, and many of them. An unexpected surprise to me. Coming into this tasting I never thought a Smuttynose Lager would come out on top of the Stone Bourbon Barrel RIS. That’s like a piss-drunk hare beating a hare on speed in a screwed-up psychedelic La Fontaine’s Fable. Now what the fuck am I talking about?!?!

Bottle courtsey of bmartin08 and The_Epeeist, thanks guys. Pours a coppery color with a decent sized off-white to beige colored head. Aroma is sweet caramel malts, honey, pear, citrus. Flavor is caramel malts, sweet pear and peach, brown sugar, some citrus notes. Palate is medium bodied, medium carbonation, on the sweet side with a crisp, spicy, sorta saison like finish. Great!

Pours a golden color with some amber hues, nice frothy generous head, great lacing. The aroma was honey, earthen and grassy hops, rich bready malts. The flavor was excellent bready malts, light honey, some grass, a nice spiciness along with carbonated zing. The malts had a grapey-ness to go along with the bready richness, and this was a very fine example of the style, top notch. Mouthfeel was full, rich, yet balanced, very clean feeling. At-a-boys, Smutty!!!

Pours a dark gold with a big off-white head that sticks around well. Doughy malt, herbal notes, banana, light floral hops on the nose. Toasty but not burnt malt taste up front, grassy and floral hops bring up the rear. Yeasty banana-like notes. A bit of spice and booze. Medium bodied, good amount of carbonation. Alcohol is at times distracting but evens out into a nice balance the longer it stays in the glass.

Smells fresh with a certain toasted spicy scent to it. The main smell is fruity, I think it is banana but not sure. Pours a nice red/orange brown with good off white head that leaves lacing, the head is very frothy and yeasty. The flavor is very nice and complex yet simple. It has a sweet side complimented by slight bitterness. It also has a floral aftertaste and finishes smooth. This is one hell of a beer.

Poured a voluptuously effervescent golden with a fizzy off-white head which dissipated completely. Aroma of some light toffee, a bit of herbal grass, some light spiciness, nice but not too complex or assertive. Flavor however is quite good... an apple and caramel sweetness comes up first, followed quickly by a strong herbal grassy hoppiness, a bit of dry toffee, and a surprisingly refreshing dry finish. Warming. Clearly an American interpretation with the noticeable hops and alcohol, but a welcome one. Very nicely balanced and refreshing.