Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager

Formerly brewed at Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Premium Lager
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

One of my alltime favorites but especially decent on tap - it just seems to appreciate a pint glass out of a keg better than from a bottle - Loaf and Ladel in Exeter tastes as good as Portsmouth Brewery, its a treat to find it on tap - good mouthfeel, the aftertaste is delicious and its well balanced so its a good session beer - now if Fenway Park would put it on tap, then I would be in heaven.

Pours a nice amber color. Nice sweet malt nose with a hint of hops. Taste is caramel, with mild hops and a touch of fruit.

A Vienna/Amber Lager. Hmmm. Maybe the latter, because it was amber with an amber ale type flavor, but not a Vienna, lacking the malty and slight roasted character of many another good Vienna. The pour was urine yellow/orange (like that from a dehydrated individual) with a small head and ok lacing. Aroma was candy nut scented with some light herbal notes. The flavor was strongly hopped with a metallic, caramel, light grassy, light citrus backbone. After reading a review below (salt), seawater does come to mind, although not in an offensive sense. Moderate mouthfeel, significant carbonation. Not my cup of tea and not lager-crisp enough for me.

From a 12 oz. long neck brown bottle with a notched freshness date along the left side of label, 06/06. Made a good appearance, poured a clear reddish and orange hued golden with a foamy white head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing, minimal amount of sticking, good carbonation. Had a very malty nose, toasted and bready, with light spicy hayish hoppiness at the fringes. A crisp and nicely smooth medium bodied mouth feel, good drinkability. Toasted grain and bready taste with a genial sweetness, a spicy grassy hoppiness that balances with the malts, the hop also have a dryness to them and a dry grassy and malty finish, very tasty. A really nice Vienna Lager from Smuttynose, highly quaffable.

(bottle - 12 oz) Slightly cloudy orange pour with not much foam on top. Aroma is light and malty with some bitterness underneath. The flavor is very nice and crisp at the beginning. Balanced taste with a malty middle and a wonderfully balanced hop and malt finish. Very refreshing and a great session beer.

Smeared pale gold color with a small compact whitish foam sitting atop for a brief stay. Minimal, lonely spotting lace. Aroma is pale and bready with a whole grain cereal/breakfast bar/flour kinda smell to it. Vienna malts are the prevalent feature here underscored with a light dashing fruityness and grassyness. Flavor sits well and long with a Vienna malt bready flavor and fashion. Drying out lightly as it goes into the finish leaving whispy notings of grassy spices, wheat germ, and dusty breadcrust flour. Quite nice actually, it grows on ya with every sip and begins to manufacture itself proudly onward to enduce more sipping and/or gulping. Which this becomes really easy to do as the exceptional drinkability is well handled behind its bold medium body and snappy, yet soft and yielding carbonation which is surrounded in its charming Vienna malt character. Smoothly combined with its effortless craft and solid taste, this beer is world class sessionable stuff for a Vienna lager. Nice stuff!

Dark golden to amber color with a modeast off white head. Sweet dough, light caramel and floral hops abound in the aroma. A light herbal bite along with mild caramel and whole grain flavors. A nice light amber lager. Crisp and clean.

From the bottle, pours a clear, pale orange with a very thin white head. Smells lightly but distinctly of malts, a little fruity, not much else. Surprisingly dry and bitter to the taste. Floral hops and maybe some citrus, much more like a pale ale to me than a lager. Disappointing in the flavor to me.