Smuttynose Star Island Single

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Highly quaffable beer that has too much flavor for a session. I was drinking this back to back with Struise Tjseeves (10% abv BSA) and they tasted remarkably similar, so, that should tell you something. Very nice sugars in this one with lemon and light fruits and snicker doodle type yeastiness that is champagne crisp. Glad I tried this one. I liked the Portsmouth, but this may be better.

The beer has a great, subtly cloudy color, which goes with a vague wheat flavor mixed with spices. There is flavor throughout this ale which gives it a high rating, for me in that Belgian tradition.

draft at BT. Hazy orange in color with a little white head. Fruity malty spicy aroma. Honey sweet notes. Malty sweet grain flavor. Coriander orange notes. Creamy and crisp tasting. Dry finish. Medium bodied. Very enjoyable.

draft at BT. 12 oz pour holds its head up well. Ara of mellow sweet grains and musty dust. Flavor is fresh without being too crisp, more full bodied then expected. Malts are pretty pronounced here with some creaminess I usually get from sucking the nitrous oxide from whipped cream cans in the supermarket. the non cloyong honey notes are a nice touch. Not bad stuff.

Pours hazy orange-amber into a snifter. Bright white head quickly recedes to sicken surface. Sweat coriander and wheat aromas. Crisp with bitter hops from front to back. Astringent hop to marshmallow finish.

12oz bottle purchased as part of a multi-12pack at Shaw’s in Derry. Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow body with a short-lived inch of off-white head. Smells citrussy, slightly pulpy and pithy, with some lemon zest and hints of of grassy and floral hops. Tastes initially malty, with some pepper, lemon, orange, with some huskiness, hints of honey, butter, grass, and some slightly floral notes. Light and effervescent on the palate with a fair bit of carbonation, making this brew a fairly easy drinker. Not the best example of the style, the slight huskiness adds a slight astringency in my opinion, though this is still a pretty easy drinker. Not a bad summer beer.

Grabbed up a six-pack for $9.49 at the Beverage SuperStore in Suwanee, Georgia. Who can say "no" to six bottles featuring Kate Pierson from the B-52’s on the label? Appearance: Pours a clear, bubbly, amber body with a tall, though thinning, white head. Smell: Sweetish, floral, vaguely bready nose with notes of clover honey, supplemental spices, and a generous splash of Essensia dessert wine. Taste: Faintly bready, grainy maltiness with a fair amount of honey sweetness imparted. Fairly floral character throughout, as well as some white grape and orange fruitiness. A sprinkling of coriander spice. Light bitterness. Smooth, drying finish. Mouthfeel: Just barely medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: I enjoyed this one. SIS deftly straddles the fine line between plenty of taste and ease of drinkability.

(Bottle) Very sweet, wheaty. Aroma of honey and yeast with a hint of spice. Rich, heavier than most belgian ales with a lower alcohol content. Balanced and with few objectionable qualities. Less sour than I’d expect for a beer of this style with this much body. Not exactly my favorite style of beer, but very well-executed for what it is.