Not quite Pale Ale

Magic Hat - Not quiet Pale Ale, Magic Hat Brewing Co. Burlington, VT.

A "not quite Pale Ale" in a bottle with a cool label. Interesting.
When you pour it in, you get a thin, slightly brown foam which also
tells you right away its highly carbonated. So how 'not quite Pale Ale'
is it? Quite far away from a Pale Ale. First of all it has a very golden,
transparent color. Quite different from many pale ales. Also the taste
is not quite pale ale. Its fruity, fresh, and very light on taste
and after taste. This is a fresh and slightly fruity, light great ale
with 5.1% alcohol. Cheers!

Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Co. Portland, Maine.

Another day, another beer. This time its a beer brewed with spices, at least it says so on the label, hailing from Portland, Maine. This first thing that stings the eye is its violent yellow, opaque, color. Not golden or blonde, but yellow. It reminds one of a fruit juice. I've never seen this in a beer before. It smells fresh of hops and honey melons, although a little soapy. The taste is awesome though. A little on the fruity side, mild and highly carbonated. And not soapy at all. There is little aftertaste. Actually, this beer reminds me of some white wine. So this is what I'll drink the next time there is a fish dinner.

White UFO, Harpoon brewery, Boston, MA

Local, unfiltered wheat beer, directly from Boston! How can I say no? The label looks friendly and has UFO written in large friendly letters on it. The first impression after pouring the cloudy, blonde, gold liquid in the glass: it looks like a wheatbeer. The first impression is enforced as a thick, white, foam develops. The taste: very mild and bitter with hints of orange. It is very sparkly, a great refreshment. There is little aftertaste. The only thing not optimal is the taste of orange that does not develop fully enough to really persuade. Also the bottle is too small, 0.5l would be perfect. But otherwise White UFO tastes how a wheatbeer has to taste.

Our Finest Regards

Our Finest Regards, Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. Westport, MA

The bottle strikes your eyes with one of the strangest covers ever on a beer bottle: A man with a shovel on a field, accompanied by a rabbit and another, unidentifiable rodent. They stand on a field and stare into a hidden stash of booze. WTF? Anyhow, this ale is your friend right from the beginning. Thick brown, long-lived brown foam on the top. Smells of hops and chocolate greet the beer connoiseur. The ale has a thick, opaque color of deep red-orange brown. It tastes very intense of sweet malts and chocolate and tells you that it has the same nutritional value as a good steak. But in liquid. This is awesome. So why not just make this your dinner instead?

Harpoon Celtic Ale

Harpoon Celtic Ale, Harpoon Brew Co, Boston, Ma

This ale has a chestnut, gold-ish color and is almost transparent. A thick, light-brown foam develops at the top of the glass, but retreats quickly. Almost in the same way, as the taste of this beer. It is very light and there are notes of malt, hops. Of course it also tastes bitter, it still is a beer. But there is also the taste of soap that comes in your mouth. A beer in the style of the good, irish ales, as Smithwicks, or Murphy's red: It goes down well and doesn't bother you with a strong taste. This is a beer you can drink many from on a good evening. But then of course, you could drink Irish beer, which is the same, but better tasting...

Kennebunkport Brewing Co. Winter Ale

This fine New England brew comes in a standard 12 fl oz bottle and has respectful 6.7% alcohol by volume. It is a seasonal beer, and here winter means strong and malty. It pours dark-brown in your glass and produces a white, thin foam of large bubbles who immediately disappear. Your nose senses fruits and caramel coming from the glass that is a clear chestnut brown. It tastes very malty, almost like caramel and hints of sweetness which go greatly along with its very high carbonation. After a few sips, you have a great aftertaste of caramel in your mouth. This beer goes great with food and solo. One is definitely fun to drink, probably also a second one. But its taste reminds me somewhat of single-malt whiskeys. And these are meant to be enjoyed, not to be drunk in masses. The same holds for this fine Ale.

Maine Beer Company, Peeper Ale

This Ale, brewed by the Maine Beer Company in Portland, comes in a 500ml bottle and has 5.5% alcohol. It has a fine opaque, hazy gold-brown color, finnished with a thick, solid-white foam head. It has a distint fresh, fruity smell with reminds of passion fruit. Its has a mildly bitter taste and is light bodied with a medium carbonation. This is what makes it well drinkable. The citrus smell and fruity taste makes it probably not a favourite for everyone, but I really enjoyed this one. A very interesting Ale, not too strong and a good candidate to drink more than 3 on one evening.

Righteous Ale

This ale, hailing from Sixpoint brewery in Brooklyn, N.Y., greets you from a shiny silver can. I poured a can right that came right out of the fridge. The color was a thick opaque hazelnut brown with a thick white/brown foam on top that lasted for some two minutes before leaving a thick, dark brown edge at the glass. The smell of the ale is fresh and of hops with a strong hint of citrus fruits. Taking the first sip, the ale wins the happy drinker over with its mildness and its perfectly-bitter taste. After the first sip, it stays leaves an enjoyable aftertaste which is never too strong. Even after 30 seconds one can still enjoy some aftertaste of fruit and hops. Having a alcohol content of 6.3% by volume certainly helps enjoying this fine Ale.
Score: 6/6

First Post

Hi,
my name is Ralph, I am a German living in Boston for 9 months. When I moved here I was amazed by the availability of great beers. Totally the opposite of what the rumors about American beer are. So I decided to present each new product of fine brewing I experience. As there are far too many for one person to ever drink, I will limit myself to the beers of New England.
Cheers!