New Grist - Beer made from sorghum and rice extract

New Grist - Beer made from sorghum and rice extract Lake fron Brewery, Milwaukee, WI


This is not New England brew per-se but to interesting to be skipped. When I poured this beer, I was
first confused whether this is not a white-wine. And this thought stayed with me the whole time.
It has a crispy, fresh foam top and its body color could easily make it pass as a white wine. It is
light and golden. Also the smell was pleasently dry and a little sweet. And this is exactly how it
tastes, as if someone blended a white-wine with a light summer beer. But in the good way. It has
a dry fruityness in its taste, some notes of hops and an unintrusive bitterness.

Bar Harbor - Blueberry Ale

Bar Harbor - Blueberry Ale    Atlantic Brewing Co. Porland, Maine

This ale is brewed with blueberry aromas, so another fruity treat. And you can already tell by its
smell that that this is not your average ale: malty, salt and a more than decent hint of sweetness
and fruit come up your nose. The looks are ale-ish of course, they feature a transparent amber brown
body and a thick, brown-ish crown of foam. The taste is really great, a to me previously
unknown, awesome blend of malt and berries. This makes this ale taste incredibly light. After your
first sip, a malty note stays on your toung.
This is a very refershing ale with a great taste of blueberries, exactly as advertised. Therefore
it also counts as one of the five units of fruit recommended per day.

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...