Since lately I am enjoying the process of pairing up beer reviews by a theme each week I am going to continue on with that.  Of course that might mean that when there is no more obvious link between the two beers I can reach a little bit and make up a theme.  So today I am starting the week where I will do reviews of two “beers from Boston area breweries that I did not know existed until seeing them on the shelves.”  That should be pretty self explanatory.

No, I am not certain of the pronunciation . . .

Brewery: Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA & Windsor, VT)

Name:  Docesná  (Czech Hop Harvest Ale)

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.10% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in a pint glass.  Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Session 38

Aroma: A nutty/biscuity malt aroma with some low spiciness and maybe a slight floral note.  Not very intense, but clean and nice overall. – 8.5/12

Appearance: Medium brownish amber color.  One finger plus cream color head that is frothy, holds really well, and leaves nice lacing on the glass.  Very clear with some fine rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A toasty/nutty malt base with a moderate level of bitterness that is crisp and in good balance with the malt character.  Seems to have a very low spiciness as well.  Has a slightly dry finish that is quite clean with the flavor very slightly lingering. – 16/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to light in body with a moderate to low level of carbonation.  Very smooth with a light creaminess on the palate. – 4.5/5

Overall Impressions: A really tasty pale ale with nice bitterness and a clean finish.  Kind of light and lager-like in some ways as it is nicely balanced with fairly subtle flavors.  Despite not having a ton of notes on this one I really did enjoy it and it is a beer that I would definitely drink a few of again sometime. – 8/10

Overall: A- (40/50)

Harpoon Brewery - Docesná

Forbidden you say?  Well I had to see what this beer was all about with a name like that on the label.  Of course being a Belgian Pale Ale that I had yet to try also did not hurt when deciding whether or not to throw this one in the cart.  That is about it as far as my decision making process goes for picking out new beers for me to try.

A different style of Pale Ale to end the week . . .

Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Easton, PA)

Name: Verboten

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

ABV: 5.90% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in an oversized wine glass.

Aroma: Light toasty malt character with a bit of (apple-like?) fruity aroma and some underlying spiciness.  Maybe a hint of floral in there as well.  Pretty mild overall, but pretty nice. – 8/12

Appearance: Medium coppery orange color.  One finger cream color head that is quite frothy and holds fairly well before leaving some lacing on the glass.  Very clear with a good amount of rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A toasty almost nutty malt flavor up front with a moderate hop bitterness from middle to finish that has a bit of a spicy/peppery quality to it.  Some subtle fruity/floral notes more so toward the finish.  A nice dryness on the finish with just a hit of sweetness then some lingering hop bitterness after. – 14.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate (maybe to low) level of carbonation.  Smooth despite the bitterness and just a bit of creaminess on the palate. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Found myself wanting a little more carbonation.  A fruity/floral character comes out much more as it warms some and provides better balance to the bitterness.  Maybe a bit of warmth in the nose as it warms a bit.  Not great to me at first but it grew on me as I approached the end of the glass.  Fairly well balanced overall, but the bitterness does take the lead. – 7.5/10

Overall: B+ (37/50)

Weyerbacher Brewing Co. - Verboten

Yet another Pale Ale, but a one from a new brewery to me.  In my mind I know that I tend to enjoy American Pale Ales more so that English ones, but that does not stop me from sampling both pretty much equally.  At the end though the point total for this one fell between two grade points so I did adjust this one down one half a point to the lower of the two.  I did not enjoy it quite enough to bump it up a notch.

Hello to November . . .

Brewery: Cisco Brewers (Nantucket, MA though also Utica, NY on bottle)

Name: Whale’s Tale Pale Ale

Style: English Pale Ale

ABV: 5.60% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Moderate hop aroma with a bit of a fruity/floral profile and a nice toasty malt character.  Relatively mild overall, but quite pleasant. – 8/12

Appearance: Medium amber in color with a bit of orange.  One finger cream color head that is frothy , holds pretty well, and leaves a bit of a trail on the glass.  Clear with slowly rising bubbles visible. – 2.5/3

Flavor: Consistent hop flavor (with a floral and fruity character) and a nice bitterness throughout.  A bready maltiness as a base.  It is fairly well balanced though the hops are more noticeable.  Finishes with a hint of dryness, but the hop flavor and some of the bitterness holds on for a while afterward. – 12/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a moderate level of carbonation (though with some bite).  Pretty smooth with a slight creaminess on the palate. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: I did not care for the first sip much at all and though it got better for me after that I never really loved it.  Good colder with a nice mouthfeel to it.  the mild bitterness grows on the plate and is an enjoyable component of the beer.  There is however something about the hop flavors that just do not work for me all that well.  Certainly not bad not not a style that is always for me. – 6.5/10

Overall: B- (33/50)

Cisco Brewers - Whale’s Tale Pale Ale

Without looking back at any of them I don’t think there has been a review of any of my home brewed beer where I have not wanted another shot at brewing the recipe.  This is no exception, but I think I mean it more with this one.  I really like this beer and it is something that I would love to have on hand at the house.  I can only drink so much pumpkin beer and stout, but this I have not grown tired of.  This was the last beer that I brewed and maybe it should be the first when I get back into it.

The Wife came up with a better name for this one, but I am going to save that for the next batch of it that I make.

Wishing I had more of this one . . .

Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

Name: In Your Rye

Style: American Pale Ale (maybe Specialty Beer)

ABV: 6.50% (+/-)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Really nice floral and fruity aroma with citrus (lemony) notes and a slight bit of sweetness.  Not too strong but very enjoyable.  – 9.5/12

Appearance: Slightly coppery golden color.  Two finger (plus) frothy cream color head that holds really well and leaves nice lacing along the glass.  Clear with a slight haze and with tons of rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A light fruitiness up front with some slight malty sweetness and also a bit of citrus and floral character in there.  Moderate bitterness that is well balanced into what is a quite well balanced beer overall.  Bit of dryness at the finish with some lingering bitterness and citrus character. – 16.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a pretty high level of carbonation that does not add any bite.  Drinks quite smoothly but light at the same time. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: I really enjoy drinking this beer and could do so all day.  Quite good cold and just as good when it warms just a bit.  It finishes quite nicely and has held up really well over time (maybe even better).  Have to take another shot at brewing this beer with maybe some hop variations from this batch.  Probably a good candidate for my first time kegging since I think it would be great to have on draft at the house. – 8/10

Grade: A- (41/50)

Blueprint Brewing - In Your Rye

After thinking about it for a moment I could not remember that last time I posted a B Note.  Many full reviews have gone up in the last few months but none of the more short and informal ones, so that is why I made a point to actually take a few notes when enjoying a beer sway from the house over the weekend.  All of that also reminded me that I need to work on and better organize the collection of shorter notes on this site so I (and you) can find them when needed.  I will just add that to the running list of to-dos.

For a B Note to mark the middle of the work week . . .

Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company (Long Island, NY)

Name: RastafaRye Ale

Style: American Rye Pale Ale (I think)

ABV: 7.50% (brewery website)

Location: Mellow Mushroom (Winter Park)

Tasting Notes:

• One finger light cream color head that holds really well and leaves a solid trail along the glass.
• Mild overall aroma with a light spiciness and a bit of sharpness.  Also some slight floral notes in there somewhere.
• Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation that leaves a creaminess on the palate.
• Toasty, lightly caramelly malt profile that fades into a bit of a floral hop character with a good hit of bitterness and some faint spiciness.
• Fairly well balanced, but pretty mild overall flavor.  Decent beer but no need to rush back to anytime soon (had on and moved on).

Blue Point Brewing Company - RastafaRye Ale