Sebago Bass Ackwards Berryblue

Sebago Brewing Company Set To Release Single Batch Beer, Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale

Beer brewed with real Maine blueberry juice

Gorham, Maine - June 25, 2012 - Sebago Brewing Company is pleased to announce the release of their Single Batch Beer, Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale on Friday June 29th, 2012.

 

Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale (4.4% ABV) is an unfiltered, all-natural mild pale ale made with crushed Maine blueberries. It is a refreshing, well balanced beer that has a crisp, fruity aroma and finishes clean and dry. The name Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale is for its unconventional use of only fresh Maine blueberry juice in the fermenter. This results in a more subtle blueberry fruit aroma and taste. Bass Ackwards Berryblue is best paired with light fare such as salads, roasted vegetables and light seafood dishes.

 

Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale Fact Sheet

Style: Fruit Beer

History: First Brewed in 2002

Orig. Gravity: 12 °P

Appearance: Light amber with purple hue

Aroma: Slight fruity blueberry nose

Flavor: Light body with dry blueberry finish

Ingredients: Brewed with American 2-row, Caramel malt and real Maine blueberry juice

Hops: Northern Brewer, Mt. Hood

Color: Dark Ruby Hue 21 SRM

ABV: 4.4%

IBUs: 13.4

Pairing Suggestions: light fare, salads

 

Boothbay 2012

Where can you find all of the Maine brewers hanging out in one place on one afternoon?

The Boothbay Resort on July 14, from 1-4 with a special VIP session starting at noon.

Come out and support the Maine Brewers' Guild & its talented members! For more information & to obtain tickets, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/210307

Cheers :)

Prince Tuesday



Poster & Prince Tuesday logo designed by Dee Dee from Allagash Brewing Company

Come out this Saturday, May 12th, at Mama's Crowbar in Portland for the Allagash, Maine Beer Co., Rising Tide collaboration release of Prince Tuesday.  The party starts at 4 and goes until 9. Other beers will be on draft from the trio of breweries as well. Great food will be sold by Local Sprouts (cookout style- for $10 you get burgers, kielbasa, potato salad, coleslaw and apple crisp).  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Portland Trails. In addition, the brewers will be there to visit.
Don't miss your chance to support your local breweries!  Cheers :)

Smuttynose Brewery



Big Beer Series:  Baltic Porter

Very, very, soon, I will get my act together & post about my fantastic trip to the Smuttynose Brewery.  Highlights to include: professional pictures by a mom friend & insider info from the brewers, along with hazy tasting notes.  In addition, the post will have a review of, Brett & I, which is Smutty's speciality sour release and is only sold at the brewery in New Hampshire.  Do I have your attention yet?  I hope so! Thanks for your patience... Cheers! 

Samuel Adams - Update & Honey Porter Review

It's amazing to consider that one year ago, I began writing this blog.  "Amazing" may sound like an exaggeration but truly, I simply envisioned tasting beer and writing about it for my friends, as a way to have an outlet, from the day to day stay-at-home mom gig.  I didn't realize that through writing about beer, I'd meet great people who do the same thing and beyond. I've met down to earth local, Portland, Maine brewers; "big" time craft brewers like Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head; beer bloggers and social media gurus.  All of them have one constant theme:  sharing the craft beer love aka community onto others.  Which leads me to this next post.  I'm sharing the link to the very first ever Samuel Adams blog post, as a tribute to being the first brewery I ever reviewed. In addition, I met a craft beer buddy, Nick, this past November via Twitter at the Maine Brewers' Fest.  Ironically, he's a Mainer who is now doing the Samuel Adams newly debuted Twitter feed.  If you're on it, follow him at: @SamuelAdams Beer!  Congrats, Nick!  The next time you're back in town, let me know, I owe you a beer! Oh, and if Jim Koch needs a special palate to taste any upcoming beers, you know how to reach me!
Cheers!

Re-Post of my Samuel Adams Honey Porter review--the 1st ever on my blog!
Original post date:  1.7.11: (let's hope it's evident that the blog has evolved)!

The first beer to get reviewed in the blog--an ironic choice in that it has Boston routes as do I (BC alum & former Newton Public Schools Employee--Go Lions & Tigers!).  The fate of being first is not always easy--(1st children know this all too well) & sadly, it is only first because it happened to be the last beer in our refrigerator.  This lonely bottle was part of a six-pack purchased at a small beer store in early December in Scarborough, ME for under $5.00; quite the bargain, as it usually sells for $8 a six-pack.  Being the smart shopper that I am, I scooped it up only to realize, after the fact,that it was on sale because the expiration date was earlier this fall.  Alas, perhaps the taste could have been altered but given my desperation at 5pm, sometimes referred to by moms as the "witching hour," to drink anything with alcohol this past date wasn't a factor to me.  So while I was feeding the 6mos old in his high chair, flipping pancakes and burning pre-cooked bacon, I finagled the bottle opener and poured my first sips. 


Taste:  the honey comes through & definitely leaves you with a sweetness on your tongue
*although it is a porter, it is not overly heavy and very smooth.
**Delicious choice with bacon and pancakes :)
Color:  dark almost like a coke
Thickness:  slight to moderate
Will it help me sleep better? Yes
Mom factoid: honey is a natural way to help little people (older than age 1) when they have a cough or sore throat--just give a teaspoon of honey during cold season!

Anchor Brewing Co. Our Special Ale 2011

As told to us on the bottle, "This is the thirty-seventh 'Our Special Ale' from the brewers at Anchor.  It is sold only from early November to mid-January.  The Ale's recipe is different every year, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same:  joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew."

Brewery:  Anchor, San Francisco, CA

Style:  Ale brewed with natural flavors & with natural flavors added

Tasting Notes:

Aroma:  Pine, resin, Birch wood & subtle malt notes

Taste:  Malt forward (not overly sweet); husband described as tasting like drinking birch or root beer soda; detect pine flavors throughout but not in a harsh or bitter way.  Really unique and refreshing on the palate.

Color:  Amber stone

Thickness:  Medium to full body; half-inch caramel colored frothy head which lingers and leaves delicate lacing in the glass.  Nicely carbonated.

ABV:  5.5%; feels almost like a "session beer" where you can easily have more than one in a sitting.

Mom Factoid:  This holiday offering from Anchor was one of the top vote getters  in my, "What craft beer should go under my Christmas Tree" poll in December.  I can't believe this is the first year I remember having it.  Let me tell you, I really wish I had sought it out in previous years, as it's truly delicious.  I love the symbolism they describe on their bottle, of trees representing the winter solstice and the idea that there is a rebirth when the seasons change.  I think it's neat that a brewery puts some depth into it's beers.  Cheers!

Special Note:  I picked a Tuesday to review this beer as a shout out to my friends over at Brew England who coined the term:  'Tuesday Tasting' on their awesome craft beer blog.  It is an honor to have been asked by them to draw your attention to an upcoming event in March, called 'Cure Me I'm Irish'.  Please check out their website at http://brewengland.blogspot.com/ for further information on this worthwhile fundraising event & the breweries involved.  Thank you!

Pretty Things Saint Botolph's Town

Brewery: Pretty Things from Westport, MA
Twitter: @prettybeer
Website:prettythingsbeertoday.com


Style: Rustic Brown Ale
Bottle Notes:  "This beer is inspired by Northern English dark ales and by St. Botolph, an Anglo-Saxon saint who gave Boston its name."  "Saint Botolph's Town is a malty brown ale made with barley from Yorkshire and a blend of two yeast strains."

Aroma:  Figs, malt, & dried fruit notes

Taste: Malt forward with caramel tones intertwined.  Similarly, like the aroma, I detect a harmonious union of figs & dried fruit notes.  Very little, if any bitterness in the finish. Quite a pleasant sipper, particularly on a cold night!

Color:  Roasted deep brown chestnuts

Thickness:  Beautiful lacing along the edges of the glass, coupled with a lingering top layer of a small yet creamy head ,which doesn't dissipate.  Overall, it has a balanced carbonation with a medium to full, silky, smooth body.

ABV:  5.9%

Mom Factoid:  Picked this bottle up over New Year's weekend while staying with family in Sudbury.  I had heard wonderful things regarding another offering from them, Jack D'or, a Farmhouse Saison beer, which I also brought back with me to Maine.  I tremendously enjoyed the Jack but didn't take notes & the bottle was finished before I thought to do it.  So, last night, I was prepared for my tasting of the Saint Botolph's.  I look forward to grabbing more offerings, these two included, the next time I'm in Massachusetts.  Not only are their bottles "pretty," their beer is delicious!  Cheers to discovering new craft beer in 2012!