So for the next 3 weeks we’re going to be on vacation, and by vacation I mean Beercation. We headed to an undisclosed location at Sunday River in Maine – where there was snow.
Before we got there though we had to travel through a place called New Hampshire and we decided to stop off at a brewery in Portsmouth, NH. Which brewery, why none other than Smuttynose. Fans and those that can use the Beer tag will note we’ve reviewed Smuttynose’s Imperial Stout in our Beer Around the World where we substituted it for English beer – because I hate London Pride.
Inside we were met with a machine shop, apparently they had a “visitor” area, but had to nix it to add more beer vats. Clearly a company with their priorities straight. (Not sarcasm. Beer > sitting). We were a little early, and so like the other 2-3 dozen people there we got to sample a few of their wares from the tap.
Since this was only a shot size of beer we won’t have scores, but just some tasting notes.
S’Muttonator – A nice flavorful beer the aftertaste is crisp though and a bit spicy compared to the sweet malt of the taste.
Old Brown Dog – This is like the Sam Adams Boston Lager, as a beer it is slightly above regular and is quite good, but at the end of a hard day’s work you wouldn’t grab any other beer than this. It is what you look for in a beer, the perfect blend of sweet, malty, bitter combination.
Woodward Ale – It’s like someone combined a lemon and some mahogany – (note the former is a joke only we get, but it involves handicap people and desks) Really though this isn’t something you just throw into the category of fruity or sour. The flavor feels nice and woody like a scotch blended with a beer and a major addition of lemon zest.
Sadly we didn’t get to really try the next few because the tour had begun.
The tour was led by a man called Jason who kept reminding us to ignore things like the Mexican Jesus bobblehead, the cowbell, or the CCCP beer vat. Taking us through the familiar process of beer making – from preparing the malt – to something about a whirlpool – some chemical things that got William and DJ_Lvl very excited – fermenting – occasionally aging – and finally bottling and packing.
Smuttynose is actually expanding their business to a much larger location and delivering to more states. Currently they serve about 15 all the way down to Florida, though apparently they hate Michigan (for now). And in the last 4 years they’ve made major improvements to their equipment and operation in order to do 1 thing: Give everyone more Smuttynose beer, which as you can see makes William very happy
Of course we couldn’t leave without sampling a few of their wares, and while we bought and consumed a few varieties we actually remembered to review something – though in beer shorthand. Thankfully Justice bought 2 bottles (although one did explode and the other empty bottle was stolen by EMT’s), because we couldn’t help but review their Scotch Ale.
Now we love Scotch Ale, much like we love Scotch. This variety was from 2007 and is apparently a rare breed – although secret inside sources not named Jason informed us that they’d be making more Scotch Ale soon – so hell yeah, because what we have here is fantastic.
Smuttynose Scotch Ale: 9 – Just so good, one of the best beers we’ve ever had. We’ve always liked scotch ale, but Smuttynose’s take provides the perfect bitterness yet flavorful beer. This is the ultimate combo of roasted malt, peat flavoring, and smooth caramel. Those unfamiliar with our score system need to understand to not take this score lightly as it is one of our highest overall scores of anything.
Google Shop Average: (Only available at Brewery for Limited Time) – $12.50
Website: http://smuttynose.com/
Now if you excuse us we’re going to be in a hottub drinking some beer while it snows. You jelly? Ya you jelly.
