20 Pounds of Pumpkin: 5.0 – It’s an okay pumpkin beer, and there’s some nice spice on the aftertaste. They add a lot of pumpkins (hence the namesake) and it gives it almost a vegetable like flavor instead of a real ‘pumpkin’ flavor that comes from either a manufacturer or roasting seeds.
Price Average: 20 Pounds of Pumpkin $8 for 6-pack
Website: https://www.samueladams.com/
Leaf Peeping Ale: 3.5 – It’s just a subpar red ale. No part of it via taste, power, complexity is great or even average.
Price Average: Leaf Peeping Ale $10 for mixed 6-pack
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/
Thunder Hole Ale: 6.5 – It’s nice and crisp and there’s a good nutty aftertaste. Overall this is really drinkable, has a nice depth of flavor and really makes a solid ale.
Price Average: Thunder Hole Ale $10 for mixed 6-pack
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/
The Beast: 2.0 – It’s sweet and syrupy in all the wrong ways. There’s certainly depth here, and apparently a high alcohol content. It tastes like the worst result of a bourbon barrel aging, and then some. Quite honestly this was not finished and was poured out, which is never a good sign. The score would be lower aside from the rare chance that someone with a ‘unique’ palate looking for something like this would love it, but just because someone like Durian doesn’t mean it’s a highly ranked food.
Price Average: The Beast $10
Website: http://averybrewing.com
Cadillac Mountain Stout: 4.5 – This is an okay stout. It doesn’t do anything overly great or unique to standout. It also just slightly has an off aftertaste and in truth – not a big fan.
Price Average: Cadillac Mountain Stout $10 for mixed 6-pack
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/
Positive Contact Ale: 3.0 – I was worried this might feel like an apple shandy, but it does have cider like characteristics. The problem is that the apple and spices here don’t work, and the aftertaste of this is just not pleasant. Overall much like other Dogfish, while it’s unique that doesn’t make it good.
Price Average: Positive Contact Ale $14
Website: http://www.dogfish.com/
Drayman’s Porter: 7.0 – While I can truly enjoy a very complex, or heavy, or even a truly coffee porter, it’s great when someone just makes a good porter. In truth this overall is closer to a 5, but the aftertaste is very enjoyable, and at the Berkshire cost it’s always the beer that makes even me have to truly decide over something new, and something good at a better price point.
Price Average: Drayman’s Porter $6
Scotch Wee Heavy Ale: 6.0 – It’s got a lot of flavor and it’s definitely ‘heavy’ instead of just a scotch ale. However it’s not particularly stellar though which is unfortunate.
Price Average: Scotch Wee Heavy Ale $10 for mixed 6-pack
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/
Bar Harbor Real Ale: 3.5 – It is a first an otherwise unremarkable brown ale. The only thing that sets it apart is what they call ‘hints of caramel’ which is code for – we burn some sugar when we make this, but keep going. It’s kind of like a sauce that has burned to the pan – as long as you don’t eat the burnt part it’s still ‘fine’, but not at the same time.
Price Average: Bar Harbor Real Ale $10 for mixed 6-pack
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/
Dubbel Entendre: 7.0 – There is some meatyness but also a bit of tart and fruit to this. Its a nice complex dubbel that I really hope I can get in stores as despite being local to Mass, I’ve not seen it before. As for you if you can do seek it out, the complexity it adds with the band of flavors and no true faults in terms of being too ‘anything’ make this a nice find.
Price Average: Dubbel Entendre $7 draft
Website: http://www.medusabrewing.com/