Celtic New Year
Blue Lobster Brewing Company

Celtic New YearCeltic New Year
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From:
Blue Lobster Brewing Company
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
10%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.98 | pDev: 10.3%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
24
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 07, 2015
Added:
Nov 01, 2013
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  5
Lobster Genome Project .0 aged for 8 months in Arrington Port barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Faxmesomehalibut:
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Rated by Faxmesomehalibut from New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

May 07, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.9 by Kelp from New Hampshire

Feb 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.23 by Vicirus from Massachusetts

Jan 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by ElGallo from New Hampshire

Nov 05, 2014
Photo of cosmicevan
Reviewed by cosmicevan from New York

3.47/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
beer generously shared by evan12 at the southampton IRS release. enjoyed at the release and leftovers enjoyed at home from a blue lobster mini. notes a result of both impressions.

a - brew poured a fairly still muddy brown with not much on top. not all that attractive.
s - nose boasts scoatch ale toffee and a nice amount of seasoning spices.
t - taste is more of the same. at first a very sweet scotch ale with big toffee notes, but washed over with some sage and white pepper spicing. very festive and very autumn. almost too much so. a bit tart, perhaps over oaked as the vanilla shines through big time.
m - easy drinker...carb is weak. this should've been brewed before the head brewer left, but still not all that impressive. folks at the release who have enjoyed others seem to feel that this is not a great representation of what they are/were capable of. at the end of the day this is a seasonal and autumn at that beer that is good, but not great. perhaps i missed the boat on this brewery, but if this was what was brewing before all the drama, then i don't really get what all the hub bub is about. this is a style i love and this, although unique, beer is not a good sample of the style.
Feb 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by polishkaz from Connecticut

Jan 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by firedwarftj from Connecticut

Jan 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Jan 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by kjkinsey from Texas

Jan 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ScottP from New Hampshire

Jan 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by BARFLYB from Pennsylvania

Jan 01, 2014
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From the 750 ml. corked, caged bottle. sampled on December 31, 2013.

It pours mostly brown with a few copper hues and a slight haze building up to an off-white head.

This was aged in wine barrels and whether that is good or bad, the winy aroma is the leading scent on the nose followed more distantly by the malts.

Medium to bold body.

But the taste is a slightly different story. There is still a little tart, grape, wine note but this time the malts introduce themselves more so and it ends with a low bitterness. Alcohol is well integrated into the beer on the whole and this is highly drinkable.
Jan 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by s1ckboy from Massachusetts

Dec 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Mikeypnh from New Hampshire

Dec 20, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by ScotNH from New Hampshire

Dec 20, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by Seanniek91 from Rhode Island

Nov 29, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by huddyball from New Hampshire

Nov 29, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by 1424IpA from California

Nov 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Massbmx from Vermont

Nov 17, 2013
Photo of Maxwell
Reviewed by Maxwell from Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
The beer pours a deep and malty ruby-brown with a small, 1/4th of a finger’s head of creamy, fine, sand colored bubbles. The head doesn’t last long but does leave a nice ring and a lacing of thin, small bubbles in patches across the glass. Some legs can also be noted as the beer moves up the side of the glass. In body, the beer is nearly opaque in darkness, but clean of particles and very clear in the light with just a malt haze blurring the other side of the glass. On the nose, the beer smells cider-like and vinous with syrupy malts and caramel dancing beneath the initial run of port on the nose. As I stick my nose in it, there is a touch of earthy peat smoke. The port wine plays over into big fruit with mild fruit esters coming through as raisins and dates. Light fusel alcohol can be barely sensed, and the port wine gives off distinct honey scents, alongside sherry-like oxidized notes. On the tongue, the beer is big and sweet, running from fruity, port-sweet to big malty sweetness. A touch of herbal bitterness enters at the middle and end of the sip, and does grow a little as the beer is sipped. The herbal bitterness is paired with a middling, oaky tannic bitterness from the barrel. Acidity is light to non-existent on the palate. In flavor, the beer is rich with caramel malts and huge, honeyed port flavors. Rich brown sugar mixes with a bready caramel and a touch of earthy peat smoke while slight saltiness even comes into some of the sips. Sherry and cider flavors play out in the middle of the sip, moving into herbal bitters with big, bready caramel which powers into the finish that is full of oak tannins with touches of vanilla and a nuttiness from the malts. The finish lingers on the tongue, like a port wine might, sticky and honey-sweet with more touches of nuttiness. In the mouth the beer feels medium plus in body, with smooth and middling carbonation and a velvety mouthfeel that is touch chewy and syrupy. Some heat from the alcohol does touch the mouth, and the beer does hit some astringency from the tannins and bitters. At the start the beer is a touch sharp, but it does smooth out as it warms. Overall, this beer is a wonderful sipper, which rich malts and a great addition from the port barrels. I do wish a little more of the original beer’s peat smoke made it through, but as is this beer is rich in port characters, which go very nicely with the beer. Great complexity, and nice balance. With age, the bitters of this beer will mellow out and it will become even richer with malts.
Nov 16, 2013
Celtic New Year from Blue Lobster Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 24 ratings