-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Manly Men Beer Club Sea Smoke
Atlantic Brewing Company - Town Hill / Mainely Meat BBQ
- From:
- Atlantic Brewing Company - Town Hill / Mainely Meat BBQ
- Maine, United States
- Style:
- English Barleywine
- ABV:
- 7.7%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.73 | pDev: 12.87%
- Reviews:
- 40
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jul 04, 2016
- Added:
- May 31, 2010
- Wants:
- 5
- Gots:
- 5
Here in Maine, sea smoke is the fog that appears just above the water’s surface as the bitter cold air meets the slightly warmer ocean water. Our Sea Smoke is an English-style barley-wine brewed with cherrywood smoked grain. This ale retains the subtle warmth of a barley-wine ale without being overbearing. The introduction of the smoked flavor acts to balance the sweetness inherent in the barley-wine style yielding a quirky, yet sophisticated beer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ububru:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by mountdew1 from New Hampshire
3.8/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.8/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a snifter. Color was a dark reddish burgundy color, with a very thin dirty white head. Aroma was a slightly fruity sweet with a bit of alcohol. Flavor had a bit of smoke in the front of the sip, shifted to a sweetness, then finished a bit salty. Coated extremely well, with a bit of carbonation that tickled the tongue. Flavor was a bit different than I would expect, a tab more bitter than I appreciate.
Sep 27, 2013Reviewed by GarthDanielson from Virginia
3.56/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a snifter, the beer is a muddled, brown coloring with a sparse coating of surface film. Aromas of toffee and tangy caramel, hints of roast and smoke, apple, oak, and earth. Flavors are a touch more smoky, but not by much. More of a heavily roasted caramel and toffee blend come across the palate. Very richly sweet on a smooth, mid-body feel. Very subtle spicing of cinnamon and nutmeg enhance the highlights of apple sweetness throughout. The caramel sugary sweetness builds at the end of the palate and into the aftertaste, where there are hints of bitter characteristics just starting to emerge. Smooth, creamy finish with a subtle sweet linger. Not a bad beer, but not something I would reach for when searching out a barleywine.
Sep 04, 2013Reviewed by Bierman9 from New Hampshire
4.01/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.01/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Maybe not the ideal bier to be quaffing out in the 'Zebo when it's 95F and humid, but I frequently abandon rational thought when drinking... ;-) Got this 22oz bomber recently at Jaspers, for $5.99. Here goes...
Poured some into a nonic, and it looks slightly hazy, with the color a solid bronze/copper hue. Can't tell if there's much carbo in there through the condensation on the glass, and the head is thin, wispy and beige. Doesn't have much in the way of lacing, though. The aroma wafts easily from glass to nostrils, with toffee and caramel standing out amongst the malty sweetness. This bier is quite smooth, with minimal prickle attacking the tongue. Body-wise, it is easily medium, maybe a smidge more.
Flavor is nicely sweet, yet never approaches being cloying. The caramel/toffee malt action here is solid, coating the palate in a rather pleasant fashion. I get subtle intimations of ripe cherries mixed in with the malt, along with some brown sugar, though I can barely detect the smokiness. The finish is somewhat dry, with a little bit of florality trying to make itself known. I am also finding that the alcohol is barely noticeable. This is 10.00%? Really?? I do wish that the rauch-character was stronger, but overall I am enjoying this offering, hot and humid weather be damned! Prosit!!
Note: I just looked at my bottle and it says 7.70% ABV, so there... ;-)
4.01/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
1580
Jul 05, 2013Poured some into a nonic, and it looks slightly hazy, with the color a solid bronze/copper hue. Can't tell if there's much carbo in there through the condensation on the glass, and the head is thin, wispy and beige. Doesn't have much in the way of lacing, though. The aroma wafts easily from glass to nostrils, with toffee and caramel standing out amongst the malty sweetness. This bier is quite smooth, with minimal prickle attacking the tongue. Body-wise, it is easily medium, maybe a smidge more.
Flavor is nicely sweet, yet never approaches being cloying. The caramel/toffee malt action here is solid, coating the palate in a rather pleasant fashion. I get subtle intimations of ripe cherries mixed in with the malt, along with some brown sugar, though I can barely detect the smokiness. The finish is somewhat dry, with a little bit of florality trying to make itself known. I am also finding that the alcohol is barely noticeable. This is 10.00%? Really?? I do wish that the rauch-character was stronger, but overall I am enjoying this offering, hot and humid weather be damned! Prosit!!
Note: I just looked at my bottle and it says 7.70% ABV, so there... ;-)
4.01/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
1580
Reviewed by asdfx0rz from Texas
3.63/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.63/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
22 ounce bottle purchased from Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont, MA.
Appearance: Dark amber but still pretty clear. Very little head, attributed to the low carbonation.
Smell: Mostly barley and stone fruits with a little smoke and caramel. I really wished there was a more defined presence of the smoke.
Taste: Sweet and pleasant, typical of the style. For an English Barleywine, this beer delivered everything I expected, but the smoke was a little absent. If anything, the smoked barley added a little bitterness to the brew, pushing it more in the direction of a stout. Still, the caramel and toffee notes dominate on the palate.
Mouthfeel: Thin with little carbonation. Extremely easy to put down, given the relatively low ABV for an English Barleywine.
Overall: An interesting gamble, but nothing that really shines here. It was a decent beer, drinkable for sure, but not something I would seek out again. Have one to say you've had it, add it to your catalog, and move onward to more impressive beers.
Jul 05, 2013Appearance: Dark amber but still pretty clear. Very little head, attributed to the low carbonation.
Smell: Mostly barley and stone fruits with a little smoke and caramel. I really wished there was a more defined presence of the smoke.
Taste: Sweet and pleasant, typical of the style. For an English Barleywine, this beer delivered everything I expected, but the smoke was a little absent. If anything, the smoked barley added a little bitterness to the brew, pushing it more in the direction of a stout. Still, the caramel and toffee notes dominate on the palate.
Mouthfeel: Thin with little carbonation. Extremely easy to put down, given the relatively low ABV for an English Barleywine.
Overall: An interesting gamble, but nothing that really shines here. It was a decent beer, drinkable for sure, but not something I would seek out again. Have one to say you've had it, add it to your catalog, and move onward to more impressive beers.
Reviewed by sethmeister from New Hampshire
4.06/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a murky ruby with a dense cream colored head and a little bit of soapy lace.
Nose is figs, caramel, vanilla, toffee. Not getting much in the way of smoke.
Taste is maple cured bacon - ah there's the smoke! - with chewy dense french toast. Cherries. Figs. Burnt sugar. Lightly smoked - the flavor lingers and develops on the palate but never becomes overbearing. There's a slick salty mineral note - not incongruious considering the name.
Mouth is soft, and chewy with little carbonation.
I do love smoked ales so it's no surprise that I liked this beer. A bit light to be considered a barleywine (BA lists this at 10% but my bottle says 7.7%) but a tasty hybrid style. Nice job Atlantic.
May 18, 2013Nose is figs, caramel, vanilla, toffee. Not getting much in the way of smoke.
Taste is maple cured bacon - ah there's the smoke! - with chewy dense french toast. Cherries. Figs. Burnt sugar. Lightly smoked - the flavor lingers and develops on the palate but never becomes overbearing. There's a slick salty mineral note - not incongruious considering the name.
Mouth is soft, and chewy with little carbonation.
I do love smoked ales so it's no surprise that I liked this beer. A bit light to be considered a barleywine (BA lists this at 10% but my bottle says 7.7%) but a tasty hybrid style. Nice job Atlantic.
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire
3.37/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.37/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
From the 22 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on May 10, 2013.
It pours a decent looking copper-amber color with a modest head that lingers for a bit and eventually fades. Great clarity.
The bouquet was basically malt forward, grainy, with alcohol but any smoke seemed lost. Perhaps it was meant to be subtle.
Medium body with an astringency that coats the tongue with a slight creaminess to balance it off.
My bottle was labeled 7.7% ABV although Beer Advocate lists it at 10% ABV. In any event the alcohol was not well integrated with the malts and smoke. It was pretty punchy with a pucker-up bitterness at the end.
The concept of a smoked barleywine made me very curious but any smokiness felt lost within the alcohol.
May 10, 2013It pours a decent looking copper-amber color with a modest head that lingers for a bit and eventually fades. Great clarity.
The bouquet was basically malt forward, grainy, with alcohol but any smoke seemed lost. Perhaps it was meant to be subtle.
Medium body with an astringency that coats the tongue with a slight creaminess to balance it off.
My bottle was labeled 7.7% ABV although Beer Advocate lists it at 10% ABV. In any event the alcohol was not well integrated with the malts and smoke. It was pretty punchy with a pucker-up bitterness at the end.
The concept of a smoked barleywine made me very curious but any smokiness felt lost within the alcohol.
Reviewed by far333 from Connecticut
3.47/5 rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.47/5 rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Hazed burnt orange with a frothy head that rises up only due to an extremely aggressive pour, and then quickly settles out. Aroma of ripe fruit - apricot and pear, honied malt. Flavors of rich malt, piney hops, apple, pear, apricot, some fusels. Full mouthfeel, but a bit tannic and woody. Is there smoked malt here? Can't tell. Decent beer, not world-class.
Apr 01, 2013
Manly Men Beer Club Sea Smoke from Atlantic Brewing Company - Town Hill / Mainely Meat BBQ
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
59 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!