Geary's Hampshire Special Ale
D.L. Geary Brewing Company

Geary's Hampshire Special AleGeary's Hampshire Special Ale
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From:
D.L. Geary Brewing Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
English Strong Ale
Ranked #8
ABV:
7%
Score:
87
Ranked #15,475
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 12.82%
Reviews:
392
Ratings:
653
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 08, 2024
Added:
Sep 30, 2001
Wants:
  41
Gots:
  65
Once Maine’s legendary seasonal specialty, Hampshire is now available year round. Hampshire has a huge toasted malt flavor balanced by assertive hoppiness. The finish is long and lingering with the malt and hop notes blending with alcohol warmth. Original gravity - 1070; alcohol by volume - 7%; two row English malts (pale, crystal and chocolate); Cascade, Mt. Hood and East Kent Golding hops.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ExtraStout:
Photo of ExtraStout
Reviewed by ExtraStout from Massachusetts

3.82/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Stunning shade of ruby, an ample head of 1.5 inches rises and falls as it clumps and hangs to the insides of a Burgundy balloon. After 5 minutes, a lace of a few millimeters covers the surface. Carbonation is so active that it makes one wonder what this beer has in store. The label makes me miss all the beauty of New Hampshire.

Smell: Nose burning, jaw-dropping amount of malted barley lends so much sweetness and richness that the nose is almost overwhelming. You can smell the malts from 5 feet away, no lie. Carmel and maple syrup. Carmelized sugars and carbs that haven't quite turned so far as to become rum, but that have the alcoholic nature to force them past simple sugars. And the lightest tickle of hops. This is COMPLEX.

Taste: Everything the smell flaunts, to a lesser extent. This has very even malt; light tastes of brown sugar and carmel meld well with a very tame dose of hops that lends the smallest amount of bitterness, but much in the way of leafy flavor. A nice balance of sweet and sharp, but surprisingly light. This smells like it could kick the piss out of Old Horizontal (at 11%) and it whimpers in with 7%. It's as if someone made the most evil barleywine on earth, and split it with water like you would whiskey.

Mouthfeel: So much lighter than the nose suggests. This is so smooth and light, so much so that it detracts from the otherwise myriad character of this beer.

Drinkability: Easy. Light and mind blowing complex. I'd be surprised to see how many of these I could have in an evening before the weight (flavorwise, not ABV-wise) got to me. I guess I could have 2 or 3. But, damn. Try it for yourself. It's something which hasn't ever not been not nothing.
Sep 03, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.92/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Amber color with a nice head and a great lace.
Very foamy.
Aroma of hops, fruit, malts and candy.
Taste was sweet then the malts hit with following hops.
Some citrus hints as well.
Feel was medium to full body with medium carbonation.
Smooth with some alcohol warmth.
Mar 08, 2024
Photo of BWSpoon
Reviewed by BWSpoon from New York

4.05/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From a can purchased at the brewery. Distinctive, a little hard, and better than the sum of its parts. This would make a good pub beer. Smells like caramel, malt, and rum filled chocolates. Not easy going. Edgy and gnarly like a well-loved pair of leather boots.
Sep 20, 2023
Photo of LagerMan_US
Reviewed by LagerMan_US from Maine

4.34/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Brewer's description is right on: a rich combo of dark malt, with hops overlay. Actually a bit complex. Deep body with a decent carbonation. All the right elements. Solid hit.
Feb 03, 2023
 
Rated: 3.9 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jul 18, 2022
Photo of Kgoldsbe
Reviewed by Kgoldsbe from Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is an old school amber ale with a toasted malt start and a balancing hop finish. It is delicious, and I am glad that it is now offered year round. It paired perfectly with a bowl of oyster stew!
Sep 23, 2021
 
Rated: 3.43 by smi69 from New York

May 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.64 by Arg914 from New York

Jul 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.64 by O-Meg from New York

Jul 21, 2019
 
Rated: 2.27 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

May 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.05 by PJCarnell from Massachusetts

Jan 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.18 by Mfreese33 from Maine

Dec 29, 2018
 
Rated: 3.73 by Fitzy01 from Maine

Nov 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by brewnme from Maine

Jun 12, 2018
 
Rated: 3.79 by mltobin from Connecticut

Oct 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.4 by pprichar from Massachusetts

Oct 09, 2017
 
Rated: 1.75 by TTripp725 from Pennsylvania

Jul 07, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.24/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
So many times I've had this beer and so many times I've had in various drinking vessels.
Here's what I have to say about this fabulous beer:

The appearance was a murky dark amber to brown color with a finger's worth of white foamy head that slid off pretty slow. Nicely speckled lace.
The aroma had a wealthy blend of dark fruits, caramel/toffee malts, clean earthiness and a little bit of dark bread.
The flavor was moderately malty sweet scanning through the dark fruits and dark bread gently flowing into the aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionable to sipping sort of quality about it. Carbonation rode fairly low. ABV felt good.
Overall, an English Strong ale by an American brewer, damn right it is and always a worthy offering of coming back to.
Jun 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by williahd from Maine

May 28, 2017
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4.24/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Mahogany color malt hop aroma. 7% abv was well incorporated was warming but not too boozy. It had an obvious hop taste but not excessively bitter and was well balanced with malt. A very enjoyable beer that I would get again if I could find it
May 21, 2017
Geary's Hampshire Special Ale from D.L. Geary Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 653 ratings