Maple Moon Ale
McCann's Food & Brew

I'm a big fan of big beers but also enjoy lighter weight brews like this as well. . I'd call it a lighter brown ale but I'm not sure what it is intended to be actually.

A-Pours a very clear, clean auburn color...

S-Aroma is enticing with almonds, hazelnuts and maple...the maple is clearly evident but subtle. I really like the way this one smells.

T-Maple is again subtle which is good. Playing with maple can be tricky I am sure as a bigger dose can clearly make the beer cloying and tough to drink. That is not a problem here. The maple is evident and lends a sweet flavor to the beer but it does not override things. Also has some nutty characteristics.

M-Remarkably clean...a bit light in the shorts but at 4.6% I expected a lighter to medium bodied beer. Still, I think just a little bigger body would really make this beer special. After drinking a few, I'd call it light bodied rather than medium light.

D-Another exciting seasonal from this upstart brewpub. This is a clean, well made maple ale. I still fondly remember the Point Maple Wheat of about 8 years ago and this reminds me a little of the maple flavor that beer had.

Appearance: Clear bronze. I can hear the slight beige head "fizz" away within seconds (like mini lady fingers popping off). Sporadic bubbles of carbonation rise in the body.

Aroma: Light nutty tones with very light maple notes. Maybe a little english malt toffee character here as well.

Taste: As with the nose, the flavor is very restrained. Ghostly maple notes mix with subdued english toffee maltiness. That's about it for me.

MF/DK: Body is about light-medium. Carbonation is light, but it still lacks a creaminess to the feel. There is absolutely nothing "flawed" about this beer. But to me it is pretty lifeless. Even for a mild, if indeed that was the intention here, or English Pale, or whatever, there's not a lot of flavor or character. The maple is barely perceptible.