Mad River Maple
Lawson's Finest Liquids

Mad River MapleMad River Maple
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From:
Lawson's Finest Liquids
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
Ranked #43
ABV:
8%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,280
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 11.46%
Reviews:
145
Ratings:
515
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 10, 2024
Added:
Feb 06, 2009
Wants:
  70
Gots:
  56
Formerly Maple Nipple

Mad River Maple is our robust, rich maple ale which is loaded with 100% pure Vermont maple syrup. It delivers a smooth and palate pleasing mouth feel with a slightly sweet finish!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sisuspeed:
Photo of sisuspeed
Reviewed by sisuspeed from New Hampshire

3.56/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a hazy orange-brown with about a finger of white fluffy head on top. Sticky white lacing covers the inside of the glass.

Fruity with peach, a bit of potato and some sweet maple syrup. Some vegetable-like notes, but then more sweet syrupy malts. Interesting. Not really sure what to think about this one.

Flavor is sweet and malty. Pale malts, maple syrup and some light hops to round things out. Picking out caramel notes and a hint of vegetable/sweet potato.

Mouthfeel is mostly smooth, but a little resiny. Faint warming alcohol. Good carbonation.

Drinkability is pretty good. I really like the maple syrup aspect of this beer, but it feels like one or two things are just a bit off. I think if Lawson's were to tweak the recipe a little bit they could have an A range maple beer on their hands. Still enjoyed the bottle I had though and I would love to get my hands on some Maple Tripple.
Dec 05, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of Tolianych_Pivomnabuhanych
Reviewed by Tolianych_Pivomnabuhanych from Vermont

5/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is a delicious brew. Maple and malt forward, but not overwhelmingly so. Pretty smooth actually, but not deceptively smooth. A gorgeous dark amber color, a vibrant nose. Love it.
Mar 10, 2024
Photo of DarkSideOfTheMoon
Reviewed by DarkSideOfTheMoon from Virginia

3.97/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Orange, brown-ish, deep copper transparent color. Big foamy slightly beige head about 2-3 fingers thick. Maple, toffee, caramel on the nose. Taste certainly follows what the nose was alluding to. The winner here is the mouthfeel... super smooth, creamy and effortlessly drinkable - especially considering the ABV. This is certainly not my favorite style (nowhere close) but I would definitely have one of these again on a chilly night at home.
Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 3.52 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Jan 18, 2024
 
Rated: 3.83 by Bogdawg from Massachusetts

Dec 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by JLaw55 from Missouri

Nov 30, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by jbolger from Connecticut

Nov 27, 2023
Photo of agreenman19
Reviewed by agreenman19 from Connecticut

4.31/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
L - pours a robust autumn amber with faint haze. Frothy head, like you'd find on a cappuccino. It actually looks really good for an amber ale. Moderate lacing all the way up to the top of the glass gives it a "drank in" aesthetic that feels nostalgic and appealing. Best enjoyed by the fire on an early winter night.

S - malty and sweet. Caramel apples and maple leaf candies.

T - rich, singed caramel coupled with a coffee backbone and toffee exterior. Not quite maple syrup, but more like maple-infused *something*. Butter? Mustard?

F - creamy, dense, and smooth. Reminds you it's 8%!

O - this drinks real good on some days when your palate is in retrograde. Other times it's a tinny mess that's average at best and can feel like a waste of 8%. Fortunately, today is not one of those days. It's drinking real fine with a few months on this can and I'm into it.
Nov 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.95 by beerrat from Virginia

Nov 03, 2023
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.17/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Initially 6 oz pour at Lawson’s, then single from Shell station in Stowe,VT - but fresh - Sept 23/23 brewed on!
Pours a beautiful clear bronze amber with finger plus of creamy off white head.
Nose is toasty, caramel, brown sugar, toffee and a touch fruity; maple at the back along with the smell of fall - fallen leaves, earthy hops. As warms the maple starts to pop.
Sweet caramel malt, raisin toast on the palate with a burst of maple - brown sugar, honey and some earthy hops with a bit of verdant bitterness at the end.
Rich and sweet, slightly sticky full mouthfeel - maple and brown sugar admixed with earthy hops.
Oct 06, 2023
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.02/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16 oz 2023 can from Vermont.

Appearance. This has a lovely orange-amber color similar to dark maple syrup. The beige head has excellent retention, acting and looking like a nitro pour.

The flavor has a touch of maple sweetness at the finish, but iwas hoping for a stronger and clear maple note. The relatively bitter aftertaste is comparatively disappointing. The flavor improved with warming. The high ABV is partially hidden.
Oct 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.03 by craigbelly from Iowa

Sep 26, 2023
 
Rated: 3.85 by TripelMark from North Carolina

Jun 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.93 by dexterk1 from Illinois

Apr 17, 2023
 
Rated: 3.67 by Icemann383 from New York

Feb 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.15 by Lobina from Arizona

Feb 16, 2023
Photo of JDUBWA412
Rated by JDUBWA412

5/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
actually like this a lot
Jan 14, 2023
 
Rated: 3.25 by bkwagie

Jan 06, 2023
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

4.09/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Maple in an Amber Ale seems like a strange choice. However, this one has been brewed (under a different name) for nearly 15 years, so what do I know? It must be good if it’s still around, and I trust Lawson’s to do this artfully. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours a mostly clear brownish orange with 3 fingers of soapy beige head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

Oh wow, the maple in the nose is more of a background note than I expected, but it’s still quite nice. I’m picking up on aromas of dark toast, red grape, herbal hops, honey, maple syrup, light toffee, and biscuit

The maple is definitely more prevalent in taste, but it still shows a nice balance. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting brown sugar, biscuity malt, maple syrup, raisin, toffee, herbal hops, light black tea, and honey. The swallow brings notes of sweet honey, maple syrup, maple syrup, dark toast, floral hops, raisin, and biscuit

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes a tad sticky and sweet but cleans up over time

Sticky mouthfeel aside, this is solid stuff. I’ve wanted to try this for a minute so I’m glad they rebrewed and rebranded it
Jan 01, 2023
Photo of hopsputin
Reviewed by hopsputin from New Jersey

4.02/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: ruby red amber color with some copper and caramel notes. 3 finger off-white solid head

s: sweet grains and caramel. maple syrup, amber, toasted malts and crusty bread. a hint of fruit cake

t: follows the nose. sweet malts and grains followed by a nice generic earthy note. maple syrup and dough. a touch of toasted wood and a touch of earthy bitterness

m: solid medium mouthfeel with a slight stickiness to it

o: really solid Amber Ale. malty, but it's somehow crisp yet heavy. the maple syrup adds a nice layer of flavor
Dec 30, 2022
Mad River Maple from Lawson's Finest Liquids
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 515 ratings