Zoe
Maine Beer Company

 

(500 ml bottle, 26Oct21; purchased single off shelf with reservations... poured into my Belhaven pub pint)

L: polished-clear, tawny-amber liquid; not much foam until I poured in the dregs which posted up a tan, bouncy pad... ends up retaining a medium-thick, gradient collar, and it does lace a bit

S: caramelized bread crust and forest floor... maybe a slight undertone of peppermint?, ghostly hint of diesel... mild note of alcohol... aromas not popping, and why would they? but great depth is apparent and I'm still eager to dive in

T: a good bit more toast, wood, and stinging hop bite than expected... mild almost generic pancake syrup in the aftertaste... more malty than caramel-malty, or at least they've achieved a curiously well-measure contrast and expression between the base malt, caramel additions, and hop bitterness; all apparent and sitting in their own zones

F: relatively light, airy, buoyant... aft drags soft rug burn friction across the tongue... liquid velvet residuals

O: kind of tastes like a cask amber in this state... why the hell have I never been able to find a fresh bottle of this, let alone find it at all most times??... not sure I've ever had a Maine BC beer more than once, but I'll still keep an eye open for newborn magic (1976)

 

 

Poured a translucent, almost unfiltered looking, reddish brown amber and topped with a 3 finger beige to tan dense head.
The aroma was faint (my damaged nose, not the beer’s fault) but I did get whiffs of piney hops (unexpected for me in a red ale, but maybe I just need to try more of them) and biscuit like malts.
The taste definitely tended towards the malts but had a surprisingly hoppy edge on it. The hops act to accentuate, not clash or overwhelm the malt aspect.
The feel was excellent, well within the expected viscosity.
Glad to finally get to try this one, darn good and wish it was available in West Michigan.

Had this from a bottle.
A: pours dark amber body with thick, off-white head with nice retention and lacing.
S: sweet, grapefruit smelling beer with some floral notes
T: solid, earthy grapefruit taste with a sweet, malt taste to balance; aftertaste Is very similar, with some of the sweet alcohol notes coming through
M: solid, smooth body; full bodied
D: nice feel and taste combo; solid dining beer overall

16.9oz bottle. Bottling date stamped on label is '22Feb22'.
Clear, deep amber colored body. Two fingers of off white head. Leaves some spots and strings of lacing.
Aroma has malt tones of toast and chocolate. Citrus and piney hops.
Taste is malty with dark fruit, toasted bread, and a touch of chocolate at the end. Hops are citrus and pine. Has a base bitterness but not too much to scrunch up the face. The grains of the malt really stand out. Tail off of the main flavors in the aftertaste.
Smooth, medium weight mouth feel. The pine gives the impression of dryness. Excellent carbonation.
Very well balanced and full of flavors. A showcase for malts.

It is truly a shame when the #1 ranked amber ale is ranked 3000+ overall in the database. Dark, reddish amber with a large, dense head. Aroma is a combination of pine and floral elements. Some toasted grain as well. Bittersweet flavor with plenty of pine and citrus rind with malt adding some caramel and toast. Solid body and carbonation. Lively but stopping short of harshness. I like Nugget Nectar when that beer is on point, but I can see why this is rated so highly.

 

Dark cloudy amber, backlit leaves shows a nice red. Light brown head, very good retention and some great lacing.

Nose is a beautiful combination of pine, toastiness, and semi sweet citrus rind.

Taste follows along the same lines with a great combination of sappy orange like citrus and pine. Nice malt presence adds a nice touch a light toast.

Medium body, resiny drying hop presence; medium to high bitterness.

Probably one of the only hoppy ambers accessible in these parts. I’m glad to see it show up from time to time. If like piney, sappy flavors gives this one a try you’ll like it a lot.

Pours a beautiful amber with a substantial tan head that laces the glass beautifully. The nose has some stone fruit and a nice resiny pine note and some toffee notes as well.

The citrus and pine are forward on the taste and are absolutely delicious - and then the stone fruit and subtle toffee notes elevate this even more. The mouthfeel is medium and a bit drying. What an outstanding hoppy amber ale this is.

 

 

L: Deep amber with a dense tan head
S: Piney hops and enough malt to indicate balance
T: Balanced with pine and citrus hops melding nicely with toasted malts and notes of toffee. I’m not getting any raisin notes?
F: Medium body with light carbonation (I let it sit for 30 minutes before drinking). Smooth mouthfeel with a dry finish.
O: Definitely my favorite from MBC (yes, better than Lunch).

 

Looks Amber in color. Smells of pine and malt. Taste of pine and malt. Overall its not bad.

500 ML bottle, born on 3/9/21, poured into a snifter at 45 degrees F:
L - amber colored with a tan head that lingered
S - malts, raisin
T - wonderful malt sweetness with a bit of raisin on the finish
F - medium mouthfeel and carbonation
O - very good beer, this isn't one of my favorite styles, but this is a great beer

Poured from the classic 'Maine Beer Company' bottle into a Dogfish head tulip

L: Dark and somewhat opaque copper/amber color with big off-white fluffy head. Excellent lacing.

S: Toasted grains, fruit, caramel, citrus, and earth.

T.F: Just like it smells. Bready grains... raisin and fruit, tea, citrus rind, and pine. Modest bitterness. Earth and spice. Medium bodied and well carbonated. More fruit and hops to finish.

O: An outstanding hoppy amber. Looks great, easy drinking, and although not a favorite style of mine I definitely enjoyed it.

 

 

Bottled 3/9/21

Well, would you look at this? We have the top rated amber ale on this site right here. Somewhat of a sleeper hit of a style for me, and one that can either wow me or depress me. Maine Beer Company has a pretty good reputation, so I trust that this one will impress. Let's dive right in

Pours a cloudy reddish brown with 2 fingers of rocky light tan head that slowly fades to a cap and leaves nice lacing

While it smells incredibly balanced, it still retains the signature spiciness I typically look for in the style. I'm picking up on aromas of doughy malt, black pepper, sweet toffee, raisin, earthy hops, honey, grapefruit, and light pineapple

Oh wow, this is remarkably smooth right upon the first sip, all the flavors melding together just perfectly. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting biscuity malt, clove, earthy hops. sweet honey, light chocolate, and orange rind. The swallow brings notes of pithy grapefruit, fresh pine, black pepper, doughy malt, sticky caramel, light raisin, and nutty coffee. Very fucking impressive

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a rich and chewy beer. Finishes slightly sticky with a bit of spice to offset the sweeter malt

Color me impressed with this one. Without a doubt, the best amber ale I've ever had. Hell, even better than the score and reviews suggest. This is a quality beer right here

Beautiful amber ale. Golden brown/reddish hue with generous hop character to compliment the malts, but not too much that it turns into a red IPA. Just a lovely brew.

 

 

L - burnt amber with a nice tan head that sticks around and leaves a ton of lacing behind
S - Tons of resinous, piney, bitter hops along with a solid amount of malt along with notes of biscuit.
T - a lot of malt up front follows by tons of piney, bitter hops. Some notes of caramel and floral notes as well.
F - medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Smooth.
O - an incredibly good, well rounded amber ale

Pours a beautiful, darker, amber color. There's a decent amount of carbonation here that leads to a nice, and thick 3 finger off white head. The head retention is pretty good, and there's some decent, and nice looking lacing on the glass.
The aroma is a combination of a nice roasty malt/biscuit, and a nice hop aroma as well.
Taste - I get a nice malty flavor here. It tastes like the malts have been roasted a bit. Then on the back the hops kick in for me. They're not too strong, but they are there, and provide a good finish to this beer.
The body is just right for this beer. The carbonation tickles my throat a bit.
A very tasty beer of this style.

 

 

Bottled 9 days ago. Looks like a nice amber ale with a great head and good lacing. Hop-forward aromas that are a bit sunscreen-y. As per usual with MBC, not sure if it's quite worth the money

80/100

 

Great color and smell, but rather blunt taste. Definitely worth trying.

I am rating off of the bottle that I have.

Do i feel like this is the best Red Ale in the world?

It's good but not world class good...

My bottle is about 6 weeks old which should still be fairly vibrant but I have a feeling that its a shell of its former self...

Would really really love to have this fresh off the tap for comparison...

Look - poured into a pint glass. Dark amber in color with lots of bubbles, transparent, and sizable two finger head with excellent lacing retention.
Smell - a nice balance of dried fruits, light smokiness, and a lot of pine. some biscuits also detectable.
Taste - remarkably smooth. the taste is actually much heavier on malts, with a nice hoppy and fairly clean finish. the multiple layers of malty flavor is really quite tasty.
Feel - medium bodied, high carbonation, and somewhat potent at 7.2% ABV.
Overall - this beer checks all the boxes. robust and rich malty backbone supported by enough hoppiness to still be refreshing. an excellent representation of the style.

 

 

Appearance:
Pours a burnished, ruby red that’s hazy and luxurious. Its off-tan head displays ringed lacing that retains like streaks of icing.

Bouquet:
Sweet, nutty, caramel malts harmonize with a floral breeze of piney hops. For those among you with an acute sense of smell, an inviting aroma of chocolate and fresh baked bread lies hidden deep within. Like a secret, cozy nook in your favorite library, just waiting for you to discover its humble nuances.

Feel:
A light body that falls just shy of medium. Carbonation is modest and gently tickles the palate.

Taste:
Malt and grain flavors blend and flourish like a sonorous symphony of peaceful music. The overall flavor is firmly governed by hop dryness, but it falls respectfully short of bitter. Sandwiched between it all is a thin, gooey, layer of smokey caramel that tantalizes the tongue with a gentle caress of earthy pine needles and toffee.

Special Note:
Apologies to Shiredave, it appears I've utilized similar diction without realizing it. Rest assured, yours is the superior review by my reckoning. Well spoken, sir. *tips hat*

Classy, minimalist label calls this a "Happy, Hoppy Amber Ale". Package date is 2-18-20.
Rich, burnished red maple color- russet brown with glints of red clay runoff.
A tall off-white head is thick and clotted leaving super sticky streaks of lace, sugar glued to the hour glass curves of the goblet.
Aroma is gorgeous and complex -I'm a red Ale kinda guy and this is my nose jam.
Sweet and nutty caramel malt harmonizes with floral and conifer hop notes making this a nose diver to sniff out more hints of chocolate and fresh baked bread.
Inviting is an understatement.
It feels light in body at first, then an almost smokey, caramel sweetness surrounds the tongue in a blanket of earthy pine needles in toffee. Great malt and grain flavors develop and meld in a well choreographed dance on the palate.
Not as full or rich as I expected from the aroma with the hop character pushing forward, and even as it warmed it was just barely medium in body. Hop dryness dominates but is not sharp or over bitter.
The 7% is in perfect balance with the malt and hop flavors at the back end.
Just beautiful.

I love this beer because it's a hybrid of two styles I enjoy: IPA and brown ale...
The look is mahogany brown with a persistent lacy head like the foam on a cappuccino. The smell is like freshly
baked brown bread with a touch of lemon peel. The taste is reminiscent of your grandmothers ginger/molasses
cookies with a bitter, hoppy twist on the finish. Feel is soft and smooth in the mouth with fine carbonation. This
is one of the most refreshing iterations of brown ale I have ever experienced. Try it, you'll like it!