Zoe
Maine Beer Company

Bottled 4/28/15

First thing I notice as soon as the 'Falcon pops the top in less than 12 parsecs is the layers that wash through my nose.

Once it reaches the glass, even with reasonably careful pouring I am still staring at two fingers of worth of pale creamy head that almost reaches stiff peaked egg white consistency. Body is dark ruddy amber fading to pale at the edges.

That nose I spoke of though... There's notes of blunt pine and of spice and of a bit of fruit and certainly some creamy biscuit/caramel supporting cast.

Wow. I'm not generally a fan of ambers/reds, but this is incredible. Starts off thick and bitter. Spicey and pine come through before the middle portrays little feints of sugar so that the lingering deep third deep woods bitter doesn't present solitary. Sure enough there's bits of bitter and sweet chocolate and bitter citrus. I'd almost consider this a long lost missing link between GREAT IPAs and GREAT CDAs.
Mouth is reasonably thick and creamy, though it does taste bigger than 7.2%. Not straight ethanol, mind you, but I probably would have guessed another 1-2 percentage points or so.
I was expecting this to be a solid offering, but I'm blown away. Would probably drink A LOT of this if I lived in its distro

How is this the #1 red/amber. Not even close imo. All it is, is hops. I would not call this a red, or an amber. Very pine and citrus. This is not even a top 100 red or amber imo. Probably not a top 500. Fat Tire, Alien Amber, Smithwicks…all better. I could go on and on. Kiltlifter.

 

 

Mahogany color. Big, beige head. Bread, toasted caramel, and earthy hops in the area. Strong, hoppy bitterness in taste, which is surprisingly pleasant. Probably the best amber I've had.

 

On draught at the brewery 10-18-23. Finally putting my notes in 10-6-24.
1" head with good retention down to a full cap and leaves behind full lacing.
Amber body with good clarity, clean - not opaque but not quite see through.
Lightly roasted and earthy in the nose. Weedy, leafy hops.
Earthy malt and orange peel plus leafy hops in the flavor. Appealing combo.
Fresh tasting and lean mouthfeel.
Very Good to Outstanding.

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The brew pours a clear brownish red-amber color with a one finger fizzy head of off-white foam. The head has a decent level of retention, fading over time and leaving a touch of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is strongest of a lightly toasted brown bread smell mixed with aromas of a light coffee and some char. Other aromas of a pine and herbal hop and a touch of sweet caramel and dark fruit of cherry and plum are there as well, creating a rather toasty and inviting smell.
Taste – The taste starts with a very nice blend of toasted malt flavor with a nice caramel and toffee background. There are also some very complimenting pine hop flavors mixed with a bit of earthiness. As the taste advances the sweet gets a bit stronger, with more caramel and toffee, along with a bit of cherry and raisin. While it gets sweeter in the middle of the taste profile, it later dries out a bit, all while more pine and a bit of herb join in. There is a touch of coffee and some hay that come on at the very end, leaving one with a nice, lightly toasted and rather hop balanced taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is average. Very well done for the mix of toasted malt, sweet, and hop. Very easy drinking, with all flavors being able to stand strong.
Overall – A very nice amber ale with a very balanced and flavor forward taste and excellent drinkability. Quite excellent.

 

I had this on draft 4/30/24 @ the Hopleaf.

Mostly opaque red/orange appearance.

Nice khaki head; thick tree-rung lacing remained.

Grapefruit, artisanal soap & faint caramel notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Grapefruit & faint brown sugar flavors up front; artisanal soap notes on the finish.

Pungent but pleasant. I'd have another.