Thank You (2024)
Maine Beer Company

 

On tap at the Firestone Walker Fest in Paso Robles this year. While the details elude me at this point, I do recall the reps were very enthusiastic and appreciative of my interest in their beer.

 

 

 

Well, thank you too Main Beer Company.

As a throwback taste to an ale of a couple decades ago, Thank You 2024 hits the glass with a bubbly amber appearance, caught in a pale haze. As the froth lifts to the rim, the classic scent of caramel, mild toast and citrusy hops carry a fruity scent with hints of pine into an initial taste of dry granola, toasted sweetness and light caramel.

A shift of flavors happen quickly as the dry malt profile seems to evaporate off the tongue and the citrusy hops bring a taste of pink grapefruit, orange peel and a hint of dried pineapple. Continuing its flavor development, the fruit flavors tighten into a citrus peel type of bitterness woven with torn pine needle and peppery resins for a decidedly dry and bitter finish.

Crisp, clean and refreshing from sip to finish, the classic American ale flavors is alive and well. All be it old fashioned in taste, the balance and cleanliness is quite perfect, smooth and dry in American IPA idealism.

Bottle marked born on 30APR24 poured into a pint glass.

Thank You (2024)

Maine Beer Company

IPA - American

Incredibly crisp and clean! It's what I love most about Maine Beer Co. Crunchy, leafy, and piney hop balanced exquisitely with medium bodied, full flavor malts. The feel is exceptional with its fresh and crisp bite, finishing very smooth.

Purchased at Green Mountain Wine Shop

 

Burnt orange color with thin white head. There is som melon and pineapple in the nose. The flavor is very malt forward like a west coast ipa. Has a bitter almost resinous finish. This is a very good beer.

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a deep golden color with a small fizzy head of white foam. The head fades rather fast, leaving but a trace of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is heavy of a grapefruit citrus smell, mixed with some smells of a bready malt and a touch of grain. Along with these smells comes notes of tropical fruits of tangerine, pineapple and mango as well as a little bit of a floral and pine hop.
Taste – The taste begins with a bready and pine hopped taste mixed with some flavors of herbal and grapefruit hop as well. The later hops remain light throughout, with the herbal growing stronger as the taste advances. Some light sweeter flavors of pear and orange are present throughout, along with a touch of toffee and caramel. The sweet remains very light, only adding a light backdrop to the malt and hop. Toward the end there are pepper notes and a touch of toasted bread, leaving one with a moderately dry, but more malty and dank hopped taste to linger.
Mouthfeel – The body is slightly thicker and chewier with a moderate carbonation level. For the mix of malt and pine the thicker nature of the brew is rather well done, creating a more bready like texture and feel.
Overall – A decent IPA, although from Maine Brewing, I was expecting a bit more.

Amber-orange body, clear; incredibly dense and active carbonation; humongous, long-lasting head, white and spongy with nice density; sticky partial rings and patches of foam cling to the glass. Very nice aroma; citrus and pine-like notes; lemon and orange. Very nice yet subdued taste; modest sense of overall tropical fruit sweetness with a delicate bitterness underpinning. Soft and spongy mouthfeel; a tad weak and watery yet leaves a subtle tactile sense of stickiness on the palate; semi-sweet overall.

'Thank You' is a very nice yet underrated India pale ale. This year's edition exudes understated balanced and complexity with a splendid appearance in the glass. Good stuff.

ABV: 6.2%; pouring temperature: 52 °F; bottling info: 30APR24
Source: local purchase (Weber Street Liquor)

1pt.9 bottle into a pint glass. Bottled 4/23/24, so 2 months old.

Looks the part. Faintly hazy amber body with a small white head leaving decent lacing. Aroma is muted, a little floral and pine poking through. On tasting, bitter, pine over grapefruit, some malt sweetness butts in, but is subdued by a lasting mostly piney bitterness.

Overall, a Thank You to Maine from me, for consistently putting out a very good product, and "doing what's right".

 

Is there a beer Maine Beer Company does not do well? I say no!
This one like all the other IPAs they brew is pine and citrus with a good amount of hop bitterness. Color os dark copper with white head. Great lacing. Pine on nose and taste.

Off-white head, close to two fingers with a great deal of froth and retention, curiously little lacing. Light coppery hued liquid, translucent with a good many tiny bubbles scattered. The nose hits you with cracker and biscuit then pepper and iodine, more tarry than grassy, to me the citrus and tropical fruit scents too dry to register fully, overall tends to clench the nostrils. Full-bodied with a slow carbonated churn which does not alleviate any weight. Biscuity here too, bitter herbaceousness and dry dankness. The peach, mango, melon fruit succinct. Candied orange peel at the end. While I am not the biggest fan of the "super juicy" IPA style in turn this is a little too dry for my palate. But I don't find any outright flaws. (Bottled 4/23/24)

16.9oz bottle purchased from the fridge as a single for $7.99. Bottled on 23APR24, so this is one day shy of six weeks old.

Look: Nice light to medium orange gold color. It also has nice clarity with perhaps just the faintest tinge of haziness. There was a nice eggshell-colored head that has gradually reduced to a thin layer. Nice streams of fine carbonation rising up the glass. There's a bit of sediment so the final pour was a bit hazy.

Smell: Initially, I got an interesting strawberry note. There's definitely berry notes within. I'm also getting green Haribo gummy bears and passion fruit and pineapple - very interesting. That being said, this beer gives the impression that it is going to be on the drier side and have an expected amount of bitterness. It's hard for me to pick up the malts on the nose. I do get a bit of spiciness/pepperiness. Some green bell pepper on the finish after swirling.

Taste: Very nice. Like just about all Maine Beer Company beers that I have had, it's very clean and focused. The flavors mirror the nose, however it does not taste nearly as sweet as the notes on the nose would suggest. It's super drinkable. Up front, it's citrusy and herbal/floral and slightly fruity/tropical. There's a subtle hard candy sweetness, but it's quickly overtaken by bitterness and it really works in favor of the beer's drinkability and refreshing nature. The finish is dry and bitter from notes of citrus pith, rind, and pine resin. I get some caramel malt flavors on the palate after the hop bitterness subsides. While I do think that this beer is tasty, it's not as complex and interesting on the palate as it was on the nose.

Feel: It's very clean. There is a slight chewiness and oiliness to the mouthfeel. Medium plus body. There is also a subtle softness to the mouthfeel. It may be slightly under carbonated.

Overall: It's quite tasty and I enjoy it. However, there are other Maine Beer Company beers that I enjoy much more.

From the website:
Big citrus notes upfront (orange, grapefruit, lemon), followed by caramel and pine, and slight pungency.