Havre Rouge
Greenport Harbor Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

I had this along with the Goose Island Matilda at Top Hops in NYC. It had a beautiful warm reddish amber color. It holds up a good amount of hops as a Belgian ale. This leads to a fantastic balance. It has a smooth body with a clean finish.

I would recommend as a very drinkable delicious Belgian.

 

Sampled on tap 7/16/2012 at the Blind Tiger Ale House, NYC. It’s been a couple of years since I tried this (and liked it) the first time, so when I saw it on draft at the Blind Tiger, I jumped at the chance.

Hop bitterness up front, dissolving into characteristic BPA malt backbone. Fine head, some lacing. Malt/spicy aroma.

Although not quite as complex and spicy as other BPAs, it is very, very good nonetheless. BPA is easily one of my favorite styles and GHBC makes a fine example.

Pair this with a crab cake sandwich, roasted corn, baked beans and salad, outdoors, of course.

 

swung by the brewery after a day at the vineyards to sample the local offerings. got about a half if a pint sample. brew was a deep amber. nice belgian candy smell with matching flavor. very nice BPA. I w rather impressed. nice candied sugar. ood body pretty full.

A pretty nice take on a Belgian pale. Nicely clear, reddish-amber hued body, small cream colored head, some patchy lacing. Not particularly pale but still looks good. Nose bursts with Belgian candi sugars and yeasty esters, lots of spices and sugar.

Flavor follows nose; sweet with candi sugar, some fruitiness, yeasts, spice, low but present bitterness. Light floral hops, bready malt, black pepper, caramel. Pretty spot-on for the style. Medium-light bodied, assertive carbonation, clean, semi-dry finish has a bit of lingering sugar in the mouth. Well done.

A - A noticeably dark deck varnish brown body. A low fine bead beige head. Clarity is high. Hardly pale at all. I like.

S - Honey. Molasses . Cherry wood. Freshly baked whole wheat and lots of it.

T - Nothing at all like the look and smell of this beer. Surprisingly it smelled of sour milk and mint. Aftertaste trails off.

M - Watery. Sadly disappointing.

D - Great initial impressions but fails to deliver. They get points for trying. Some say, "We should all try to be like the person out dog thinks we are." I prefer to say, we should all try to make beer like the Belgians do.

I had a 16 ounce glass of this at the Amsterdam Ale House on Manhattan's Upper West side. It is described as a belgian inspired red ale but I would say that it is more like a pale ale than a red ale, although it is much darker than a pale.

Pours a dark amber, pretty much brown, with a lowish amount of carbonation.

Aroma is well balanced, as a pale ale typically is. There is a slight hint of the belgian yeast in the nose but really not a whole lot.

Flavor as well is much like a decent pale ale but I don't really detect any of the belgian characterisitics.

Overall a very good beer that I've had a few of over the last few weeks. Easy to drink, not too hard on the palate. I'd recommend.

Pours clear brown color with a 1 inch foamy tan head, with lacing that lasts a while.

Smells of yeast, brown sugar, nut, floral hops, grains, roasted malt and toast. Decent nose overall, but fot as floral as I expected from a Belgian style beer.

Tastes like it smells, with yeast, brown sugar, nut, floral hops, grains, roasted malt, toast, pepper, spices and a slight smoky flavor. Overall, it's sweet and malty with a nice complex flavor like a nut brown ale, but then it trails off dry with pepper and spices like a Belgian ale.

Mouthfeel is on the creamy side, with medium carbonation, which is actually light and on the crisp side. An interesting beer for sure, but it's not for everyone. I liked it and would have it again.

On draft at Sapsuckers, Huntington, New York.

Poured a deep amber hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and no lacing.

The smell featured a sweet caramel, esters and a peppery hop.

The flavor consisted of a soft malt, dark sugars and am earthy pepper.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a tasty and user friendly (dark) pale ale.

Pours dark amber, straight from my Growler into my Greenport Harbor pint glass (Thanks, guys.) Gotta love the local scene doin' different things. Never had a BPA before but I'm digging it. Not pale at all to be frank. Somewhat sweet taste that's nice and malty, thin head that doesn't stick around and absolutely no lacing. Dunno if BPAs are supposed to be "pale" but I'm fine with this one. Light carbonation and very drinkable, had the first half of my Growler with some food and it goes down smooth. Probably gonna finish the whole thing before the night is over. Light ABV but honestly I thought it was a bit higher. Smells clean, nothing special in that department. Overall I think this is a very drinkable session brew, don't think I'll re-visit it though as there isn't much about it that stand out and sticks to the senses. Great effort though from a new local brew.

Was served on tap at The Lark in East Northport, NY. Was served in a pint glass. Should note, absolutely nothing about this says Belgian pale ale, from the color to the taste.

Look: brown, slightly red, clear body with a thin layer of white foam at the top. Poor retention and absolutely no lace is left behind.

Smell: there's not a whole lot here. Bready malt and some honey is mostly what I get but not a whole lot in terms of anything Belgian yeast inspired.

Taste: follows the nose with, well, not a whole lot. Bready malt, a bit of spicy hops, and hints of Belgian flavors that aren't quite potent enough.

Feel: medium towards thin, lightly carbonated, a bit of sweetness in the finish.

Drink: fairly easy drinking but I couldn't see wanting to order a second pint of this.

Overall, not very impressed by this one. Sorry, Greenport. I try to homer you as much as I can but this just doesn't do it. Weakly flavored, out of style (would be better of as a dark ale, but it would still come up short given the lack of flavor in this). Its just not bold enough. Cheers!

Reviewed on 4/25/2010. Growler from Big Z Beverage. Pours a clear mahogany brown with a small white head. Aroma of Belgian yeast, bready malt, light honey sweetness. Flavor of Belgian yeast initially with plenty of spices and some sweetness in the finish. Super drinkable and quite tasty. A pleasant surprise.