Mankin's Organic English Style Ale
Barrington Brewery & Restaurant / Berkshire Mountain Brewery

 

Reviewed from notes. Bottle to English pint glass. The appearance was a golden bronzed copper color with a finger’s worth of white foamy head that fell off at a decent pace. Mild messy lace. The aroma had some sweet biscuits/clean cereal sweet grains, some grassy hops, light earthiness, touch of floral and a little bit of woodiness. The flavor had the normal malty dryness of an English pale ale coming across clean without diacetyl. Aftertaste was clean biscuits and grassy hops. Finish was the same. The palate was between light and medium bodied with a pretty good sessionability about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt fine. Overall, pretty good as an English pale ale. Probably should have had on tap at the brewpub with some of their fish n’ chips

 

 

 

This is very pale indeed. Closer to yellow than gold. Quite cloudy. Good off white head. Leaves a blanket of lace.

Mild, creamy aroma. No hop.

Relatively sour--like milk left at room temperature. Again, nearly no hop. Disappointing, no caramel, quite thin and no British elements.

Served on-tap at the Barrington Brewery & Restaurant in Great Barrington, Mass., in a 3 oz. beer flight glass.

A: Light, coppery and golden amber in color with a creamy head of ivory foam. Clarity muddled with a slight chilled haze and carbonation was adequate.

S: Toasted grains and herbal, piny hops. A little floral, fruity ale notes as well, but predominantly some slightly musty hops.

T: Semisweet toasted caramel malt up front with a good,fruity ale palate to round the middle. Finish is a good, herbal hop bitterness which leaves a bit of a resin but does not overpower. Solid English malt backbone as well.

M: Light-medium bodied with a slight chewiness, but pretty clean and it has a satisfying enough hop bite.

D: A nice, sessionable English pale which borders ESB territory. I don't know what makes the brew certified organic, but it tastes fresh and well-balanced. Definitely worth revisiting.

Pours a medium gold with an excellent pillow head and excellent lacing. Smell is a deep, yeasty malt..very inviting. Taste follows with a good malt backbone and a decent bitter finish. Mouthfeel is medium with a nice smooth quality. Very smooth and easy on the drinkability scale.

22oz bottle shared courtesy of TomDecapolis.

Poured a deeper golden color with a small sized off white head. Aormas of floral, toasted grains, and earthy. Tastes follow suit of the same toastiness, earthy, grainy and floral. Thinner body.

Notes from 8/29/08

Poured a dark straw hue with a two finger creamy white head. There was very good retention and thick sticky lacing.

The smell featured a light biscuity malt and a touch of flowery hop.

The taste consisted of a doughy cereal malt and a balancing hop.

The mouthfeel was average for the style.

Overall a tasty and easily quaffable ale.

22oz bomber into pint glass.

Clear golden hue with a white thin head that doesnt last very long.

Toasty malts, with not much else grazing the nose. Some light hops to add balance.

Grainy malts are the most prevalent, with maybe a light hop bitterness in the back of the mouth. Thin bodied with good carbonation. Lots of cracker-like malts in the finish, with a tad bit of leafy hops. Very clean finish.

This isn't really an American Pale Ale, more of the English Variety, or maybe a Mild Ale. Still, it's a solid refreshing beer.

Golden straw color with persistent but modest head. Smells like clover honey, fresh-cut hay, and slight tropical notes like lime rind. Beautiful nutty honey flavor, like Bit-o-Honey candy, without being cloying. Grassy, herbal hops provide an edge of bitterness. The beer finishes crips and dry, and begs you to take another sip. Mouthfeel is quite full for such a low-alcohol style.
Classified as an American Pale Ale here, it is clearly an English-style mild or bitter, but regardless of how you classify it, this is one hell of a well-balanced session pint. Outstanding.