Holiday Helper
Smartmouth Brewing Company

From the can, it pours a brown color with a light tan/off white head that slowly reduces and leaves lacing. The nose gets a dose of piney scents with some other spice. The mouth follows with the slightly piney taste coming through.

 

I don't see any date listed on the can. There are some sparse spots of ink on the bottom but nothing is legible.

Appearance: The body is murky brown. Shadows aren't visible through it. The head is a slightly off-white color that takes on the appearance of a light tan-cream color. It has a fluffy head that has very good retention.

Aroma: It has a spicy and pine-like hop aroma mixed with some dusty chocolate smell. A light bit of mint character is in the background. The aromas don't quite work together but they are very prominent. The more the aroma lingers under the nose the more attractive it becomes. It starts to smell a bit like an Andes Mint.

Taste: Up front there is chocolate, pine and mint. Towards the middle of the mouth all of these flavors spring into the foreground but the pine takes on a bit of a spruce-like flavor while the chocolate fades to the back. Hints of menthol creep in at the sides and sustain to the end of the sip. The beer has a noticeably fresh hop quality which is very nice. There is also a pleasant earthiness to the beer. It is a very interesting beer to drink.

Mouthfeel: It has a sharp, fresh, citrus-like and pine-like hop bitterness. The body is medium-light and resinous. It works well with the beer.

Overall: It's an interesting beer. The beer focuses on this interesting pine and spruce hop character that brings along mint and menthol on the ride. The can states that "THIS ALE BOASTS A CRISP, SWEET, SPICY AROMA" and that "IT'S CHOCOLATE CARAMEL MALTS STAND UP TO THE SPICY CENTENNIAL AND RYE FLAVORS." Often times these descriptions seem like they were written by somebody who hasn't tasted the beer, but in this case the person writing it definitely has tasted the beer and described it perfectly. There is this dusty chocolate character that floats under the spicy hop characters of this beer. The whole thing is just very interesting. It probably won't be a beer for everyone so it might be worth a single pour first. I would drink it again and I would recommend it to those who are looking for a festive holiday beer that focuses on interesting hop and malt characters rather than the usual spices.

Good Red Ale. Poured from a 12 oz. can into a pint glass. Big antique white head and thick bands of lacing on the glass. Good head retention. A pretty , slightly hazy reddish amber color. This is a great looking beer. Aroma is strong, sweet caramel malt and mild hop bitterness. Taste is more of the same. Rich maltiness, overall moderately sweet with a bit of hoppiness for balance. Mouthfeel is rich, malty with some hops balance. Goes down real easy!!!! A good Red/Amber ale. I would drink this one again!!!!!

 

L: Poured from a tallboy can to a pint glass. Had a bright amber color and a cloudy consistency. There was a 1 1/2" foamy / rocky, off white, long-lasting head. Fantastic lacing.

S: A decent, but underwhelming, aroma of hops, sweet malt, a grassy quality, caramel, and citrus.

T: Tasted of a moderate amount of sweet malt (mostly in the finish), a bit of citrus (orange, for the most part), a fair shot of hops, some caramel, and a floral quality. This is a decent enough flavor, but a little on the uneven side. It's not quite hoppy or sweet enough, but it still manages to make an impression.

F: A fair amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: On the whole, this is a beer with some good and mediocre qualities. Worth a look, though.

 

I'm trying this at the brewery. The beer poured a clear amber with thin white head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had hints of bitter hop. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with spice competing with sweet malt. The mouthfeel is medium in body with good carbonation. Overall it's a solid beer.