Maple Red Ale
Bent Hill Brewery

 

 

 

A: appears to be opaque and a watered down cola color, but is crystal clear and mahogany if held to the light; less than a 1 finger tan head that receded quickly to a thin collar; no lacing;

s: smoky maple;

T: follows the nose up front; from the middle through the finish, it's sweet malt and maple syrup; no bitterness;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: quite sweet, which was to be expected;

 

 

 

just my second beer from these guys, i cant pass up anything maple so had to pick this up. its a nice beer as a base, a sweeter red ale, richer, but not overly heavy or palate coating or anything, and the maple is present without being dominant, i think the selected malts work perfectly with the maple element, a smart and professionally made beer. some kilned sweetness and also a sort of nutty aspect to the grain, i get breakfast bread, bran, and almond, and the maple loves all of that. the maple is natural to me, and present through the whole drink, not just at the climax or the finish, nice job with this. its also not any more sweet than the grain is, fermented down to more or less the perfect degree, retaining its obvious presence but not being too much in here, i could easily drink a few pint cans of this. we all agreed this is much more fall than summer, and in a few months when things cool down in this part of the country, this will be a much more drinkable and seasonally appropriate beer. enjoyable offering, somewhat simple, but a good showcase of the maple, and thats all i was after. ill have to check these guys out in person next time i am up this way!

 

 

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch fluffy, off white head over a brown body with some lacing. Head dissipates to a ring in a few minutes and comes back with a swirl or two. Nose of Vienna malt and a hint of maple with a tiny bit of dank hop aromas as well. Taste of maple and malt with ever so slight hop bitterness on the finish. Good feel and overall, not too bad, as it is kinda growing on me. Cheers!

 

draught. not too maple forward. Tastes like hay.

 

This was poured into a becher pint glass. The appearance was a burnt red color with a sly transparent murkiness. Slim finger’s worth of white foamy head quickly dissipated adequately. Spider web filmy lace. The aroma starts with some normal malty nuttiness. And then some sweet maple to slight toffee tones. The flavor leans sweet through the maple sweetness. Rolls right on through into the aftertaste bringing the nuttiness. Finishes sweet and wet and smooth. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a nice sessionable smooth feel to it. Carbonation rides light. Overall, this was an interesting Irish red ale. I guess Bent Hill pulled it off and without infection. Fair enough.

The color is darker than what I would expect for a Red Ale, leaning towards an American Brown.
The smell is a sweet and roasty aroma that is almost like a stout.
The stout hint from the aroma shows up in the taste. The roastiness follows with a mild sweetness (assumed from the maple) without becoming overly sweet. The maple flavor comes at the end as if it was very gentle hint.
On the mouth-feel, this is where the texture is not stout and stays true to what would be expected on a red or brown ale.

Compare to other "maple" beers, ales, and stouts which tend toward overpowering you with maple, I really enjoyed this more subtle approach from Bent Hill.

 

 

 

22oz bottle purchased as a single from Winooski Beverage.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/4" tan head over the clear dark brown brew. Head promptly down to a swirly skim, with leggy lasting lace. Aroma is roasty malts.

Taste follows the nose, stays the course of maltiness from beginning to end, with light bitterness at the close. Very smooth mouthfeel, and drinkability is easy. No real sign of maple for me though. Good beer overall.