Sparhawk Golden Ale
Sparhawk Brewers

One of the last beers from Maine I have not had yet until now. Pours a clear golden color with little head on it. Smells a bit weak, somewhat sweet smell. Taste is a lot better, nice sweet flavor with some citrus notes, a bit of bitterness. Mouthfeel is good. Overall I was pleasently surprised. A nice summer beer, simple but pretty good for the money.

Nice honey color with massive carbonation,two fingered head.This smells OK,but light, some spices.
The taste has a little hops and yeast,but not much else.This is a weak, watery taste,not ale/like at all.You could drink this all day,but that may not be a good thing.I don't think I'll try this again,it's just too light.

On tap at Three Dollar Dewey's in Portland Maine. Clear yellowish orange color. Very short 1/4" head. No lacing develops. The aroma is barely detectable, as of some light grass and malt are faint. The flavor is fairly simple and mildly boring as light malt, hint of lemon zest, soft bitterness and a touch of sweet fruitiness are decently balanced.

Light body. Mouthfeel is crisp at the start. The finish is somewhat dry and very clean. This is an easy sippin' brew with not much to excite the tastebuds. Probably good on a hot afternoon.

12oz brown bottle. Freshness date stamped on label.
It pours exactly as a Golden Ale should. Pours a shiny golden color with a medium-sized snow-white head and some patchy lacing.
The aroma is rather subdued with some smells of cut dried wood and lightly roasted grain.
A nice whole cracked grainy malt melds with a noticeable woody taste.
A light taste of pear skin and citrus peel gives this brew a distinct and edgy astringent bitterness...not at all unpleasant...and very much in the character of the style.
It sweetens a little as it warms, making it more gulpable as the glass empties.
This is a good hot and humid day beer!

Attractive pour, although a little light in the head. Dark side of straw color, thin bone white head that sticks to the glass nicely.

Slight hop aroma to an otherwise grasslike light malt smell. Very light flavor as would be expected in a golden ale. Refreshing with a nice hop finish, but not very complex. Pretty good body for the style. More flavorful than a Molson Export Ale, but still is a very light example of an American Pale Ale.

12oz brown bottle. Heavily carbonated and lively light amber that’s a bit haze stricken. Massive fluffy white froth that settles to a semi-clingy lace.

Fairly neutral aroma, faint must and esters, touch of hops. Nothing that stands out or invites.

Smooth and crisp on the palate. Light and fluffy. Sharp carbonation tingle. Lots of esters in this beer, with flavors from berries to apple. Touch of apple skin in the flavor and feel. Little sweetness. Light hop character, faintly citric and rind-like with some leafy tannins and herbal edge. Dry finish with lingering grain tannins.

Contract brewed by Casco Bay, this is a fairly average beer. That said, it’s a very decent session beer, highly drinkable and could be a could conversion beer.

In short, I found myself liking this beer. It pours with a vibrant golden yellow color and a thin lacy head. Aroma is pleasant with a bit of hops and grain welcoming you. I didn't notice any skunkiness at all. Even though the taste is not overly complex, I could see how this would be refreshing on a hot summer day. It is a bit filling though as someone else mentioned. This is their first brew, but I was told by a rep that they have an IPA in the works too.

Picked up a 6 pack for a BBQ today. Seems there's only one beer listed from this brewery? I really do enjoy their logo.

Pours very nice gold with a thick foamy head with good retention. Smells like a beer, basically. Mainly hops, wheat, and alcohol. Taste follows with a very typical beer-y taste, but slight sweetness that arises midsip. It was OK. I had a couple but couldn't bring myself to a third, my interest waned.

Presentation: 12 oz bottle with a drink before freshness date on the side of the label.

Appearance: Thin white lace with some retention to be noticed. Good clarity

Smell: Musty diacetyl, herbal woody hops and a mix of toasted nutty grain and mild fruitiness.

Taste & Mouth Feel: Incredibly crisp and smooth with a fluffy moderate body, lightly pungent upfront of hops and buttery musty diacetyl. Hint of fruitiness and dry malt character. The malt is almost cookie-like(short bread) in flavor. Finishes with a faint dryness donning a long lingering hop flavor.

Drinkability & Notes: A simple yet tasty ale, I could see knocking back a couple of these to change the pace.

I got this one as a sample from my boss. I was interested from the start to try a new beer I'd never heard of before. It poured with an excellent golden huge and a beautiful and creamy head, about 1 and 1/2 fingers. It had the aroma of country air. The mouthfeel was gritty dry and not very smooth, with hidden spicy notes and an herbal flavor. This one is very drinkable and would be more enjoyable to me in the summer.

Pours a one-finger cream head that stays leaving a thick lace. Clear pale amber color. Light-medium carbonation. Faint hoppy nose. Starts and finishes clean and crisp with an even mix of hops and malt but there is a wierd metallic/cardboard after taste. $1.49 for a 12oz bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Pours a light golden color with a fairly thin white head. My nose is greeted by a very crisp hop aroma. It's very nice! Smells like a high quality pale ale. The taste reinforces this. It starts very clean with a clear hops taste, which is bitter but by no means overpowering. The hops are balanced nicely by a malt presence, which allows the beer to finish with almost a sweet ending. The mouthfeel is very smooth with just the right amount of carbonation. This beer is so smooth and easy to drink it could easily become a mainstay in my fridge if I could get it more easily. A very nice pale ale!

12 oz bottle with a green label. Pours a mostly clear, golden amber body with a large, ivory head. Good head retention, active carbonation, and immense sheeting of lace down the glass.

Aroma seems to be Saaz hops, that almost have a Euroskunk aroma.

Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and medium bodied.

Taste has a defining, Saaz hops flavor. Some pale malt is underneath, but this is a very bitter ale, overall. Finish is crisp and refreshing, but a bit unbalanced.

Not a bad ale, but this one seems to be struggling to find its niche. I didn't care for the hops in this one. A little work, and this one could be a Maine all star.

I sampled the Sparhawk Golden Ale, in both bottle and draft, on a recent trip to Maine and found it very palatable. This beer does not have a real robust flavor for a Pale Ale but nonetheless presents a nice balance of hoppiness and maltiness. The draft version was much richer and poured slightly darker than its bottled version.

From what I understad, this brewery was just lauched this year and the Golden Ale is their only offering to date. I like supporting small breweries and enjoyed this green labled selection.

The beer pours a pale yellowed gold, topped with a thin, white foam. Good clarity. The head dies out to a thin collar after a couple sips, keeping through the glass, but leaving no lace.
The aroma is lightly malty, perhaps some pils malt. Pretty clean, with a slight grassy and floral esteriness. A bit grainy and bready. Wierd hops, with a bit of spiciness suggesting saaz, along with some grass and citrus.
The flavor starts with mild pale malt, a bit of pils malt corn and graininess. Slight lime, grass and floral esters in the middle, traveling lightly into a moderately hoppy finish. Mostly grassy, with a bit of citrus and floral flavors. A touch of soapiness right in the swallow, with a bit of husky grain and grassy hops lingering in the aftertaste. Light bodied, with stable, comfortable carbonation. The mouthfeel is a bit rough edged, which actually adds to the hops and creates a more pleasing beer.
A decent brew, but the hops are kind of strange. I'd definitely drink a whole 12 pack if I got one, but not somethng I'd make a regular out of.

Wow, My first added beer and establishment all on the same day. I'm a little verklempt.

This beer appears to me to be the work of the folks at Shipyard, under the Sparhawk name. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Pours a golden yellow with a nice foamy white head. Minimal lacing and retention. Smells quite floral with the hops rising to the top. The taste is sadly a lot like any other american pale ale. Slightly malty upfront, a bit of diacetyl in the middle, and a somewhat unbalanced hoppy ending. Mouthfeel is low to medium with some bubbly carbonation. It's pretty cleaned up for the masses to consume, assuming it's distributed outside the Portland area.