Hibernator
Long Trail Brewing Co.

 

 

Fond memories of this beer in the early days when we spent a lot of time in VT when LT was was in it's early years, even visited their first basement tasting window.
Malty and nearly full bodied, this is more a scotch ale in heft and abv.
Not refined, very grain forward with a metallic hop twang on the back end.
More refined these days and not quite as malty-sweet but still nice to have a malty option readily available.

From the bottle, it pours a clear mahogany with a nice off-white head that slowly reduces and leaves some lacing. The nose gets malt with notes of caramel. The mouth follows with a pleasant, slightly bitter, roasted malt flavor.

L: medium to medium-dark amber, very slight head that forms a ring and not much else

S: Toffee with a bit of pine

T: Hoppy and bitter, malt is there but you have to look for it, definitely an Americanized take on Scottish Ale

F: Nice and clean, slightly dry finish, not very thick

O: If you like Belhaven but want more hop flavor check this one out

Very nice brew.
I thought it would be a Dopplebock hence the name, but was surprised to find out it was a Scottish.
Either way, a great holiday seasonal that I would definitely grab again.
At 6%, it drinks easily without being filling, but has a great malt backbone that doesn't leave it boring.
Balanced with precision it's not too sweet or too bitter.
A heavily crushable Scottish.

 

A strong pour was needed to reach a finger of creamy beige foam with short retention and spots of lacing. Almost clear copper-amber body.

Caramel malt greets the nose in the form of subdued candy sweetness with bread dough and faint floral hops.

Semi-sweet with medium-low bitterness, boozy (not in a bad way) Scotch malty taste with a slight alcohol astringency. A transient taste of Earl Grey Tea appears. Baked stone fruits provided the sweetness, not so much caramel in the taste. Bitterness builds to average with a late spicy kick as it becomes semi-dry at the long, pleasant aftertaste.

Medium-light bodied with below average carbonation; big flavors are well balanced. Alcohol is expectedly out in front per style. Good value considering the quality and the price point.

 

Don't sleep on this scotch ale! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). Pours a slightly cloudy dark amber with little head. Good malty body with notes of toffee and caramel apple. Meant to be a winter warmer but screams fall too me. Goes down easy with a pleasant malt-ball aftertaste.

 

Bottled 11/23/22

I gotta be honest, when I saw this on the shelf and saw “Hibernator”, I assumed it was a Doppelbock because of the “-ator” suffix. Getting into it, Imm surprised to see it’s a Scottish Ale, a style I haven’t had in a very long time. Let’s see what this unexpected twist if a beer is all about

Pours a cloudy dark amber with 2 fingers of light tan head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose here shows a balance all around. I’m picking up on aromas of toffee, dark bread, floral hops, red apple, honey, light black pepper, and raisin

In taste it loses that snap, trending on the sweeter side but still not bad. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting biscuity malt, toffee, wildflower honey, red apple, orange zest, and light black tea. The swallow brings notes of red apple, caramel, brown sugar, biscuity malt, toffee, dark bread, black pepper, and light molasses

A medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes sweet and sticky with hardly any bitterness to balance it out

I don’t love this, but I wouldn’t say I hate it either. Definitely sweeter than I would’ve preferred

Emptying two brown twelve ounce bottles into a clear glass liter mug inspired these observations. Its color is bright caramel-amber and despite its darkness, ii's slightly translucent. The head began modestly and receded rather quickly. It was a very light biege color. Sweet malt dominates the aroma, maybe toffee would make a good comparison. Save for the finish, it drinks sweetly, too, but not overly so. Then earthy hops become biting during the finish and the taste transition is a good one. The two flavors are bold enough, yet the malt isn't too sweet and the hops aren't too bitter. Together, they provide some welcomed complexity. After the pleasant color, there's not much to look at, as the head disappears quickly and the lacing never shows. That may indicate the thinness of its body, which doesn't quite hold up to the taste. Still, it's a decent tasting ale.

Long Trail has a few brews I really enjoy, and this is near the top of that list. Absolutely love that they still produce this and their Alts. Nice to take a break from the slew of IPAs. Looking forward to getting more of this, hopefully sans variety pack.

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle purchased from a variety pack. Pours dark brown with little head or lacing. Sweet malty taste up front that fades rapidly. Notes of subtle chocolate and coffee but very subtle. Not bad as its meant to warm on a winter's night.

 

Updated with a review in Feb 2023.

Format and age: 12oz bottle purchased from a convenience store in VT in Dec 2022, bottled Nov 28, 2022.

Cold chain: very good. Stored cold at the store, transported cold, kept in fridge at home.

Impressions: pours deep amber with a short-lived off-white head. Aromas of toffee apple, honey, and a floral hoppiness (smells like a meadow idyll). The taste follows this sweetness, but also brings some molasses-like bitterness on the finish. The aftertaste can become almost medicinal. Medium bodied.

Overall: a good Scottish Ale for an American brewer, but it can become both overly medicinal and somewhat cloying by the end. Still worthwhile seeking out fresh, as there are few fresh options in the style these days.

Clear, deep orange-amber, with slight, quickly-dissipating tan head, that leaves a thin ring and a few tiny spots of lacing.

Smells of toffee, caramel, a slight brown bready note, and a bit of tang , as in rye bread, that fades with the head.

Taste is initially about the same as aroma, but less sweet. There is a toasted brown sugar flavor that comes in on the latter half, but dry and slightly bitter.

Feel is light-medium , bouncing between "watery" and lightly slick. Leaves the tongue feeling lightly coated. Light, very fine carbonation bite.

Overall, it's OK . If it's going to be seasonal, Oktoberfest seems a better season. ;) Comes across as a marzen mixed with a festbier (wiesnbier).