Gritty McDuff's Maine's Best IPA

Maine's Best IPA

 

Gritty McDuff's in Portland, Maine, United States 🇺🇸

  IPA Regular
Score
6.33
ABV: 6.8% IBU: - Ticks: 17
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5.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

12 oz. bottle. Color is a caramel maghony with weak lasting white head. Aroma weak earthy pine and herbal notes.

Taste needs some help. Caramel toffee base with a slightly sticky texture. (WAY too much crystal malt) The hops are overly herbal and bold pine. The hops just come off astringent. Maybe I had an older bottle but… I doubt it. Sugar and astringent hops, no thanks.

Tried from Bottle on 27 Jun 2016 at 12:26


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

LSAT Freedom Trip #49. Keg at the Auburn location. Clear copper, thin foamy white head, fair retention. Aroma of citrus, lemon, pine, caramel. The taste is citrus, mild pine, caramel malt. Medium bodied, lingering bitterness. Decent, but no longer Maine’s Best IPA.

Tried on 05 Oct 2015 at 18:11


6.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

On tap at the brewpub. A clear, dark golden beer with a minimal sized off-white head. Rather malty aroma, with a grassy, light piney touch. Decent bitterness in the flavor, it’s medium bodied and smooth on the palate, soft carbonation. Grassy, piney and generically fruity. Long, soft finish. Boring, easy drinkable. 150609

Tried from Draft on 10 Jun 2015 at 19:48


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Draught @ Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub, Portland, ME
Pours hazy deep golden with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, some fruitiness and hint of citrus. Taste is medium sweet and light to medium bitter with a long malty, fruity and citrus finish. Body is medium, texture is thin to oily, carbonation is soft.

Tried on 10 Jun 2015 at 19:30


6.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Part of their mixed pack on my trip to Maine. Pours a deep amber colour, clean, with a frothy off-white head and decent lacing and retention. Mild grassy nose with fruity malts. Wet mouthfeel with a little dryness in the end. Caramel malts with the hops. One of their better brews, but still, nothing too fancy.

Tried on 20 Aug 2014 at 23:08


6.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Reviewed from notes.
The appearance had a light golden colored body with a small off-white head that disappeared within a couple seconds, it left a slightly foamy lacing around the glass and rings as it went down, there was a decent amount of bubbles that came up.
The smell had some hops and just a bit of pine and citrus.
The taste had hops, but it wasn’t heavy or overbearing, some of the pine and the citrus comes back at the end.
On the palate, it sat at/about a medium, and was fairly sessionable. There was a moderate amount of harshness on the tongue, no aftertaste or finish.
Overall, this was a pretty decent brew and I might have it again. However, I would most likely lean towards to trying to get it on tap somewhere.

Tried from Draft on 16 Apr 2014 at 10:58


6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

12oz bottle from a Hannaford Supermarket in Kennebunk, ME. Golden amber with a tight cream head; aroma of orange and caramel; soft orangey taste; and a soft orangey finish with some lingering fresh piney hops. Not bad, but not really an IPA in the modern style.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Mar 2014 at 17:05


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Keg at the Portland branch. Pours clear gold with a creamy white head. Bready malt nose, some pine needles. Medium sweet flavor with upfront alcohol, light dry pine, semi-dark bread, ripening orange. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Sweet finish with alcohol, orange, pine needles, bread. At best this is average.

Tried on 27 Aug 2013 at 09:37


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

9th August 2012
GBBF. Light haze on this amber beer. Smooth palate with a little fine carbonation. Quite a sweet IPA this one! The pale malt has a subtle estery note of sweet banana and bubblegum and also some honey. The citrus hop is also quite sweet. Finishes dry. Nice.

Tried on 27 Oct 2012 at 06:33


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5.5

Location: 12 oz bottle from a 6 pack, a gift from the in-laws from their recent visit to Maine, I have no idea where it was purchased, 8/29/12, as "Maine's Best IPA"

Aroma: The aroma is fairly muted, with earth, grapefruit/citrus notes, caramel, and a little butter
Appearance: It pours a caramel-orange color with an inch thick foam of beige colored head
Flavor: The flavor is way too butter heavy, with some bitter hop notes and a little caramel sweetness
Palate: The body is medium, it has a smooth, creamy feel, and a lengthy, dry finish to it
Overall Impression: This one would have been a lot better if it wasn't for that annoying buttery flavor that pops up. The other components are there, and even sneak out a bit as the beers warms, but they just can't completely overcome that weird buttery flavor. I'm being a touch repetitive intentionally, because that's my Maine (pun intended, sorry I couldn't resist) recollection of this one. Even though it is out of character, I'll skip the "Maine's Best IPA" joke. With a little work I could see this one getting better. Maybe one of the 5 remaining bottles will change my mind and force a re-rate?

Tried from Bottle on 29 Aug 2012 at 15:54