Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Ginger Porter from Cambridge Brewing Company 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
On cask at NERAX, 4/27/2005
Dark brown color, thick looking, probably opaque, with a whispy yellow/tan head, low retention. Aroma of ginger, silky chocolate and light yeast. The ginger does dominate, but the brewer makes no pretenses that it shouldnt. For all of that, it is quite a sweet ginger aroma, not astringent or horribly spicy. The flavor, again, is ginger dominated, and it is the focus, but I still thought there was enough chocolate and light roast, with some musty yeast notes, to give a bit more complexity. The body was exceptional, silky, lush and full. Though it was over the top, most people I was with gave it grudging respect. Certainly not a poorly made beer. Funny, because I can’t stand their regular porter.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5.5
On draught, 4/23/05 at the brewpub. Listed as an abbey-single, this was served in a flute. Pale-orange, light copper-yellow color, mostly clear with a small light yellow-tinged white head that is initially small and recedes to a ring. Aroma of grass, light pepper, thyme, mint. Smells like hallertau, but they say it’s saaz. Just more of a grassy, herbal nature, not quite as floral, though there are some strong notes of lavender. Flavor is much like the Saison du CBC, maybe a modified recipe? Take out the rye and you’ve got a honey sweet, herbal and yeasty concoction with a light, not watery, creamy body, full of flower oils, a touch of bitter hops and some light white pepper on the end. Medium-light body, gentle but evident carbonation. Glad there’s no rye in this, that’s for sure.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Saison du CBC from Cambridge Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4
On draught at CBC, 4/02/05, served chilled in a tulip. Light apricot/unripe nectarine color (pale yellow, white gold) though ameliorated by the good amount of haziness. Moderate white head is not well-retained. Aroma of rye, dry bubble-gum, lemon, paper and a bit of dry coriander. Flavor begins very dry, with a big wheat kick and a rye spiciness (20+% rye in the mash?). Regardless of how much rye they used, it tastes like there is a lot. It’s got that spicy, without being flavorful sort of feel to it. Some light Belgian yeast, a bit of chewiness and light bubble-gum. Body steadily grows sour/meaty with a cereal/grainy sort of aspect. Very dry, little to no hops apparency, little to no alcohol apparency. Body is medium and it does not get watery, though the mouthfeel is not exactly as lively and engaging as I would expect. After a couple of swallows, the same rye and dry pale malt, with the strange, almost vegetal sour/bittersweet note gets to be horribly fatiguing. Had I been near a sink, I would have poured this one after about 1/3 the glass. I’ve got to imagine they did not get the desired result out of this batch.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Bitchin Bitter from Cambridge Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
On draught at CBC. Pours a dark brown-chestnut body with a good-sized, creamy, off-white head. Aroma gives notes of walnuts, chocolate, floral hops and not as much fruitiness as expected. Low yeast activity it seems. Flavor is similar, a profound chocolatiness wraps around the palate and is very substantial and lightly chewy. Touches of bitter roast and herbal, minty hops. Definitely some mint nuances in this. Light coffee and base malt on the finish, keeps the flavor true adn the body does not water down. Another top-notch low gravity beer from these guys. Medium body, very low carbonation. Ample lacing and no alcohol apparency, obviously. 7/5/4/3/14
Cask at the brewery, 6/1/16.
Don’t get any chocolate or nuttiness this time around, but rather maybe a touch of roast to the otherwise malty (caramel/toffee) body. It’s still nice and dry and with deliciously juicy melon, cherry and vibrant floral hop notes. Incredibly soft texture with a lot more fruits than remembered, a tight carbonation (cask in perfect condition) and a very high drinkability with moderate bitterness on the end, balancing the maltiness well. Rating is for this sample.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Vienna Gold from Cambridge Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
On draught at CBC, March 16, 2005. Served in a tumbler, well-chilled but not overly so, this beer appeared a copper-yellow with light orange tints. Moderate amount of off-white head is well-retained. Slight chill haze. Aroma is not overwhelming, due in part to it being served in a shaker. Husky graininess, light pils malt and toasted malt, with a dry, yet spicy, hops bitterness (saaz). Flavor is much more explosive than the aroma would suggest. Big dose of sweet toffee and honey up front, great malting, with a smooth, lightly dry, saaz bitterness. Crisp and clean on the finish, some light citrus hops notes are perceived as well (sterling). Body is medium to medium-full but yet wonderfully drinkable, as are so many of CBC’s low gravity creations. You can almost taste the cracked grains in this, as you can in the Regatta Golden. Malt is varied, as well, with some light caramel, toffee, toastiness and honey. A touch of fruitiness is also apparent up front, from the yeast and provides more depth. A bit of astringency on the end, from the graininess and drying hops effect, but it’s minor, and I’d rather this beer tend more dry than sweet. Carbonation is soft and bubbly, no alcohol apparency. Keep em comin, CBC!
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Easy Ryder from Cambridge Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
On draught Feb 2005 at CBC. Deep pale-golden body, light yellow, oxidized copper tones and a big white head. Hmm, smells hoppy, leafy and very bitter. Upon first sip, all notions of this being an "easy drinking india pale ale" go out the window. This is brutally bitter and unbalanced by the hops. Intense biting bitterness with more resulting dryness from the rye. Whew, this needs a huge dose of malt. Unfortunately, all it gets is some sugary pils malt. Sweet honey cream and butter notes. The huge contrast of the sweet honey pils malt flavor to the intensely dry and bitter hops does not seem to work, not for me at least. Perhaps that’s why most brewers use caramel and base malts and not pils. Not saying they have to do like everyone else, but I’m just not a fan of this mix. Almost lightly sour/metallic on the finish. Unripe limes and lemons combine, as well, on the finish. Good body on it at least. . .
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Cerise Cassée from Cambridge Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
On draught Feb 2005 at CBC. Served in an oversized flute, it is quite the appearance. Light beige head, with a deep ruby-red colored body, with fine bubbles rising to the surface. Aroma has tart cherries to the max, with some caramel and maple-like notes. A touch of alcohol and light Belgian nuances from the abbey yeast. Flavor begins very tart, with a very authentic and natural tasting sour cherry flavor. Stays sour and fruity, ending tart and dry, with light yeast and cherry notes on the aftertaste. Peppery carbonation, and a medium to medium-full body. To me, this seemed to head more towards a sour cherry fruit beer and less the Flemish sour I was looking for. No funk to it, not nearly as much Belgian influence as I was hoping in the flavor. Tart it is, and a wonderful cherry flavor, but needs more beer characteristic, (yeast, malt, etc...). Throw some brettanomyces in here and this could be truly phenomenal. Interested to see what effect the barrel aging will have. 7/4/7/3/12
After trying this in about 15 different incarnations since the first batch (well actually just 2), I definitely like the wild yeast version more, but for some reason, it still dosent do it much for me. Very soft acids, a soft carbonation and too little malt character. There just dosent seem to be enough starch or dextrine left to give it a proper mouthfeel. Furthermore, there a rather bland note in both the aroma and flavor that I cant put my finger on. Perhaps barrel tannin or bland yeast? I dont know. Very good beer, though, dont get me wrong. 7/4/7/3/14
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
OG:1.092 FG:1.019 ABV:9.6% Expecting a lot after reading commercial description. Deep black pour, small tan head. Aroma of dark black coffee, stiff ethanol, sharp, dry cognac notes (the barrels that the pinot noir is aged in), some bitter chocolate notes, hints of vanilla. All in all, the aroma is dry to the extreme. Flavor starts out, expectedly, dry, bitter and heavily roasted. Bitter chocolate again, grainy roast notes, some smooth espresso as noted in the commercial description. Unexpectedly, however, the body is thin; severely thin. They got too carried away with all of the barrel aging again, I think. That or they just felt like making a ridiculously dry Imperial. Hey, at least it’s not too sweet. Light bourbon influences on the finish, with a good pinot vinousness, more cocoa notes and some alcohol. Towards the end of the glass, I am bored. The extreme dryness gets rather annoying. Where is the malt sweetness? Slightly chalky body, astringent, with the alcohol being too domineering. I think these guys got on the Barrel aging bandwagon too late. I’m just tired of barrel aged beers. Though, in fairness, you can’t take off points just because you are sick of barrel aging. Regardless, if you havent picked up on it yet, I think this stuff is too dry, astringent, thin and alcoholic. 6/5/4/2/9 Been intending to rerate this forever.... 2014 version, barrels unlisted, draught at the brewery 9/24/24. 10.25% abv. Yeah, there's the huge licorice, dark fruit, larger than is acceptable for contemporary versions amount of roast and low barrel character. But it's not boozey. Soft, silky, roasty, tons of dark chocolate, barrel tannin, brown sugar and lingering chocolate. Comforting enough medium body relative to the style today. Enough heft and light syrup but still fairly dry. Roast and even PNE hop evident but acidity is balanced. Not boozey. Far better than prior experience. Rating is for this version.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
On draught at Cambridge Brewery January 2005. Aged four months prior to release. Alcohol listed this year at 12%. FG 1.020. Served in a snifter for $4.50. Aroma of toffee, raisins, molasses (their big beers all smell like molasses), treacle, dried figs and prunes and light toffee. Color is a medium dark brown, with a small light tan head. Though it says unfiltered, the beer is nowhere near opaque and actually quite transparent on the edges. Flavor begins with a mix of hops, spice and molasses with some caramel sweetness resting faintly in the background. Residual sugars take over somewhat, with notes of prunes, raisins and some touches of vinousness. Dry charred wood flavors also apparent in the background. Finish has notes of maple syrup, more raisins, a bitter hops astringency and some oak mixed with alcohol. The hops burn slightly and then are gone. Feels smooth and lightly silky on the palate, very low carbonation, medium-full body. Though this one seems to be undecided as to whether it’s English or American, I would prefer that it be more richly flavored whatever it is trying for. The hops burn noted up front and on the finish is interesting, but I would rather it be more integrated. Smooth as the body is, it is still a touch watery on the finish. Perhaps it just needs more aging. It’s certainly worthy of a rerate soon.
Lubiere (24605) reviewed Tripel Threat from Cambridge Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Tap at Cooperstown Belgian Ale Fest August 2004. Golden ale with a light coriander aroma . Intense sugar and hops covering the alcohol. Excellent rich bodied ale. 7-4-8-4-16
Golden ale with a thin white head. Light coriander aroma with light butterscotch. In mouth, a light coriander with buttery malt and light peppery notes. Tap at BCTC 2006. 7-3-8-3-14