BoiseBrewBlog (9150) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Bottle Poured a murkey brown, like unfilterd apple cider, very enthusiastic sandy colored head and heavy lacing. Aromas of fermented apples, pitted fruit, pears, some cinnimon and a very pleasant earthy note as well. Flavor was almost hard to percive through the electric carbonation. Felt like I was back in the late 70’s with pop-rocks. Woody, plain flavors low on the hops and a noticeable alcohol flavor. Slightly bitter papery aftertaste.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
2005, best before Nov 2006 bottle consumed on 12/4/05. Pours a deep garnet-auburn-magenta with some dark tan-brown hues. Carbonation is fizzy and high, forming a moderate amount of beige head that is poorly retained and quickly dissipates to a ring, leaving little to no lacing. Aroma of sugar plums, dates, raisins, toasted malt and dry toffee, with a light amount of cherry-like fruits and a touch of vanilla-cream-like sugars. Some light floral hops add a touch of bitterness but are otherwise not very apparent in the nose. The flavor shows a touch of diacetyl, though it is quickly passing and turns in to a more creamy-sweet malt and then just a light caramel-raisin-date sugariness, with a touch of fruitiness lingering. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish, but almost no hop flavor. Bitterness seems almost medicinal at the end, or possibly just astringent. No alcohol apparency. Medium body, very sugary and simple overall, with little malt complexity. Texture is overcarbonated and watery on the end, very filtered and lifeless beer, slips over the mouth providing little substantial chewiness or fat malts. Just slick sugariness. Didnt finish it.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Raspberry Wheat from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3.5
A weak yellow with an off-white, pink tinged head that is small and quickly fleeting. No lacing, rather filtered looking. Aroma smells of light hay, wheat dryness and light raspberry syrup, though not very sweet at all. Flavor begins with a rather insipid raspberry flavor, followed by too much wheat dryness and a sourish, strange, muddled yeast character. Lightly acidic, yet it has very little malt and in a general sense, very little of anything. Gets watery and tiresome very quickly. Body is light, mouthfeel is overcarbonated but watery on end. It’s examples like this that give the style a bad name.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Tenure Ale from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
On draught at the Portland brewery, July 2005. Doppelbock, or bock, not really sure, though it was called a double bock by the brewery, so what the hell (actually, the waitress called it a double botch. . .). Pale for a doppelbock, it has at most, a deep, ripened peach color of copper, orange and rust. Some fainter golden tinges as well, with a slight, slight chill haze, though still quite filtered. Thin head upon serving, white and filmy, that quickly runs for the edges providing no lacing. Aroma smells of sourish bock yeast, light and fruity, with sourish peaches, plums, apricots and a touch of toasty, dry grains. Hints of vanilla and orange rinds as well. Flavor shows some good malt extraction, nothing complex, but sweet, sugary, a touch yeasty (light sourish yellow fruits again) and a grainy, bordering on roasty finish. Somewhat syrupy, thick mouthfeel, with low to moderate carbonation. Sugary graininess on the finish, with no real trace of hops, maybe just some leafy, fuzzy hints of bitterness here and there. Yeast lingers on the finish, with a slight warming hint of alcohol warmth (though no off alcohol flavors).
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Sebago Light Ale from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5
On draught at Gritty’s Brewpub in Portland, 6/25/2005. Served cold in a shaker. Moderately deep, hay yellow, very clear and with plenty of bubbles rising, large bubbles that is. Creates a bubbly film along the top, not quite what I would call head, and quickly recedes to nothing after it has breathed and warmed, with no lacing. Aroma is of light pale grains, touches of light sourdough, perhaps, no fruity esters from the yeast, no hops. Flavor is intensely watery. Not exactly thin, but just mostly water in the brewing process, with only some light, dry grains. Tastes good enough for what is there, like a bit of sourdough bread dough, hints of sweaty hay and then just a fade to water, light dry barley notes lingering. Texture is lightly peppered with carbonation on a very wet, filling background of water. No off flavors, but just not a lot of flavor period. No reason to ever order this when you get their lovely cask bitter any time as well.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Scottish Ale from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
2004-2005 bomber shared with Muzzlehatch at the "Crappy Maine beers plus two random Belgians and a Cider" Tasting on 5/22/2005. Dark amber-light-tan colored body, some auburn tints. Small white head is gone in no time, no lacing. Chill haze to the body, not altogether completely filtered. Caramel, light nutty hops bitterness and butterscotch in the nose. Flavor is light diacetyl, standard caramel-toffee, candied oranges, and some light citrus bitterness on the end. Reasonably well-extracted malt providing a medium to medium-full body makes this one enjoyable. Lightly chewy mouthfeel with some thinning on the end as it warms.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
On draught at Gritty McFratkids, 5/21/2005 with Muzzlehatch at the Portland location. Dulled-ruby-mahogany-German-chocolate cake-brown colored beer with a small yellow head, some retention and lacing. Mostly clear. Earthy, resinous, sour nose, with dark berries and yeasts. Nutty in flavor, with some brown sugar like malt, a medium to medium-full body, low wateriness but just not the flavor I’m looking for. Old and stale, too much sour graininess waxing to sweet sugary malt. Another thick mouthfeel. Little to no hops apparency.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Original Pub Style from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5
On draught at the brewpub in Portland, 5/21/2005 with Muzzlehatch. Creamy honey and butter in the nose, light floral hops, notes of oranges. Amber-golden, clear, small white head recedes quickly to ring, with no lacing. Flavor is diacetyl, pale malt, light caramel and graham crackers, with a orange and pine finish, that is more flavorful than it is bitter. Medium to medium-light body, with moderate carbonation and a weak, watery mouthfeel, that seems too heavy for the relative lack of flavor. Maybe they should throw this in the cask.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Best Bitter from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
On cask at Gritty McFratkids in Portland with Muzzlehatch on 5/21/2005. Poured from the handpump, this was, GASP!, clear! Oh my god, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Little bit of yeast in the nose, some lemons, grainy malt and vanilla, with only a touch of papery diacetyl. Flavor even tastes on! Wow, of all places, I did not expect to find a cask in good condition here. Clear golden/light amber, with a small white head, moderate retention, no lacing. Flavor is just sort of lightly yeasty/dusty, bits of grains and very crisp on the end, with hay and straw like English hops. Notes of dry toffee and caramel corn, low diacetyl. Pleasant, very pleasant. And oh so drinkable, medium-light body, not watery, low carbonation and in great condition, as I already said, but wanted to stress again.
Rerate Having had this on two more separate occasions, I have been severely disappointed compared to my first experience. One sample was almost undrinkable. Flat, oxidized, old and dirty tasting. This cask should have been changed long, long ago. Another time, it was average, perhaps slightly below, with too much butteriness and a dirty flavor on the end, lightly sour as well. Score is an average of the three. Seems they don’t care to change their casks properly and just want to sell the whole thing even if it is on long passed when it should be.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Vacationland Summer Ale from Gritty McDuff's 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
On draught at Gritty McFratkids in Portland, 5/21/2005 with Muzzlehatch. If you’ve ever met Barry, you know that he looks like a fratboy, so fortunately we fit right in ;)
This must be a golden ale. It’s got a feathery, light pale malt sugariness, some peachy-fruit notes and a trace of bitterness. Very little aroma, maybe some light fruitiness from the yeast. Clear golden-yellow with a rapidly dissipating mass of white bubbles, no lacing. The carbonation is fairly low which allows for mass consumption quite easily. Bit of wateriness, no real complexity, maybe a hint of citrus in there. If this isnt their lightest beer, I would hate to try the one that is.