Pours amber into a shaker. Head quickly recedes leaving spot lacing. Mild resin aromas. Grapefruit from front to back with a lasting dry resin finish.

Draught snifter at Bukowski’s Cambridge on 10/18/07
Really nice appearance, about as much as you could ask for. Crystal clear bronze-golden with a two-finger white head that is well-retained and leaves light lacing.
I swear though, sometimes conditioning (or filtration) dosent cut it. As in the Charlevoix Triple IPA, this one looks to be in perfect shape, but still comes up somewhat muted by blandness. I don’t know what it was in the Charlevoix and I dont know what it is here, but despite a good start from the hop aromatics, it ends on a rather bland, kind of doughy note. Fruity and not too overdone with citrus and resin, it nonetheless ends too soon. Lemon-lime hop acids, and honey malts are soft, and the bitterness dosent attack the nose. Alcohol well-concealed, but the more it breathes, the more the hops recede and fall in to a doughy-sweet pale maltiness. Some minerals are heavy (relatively speaking) on the finish, and probably stem from the water (all the beers in Maine have a strong house water character).
Snappy orange and lime open up the flavor, but the malts are a bit soft and too soon is the crispness gone, with doughy-sweet sugars and sagging carbonation in their place. I’m exaggerating the effect of the doughiness/sweetness, and it isn’t a bad beer, with lots of straight up C-hop flavor and bitterness, but I don’t see anything unique or particularly interesting, and it does end watery and loose, and too sweet. No flaws or alcohol, however.

My bomber also had foam spurt out of it when I popped the cap. Poured a translucent reddish copper with a creamy, lasting, slightly off white head. Smells alot like a bitter, faint citrus of hops and clean malt aroma. Flavor is all amber ale, sweet malt, caramel, nothing complicated. Finish is watery and clean, very little bitterness. Good session beer, simple but well crafted.

Winter ’06 bottle consumed on 7/8/07
Don’t know if the age helped on this one, but I’ll be damned if I wasnt impressed here. Still a fairly dense, chocolate-beige head atop a dark, maroon-amber body that is quite clear and shows plentiful carbonation. Head retention is moderate as is the lacing.
The black malt really shines through in this one and produces some interesting characteristics. Anise and light coffee show through, and become entwined with the caramel malts and strong ester profile giving off a touch of vinousness, or maybe more accurately, some dry cola-like notes. Sweet base malts comforts the finish as black pepper and fruity and leafy hop notes join in, adding a low, but pleasing bitterness. Soft, creamy body, just short of being too sweet, but keeping in mind it’s a winter warmer, it’s more than amply attenuated. More resin and intriguing black malt notes sit on the finish giving notes of currants and more dry cola.
Aroma is fairly muted, however, only allowing light caramel-vanilla maltiness and a touch of anise to peek through. Alcohol well-concealed in both flavor and aroma, no faults that I could find.
Not an ESA, though I don’t have a better suggestion.

Poured a deep, opaque slightly watery black from the bomber with a very active and foamy slightly off white head. Chocolate, roasted malts and nuts in the nose. Flavor is very sweet and malty, delicious, caramel, nuts, toffee etc. Finish brings the coffee flavor, soft and slightly chalky on the tongue. Very drinkable and enjoyable.

Tap at the downtown Portland brewpub - a solid sessionable IPA - palate-waking, crisp, grassy hops balanced with a malt sweetness that doesn’t become overpowering - quite herbal and floral, lacking the big citrus flavors that many IPAs have, which is a welcome change.

Pours hazy gold into a stang. Bright white micro head quickly subsides to skim rim.I don’t know if I got a bad batch or if they meant to make it taste like this, but it’s great. Sour, tart and lemony. Lasting sour lemon finish. Tastes like a Festina lemon.

Draugh pint at the Portland location on 10/15/06
Mostly dissipating beige head leaves little/no lacing. Very inky black-brown body with very low clarity.
Not a powerful aroma, but what is there contains moderate roast that is smoothed by a creamy vanilla sweetness and just a faint brushstroke of dark fruit on the finish. Warming does indeed help, as the aroma deepens and grows stronger, allowing light chocolate and a mix of char and caramel. No alcohol, though I do think there is a touch of something that smells like glue on the very end (quite faint).
Chocolate, caramel, vanilla cream all wash over the palate. Sweet enough, without too much wateriness and very low hop bitterness/flavor. Roasted acidity is apparent on the finish, but does not overpower by any means. Medium body, medium amounts of carbonation. Very easy to drink. Simple, adequate. Definitely some chewiness which adds a nice touch. No yeast character, no alcohol noted.

Bottle from Belfast co-op sampled on 10/22/2005. Unfiltered, violet-maroon colored body with an initially one-finger high head, blueberry pulp colored. Rapidly recedes to ring/cover. In the nose, it begins, faintly, with dry, dusty, earthy yeast, berry skins, blueberry puree and a touch of barley in the back. Flavor has dry blueberry skins and lightly dry 2-row barley. Not too complex, but light of body, without being watery, and refreshing. Moderate carbonation with a slippery texture. Blueberries and lightly sweet malt, but it’d delivered without flaw. Hmm, can’t think of much more to say.

At this point in the night, on my last sample of Sebago’s beer, I was contemplating stabbing myself with my knife. These beers are sooo bad, I’m sorry, but it needs to be said. On draught at the Portland brewpub, 5/21/2005 with Muzzlehatch. That said, this one was a decent finish to the session. Nitro head remains (beige-yellow) on a dark, almost opaque chocolate brown body. Smells of light sourness (what the hell is that sour note that is in all of their beers?) hints of chocolate and coffee. Watery, low nitrogenation, but enough to kill most of the flavor. Chocolate finish, some light vanilla and roast, simple beer, bits of toasted grain acid. Watery, slick. Medium-light body. Thank god, I’m done with Sebago!