Deanf (9781) reviewed Dark Scrumpers from Smugglers Trail Caskworks 4 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Murky brown body and very modest foam. Nice cherry and malt on the nose, like a black forest cake. Flavour is tart cherry, sharp biscuit notes, melloe caramel. A little thin on the finish. This would work well with just a bit more dark grain influence.
Deanf (9781) reviewed Dry Spell from Smugglers Trail Caskworks 4 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Medium yellow body and modest foam. Soft sweet pine on the nose, some lemon zest. Flavour is piney peach, more zest. Smooth and oily, temperate cask. Casual and all right.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Dark brown body and okay foam. Soft light biscuit on the nose, quite mediocre. Flavour is soft biscuit, brown sugar. Smoith with lingering caramel. Mild indeed, a little muddled.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
On cask at Smugglers' Trail, pours a cloudy bright yellow with a small white head. Nose is wheaty, with gentle apricot upfront. Flavour is fruity, with a soft, gentle apricot character, atop a soft wheaty body. There's not much depth, but the palate is above average on carbonation and the fruit mixed well with the malt. Drinkable.
mcberko (47456) reviewed Second Breakfast from Smugglers Trail Caskworks 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
On tap at Smugglers' Trail, pours a clear dull amber brown with a small beige head. Aroma is pretty gentle, with bready malt and some earthy notes. Flavour is laid back, with earthy bready malt dominating. Not much to this here. Pretty uninteresting.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
On cask at Smugglers' Trail, pours a clear golden / bronze with a small white head. Aroma reveals bready malt and some diacetyl. Flavour is along the same lines, with bready malt, a touch of caramel, some bittering hops, and traces of diacetyl in true English cask style. It's not great, but it's drinkable. For a cask English pale, it needs a softer carbonation. Alright.
mcberko (47456) reviewed Wedghead from Smugglers Trail Caskworks 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
On tap at Smugglers' Trail, pours a clear pale golden with a small white head. Aroma seems very hoppy for a kolsch, with a west coast piney hops character upfront and crisp crackery malt. Flavour is likewise quite hoppy for a kolsch (yes, this is the right beer), with biting, bitter piney hops, straw, and crisp crackery malt. Biting and crisp. This is a much more interesting kolsch than most out there. Good stuff.
mcberko (47456) reviewed Captain Stone from Smugglers Trail Caskworks 5 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
On tap at Smugglers' Trail, pours a clear pale blonde with a small white head. Aroma is fairly grainy, with cereal malt and straw. Flavour is clean, with straw and cereal malt. Not much to this. It's rather seltzery. It's alright.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
On cask at Smugglers' Trail, pours black with a small tan head. Nose is gently fruity, with the currants showcasing subtly but upfront, with a touch of roast. Flavour is tart, with lots of currant. I usually don't like this type of fruit addition to stouts and this is no exception. It's not bad; I just don't think the combo works well.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
On cask at Smugglers' Trail, pours a muddy dark brown with a tiny beige head. Aroma is rather earthy, with toasted malt, a bit of the nuts, and some sludgy cocoa. Flavour is malty and bitter, with toasted nuts (though I'm not really getting a very discernible hazelnut flavour), earthy malt, and pronounced bitterness. Too bitter, lacking clarity and cohesion. I like the ambition, but this needs some work.