Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Big Twitch from Marshall Wharf Brewing Company 10 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draught at the brewery, 6/20/15
Reddish-amber, clear with a medium sized off-white head that slowly recedes to cover.
Interesting nose, I will give it that. Not your usual tropical/juicy fruit hop salad, yet nor is it a citrus/pine concoction. Rather, you’ve got leafy green spruce notes, with a touch of wintergreen, dry pine and plentiful cherry-like sweetness. I guess this is some ester and it’s quite interesting and unique. Reminds me very, very much of something like Gales Christmas ale or Harveys Christmas ale (can’t remember off-hand without going back and looking at my reviews). Sugars are light, though, mostly just pale malts and no weird bubble gum or cotton candy, nor is there any alcohol.
The flavor is even more akin to these traditional English christmas ales (and non-christmas ones too, the christmas ones are usually stronger, so it reminds me of those particularly). Sweet, yet nowhere cloying, with green, lush hops, a touch of candied orange and dry pine all balancing each other well. Ample carbonation helps relieve the high gravity nature and the malt is still well-attenuated yet sumptuous. Delicious cherry ester character lingers on, and increases with warming.
Not rating this as an American Double IPA, but more of an American/English Strong Ale hybrid.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draught over the years, most recently at the brewery, 6/20/15
Even in the brewery’s 7oz glass (which is the largest they offer), this thing still manages a large, off-white/beige head that is really well retained for a non-nitro stout. The body is a fairly clear, drab mahogany with very minor amber/ruby highlights.
Light sourdough, milk chocolate nose is quite unique. Not your typical coffee/cigar/dark chocolate roastiness. Of course, this is a small beer, so it’s bound to be a little more tame/mild, yet I’m surprised they get as much softness/suppleness out of the malt character. Seems like they must add back in some new pale malts to it, or maybe my expectations are always so due to Anchor Small beer being my introduction to the style, so many years ago (wow, what a terrible beer that is). Soft roast, like a blonde roast coffee, touches of vanilla and even light cinnamon, with a pinch of leafy, green, floral hops. No alcohol or diacetyl.
Flavor is similarly mild, with light milk chocolate notes and spicy hop notes balancing. I see the complaints of it not being roasty enough, but it certainly dosent bother me. As not much of a dark beer enthusiast, it’s nice to see a bit easier drinking stout; the damned things are always so bitter, roasty and difficult to drink. But of course, that’s a matter of preference and this one strikes me almost perfectly. Medium maltiness, moderately bitter hops and a touch of water/mineral character. Moderate carbonation, maybe a bit above average for a stout, makes it come across lighter than it may actually be.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draught @ Novare Res Bier Café, Portland, ME
Pours clear golden with a white head. Aroma has notes of malt, citrus, grape, floral and orange. Taste is medium sweet and medium bitter with a long orange and citrus finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft,
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draught at 3 Tides, since debut, and pretty much every time I’m there (which is frequently).
My favorite beer these guys make and my go-to every time I’ve tried their newest offerings. Tastes great in Summer and Winter regardless and though they use a bit sweeter malt profile to balance the salinity of the oysters, I think it actually works to make the beer much more drinkable in general. Unlike most of their other stouts, which are very roasty and challenging to session with, this one comes close. Still can’t exactly down ’em, but it’s softer on the palate, with less acidity and charred flavor. Mouthfeel ranges from slick to almost creamy and the beer slides down the throat leaving behind notes of raisin, dark chocolate and vinous berries. Maltiness increases with warming, of course, and it becomes a bit more sumptuous and delightfully flavorful.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draught at 3 Tides, various vintages over the years.
Deep, dark mahogany beer has deep magenta highlights on the edges and a light tan head that shows medium retention.
Big caramel malt nose has dry toffee, licorice, vanilla liqueur and a strong, dark fruitiness to it. Hops are mild, adding a light leafiness to the nose, but otherwise, this is a massively malt-driven beer. Some alcohol warmth appears on the end, with warming.
Somewhat more dry/dark-malted than your typical scotch ale. This one has the tell-tale MW acidity/grassiness with bold caramel flavors emerging on the end. Berries, raisins, prunes and such help provide balance. Maltiness, as always, is heavily comforting. And the best part of all of of their malty beers is the high attenuation, relieving the palate for the next sip. Vanilla, toffee, licorice and luxurious alcohol notes linger on the lengthy finish.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Little Toot from Marshall Wharf Brewing Company 10 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draught at 3 Tides, various vintages
Of their small beers (this, Little Mayhem, Pinchy), this is very much my favorite. Probably wouldn’t even guess it to be a small beer blind, as it’s free from most of the problematic characteristics that many small beers have: astringent, tannic malt flavors, prone to heavy wateriness, thin or washed out texture, diacetyl, etc...
This guy drinks just like a lovely APA with soft, floral hop notes intertwined about very light caramel notes and only a moderate fruitiness.
Nothing tannic or astringent in the flavor, just soft malts that seem to dissolve in to a bouquet of hops and a clean, watery (to-style), drinkable finish. The texture never gets harsh or scratchy, nor are the hops overdone in bitterness. Some sticky sweetness actually persists, since T2R9 is such a malt monster. But it works very well here and helps balance the robust hoppiness.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Draught at the brewery, since debut and onwards.
Thin, fizzy white head recedes fairly rapidly to nothing, leaving a glassy-looking amber beer in its wake.
Plentiful phenols in the nose show the fermenation of the honey; vanilla, black pepper, a bit of waxiness and some sweet honey notes as well. Touches of alcohol warmth seem intentional, while very soft fruit esters slowly collect on the nose.
Sticky, almost chewy texture certainly shows the blue agave infusion while the wheat softens things and helps balance the strong spicy pepperiness. Corn, vanilla, honey and light white bread all play about, with a somewhat light, but fizzy carbonation that their wheat beers seem to have (this, weisse grip, Dr. Dunkles). Phenols build up considerably upon warming, on the finish, fatiguing the palate somewhat, while a grassy sharpness builds as well. Ultimately, I love the idea, but it’s too much alcohol for me without enough to really brighten/lighten the palate.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Draught at 3 Tides, since debut, most recently 2010 or 2011
Small, charred-beige head sits atop a dark ebony body, with indeterminable clarity. Retention is fairly strong.
Coffee in the nose is complemented by vanilla, sweet caramel and a spicy/floral blend of hops. Fruitiness is quite high, and there’s a very livelly roastiness emanating from both the malts and the coffee infusion. I like how even MW’s darkest, roastiess beers have a very piquant, playful fruitiness to them. Alcohol is free from the aroma and no flaws as always.
Soft, creamy malts add light fudgey-laden cocoa notes to the palate, as a bitter roast emerges and deepens, being joined by plums, dark berries and plentiful acidity from both coffee and barley. Coffee is certainly present, though no where near dominant. Thick, medium-full body nonetheless does not cloy, as attenuation is good. Very assertive vanilla, caramel and dry, bitter coffee notes all build on the palate in a fairly good balance, though I will say the bitterness/acidity probably wins out. A bit too much for my weak tastes, but massively flavorful and good on a cold night.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Draught at 3 Tides, since debut
Deep mahogany-colored body is topped by a moderate amount of light beige head that is well-retained. Low clarity.
Lightly sweet caramel is heavily flecked with a very peppery phenol character that also adds clove and light cinnamon to the mix. Low on the banana ester (yay) and with no sign of alcohol. Aroma strength is medium, but gains much more maltiness (dry chocolate, graham crackers, peanuts) as it warms.
The flavor has a very strong malt backbone, not terribly sweet yet with enough interesting malt flavors (chocolate, caramel, graham crackers) to balance the dryness of the spicy phenols. A bit of alcohol warmth sits on the finish, as well. Carbonation is a bit sharp/fizzy, the texture being somewhat slick.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Draught (carb and nitro) at 3 Tides since debut.
Inky black body with a large, moderately well-retained tan-grey head.
Bright, poignant coffee-like roasted notes in the nose mix with softer cream and chocolate malt notes with light minerality and a dry end to it. As with most oatmeal stouts, especially the nitro version, not a huge amount of aroma, but certainly no alcohol or flaws, either.
The flavor is, like many of their stouts, quite challengingly acidic/very heavily roasty. Certainly there’s plentiful malt depth and a soft, creamy texture, but it’s got a lot of the flavor that I associate with heavy melanoidin-rich doppelbocks (a strong fruity-acidity). Just intensely dark malt driven here. I guess this is a heavy addition of unmalted, roasted barley. Dark berries, plumskins, green coffee beans...that sort of thing. Light chocolate sweetness emerging, with warming. A sipper for sure, and very assertive. Very well-made stuff, despite my preference for lighter beers.