Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
A step up from the Wachussett Blueberry. Slightly malty taste with a sweeter blueberry flavor. Light bodied, fizzy. Decent, drinkable. Still, too much concentration on the blueberry aspect.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Stone Cat Winter Lager from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Dark dark chestnut brown. Very small off white head, rapidly disippating. Has a slight aroma of molasses and brown bread and some caramel malt. Opens up moderately sweet, brown sugar and honey. Body is quite thin, but as it warms the finish is wonderfully flavorful. Slight roast, touch of hops bitterness. Normally I wouldnt rate a beer this light too highly, but it has such a great flavor. Much better, thankfully, than Ipswich winter ale.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Contract brewed for Periwinkles in Essex, MA. Not sure if this is an APA or a blond ale and for that matter, not even sure if this is distinct from their other contract brewed ales. Need to call the brewery and find out. Alpha hops, slightly soapy, bitter, some malt, quite uneventful.
Oakes (33493) reviewed Winter Ale from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Cloudy beige-brown colour with a thin caramel head. Light caramel flan aroma, some earth, faint pear. Earthy flavour, with light cocoa, and a hint of roasty astrigency.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Nut Brown Ale from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Pours a nice dark brown, with some lighter chestnut brown tones. Faint aroma, dry nutty, some coffee and malt. Very similar recipe to their porter and is basically just a toned down version with toffee/nut malt in place of the bigger chocolate. As body warms, is very mild and smooth. Dry hops flavor on the finish, mildly acidic, quite bitter. Good balance as usual from Ipswich. Could stand a good amount more flavor though to really make me want to drink this. I'll take the porter or the dark any time over this.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Stone Cat Pumpkin Ale from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
2003 bottleI was blown away that this was as dark as it is. Brown with some reddish tinges, not quite opaque. Yellowish-beige head that disappears rapidly. Good lacing. Aroma of light pumpkin pie spice and some bigger malt and hops spiciness. Begins with a smooth, moderately syrupy malt texture with some interwoven pumpkin spices. Quite sharp and spicey, but not overpowering. Beer has a medium body, fades somewhat as it warms, but the flavor has some complexity to it. A bit of raisiny alcohol. A hint of tobacco on the finish. Like an English Brown ale with pumpkin spice in it. One of the best pumpkin ales I’ve tried yet. Carbonation is very light. Still though, pumpkin is about 60% of the focus and beer only 40. I’d prefer a nice brown ale first, with some subtle pumpkin spice.7/4/7/3/15 2004 bottle Not nearly as good as I remember, but pumpkins are quite variable year to year, that’s for sure. More spice, not as dark and the biggest problem was a hugely noticeable charcoal/ash flavor on the end. Not roast, but charcoal, almost like tobacco leaf perhaps. 6/3/5/3/11
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Winter Ale from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Darker brown, quite muddy with some brownish red tinges. Good amount of sediment floating around. Small off white head. Lots of lacing. Smells very unique. Coffee? Lots of moderately bitter hops flavor. This is unlike many other beers Ive had. Maybe has some blueberry but this is probably from the barley. Quite the mix of hops and malt. Almost like a coffee flavored IPA.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Oatmeal Stout from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Makes a great breakfast too. Growler. Muted brown color, very cloudy and actually quite bubbly. Decent amount of dark brown/burnt head. Aroma is very roasty. Definitely a well balanced beer. Less sweet than usual for the style. Has an even dark roast flavor with some sweet malt right away. Bits of chocolate and hops cut in. Coffee flavor abounds as it nears the finish, as well as a nice roast barley. This is extra lovely for breakfast as this rendition is not acidic at all, and relatively not bitter. Still, after trying Sam Smiths, it's tough to rave about this. The flavor is a bit prone to thinning out, as well. Needs more than just coffee. 6/5/6/4/14 Well it's been a while since I've had this (21 years!). Better than my previous rating suggests. Robust, malty, chewy, even a bit syrupy. Great depth, sweetness, roast and coffee character. Incredible that Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout wowed me more than this...really rich, balanced, flavorful and intense. Score for this iteration.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Stone Cat ESB from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
2003 bottle. Pours a very reddish brown, tending more towards red. Has some orange hues in it. No cloudiness at all due to no sediment :( Has a fairly sweet smell with a touch of fruity spice and some decent hops aroma, but overall the aroma is not strong, and I have to put my nose close to the beer to smell it. Begins warm and sweet. Nice caramel malt presenting itself. Not terribly strong, but very clear. Some hops flavors get in there maybe some goldings, challenger and maybe a touch of cascade, though not sure. There is a lingering yet slowly diminishing citrus flavor. Anyways, the flavor is great up front and lasts well into the body which is medium. There is a slight dry nutty flavor (the mix of the bitter hops and the caramel malt), some a tinge of dry bitter orange. Unfortunately, the beer gives out too soon and the wet texture that is fairly apparent from the early stages of sipping now turns watery, and the malt leaves altogether. I am left with that tinge of bitter/citrus hops flavor which does not go well with the watery taste. Finishes poorly. Needs some more malt and less filtration. Great flavor to begin with though, they could really go places with that. This beer could use some more bitterness as well. Not sure why they are making an ESB and bragging that it is not bitter at all. In summary I miss Ipswich ESB and will never forgive Mercury for buying Ipswich Brewery and discontinuing my favorite beer. . .
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Summer Ale from Ipswich Ale Brewery 22 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
2002-2004 bottles Pale yellow, with some deeper yellow tinges. Cloudy and pours a nice white head. Faint straw/wheat aroma. Initial flavor is dry and slightly grassy. Some hops, saaz probably, kicks in and there is a little bite of carbonation as well. The beer is balanced well, but lacking in flavor. Very little wheaty taste. Finishes with a medium dry yeasty flavor. Great for a summer day, but there are better summer brews out there. The more of this I drink, the less I like it. Sour wheat flavor that has no purpose. No sweetness. Too astringent and just too light of body.