257. Founders Centennial IPA

Founders Double Trouble is one of the best beers I have reviewed to date so when I heard they were coming to Maine I was very excited. Stopped by Bier Cellar in Portland and picked up 5 different varieties of Founders beer. Being a big fan of IPAs I decided to start with the Centennial IPA. 


Beer pours a clear orange color with thin white head. Nice looking beer with a pleasant aroma of citrus and other hops. The taste was a bit disappointing with a lot of bitterness and not a lot else. I compare the taste ti celery, not a bad taste but something that I don't really enjoy. This is a quality beer that is on the edge of an IPA and and Imperial/Double IPA, good but not something I would seek out again. 
Pros: Color
Cons: Taste
Alcohol Content: 7.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 65
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Founders Brewing

Brewers Description: Get ready to bask in the glory of the frothy head's floral bouquet. Relish the citrus accents from the abundance of dry hopping. This one's sweet, yet balanced. Malty undertones shake hands with the hop character for a finish that never turns too bitter.

256. Russian River Brewing Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder (and Younger) are beers that I had read a lot about but didn't think I would get a chance to try any time soon. Out of the blue a beer friend contacted me saying he had an "extra" bottle and would like to trade. Fortunately I had a beer that he wanted and we made the trade last week.


Pliny the Elder has a great label letting you know you NEED to drink it fresh, do not age, etc so I was sure to enjoy at my first opportunity. This is an Imperial/Double IPA which is my favorite style of beer lately.


Color is what you would expect from an IPA nice orange with a thick white head. Lots of aroma with plenty of pineapple, resin and a bit of alcohol. Very pleasant and draws you into the beer. Taste has everything you want from big IPA, lots of fruit tastes; pineapple, grapefruit and some pine bitterness. Malts are there to balance things out with a slightly sweet ending. This is one of the best Double IPAs out there and if you get the chance be sure to try it. 
Pros: Everything
Cons: Not available in Maine :( 
Alcohol Content: 8.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): High
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Russian River Brewing

Brewers Description: Pliny the Elder is brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops. It is well-balanced with malt, hops, and alcohol, slightly bitter with a fresh hop aroma of floral, citrus, and pine. Best enjoyed FRESH! That is why we make it in such limited supply. Actual bottling date is printed on each bottle!

Where did we come up with this name? Back in the year 2000, our friend, Vic Kralj, who owns the Bistro in Hayward, California, decided to have his first ever Double IPA festival. Vic invited 10 breweries, 6 of whom (including us) had to brew something special for him since we had nothing that would fall under this style category. Vinnie had made a Double IPA at Blind Pig in 1994, but was not brewing one at Russian River Brewing at the time. He had an idea for the recipe, but not a name. After much research in beer books, brainstorming, and deliberation, we came up with "Pliny the Elder". Pliny, the man, lived in the first century- 23 to 79 A.D. According to our brewing references, he and his contemporaries either created the botanical name or at least wrote about Lupus Salictarius, or hops, currently known as Humulus Lupulus. That was a very early reference to an important part of any Double IPA! Pliny the beer has now become one of our flagship brews!

Pliny the Elder was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who wrote about his uncle succumbing to ash and smoke during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. while rescuing people. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and Roman Naturalist- Pliny the Elder!

255. Rising Tide Daymark (Growler)

Rising Tide started selling growlers last weekend and since I was in the area I stopped by to get myself one. I decided on Daymark as the weather is getting warm and I am the only beer drinker in my household so I had to drink all 64 ounces - poor me :)


Rising Tide's new brew location on Fox Street is about 5,000 square feet and when I visited the brew system was still being installed but they did have their tap lines installed and Heather was filling growlers. Their growlers not only have the great logo on the front but also have the varieties of Rising Tide beers on the bag with a box for them to check what the growler contains which is a nice touch.


Daymark is just as good from a growler as it is from the bottle. Pale ale at its finest and fresh from the brewery. Really enjoy Rising Tide beer and now that they sell growlers I am sure to be enjoying more in the coming weeks and months. 
Pros: Well balanced 

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 5.5 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Rising Tide

Brewers Description: Chart a new course with Daymark as your guide. We start with a classic, clean and crisp American pale ale brewed with spicy Columbus and Centennial hops. Then we accent the grain bill with rye grown on small local family farms right here in Maine and malted to our specifications at Valley Malts, an artisanal malt house. Finally we dry hop the finished beer for a bright floral aroma.

daymark [dey-mahrk] (n)—a navigational aid distinctively marked for daytime visibility, normally attached to a permanent structure in the water

254. Freeport Brewing Blonde Ale

Had only seen a few random mentions of Freeport Brewing Company before reading Tom Atwell's article in the Portland Press Herald (see link here). After reading the article I made sure to stop in Freeport my next time through to grab a growler at Royal River Natural Foods. They had both the blonde and brown ales and being late Spring I opted for the Blonde Ale. Price was very reasonable at just over $10 including the $2 deposit on the growler.


The beer is light in color as expected with minimal head and almost no lacing on the glass. Aroma is lightly hopped and a bit spicy. Taste is smooth, clean and very refreshing. Not sure what the ABV or IBU rating is but I assume it is low as this is an easy drinker. An excellent example of what a blonde ale should be and I am looking forward to the brown and whatever else Ken decides to put out. If you find yourself in the Freeport area be sure to stop and I also heard Bier Cellar in Portland will have a few growlers in the store soon. 
Pros: Very drinkable and refreshing
Cons: Hard to find
Alcohol Content: ??% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  

Brewers Website: No website

Brewers Description: 

253. Black Bear Brewing IPA

On a bit of a growler kick lately, visiting lots of breweries and I just cannot seem leave empty handed. Left with three growlers last time I went to Black Bear Brewing in Orono including this classic growler with their old art work and even has the old address for the brewery.

Beer pours a nice orange with nice white head. Aromas are minimal but what there is smells great. Taste is very solid for an American IPA nothing over the top like many other IPAs try to do, just a very drinkable refreshing IPA. Finishes clean and makes you want another glass. Black Bear Brewing makes some excellent beer and I am looking forward to trying their Red, Stout and whatever else is available when I visit the brewery next.
Pros: 

Cons: Only available at the brewery in a growler 

Alcohol Content: 5.3% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 11
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Black Bear Brewery

Brewers Description: Not listed on the website

252. Kona Brewing Fire Rock Pale Ale

I will admit that I bought this one simply because it was from Hawaii and I had not had a beer from Hawaii yet. Color is a very nice orange with thin white head, an excellent looking pale ale. Smell is well balanced with some nice hop aromas and sweet caramel malts.


Taste is excellent for a pale ale with lots of hop in the beginning and ends with a balanced malt finish. Quite complex for a pale ale and something I would certainly buy again. I have to say this one surprised me as I was not expecting much.
Pros: Complex for a pale ale 
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 5.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 35
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Kona Brewing

Brewers Description: Fire Rock Pale Ale is crisp, refreshing “Hawaiian-style” pale ale. Its signature copper color results from the unique blend of specialty roasted malts. The pronounced citrus-floral hop aroma comes from the liberal amounts of Galena, Cascade & Mt.Hood hops added to each brew.

251. Anchor Summer Beer

I have heard a lot about Anchor Brewing - specifically their Steam Beer so when I found their Summer and Steam at Tully's in Wells I decided to buy both. I am hopeful the Steam Beer is better than the Summer as this did not impress.


Color is a pale yellow and very clear. Thin white head that leaves minimal lacing. Minimal aroma but a bit of cut grass. Taste was very simple, not bad but almost no lasting flavor and not something that you will remember. Finished this one fairly quickly with the low ABV but certainly not something I would go back for another. 
Pros: 

Cons: Very simple

Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Anchor Brewing

Brewers Description: The crisp, clean flavors of Anchor Summer ® Beer are refreshingly light, a thirst-quenching American-style filtered wheat beer.

Released each year in advance of the summer season, Anchor Summer ® Beer is an all-malt beer, with over 50% of its malt derived from malted wheat. It is fermented with a traditional top-fermenting "ale" yeast, yielding a clean, balanced flavor that highlights the refreshingly light flavor of malted wheat. The head is unusually abundant due to the natural protein deposits of wheat, with a thick consistency similar to meringue.

First brewed in the summer of 1984, Anchor Summer ® Beer is the first American wheat beer in modern times. Anchor Summer ® Beer is intended to be a lighter beer for those who don’t want to sacrifice tradition or character.