279. Woodstock Inn Brewery Loon Golden Ale

Anyone that has been following my blog for a while knows that I love growlers. When we went to Vermont (see details of trip here) we visited 6 different breweries / brew pubs in 3 days and I had the opportunity to pickup 4 growlers plus the many 750 ml bottles from Hill Farmstead. This one is from Woodstock Inn Brewery in Woodstock NH which was out last stop on our way home.


Color is pretty typical of a blonde ale, maybe a bit darker but it is filtered and crystal clear. In fact some of the writing on the other side of the glass is visible. This is a blonde ale so I was not expecting much in the way of aroma or flavor and I was right. Maybe I have just been drinking too many big IPAs and I have ruined my palate. Nice beer for a hot afternoon as it is light, refreshing and easy to drink.
Pros: Easy drinking
Cons: Simple
Alcohol Content: 4.75% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 30
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Woodstock Inn Brewery

Brewers Description: Light golden in color. Dry and crisp with a semi assertive, Fuggles hop bitterness. Hops are prominent but not overwhelming. Overall, a well balanced representation of the golden ale style. O.G.1.050

276. Woodstock Inn Brewery Pigs Ear Brown Ale

This is one of the breweries I plan to visit this week on the way back from Vermont so I decided to try their flagship beer - Pig's Ear Brown Ale. Love the name and the label.


Color is brown with tinges of red and a nice single finger tan head. Aroma is faint with some malts and maybe a hint of hops. Taste is what you expect from a brown ale, almost all malt, caramel and to a lesser extent; chocolate and coffee. Easy to drink and quite refreshing for a brown ale. Good example of the style but not as good as Sebago Boat House Brown or Smuttynose Old Brown Dog 
Pros: Easy to drink and solid malt character
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 4.3% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 25
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Woodstock Inn Brewery

Brewers Description: Pigs Ear Brown Ale won Grand National Champion for brown ales at the United States Beer Tasting Championships in 2004 and 2006. Medium bodied with a balance of roasted and crystal malts creating a hearty nutty flavor. Medium bitterness with a slightly sweet finish.

269. Widmer Bros Drifter Pale Ale

When I don't feel like any specific style of beer I usually grab a pale ale from the fridge as I always seem to have a few on hand. Also when I just need to drink a quality beer I usually grab a Smuttynose or something from Widmer as it is hard to go wrong from these 2 breweries.


The Drifter Pale Ale from Widmer is a solid pale ale providing a nice balance of malts and hops. Color is a deep copper with slight white head. Aroma has a bit of malt and some nice hop smell. Nothing overpowering but certainly pleasant. Taste is much the same with some sweet malts that give way to grapefruit hops.


Very smooth and easy to drink. This is a great example of a pale ale and something most beer drinkers would enjoy.
Pros: Very well balanced and full of flavor
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 5.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 28
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Widmer Bros

Brewers Description: Kurt and Rob Widmer have never been known to "follow the leader"; their take on a pale ale is no different. With its unique citrus character, smooth drinkability,and distinctive combo of hops and malts, drifter pale ale is truly an original. 

261. Founders Dry Hopped Pale Ale

Founders is a new beer in Maine and while I was able to get a Double Trouble through a beer trade this is the first time I am able to actually purchase their beer in Maine. I purchased this one at the Bier Cellar in Portland, ME and if you have not been I suggest you get their soon as Greg has a great selection of beer. 


This one pours a nice deep orange color with bright white 2 finger head. Aroma is fairly subtle as it is with many pale ales but there are some hops and malts in there. Taste is bitter at the beginning and then balances out with some nice sweet malts. This is a solid pale ale from Founders and something you could easily put in your fridge to enjoy with virtually any meal or share with anyone that enjoys a quality beer. Nothing spectacular but worth trying. 
Pros: 
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 5.4% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 35
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Founders

Brewers Description: A testament to Cascade hops in a bottle, this medium-bodied pale ale has a refreshing citrus flavor and a distinctive floral hop aroma due to the aggressive addition of hops during fermentation. You'll notice a slight malty sweetness with a balanced hop finish. Perfect to enjoy anytime, anywhere.

260. Long Trail Pollenator

Grabbed a single of this beer somewhere over the past month or so. Probably from Hannaford or Shaws on one of my visits for groceries. I really was not expecting much from this one being a spring seasonal pale ale.


Pours a clear orange color with solid two finger head. Aroma is minimal with a bit of hops, maybe some honey (or maybe that is just my imagination due to the name and bee on the label). Taste is OK, well balanced with a sweet finish but certainly nothing special. Refreshing and OK for a warm spring day but nothing I would seek out again. Just an average beer from Long Trail.
Pros: Refreshing
Cons: Simple taste
Alcohol Content: 4.6% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 23
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Long Trail

Brewers Description:  Date of Introduction: 1996 / Malts: 2-Row and Crystal / Hops: Nugget and Cascade / Description: Features a medium amber body, balanced with a modest amount of Willamette hops. This spring ale is highly drinkable, flavorful and finishes clean and crisp.

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.

246. Long Trail Pale Ale

Found this single in my beer fridge the other day and do not even remember buying it. I am sure I did somewhere along the line as I tend to pick up a few singles each week when I visit random variety stores while traveling for work. 

I enjoy pale ales as they are typically easy to drink, lightly hopped and flavorful. This option from Long Trail does not disappoint but also does not stand out from the many other pale ales I have reviewed. The color is typical of the style with minimal head that disappears quickly. Aroma is minimal but has some orange and floral. Taste is fairly well balance with hops at first balanced out by some sweet malts and then just a bit too much bitterness at the end. Overall an enjoyable pale ale from Long Trail.

Pros: Well balanced

Cons:  

Alcohol Content: 5.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 35
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Long Trail

Brewers Description: Long Trail Pale Ale beer is brewed with the finest all natural ingredients and award winning Vermont water. This classic American style pale ale features a modest malt body and a well balanced citrus, pine hop aroma. Our Pale Ale is lightly filtered to provide a delightfully robust flavor experience. ENJOY!

242. Sixpoint Sweet Action

I made my first trip to Tullly's in Wells, Maine last week to talk to the owner about beer and check out their incredible selection. Dawn was nice enough to provide me with a Tully's glass for some of my future pictures and while I was there I picked up a few options from Sixpoint as well a 6-pack of singles which you will be seeing soon. They have a great selection of bombers and numerous coolers full of 6-packs as well as wine, mead and a few cigars. The owner and the employee were very knowledgeable and willing to help. They also seem to have some great customers as several people came in while I was there and all were very happy to stop and talk beer for a bit.


Sweet Action from Sixpoint is certainly an interesting beer. Their site describes it as part pale ale, part wheat and part cream ale. That is quite a mix of styles but somehow when it comes together it is very good. Color is a dark orange almost red again with a very nice white head. Aroma has a bit of citrus and some malt character. Smell is enough to draw you in but not nearly as aromatic as their Apollo. I have not had many cream ales so there is not a lot to compare this to but the flavor is subdued and fairly simple but certainly satisfying. The beer is smooth and has a great mouth feel, very easy to drink. If you like beer (and I assume you do or you would have given up reading a while ago) you should give this one a try. 
Pros: Easy drinking

Cons: Simple taste

Alcohol Content: 5.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 34
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Sixpoint

Brewers Description: Ah love is bitter and sweet, but which is more sweet... The original Sixpoint style- hard to define, but perhaps that's why people love it. Part pale ale, part wheat, part cream ale - all Sweet Action.

230. Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

Grabbed a single of this the other night from one of our local pizza places. The artwork and names of the Flying Dog beers are entertaining by themselves and it is a good thing as this one did not have much else going for it. 

Color is nice orange with a slight head that disappeared quickly leaving almost no lacing on the glass. Aroma was minimal but a bit of hops - nothing that is going to draw you in. Taste is bland, watered down and simply tastes like beer. Cannot pick out any characteristics of the malt, hops, etc. After I finished this off I went to the fridge and grabbed a Sebago Full Throttle Double IPA just so I could taste something worthwhile. 

Pros: Easy to drink

Cons: Bland, watered down 

Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 35
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Flying Dog

Brewers Description: The alpha of the pack, Doggie Style complements a wide range of foods. Flavor notes: Graswsy, citrus and slight perfume hop aromas with subtely sweet malt body. Pairs with: Cheddar cheese, burgers, barbaque, Thai, Mexican.