Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Cloudy brew that is slightly darker than the ubiquitous pale yellow american lager. Has brownish orange hints. Aroma is slightly sour and changes to a rather volatile sweet alky olfactory. Taste is quite strong, Creamy strong ale initial impressions. Building malty bitterness on the back of the palate. Carbonation is barely there but what is present comes across rather creamy. Interesting hop bite almost like it is a pale ale. Not quite as good as point amber or dos equis amber. Perhaps a little better than Great Lakes Eliot Ness and schell firebrick. On par with Penn Pilsner.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Medium sized white/tan head, great retention and plenty of lace. Hazy, light copper color. Light malt nose with a pleasent hop spiceyness. Light/medium body. Hops dominate the flavor profile with enough malt in the background to balance things out. Finish is dry and spicey with a good hop bite. Quaffable.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

Hmmm. Not sure how old this is but I see that it’s retired. It’s really not tasty at all, but it looks really nice in my glass. Aroma is some caramel combined with veggie/carrots, with a soft earth note. Flavor has some really light malty sweetness, maybe a little caramel with a light sour finish. Palate is light bodied, very smooth. Maybe when it was in it’s prime, but it’s well past it now.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

This beer was generally an ordinary lager - nothing real spectacular about it. The taste was slightly buttery but it isn't stand out enough to want to try it again. A very average beer, but then again, it is a Lager.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

What a wonderful surprsise. One of the tastiest lagers I have encountered. A great deal of lightly toasted malt in the nose and subtle spicy hop notes, peppers and earthy nutmeg-like notes. Pours a surprising middle amber color that is clear and with a glorious head and excellent lacing. Mouth is very full for a lager in a very nice way. Almost chewy and works the whole mouth. I loved the flavor (OK I like hop-head IPA's but I like otehr things TOO!), killer malt backbone with a touch of sweet carmel notes that finishes with subtle fruity hop notes and just a hint of bitter. A wonderful sense of balance and proportion with a depth of flavor that is rare in a lager. On top of all that this would be a killer session brew. Great job Smuttynose, hats off!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This looked great in the glass with a rich head and awesome amber color. The nuances of this beer ditinguish it from some others recently on tap. A little citrus and hops make this a crisp beer - perfect with spicy food.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

From a bottle. Pours a clear copper with a nice white head. Aroma is light and malty. Flavor is typical for a lager. Slightly sweet with a better than average hop presence.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This one poured a nice golden colro with a decent head. Had a very mild aroma. Nice full flavor with a good malt profile. It had a slight honey presence and a good finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours a clear amber colour with a tint of orange. Thin white head, that is only temporarily visible. It quickly leaves behind a small creamy top. Aroma is malty, slight pear and a bit nutty. Mouthfeel is very full, flavors are semi sweet and nutty as well. Finishes very smooth, but light and refreshing. Very clear in taste.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Beer pours a golden orange color, with very small head and no lacing. Aroma of lager malts. Flavor was full and rich with a decent bitter finish. Caramel, citrus sweet. Not bad.