Brewed By: D. L. Geary Brewing Company
Brewed In: Portland, ME
Type: English Strong Ale
ABV: 7%
What They Say: Hampshire has a huge toasted malt flavor balanced by assertive hoppiness. The finish is long and lingering with the malt and hop notes blending with alcohol warmth.
Website: Hey, no age verification splash page! The site opens up with a graphic of a bottle of one of their beers, as well as a background graphic of, well, a faded, plain, brown wrapper, presumably to invoke the feeling of the olde “package store,” where salty Maine-ers would purchase their brews on the way home from the wharf. I think. On the top of the paper graphic are links for “Home”, “Our Beer”, “Store”, “Distributors”, and “Contact us”. The same links are at the bottom of the page as well. Clicking “Enter” brings you to a clean home screen with news and events, and all pertinent links are nicely lined up on the left side. I like it.
Why this one, Show?: A while back I was out at Cornwall’s, one of Boston’s few English bars, and this was one of the stronger offerings on the drought list. Geary’s makes a damn fine London Porter, so I figured I’d give another of their beers a shot.
First Thoughts:
Head: Not too much. Little bit of lacing as you drink.
Nose: Malty, but not cloying; hint of caramel/nut.
Color: Mahogany/Chestnut Brown.
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Presentation (5): Geary’s labeling scheme is essentially the same for each of their bottles: oval graphic with beer name, red ribbon graphic across that with “Geary’s” on it. The label is a nice straw yellow color, and isn’t cluttered with Currier & Ives paintings or crazy colors. However, would a six-pack of it stand out in a cooler full of other, more attractive packages? Probably not. 2
Originality (5): English ale. There’s a few of them out there, so this isn’t racking up any points for that. I will say, though, that it’s nice to see an American brewery doing their take on different English styles as opposed to an Irish Red or Stout, or some sort of Belgian. 3
Body (10): This was very nicely-bodied for a strong ale. In fact, the lightness of the body hides the strength of the beer. At no point did I feel like I was drinking an over-hopped, over-malted beer. I’d even go so far as to say it was teetering towards the lighter side of medium-bodied. The flavors lingered a bit after the swallow, which was nice. The beer is pretty dry in the finish, as well, which balances out the sweet start to the sip. 8
Taste (10): At the beginning of the sip, there’s a malty sweetness present. There’s little hints of caramel there, as well as some nutty notes. This initial sweetness gains some hop momentum in the middle of the sip before finishing with a quick-blooming bittersweet brightness at the swallow. After the swallow, that brightness lingers a bit, inviting you to take another sip. I’m calling this flavor well-balanced. Not the best English ale I’ve ever had, but certainly above-average. 7
Efficiency (10): High marks all around for this category. This beer has all of the hallmarks of a very efficient beer: it comes in 6-packs, it’s ABV is enough that you’d feel very pleasant after only a few, and it’s taste and body combine to make it very drinkable. At around ten bucks for a six-pack, this is a great beer to bring with you to impress other snobs the ladies. “Wow, another American Red, huh? Here, try an American take on an English classic.” 8
Versatility (10): With its high-but-not-too-high ABV, you could slot this beer into your normal rotation of “things I pick up on my way somewhere,” as well as “things I want to have in my fridge for when a I want something refreshing.” I enjoyed mine while out at a pub, but this beer could easily translate into something to have watching the game, playing a few hands of cards, or sitting out on the deck with friends (now that nice weather has finally graced us with its presence here in New England). 8
Final grade: 36 – Really Good beer
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