Two from Geary's (USA - Maine - Portland)

Geary's Pale Ale (Portland - Maine - USA) 4.5%

Bitter and moderately hoppy. Amber in a glass. Tangy with a little caramel malt taste. A metallic tang to the hoppiness. A floral sweetness that reminds me a bit of clover. The hops of this American Pale Ale makes it a nice beer to pair with food.

Geary's Summer Ale (USA - Maine - Portland)

Smells like roasty caramel and clover with some wooden tones. Tastes quite bitter and hoppy with floral hints. This beer is complex and full bodied; again the strong hops lends it to food pairings.

Two from my International Neighbour: Shipyard (USA - Maine - Portland)

Fuggles IPA - Shipyard (USA - Maine - Portland) 5.8%

A brass colour in a glass. Very bitter, a tacky sticky spruce sap hops flavour with a slightly metallic tone. A toasted bread flavour comes through as well; especially in the aftertaste which is also bitter. A slight hint of the somewhat elevated alcohol content. Not particularly sweet although the malt is present, roasted and a touch dark.

Shipyard Export Ale (USA - Maine - Portland) 5.1%

A sweet caramel aroma with a light cedar hop smell. The aroma changes from strongly caramel to more of a mix of caramel and light cedar smell. A taste that is at first nearly evenly split between hop bitterness and malty sweetness. Although it isn't very sweet, the caramel and slightly roasty sweetness eventually wins out. A nicely constructed and easy drinking beer with some character.

Happy Fourth of July!

For this Independence Day I thought it would be a good for me to post a bunch reviews of great American beers I've tried over the last year or so. Cheers!

Allagash White (USA - Maine - Portland) 5.2%

Smells very fruity and floral, hint of banana. The taste is also floral, orange, spicy, coriander, bitter, a little yeasty. The suggested technique of pour most of it then swirling & pouring makes a great frothy head. Very cloudy gold or pale gold in a glass. A great Belgian style white beer.

Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale - Berkshire Brewing Company (USA - Massachusetts - South Deerfield) 5.3%

A heady mix of nutty and spicy malt and hops. Caramel sweetness and a perfect bit of bitterness. Described on the label as what the water in heaven should taste like and I am inclined to agree.

Pennant Beer - Brooklyn Brewery (USA - New York - New York) 5.1%

Caramel aroma and taste, quite sweet but also tangy with hops and a little bitterness that lingers on. Quite nice and well balanced. I drank this at the Cheers bar in Boston.

Gritty McDuff's Red Claws Ale (USA - Maine - Freeport)
A caramel and toasted bread aroma with some bitterness. Sweet caramel flavour with a spicy green hops bitterness. The warm round tones of toasted bread and caramel are nicely contrasted with, and the sweetness is cleaned out by, the spice of the hops and fairly bitter finish. Very enjoyable and drinkable. Would go well with food or on its own. An amber-brown colour in a glass.

Old Plowshare Stout - North Coast Brewing (USA - California - Fort Bragg) 5.7%

Not quite opaque, A roasty, chocolatey, oatmeal scent. A milk chocolate taste, sweet and smooth, some wood tones also. Has tiny bubbles, as a proper stout should. A pleasant slightly chalky mouthfeel with mild bitterness. A very pleasant stout; for those who favour organic food and drinks this one mustn't be missed.

 Redhook ESB (USA - New Hampshire - Portsmouth) 5.8%

A deep pumpkin orange. Sweet, earthy tones at first; a bitter tangy almost coppery finish that is quite hoppy. Sweet caramel malt combines with the mild earthy and wooden tones as well as a fairly pronounced hops taste for a pleasant-drinking and somewhat rustic beer which seems appropriate for a beer from northern New England.