Again apologies for the picture. Kitchen remodeling is in full swing so not too many places to take a "nice" shot.

Also will be offline from now until the weekend. Will be traveling about four hours to attend a weekend wedding in Philadelphia. The good news (other than the wedding) is that I've discovered it's Beer Week in Philly. So with any luck will have some good brews, or establishments, or both, to report on.

Today we are looking at another offering from the Smuttynose variety pack, namely Finestkind IPA. As you can tell, even from this less than ideal shot, this is an unfiltered brew. Still it has a nice amber color, albeit cloudy.

The aroma was subtle. The smell of fruity hops you expect from an IPA was present, but not at all strong. 

The first taste sensation is an earthy one accompanied with a prickly bitterness on the tip of the tongue. This is usual for an IPA in my experience. This is followed by a slight fruitiness when you swallow.

The difference between this and most other IPA's I've encountered is how subdued the citrus scent and taste are. They are present, but not as noticeable. The bitterness and prickly sensations stay with you during the entire swallow. But the citrus, fruity  aroma and taste are too subtle to completely balance them. 

Don't get me wrong. This is a very drinkeable beer. It is just not as balanced or enjoyable as other IPA's I've sampled recently.

I give Smuttynose Finestkind IPA 6 mugs out of 10.

First I have to apologize for the reduced posting schedule and also the less appealing photographs. 

We are in the middle of a kitchen renovation. Anyone who has been through one knows how that can upend the entire household. This photograph was taken on the counter where the coffeemaker usually sits, because it was one of the few counters or walls that wasn't torn apart at the time.

Today's beer is a pale ale from Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, New Hampshire. I've enjoyed their brews in the past, having been drawn to trying them by the wonderful name of the brewery. But don't let the name deter you, there is nothing "smutty" about their beers.

As you can tell, even in this stark photo, the Shoals Pale Ale has a pleasing amber color. It looks good in the glass. 

The aroma has the fruitiness you'd expect from a well-hopped ale. The fruity, hop sensation is also the first impression you get when you first taste the beer as well. This is followed by a somewhat bitter earthy taste. But then this mellows out into a smooth, malty finish. Their web site mentions some suggesting the ale has the taste of freshly baked bread. I didn't have that in my notes but with the power of suggestion maybe you'll be able to detect it.

Not a beer I would drink all night, but pleasant enough when you're having one or two. 

Shoals Pale Ale is part of the "year round" lineup from Smuttynose according to their website. I found it as part of a Smuttynose Sample 12 pack. You can check out their website here. They give their schedule for tours and also state that an onsite restaurant will be opening the fall of this year (2014). So a good excuse to take a drive to picturesque New Hampshire.

I give Shoals Pale Ale from Smuttynose Brewing 7 mugs out of 10.

One of our local grocery stores started a "build your own six pack" service. They have some shelves with single bottles of a variety of single bottles of beer and ready-made six pack cartons nearby. You are free to select any six brews from the single bottles and create your custom six pack. Same price no matter what brews you choose, and they do run the gamut. I believe you end up paying more than you probably should. But it is a nice way to sample some different beers you may not have had without having to buy an entire six pack or twelve pack. I do get gun shy about buying a twelve pack of something I haven't had before, especially if I'm not familiar with the brewery.

Today's brew is one that I included in my inaugural make your own six pack. It is Star Island Single from Smuttynose Brewing. Curiosity always leads me to check out an offering from Smuttynose. I mean you have to love the name, right? And the brews I have had from that brewery have been pretty good. They are currently located in Portsmouth, NH, but are in the middle of building a new brewing facility in Hampton.

As you can tell Star Island is an unfiltered beer. It is an ale with spices added as the bottle so helpfully informs you. The first impression you get is a tingling, prickly feeling on the tip of your tongue so common to spiced brews. I found the body of the beer to be pretty light and the flavor subdued. The spiciness increased if you held the brew in your mouth and let it warm a bit. There was a spicy and almost lemony flavor in the aftertaste as you swallowed. And the taste did disappear pretty much with the swallow. The words that kept coming to mind as I drank this were "thin" and "weak". 

Star Island Single is probably better suited to a warm spring or sultry summer day when you've tired of the summer brews that are either overly spiced, or the mass produced beers that require a lime to have anything interesting about them. Then I could see the light, yet clean, flavor being more appreciated. However in the dead of a long, hard winter, it was just too light and the flavor too weak.

I'm giving Star Island Single 6 mugs out of 10. I may revisit this in the summer and see if that changes my perception.