Long Trail Harvest Vermont Maple Brown Ale

I believe I have written this before but if I see a beer with maple syrup in it, I am going to buy it. Not all the beers I have had with maple syrup in them have been winners, but like coconut in beer, I can’t seem to pass them up. When I saw Long Trail Ale Harvest, a Vermont Maple Brown Ale, I had to give it a try and write about it.

Over the years, I have become a fan of Long Trail Brewing’s catalog. The VT IPA in particular tastes fantastic and is very reasonably priced for a 12-pack. I also really enjoy their Cranberry Gose, Limbo IPA and their flagship Long Trail Ale. I had high hopes that their Harvest Ale would become a fall staple in my refrigerator. From the moment I got a whiff of Long Trail’s Harvest, a Vermont Maple Brown Ale, I thought I found a beer that was going to do just that. Chocolate, maple syrup, caramel, toffee, coffee, earthy hops all seemed to beautifully come together in the aroma.

Before I took my first sip, there was something that kept my hopes in check-- the 4.4% ABV. That is light beer territory and for a Fall beer that is extremely low. Not only did that give me concerns about the flavor but it also gave me concerns about body. I think it goes without saying but the cooler weather of Fall demands a beer with a bit more body and warming alcohol to it. I wanted Long Trail’s Harvest Ale to prove me wrong on all of these fronts but it sadly did not. It had the mouthfeel of light beer. There is decent flavor there but it is extremely watered down. The dark chocolate, coffee, maple syrup and toffee are muddled together before an earthy hop finish. The beer finishes clean, but what would you expect from a light beer masquerading as a brown ale for the Fall season?

While Long Trail’s Harvest lacks the flavor and body one would expect from a Fall beer, I did not completely hate it. As I said earlier it by no means tastes bad, it is just incredibly average. I would love to see this beer with at least a 5.5% ABV. More body would give this beer a chance to let its flavors shine. I have a feeling that would dramatically bring my overall rating up.

Overall rating: 2.75/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Long Trail Space Juice Double IPA

Up until recently, Long Trail Brewing Company was one of those breweries that I always seemed to forget about. I always thought they made decent beer, they just didn't make anything that really blew my mind. That all changed when I tried their sMasH(single malt and single hop) #2 beer that paired Maris Otter malt with Mosaic hops. That was one of those beers I could not get enough of. The malt was biscuity and beautifully complimented the bold tropical notes of the mosaic hop. The finish was earthy, piney and most importantly it worked. It is still by far the best sMasH beer I have had to date. I hope to see it on shelves again at some point. This however is not a review of Smash #2, it is a review of their highly sought-after Space Juice Double IPA.

Space Juice Double IPA is wonderful. There, that's the review, you can go back to watching cute animal videos and reading Fantasy Football news. I say that because after the long Oktoberfest blog, I thought I would do you a favor and keep it simple. If you still want further details(and you should), I suppose I'll provide them. Space Juice works so well because it's bursting with tropical fruit notes. The aroma is full of passion fruit, orange, pineapple and mango. The first sip I took of this slightly hazy, golden yellow Double IPA with a white head took me by surprise. It was wonderfully juicy, full of pineapple, mango, guava, orange before a grapefruit, piney finish. The finish was wonderful, providing a nice balance to the sweet tropical flavor. There was a slight alcohol burn, but at 8.7% that is to be expected. The malt sweetness is also there. It's nice but it is in the background allowing the hops to shine.

With an 8.7% ABV, Space Juice Double IPA is a big strong beer with big flavors. Galaxy, Columbus, Citra and Mosaic hops are on full display here and that is a fabulous thing. At north of 15 dollars a four pack, it is a bit pricey but it is definitely worth a purchase if you are a fan of big, bold, tropical IPAs. If I come across it again, I'll be buying it again immediately.

Overall I would rate Long Trail Brewing Company's Space Juice Double IPA a 4.25/5. It's proof you do not need to add fruit or fruit extract to get bold fruity, tropical flavors.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!