2beerguys beer blog

REVIEWS 05-08-09: Berkshire Cabin Fever Ale, Coffee House Porter and PaperCity Wee Heavy

Official 2beerguys Review:

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Last thursday, we selected the following beers at random. The order was selected to move from the lightest to the darkest, knowing that the Coffee House Porter would be very dominant in flavor.

Berkshire Brewing Company’s Cabin Fever Ale (RateBeer 72%; 2Beerguy review #550 – 16/30)
Paper City Brewing Company’s Winter Palace Wee Heavy – Scotch Ale (RateBeer 70%; 2Beerguy review #551 – 21/30)
Berkshire Brewing Company’s Coffeehouse Porter (RateBeer 90%; 2Beerguy review #552 – 22/30)

I. Berkshire Brewing Company’s Cabin Fever Ale

“Copper amber in color, this medium bodied ale has a great balanced flavor. A fruity spicy hop finish compliments in malty caramel taste. Think of English pale ale dry hopped with German Tettnang hops. This ale was made to sustain you during the long New England winter.” — Berkshire Brewing

The Cabin Fever Ale pours a cloudy deep orange, almost red hue with a decent frothy off-white head with decent retention. Fairly good sticky lacing adds to the visual appeal of this one, as it looks very inviting. Body has cleared up with full clarity after settling, and the head has almost completely diminished. Aroma is faintly sweet, but not very aromatic, with some soft grass/marsh hops, some soft light bread malts, not much to write home about though.

Not much to speak of on the initial taste either, but some subtle sweetness appears at the finish to provide some redeeming quality to the taste. Light to medium bodied, there isn’t much there on the mouthfeel with a watery texture and some soft carbonation. Very nice to the palate with a slightly oily finish.

The Cabin Fever is very drinkable, but lacked any distinct characteristics that would make it stand out. As a “winter” ale, I expected a little more complexity.

Style Strong Ale
ABV 6.3%
Source 22 oz bottle
Overall 16/30

II. Paper City Brewing Company’s Winter Palace Wee Heavy

“Rich, full maltiness and a deep, dark amber color. The nature of a WEE HEAVY makes for a higher alcohol percentage but this softens and counterbalances the sweet maltiness of the ales.” — Paper City

The Wee Heavy pours a dark caramel color producing a large, frothy light-brown head with decent cascading action in the body. The hue settles out to a darker color of chestnut brown and the head has great sustainability with slightly sticky lacing. Aroma is of heavily dominated by malts and alcohol, with notes of sugary maple syrup with some soft buttery undertones, some similarities to a sweet red wine.

Initial taste is of overpowering sweetness that lasts right through the finish with some alcohol feel at the end. Medium bodied, it has a watery consistency that finishes clean on the palate with soft carbonation. Sean likes it the more he drank it, it aged well in his fridge.

We did not have high expectations, and became very impressed with the Wee Heavy. We purchased this a couple of months ago and we believe that it has improved with age in the bottle. If you happen to locate a bottle on the shelf, pick it up.

Style Scotch Ale
Source 22 oz bottle
Overall 21/30

III. Berkshire Brewing Company’s Coffeehouse Porter

“This dark ale combines the taste of real organic coffee with our popular Drayman’s Porter. The robust coffee flavor comes vis a special coffee extract made for us exclusively by Dean’s Beans, New Salem MA. ” — Berkshire Brewing

Pours a clear medium brown color that produces a massive, gorgeous light-brown head with excellent retention with fairly loose lacing. Dark, opaque body and the head has fairly decent retention, as it hasn’t yet completely dissipated. Spent coffee filter aroma jumps out of the glass providing a power presence, with some bitter chocolate malt undertones. Strong roasted barley as well, just a dominant aroma, simply amazing, very inviting.

Initial taste is all coffee, with some slight bitter espresso notes but mostly like a mild blend. Finish has a bit of an espresso bitterness to it that finishes it off. Light to medium bodied, it has a watery texture with very soft carbonation, all coffee in the creamy mouthfeel with an oily film left on the mouth. A very decent offering. If you like coffee and a well crafted beer, try this.

Style Porter
ABV 6.2%
Source 22 oz bottle
Overall 22/30

Before I go, I just wanted to mention something….

Please support your local brewery and especially Berkshire Brewing Company. I did not point it above, but Berkshire currently offers a wide variety of beers at a decent price. While everyone is raising their prices to 6.50-6.99 for a 22oz beer, they have kept their prices around 3.50 per 22oz bottle. This shows a lot of respect to the consumer and confidence in their beer. Check out your local store — they might be hiding in the fridge section. Pick up a couple bombers and head home to enjoy!!

Sean
2Beerguys.com

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