Portland Brewing Company
Official Web Page
Opened: 1986
Capacity:
Date Visited:
Beers Reviewed
(click on beer name for full review)| MacTarnahan's Amber Ale | Type: Scottish | ABV: 5% |
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This
is a beer that’s aesthetically English, an image that would reinforce
itself later on the palate. It’s a reddish copper color, with striking
clarity, fine cascading carbonation, and a soft adequate white foam. I
get the smooth sweetness of the caramel malts immediately in the aroma, a
light toastiness. The malts are also accompanied by a floral citric
hoppiness, reasserting this beer’s roots in the Pacific Northwest. As
I mentioned there’s a further English feel to the palate, falling
somewhere between medium and full-bodied, with a firm robustness, and an
unchallenging easy drinking smoothness. There is carbonation, but to a
much lesser extent, while it does turn a little foamy towards the end. The malt and sweetness impart the initial taste impressions, with a sugar candy that runs into a toffee, caramel, light-estery, toasted middle. The hop strikes a fine but subtle balance throughout, adding a light dryness, before unleashing its full citric bitterness and pleasant astringency in the finish |
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| Ratings: Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 7/10 Palate: 4/5 Taste: 8/10 Overall: 15/20 Score: 3.8 | ||
| Woodstock IPA | Type: IPA | ABV: 6% |
| Orangey amber in color, slightly clouded, with
streams of cascading bubbles and a soft enduring creamy colored foam. The
nose displays imminent signs of malt, with a light sugary treacle aroma
mixing well with a balanced fruitiness, while the bitterness is not yet
immediately forthcoming. I also get a warming alcohol aroma and a slight
toasted character which may in fact have been my misinterpretation of the
oak. A couple of initial sips reveal a soft medium bodied, smooth,
creamy palate. If the hops seemed subdued in the aroma, they certainly
come through in the flavor, lightly dancing across the palate climaxing in
a satisfying if not overwhelming citric bite. The smoother malts, while
somewhat secondary also demand some attention with a pale toffee, biscuity
character. The oakiness does have a minor role to play although if I
didn’t know it was there I might not have noticed it, or maybe tried to
define it as something else, while I also detected a faint orange
sweetness in the middle. The hops pretty much take charge of the
aftertaste providing for a lingering refreshing and lightly puckering sour
citric tang. This is essentially a hoppy brew although does lack some of the more bracing qualities of other west coast IPA’s. As many brewers load a little extra malt to balance out these styles, the malts in this one are very noticeable maybe a little too much so, and this did allow me to recognize the same characteristics that go into the brewer’s Scottish Amber and Cream Porter that I tasted recently. The oak aging could have also been a little more evident for my taste buds. |
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| Ratings: Appearance: 4/5 Aroma: 8/10 Palate: 4/5 Taste: 7/10 Overall: 14/20 Score: 3.7 | ||
Last Updated: 10/05/2001
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