The Sounds Inside My Mind

Maine Beer Company Zoe

A+ / 4.85
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | drink: 4.5

Poured from a cellar temperature bottle into a Maine Beer Company logo glass. The beer has a very dark amber color; it looks nearly brown in this dimly lit room. The head is large, tan colored, and made up of various sizes of bubbles. There is some patchy lacing. The aroma is very impressive. One whiff and I exclaimed aloud “wow!” It smells of very fresh hops. There is almost a toasted quality to the hops that I haven’t come across before. The bottle I have is super-fresh (bought today, delivered to the store earlier in the week, most likely bottled late last week), which must improve the aroma a lot. The flavor is just as impressive as the aroma; actually, I find it to be even more complex. It started out with a toasted flavor. It makes me imagine burnt embers leftover after a campfire. The hops kick in quickly. They are big, bitter and floral. The bitterness lends itself to the toasted aroma and initial flavor, perfectly complimenting the aroma. The is just a bit of sweetness in the mix. It lingers on, along with the bitterness, but last longer, which gives the sensation that the beer gets sweeter after you swallow it. After a few sips, the sides of my mouth felt a slight tug. The bitterness provides the slightest amount of puckering. The beer has a lighter body than I expected. There is plenty of carbonation in each swallow. As I mentioned above, the sweetness lingers on; this is through the coating. The beer goes down so easily. I can feel its strength slightly; after a few rounds this may become a problem. I don’t believe that the hops/bitter tastes will ever get overpowering. I could drink this beer all night. I feel so lucky that this beer is brewed and sold so close by.  Maine Beer Company have outdone themselves; this is a great balance of hops and all the malt qualities of a well-made amber.