Quick Take: Portsmouth Brewery
Hey all you Craft Beer Drinkers! I took a trip up to Portsmouth last night and stopped in at the Portsmouth Brewery, a brewpub that is a sister company to Smuttynose Brewing Co. They get a lot of acclaim for their Kate the Great Imperial Russian Stout, but I had to post something up, because there is so much more to that brewery than just that one beer!
Last night I had a 4-beer sampler, which was great. I had the American Mild, the Scotch Ale, the Winter Rye and the Winter Weizen (in that order from left to right in the picture).
The Scotch Ale was big and malty. This is definitely a beer that will knock your socks off! It had a solid malt backbone, with some good sweetness without being cloying. The booze definitely comes through, though, even though it's only 7.5% I definitely thought it had been aged in a barrel of some sort. Good, but a solid beer! A slow sipper.
The American Mild was so delicious, I got a full pint! At 4.5%, it's perfect for drinking when you just want a beer with your food. It's dry, crisp and full of hop flavor without being just hops. I also picked up a bomber from the gift shop.
The Winter Weizen was definitely an interesting beer! Think a hefeweizen with a lot more malt. It tasted a little thicker and more alcoholy than a typical hefeweizen, but you still got that wheat tang and it definitely had the banana and clove from the yeast. Just more body and alcohol. A winterized version of a hefeweizen, I liked it! Plus I think it would stand up to some of the heartier winter food very well.
Last, but not least, the Winter Rye was a really good beer! The rye spiciness definitely comes through. Also, there is a good amount of hops in the brew. Not enough to be an IPA, but it's got a very balanced taste between malt and hops with good bitterness. To top it all off, it was fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, so you get some of the fruitier phenols. All in all, it was a great beer!
For food I split two dishes with my girlfriend, so I had half a steak bomb and half of a grilled salmon sandwich. Both were phenomenol! I would get either again. We also got the flat bread of the day for an appetizer, it was fresh mozzarela, basil and tomato. Yum! Then for dessert, I took home a slice of the Stout Chocolate Cake, made with their own house stout.
On a non-food or beer note, one thing I really like about the Portsmouth Brewery is their blog: http://portsmouthbrewery.blogspot.com/. You can always check what's on tap, what's getting ready to be on tap and so much more information from the brewers.
So, all together, the Portsmouth Brewery is a great place to grab some beer and food. Plus their gift shop has bombers of most of their beers for $4.95 (some of the higher octane brews are more) or you can get a growler to go! They are so much more than just Kate the Great Imperial Russian Stout...
That said, though... there's a countdown on their blog until the next time Kate is being released. February 9th, 2009 at 1:14pm. It's going to be great!
