Altbier
John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House

Beer Geek Stats
From:
John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Altbier
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.65 | pDev: 14.25%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
9
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 09, 2013
Added:
Apr 26, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by weeare138:
Photo of weeare138
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The '05 GABF Winner...
Appears a copper toned amber with a lush ivory white head that sticks around. Tons of lacing cling to the interior of the glass.
Smell is of a rich malt with toffee, hard candy, bitter hops, along with a sugary sweetness.
Taste is about the same of the aroma with a nice hop addition.
Mouthfeel is chewy, bitter, sweet, and semi-dry.
This is a great rendition. One of the best American versions I’ve had.
Oct 28, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by sirsteve42 from New York

Sep 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by t0rin0 from California

Oct 17, 2012
Photo of LilBeerDoctor
Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

3.06/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Reviewed 3/6/09. On tap at JH. Pours a clear brown with a barely there white head. Aroma and flavor of sweet malt and bready notes. Seriously, I really didn't get anything else from this beer. Boring and bland. Not BAD per se, but pretty dull.
6/4/6/3/13 (3.2/5)
Mar 31, 2009
Photo of psinderson
Reviewed by psinderson from Pennsylvania

3.82/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on-tap in a pint glass.

Appearance: Deep brown color, mostly clear. Thin caramel head.

Smell: Quite malty, lots of darker sugars.

Taste: My first taste is maple, but not overly sweet. Some dark fruits in there as well. Not much hops detected, mostly a complex malt flavor.

Mouthfeel: Fuller body that feel nice on the palate.

Drinkability: While malty, this is not too sweet and is nicely drinkable.
Apr 02, 2008
Photo of plaid75
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York

3.97/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a medium copper hue with a half finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and lacing.

The smell featured a solid malty grain with a suprising citrus hop aroma.

The taste was moderately malty and grainy with a musty and earthy, yet citrusy hop.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness.

Overall a tasty and easy drinking ale.
Nov 07, 2007
Photo of BBM
Reviewed by BBM from New York

3.86/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This beer is quite different from their old "Alt" and deserves it's own rating. The beer pours a hazy orange-amber color with a 1/2 inch wihte head that doesn't stay long. Very nice and cloudy to accentuate the "old ale" style it's going for. The smell isn't overwhelming, but there are hints of caramel maltiness and mild hops.

The taste is very well balanced. The malt backbone accentuates a strong hop presence, but one that's never overwhelming or distracting. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but still acceptable. Highly drinkable. Great beer to go with food, and a good session beer as well. A very good altbier from JH.
Nov 23, 2006
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Sample at the Pittsburgh location. Clear amber color with a medium thin off-white head that lasts pretty well. Sweet aroma of malt and caramel. Medium-bodied, borderline thin at times, with roasted malt and nut flavors. Just a bit of hops are present too. The finish is roasty and lightly bitter and ultimately short-lived. This one is fairly average in all respects.
Aug 31, 2006
Photo of Phatz
Reviewed by Phatz from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
I had this today at John Harvard's Brew House in Wayne, PA. It was on a nitro-tap, making it so remarkably smooth it was a real treat. The color was golden with a tinge of red hue to it. It had an absolutely magnificent head that lasted the entire beer. WOW. The smell was very malty with hints of sugar and hops making it a very pleasing bittersweet aroma. The taste is very good; it was just a bit straight foreword. It had the taste of malty sweet-tarts in a toffee base. The mouthfeel was the best part of this beer. It was fluffy light, creamy; you almost wanted to hold it in your mouth like whip cream and then chew it. This may have been in part because of the nitro-tap giving it a magnificent body. It was very drinkable, maybe in part because it was not an overly complex taste. All I thought about was putting taking the next sip and swallowing this very fine beer. One sip after another and before you know it the glass is empty. Congratulations on the award as well JHBH.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!
Dec 05, 2005
Altbier from John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House
Beer rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 9 ratings