Hunger Mountain 40th Anniversary Ale - Lawson's Finest Liquids

koopa

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up some bombers on my recent trip to VT.

Appearance: Pours a fairly transparent chestnut brown with a 2 finger dull khaki crown that displays some retention and great lace.

Smell: A bready to barely toffee like malt profile hiding under a strong dose of herbal and floral hops. Lots of pine almost to the point where it comes off like rye. Minor supporting citrus notes. I'd give it a 4.25 if I could so I'm rounding down a bit.

Taste: Pine and a slightly toasty bready malt rush in as a wave of bitterness follows.

Mouthfeel: Lots of perceived bitterness / dryness in the finish. Medium bodied with medium carbonation (fine bubbles) that round the dry finish out with a complimentary crispness that I'm definitely enjoying.

Overall: Flavor and smell aren't bad but they are lacking a bit from what otherwise is a very well constructed red ipa. Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 22:18:44 | More by koopa

BrockettBrewing

Vermont

4/5  rDev +1.8%

03-17-2013 20:37:05 | More by BrockettBrewing

johnyb

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

01-27-2013 21:25:05 | More by johnyb

jderosia603

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1.8%

01-16-2013 14:16:00 | More by jderosia603

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%

01-13-2013 05:13:31 | More by yourefragile

BeerCosmonaut

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

01-05-2013 04:27:48 | More by BeerCosmonaut

DonFrap

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.8%

12-21-2012 06:34:05 | More by DonFrap

claytong

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -17.3%

12-12-2012 05:29:33 | More by claytong

ehammond1

California

3.43/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, AdamJackson!

Clear, but dark cranberry and ruby in color with a moderately-sized light brown colored head. This leaves incredibly messy webs and sheets of sticky lace down the glass. A very gorgeous amber.

Bready, toasted biscuit aroma with some mild caramel. There's not a lot going on here, but what's here is nice enough. Nothing off.

Flavors of biscuit and bread, mild caramel, some ash or burnt bread, and a fairly high level of bitterness for the style. Incredibly drinkable.

Medium bodied with high carbonation. A very well crafted beer. Not a sipper, but a gulper.

Good, but I suppose I'm left slightly disappointed because I've had such incredible hoppy beers from Lawson's before.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 01:57:58 | More by ehammond1

juliusseizure

New York

4/5  rDev +1.8%

11-25-2012 19:34:59 | More by juliusseizure

chippo33

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%

11-04-2012 08:15:41 | More by chippo33

Dat

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

10-24-2012 00:58:35 | More by Dat

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into Stone IRS snifter.

A Copper in color from the bottle and gives a generous 1+ finger off white head. The body is a deep dark copper red with a solid haze. Lots of retention in the head and leaves sticky lace when it finally goes down. Body is somewhat lively and looks pretty nice.

S A solid mix of hops and sweet malts. Earthy green hops with a hint of citrus and grapefruit along with sweet caramel malt.

T Nice balance between hops and malt. Not hopped up like Sierra Nevada's band camp imperial red but not a Killians either. Typical sweeter amber/red taste upfront with caramel malt and a nice touch of cascade or chinook hops to even it out. Fairly balanced all the way through to a slightly bitter finish.

M Medium feel with a higher amount of smaller carbonation bubbles. Creamy feel on the tongue and finishes somewhat sticky.

O A pretty solid beer all the way around. If your looking for a Nugget Nectar or really hoppy red ale this isnt it but there's a really nice balance here that you don't always get. Good beer for a good place.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 00:58:39 | More by Gushue3

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a very dark ruby color with a thick and creamy, light toffee colored head that sticks to the glass and carbonation is light.

S - Pine, grapefruit, light orange citrus, spicy toasted malt, lightly floral.

T - A little toasted malt up front but then takes a dive once the hops kick, but never goes away until the very end, then it totally disappears. Floral, pine, and citrus orange flavors hit the tongue in a swirling motion. In the end, the floral/orange effervescence eventually gives way to a lingering bitter resiny pine finish with some earthiness and grass way underneath.

M - Light medium body and the gentle carbonation is almost velvety.

O - This is really hoppy for an amber ale and enjoyable at that.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 02:41:55 | More by jzeilinger

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.8%

10-04-2012 21:58:45 | More by DaveHack

Binger72

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

10-03-2012 12:51:22 | More by Binger72

jbertsch

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber in color. Almost looks like a dark brown ale. 1 finger of head.

The aroma offers a substantial floral hop profile as well as notes of deep, roasty grain.

The taste serves up grassy, piney hops with a little bite, and a malt profile that's very toasty and earthy. The more the beer warmed the deeper and richer the malt profile became. At the end I was getting noticeable notes of toffee. The hops also started to give a touch of fruitiness along with a little bitterness.

Mouthfeel was well carbonated. Full bodied but with a sharp carbonation.

I really enjoyed this. A great hoppy red/amber that belongs in the same conversation as Zoe, lagunitas imperial red, and nugget nectar, though its a little deeper and different. I prefer this compared to NN but not so sure compared to Zoe. Its right up there though.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 03:09:59 | More by jbertsch

acurtis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

09-30-2012 01:11:31 | More by acurtis

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +1.8%

09-28-2012 14:30:21 | More by BarrytheBear

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1 pint .9oz. bottle poured into a larger version of a Sam Adams Perfect Pint. Liquid is brown in color, very deep amber, not your run of the mill (red) amber beer. If you hold it up to the light the you can see through it and makes the highlights what I would describe as normal amber beer colored. Nice orange to tan colored head that produces nice lacing.

Smell is awesome. All the good characteristics of an amber. Nice malt backing and characteristics that provide a slight sweet smell. However these nice notes take a backseat to the hops. This is probably one of the, if not the hoppiest amber ale I've had before. Plenty of citrus and pine, very well blended.

Flavor is a little bit of a let down after how good the smell was. Still had the nice malt characteristics, sort of caramel and honey, but it was pretty feint. What was so great about the smell is the weakness in the flavor. The hops are a little too bitter for the balance. Citrus (zest) and Pine, just not as well balanced. Still good and tastes like a hoppy amber, the blend is just a little off in my opinion.

Mouthfeel is good. Light to medium bodied. Good carbonation level, balance is slightly off. Strong bitter finish that's a little dirty, slight bite from citurs zest. Good drinkability though.

All in all a good brew and I'm super happy to have tried it. Thanks Rusty for bringing this one back for me!

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 20:32:27 | More by AndyAvalanche

SourinQns

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

09-23-2012 01:13:59 | More by SourinQns

polishkaz

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.8%

09-21-2012 19:53:57 | More by polishkaz

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.8%

09-21-2012 04:13:58 | More by orangesol

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle picked up at the Waitsfield Farmer's market release this past Saturday. Poured into Lawson's tulip.

A- Pours a fairly dark mostly opaque slightly dark slightly reddish brown with about a finger's worth of slightly brown yellowish off-white head that has excellent retention and leaves nice layered lacing. Nice carbonation of steadily rising carbonation bubbles.

S- Fairly hoppy for a red ale, some wheaty/grainy barley aromas, lightly sweet caramel malts, and a little bit of grass undertones mixed with some subtle pine. Definitely above average aroma strength, can smell with the glass sitting next to me.

T- Lightly citrus and piney hops balanced with amber malts that provide for a nice light caramel honey sweetness that balances nicely with the hops. Light sappy pine hops on the finish that lingers on the palate for a little bit. Hops definitely aren't too overpowering and fit well with the style.

M- Medium bodied, nicely carbonated, slight creamy feel, goes down very easily, could knock back a bottle in no time.

O- I haven't had a ton of amber ales, but I can definitely say this is very good for the style. Like the description this is definitely a generously hopped red ale. Looking at the top beers for this style and having had the top three I would put this one in between Zoe and Tocobaga (not that they are either alike). I would say this beer is definitely the closes to Zoe, although Zoe has a little bit more citrus to it. Overall I definitely recommend trying this beer out if you have the chance, you will not be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 22:01:46 | More by jaasen64

stoutluvr420

Vermont

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up @ Hunger Mtn Co-Op. Poures with a thick light-tan head that is creamy, lasts a decent amount of time and leaves rings of lace. The aroma makes my salivary glands tingle. SO pungent. Similar to 2x Sunshine, piney too. Medium-bodied. A unique hop taste. More than enough caramel and malty sweetness upfront to compensate for the ridiculously hoppy, piney, resiny finish. This doesn’t feature many of the typical citrusy qualities that other hoppy amber beers do. This is also smooth and incredibly drinkable. Shockingly well-balanced for a beer that contains such a hop kick and malt profile. Hope this comes around again...

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 01:31:00 | More by stoutluvr420