Zoe - Maine Beer Company

hopley

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A spectacular beer! Extremely hoppy and bitter - I've never tasted a Pliny The Elder but have made one - Zoe is on par with Pliny, and Sierra Torpedo. Great malty backbone and perfect head. Nice hoppy smell, perhaps it's been dry-hopped. I look forward to trying the rest of the Maine Beer Company's bombers!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 23:30:56 | More by hopley

mainlyale

Maine

4.97/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I found a bottle at Global Warehouse in Ellsworth. It poured a deep dark brown - slightly unfiltered. The smell was citrus and balsam. Very nice. The taste was similar to smell - and it left a pleasant aftertaste. Nice head that left lacing along the glass as I drank. I am very pleased with this - I persoanlly believe the ABV is too high at 7.2 - but I was not tasting alcohol. Well balanced. Excellent beer

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 21:14:13 | More by mainlyale

arktos

Massachusetts

4.95/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

03/22/11 - fresh fresh, bottled 03/10/11

16.9oz to pint glass

A: Pours a rich dark brown with reddish hue (dark sienna) with huge, dense, 3 finger seafoam colored head. I grew impatient as I waited for this thing to lay down. Sticky lace paints the sides of the glass as if it was sponged on.

S: Wow. Power waft of hops upon first crack of bottle and the glass proved just as impressive. This smells fucking delicious. Smooth bold hops smell liike sweet, sugary, candied spruce, pineapple, orange and lemon - all of this riding high atop a beautiful caramel maltiness. Superb. Damn this nice.

T: Happy things going on here: A healthy, borderline IPA, dose of piney evergreen-like hops complemented by a solid caramel and nutty backbone of malt goodness with a orange / grapefruit sweetness reappearing mid sip and riding thru the finish. This should be a popsicle flavor, damn this is good.

M: Medium, super creamy, nice slighty sweet and bitter hard water finish. Like a sweetened wet pale ale. End of one sip is an almost perfect seque into the next.

O: Sleek bottle, clean simple label, and every aspect of the the beer itself is spot on tight. These guys only have 2 brews and both are simply fantastic. Highly recommended, this is superb drinking. The best amber I've ever had; I'll buy it each time I see it. I love this beer.

I'm thoroughly impressed - count me in, I am a fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 22:25:23 | More by arktos

DrewShal9

Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

8/18/11 bottle
A: darker reddish brown. Very dark for an amber.
S: grassy, earthy, and a hint of caramel towards the end
T: sweet caramel initially with a hint of toffee ending with grapefruit and other citrus.
M: very light, watery, yet creamy
O: wish I had gotten to this earlier to get more of the hop notes but it's still delicious. Definitely worth a try. This beer made me a fan of ambers.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 02:53:17 | More by DrewShal9

ToasterChef

Maine

4.88/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 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.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 23:30:27 | More by ToasterChef

BEERMILER12

Maine

4.88/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Probably my favorite local brew and one of my favorites overall. Kinda sucks the distribution is so limited... oh well.

A: Pours a muck brown that leaves lacing down with every sip

S: Smells like an extremely hopped red ale... what more can I say?

T: Pretty much the same as the smell, definitely hoppy with a good malt finish

M: Not too carbonated, perfect

D: At 7.2%, this is one beer that I cannot get enough of... until I almost pass out of course

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 05:16:59 | More by BEERMILER12

Sensaray

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Lot 042811
Pours an orange-brown color that is somewhat hazy. Full light tan frothy head.

The smell has a nice fresh flowery hoppy scent. Also smell the red with a caramel sweet nose that's also got some milk chocolate aromas. Citrus characters like an ipa.

After an initial hop spiciness theres a sweet malt flavor. Theres a crisp bitter finish. More dark flavors than the scent gave away. Some coffee, roasted, chocolate, caramel flavors. Letting these flavors linger on the tongue let them meld together and the aftertaste is so good. Pretty decent hop backbone even when the malt comes through. This at some points reminded me of a good dipa. Had citrus characters.

Very smooth carbonation and easy to drink. Medium body. Solid.

Overall, this is what I want an american amber to be. Definitely delicious. I kept trying to tell myself this is not as good as I think, but it is. Will be buying more. Probably all the time. One of my favorites

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 04:03:03 | More by Sensaray

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.83/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Acquired from svosie, so a big "Thank You" goes out to her. Poured from a 16.9oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a dark reddish brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is full of floral hops and fruity citrus along with caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out with a strong burst of grassy hops that quickly transitions into a very complementary citrus and caramel sweetness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and provides an excellent balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Very tasty and flavorful, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is an excellent beer with a lot of flavor and substance that make great drink for an entire evening.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 23:32:36 | More by TheManiacalOne

pfrdaly

Massachusetts

4.83/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A- Dark reddish-brown in color. poured the entire bottle into the glass which was a mistake, as all the sediment ended up in my container. despite this it did not look unappealing.

S- Sweet aroma to this beer. Smelled like caramel or syrup to me.

T- Also sweet. Slight woody (pine) flavor. Caramel also was a strong part of this beer's overall flavor. Compared favorably with Harpoon's Leviathan Uber-Bock.

M- Medium in texture. Not watery or syrupy. Sort of a just right scenario.

O- I highly recommend this beer. I was thrilled by how it tasted and all of its other characteristics were favorable.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 04:07:46 | More by pfrdaly

scottyg354

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: pour mahogany. Nice thick creamy head. Minimal lacing.

S: heavy hops and malt. Caramel.

T: awesome hippiness to this bad boy. Some bread and caramel notes. Hop finish is great. Really impressive.

M: crisp, refreshing. Goes down well.

O: Good, solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 01:15:30 | More by scottyg354

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22 ox botle int pint glass
A- deep reddish amber, nice large whit ehead stays for a bit
S - nutty and malty
T - the perfect amber ale, very nutty, whit a little hoppy bite
M - crisp and clean
O- perfect amber ale, I never find them super enjoyable, but this is such an excellnt beer

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 03:29:18 | More by vicsju1991

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This beer is my longtime girlfriend's name, and perhaps the most sought after beer (within reason) for me.

A-The brew pours like a pretty glass of Pepsi. Ruby highlights tint the outer regions of the glass. A huge bubbly mound of foam materializes the instant I begin to pour. The head refuses to die but also leaves chunky lacing. Overall, this brew looks awesome.

S-The aroma is brimming with huge hoppy scents. Delicious floral hops along with some thick fruity, juicy citrus. A rich luscious nose of hops. Caramel malts help to balance, but the nose is all about the hops.

T-Oh boy this is simply delicious. A floral and grassy hop coats the tongue and overwhelms the taste buds. Bright and lively citrus comes in the second wave of flavor. The beer clearly hop forward but is also quite balanced. Some respectable maltiness adds both flavor and depth. The beer's awesome hop components linger on the palate forever.

M-One of the best mouthfeels. It feels to me like the rich malt helps to give this beer a pretty thick feel. Oily and resinous. Sticky and lasting. Well carbonated.

O/D-Overall, this beer exceeded my expectations. Zoe is far too drinkable. I absolutely love this brew. Every aspect of this beer demands high marks. I have been waiting a while for this one and am so very happy to indulge in its flavor. Great, great beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 22:49:52 | More by VelvetExtract

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.73/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A very dark amber beer; nearly brown, quite cloudy, with a big cap of off white head. Excellent retention and super creamy lacing.

Massive aroma, super sweet and tropical, with loads of juicy hops. Full of pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine and...mango, perhaps? Wow. Extremely fresh and vivid (bottled a mere 12 days prior to review).

Just phenomenal tasting; lightly sweet, moderately bitter, with a touch of maltiness lingering underneath a tremendously detailed and tasty hop profile. All kinds of fruit in here, led by strong pineapple flavors, followed by tangerine, lemon, mango, orange, grapefruit.

Medium finish with some bitterness and slowly fading memories of one of the best tasting hoppy beers I can remember. Creamy, with medium carbonation and body, and a very nice, smooth and somewhat coating mouthfeel.

What a pleasure. So good. I want to remember this one the way I had this bottle, so awesomely fresh, don't know if I'd get it again if it was much older. The best example of the style I've encountered, including Nugget Nectar.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 22:50:07 | More by tobelerone

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Brought back from Maine after an amazing weekend in Acadia National Park.

A- Very dark red with a white head. The cap has great retention and leaves a very thick coat of massive lace. A thick pillow stays atop the beer

S- Amazingly fresh hop bomb. Tons of tropical fruit, citrus fruit and floral notes. Reminds me of Sculpin, HopSlam... etc. Very great use of hops. Slight malt in the background to balance but it doesn't even matter with such good hop aroma.

T- More malty than aroma but the hops still shine. Great tropical fruit, citrus zest, floral hints and some pine. Slight caramel and toasty bready malt. Even a bit of mint.

MF- Very smooth I would say. The body is on the lighter end with lower carbonation but somehow doesn't feel watery. Lower end bitterness lets the hop flavor really shine.

DB- I am glad I picked this one up. Tastes like a pile of wet, fresh hops. Probably the best Amber Ale I have ever had. I know where I am going to stop in Maine whenever I visit. Comparable to any great IPA as far as hop flavor goes. The body, flavor and bitterness level make this one dangerously drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2010 01:19:33 | More by cbutova

bum732

Maryland

4.7/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

S: Bold pine and sap resin, touch of woodiness, very fruity.

L: Hazy brown, dense creamy light tan head, good retention.

T: Smooth piney sweet sappy malt. Touch of caramel undertones. Smooth medium bitterness leads to a candy semi-sweet finish with just a touch of hop resin.

M: Medium-low carbonation, medium-full body, very smooth.

This is an amazing beer, blew me away. Nose is similar to nugget nectar but a more "pine" like profile. Lighter in sweetness than NN and light overall, but unbelievable creamy smooth on the mouthfeel. Definitely try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 01:13:02 | More by bum732

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.7/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Into a pint glass:

A: very dark red colored body with some light brown edges. A small white head appeared for less than a minute. The lacing was light and stuck together for a good minute. It took about a minute before it spider-webbed.

S: hops and caramel, some pine and citrus enter in on the background. It was mainly well-balanced.

T: bittersweet through the hops and caramel, some light spiciness came out through the hops. The pine was really light.

M: medium with a well balanced carbonation slightly felt, it was slightly creamy and had a dry finish.

O: this was a great beer. My expectations were moderate when I think I was way more surprised how well this beer turned out. I would get this again in a heartbeat.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 00:22:41 | More by kangarooAdam59

GbVDave

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 16.90z bottle into a 20oz imperial pint. Thanks to Jayli for this from our recent trade!

A: Pours a dark, rusty brown. An easy pour netted about three fingers of khaki cream. Literlly, the foam looked like cream. Retention was awesome as was the lace left behind. i followed my instincts and swirled and poured the black sediment left in the bottom of the glass. This got me an even creamier head (if that's even possible) and a slowly cascading chocolate milk colored body.

S: Heavenly aroma of pine, pineapple, and citrus hops. Incredible! Excellent malt backbone, as well, with notes of cocoa and caramel.

T: Pretty much just as above with the addition of a bit of peppery/spicy yeast. Fresh-assed hops and a perfectly countered bready maltiness really assert themselves. As it warmed I really noticed a sort of rye malt tang.

M: Tangy fruit hops and spicy/peppery yeast work in perfect harmony with the slightly sweet and savory malt backbone. The perfect dose of prickly astringency reigns it all in and left me with a white pepper tingle that played for ages on my tongue.

D: So. Scarily. Great. I'd love it if this was one of my "locals". I could drink this all day.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 01:19:33 | More by GbVDave

silentjay

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

pours an almost opaque mahogany with a generously sized fluffy, light tan head that sticks around a while and laces very well.

wow. pine. a touch of caramel underlies the huge hop aroma that is dominated by the pine, but also brings in some spruce, tree sap, woody, earthy, with some bitter citrus behind that. a hop onslaught, that doesn't quite lose its amber identity.

hoppy aroma even attacks the palate as I sip, and the flavor starts bitter, then a caramel and toasted malt sweetness takes over before a peppery, spicy, and piney hop flavor again takes over. finishes with juicy and resiny hops and some citrus juice that lingers pleasantly.

delicate medium body with ample carbonation and a juicy finish that is thirst quenching.

wow. a tremendous beer. not extreme, but everything is just beautifully crafted, and though it is extremely hoppy, its not too bitter and the hops don't overtake the amber qualities that add some balance and make this extremely drinkable.
___
a year later and I've picked this beer up every single time I've been in a store and it's been less than 2 months old. One of my favorites of all time.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 03:58:59 | More by silentjay

Treb0R

Oregon

4.68/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First off... this beer is NOTHING like I expected it to be...

Burnt Sienna-colored body, dense manila colored one finger head worked up to a lather... sticks to the glass. High carbonation level. The bubbles are going crazy in my glass.

Imagine Sierra Nevada Celebration on the nose, but way more intense, roasty, and robust. This doesn't smell like a hoppy beer. You get a strong sense malt complexity.

The hop and malt balance is superb. It's not bracingly bitter nor overly sweet. It's just right. Deep toast, rich malty intensity, mild milk chocolate with that whole milk creaminess. The hops are certainly there, but they're somewhat neutral-flavored amongst the intense malt base. Glimmers of pine and floral traits shine through, but definitely no citrusy, fruity, or dank notes. This is unlike any Amber I've ever tasted, and honestly, it changes my perception of what an amber could possibly be. If I were to brew this style soon, it would definitely be in the style of Zoe.

Maine Beer Co. managed to pack so much richness of body and flavor into a 7.2% Amber that I'm honestly stunned. This beer is truly unique. The high carb level helps to improve drinkability in an otherwise very rich tasting, dense beer. Amber Ale not a favorite style of mine, but I can appreciate beauty when I taste it.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 23:35:59 | More by Treb0R

dciBA

Maine

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Style bending and loose interpretations of style guidelines is one of my favorite things about the recent craft beer boom. Breweries aren't afraid to brew stuff that doesn't necessarily fit into one specific style and this beer is one of them. Listed here as an American IPA, sold on tap as a brown IPA, and described on the bottle as a hoppy amber, it's hard to nail this one down. After a good whiff and then sip of this brew it's still not too clear, but after a few sips you quickly lose interest in all the style BS and just enjoy the hell out of this awesome beer.

Pours a deep dark crimson/amber, basically brown from the 16oz bottle into my snifter. A half inch of cream colored head fades as quickly as it formed leaving behind a thin skimming of foam.

The initial smell is a blast of citrusy, grapefruit hops, with a touch of pine in there too. Under the hops is a roasty smell, malty, almost coffee smelling.

Taste is the same explosion of hops with the malt in the smell becoming more prevalent in the taste. After swallowing your left with hoppy sweetness and resin on the sides of the tongue and dry cocoa, and coffee on the back. The taste lingers for a quite awhile on the palate which is quite nice really.

Body is perfect for the style, whatever that may be. Decent amount of carbonation, a cask version would be amazing I'm sure. The 7.2% ABV is not a factor at all and if it wasn't for the staying power of the flavor I'd would have probably sucked this down way faster than I did. Overall another great beer from Maine Beer Company.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 18:17:14 | More by dciBA

xanok

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my Stone VE glass.

A-Pours a foggy brownish red. Little lacing on the light brown head.

S-Piney hops, hints of grapefruit. Strong scent of caramel as well, with other malts.

T-Pretty straightforward, not overly complex. Great hop profile followed with that strong malt aftertaste. The beauty in this beer is its near perfect balance.

M-Body is actually a bit heavy for the style. The hop bitterness really stays in your mouth for quite some time afterwards. Carbonation is average for the style.

D-I can't stop sipping it. It's truly a great amber. 7.2% abv isn't a whole lot, but its completely hidden.

Notes-I don't need my ambers overly complex, just balanced. This one is near perfection.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 04:26:17 | More by xanok

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow! What a great beer--I've never had such a fresh hop taste from a bottle.

A: Pours a very dark amber with little head. Could have fooled me for a brown ale at first.

S: Beautiful, fresh, floral hop smell dominates but only slightly over a nice caramel, malt background.

T: True to the smell, the taste here is dominated by the uber-fresh, floral hops. This could not be more perfectly balanced against the lovely malt, almost coffee-like background. This tastes more like an unusual, but excellent, fresh IPA.

M: Smooth, medium body and carbonation, lingers from the stickiness of the hops.

D: This goes down easy and the overall excellence of the beer begs for another.

This is an exceptionally well-done beer, and has cemented itself as my favorite to date of Maine beers. I had to pick up another and the Spring Peeper before heading back, so we'll see if it gets knocked off by its sibling.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 15:02:54 | More by FrankLloydMike

telecomz

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The best take on the amber/red ale on the market. An epiphany.

I love this beer.

Strong citrus, tropical notes lead to a slight malty-dried fruit aroma.

The taste is amazing. Stronger than typical hoopy notes give way to a solid malt backbone.

The beer is bottle conditioned and has medium carbonation, Mouth feel is solid.

As a native Mainer, I couldn't be prouder.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 23:24:36 | More by telecomz

sk8man121

Maine

4.63/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2010 Vintage 16.9 oz bottle poured into goblet.

A: Pours a hazy amber with a massive 4-finger head. Between this and Spring Peeper Ale, I'm constantly amazed at the size of the heads on MBC beers.

S: Perhaps the "freshest" smelling beer I've ever come across. This smells like a pine forest, with grapefruit and toasted malts coming through. Unbelievable.

T: Taste is similar to smell, with the extreme hop notes toned down just enough. Swings back and forth between a brown, red and amber ale. Very enjoyable.

M: Nice, unobtrusive mouthfeel makes this go down even easier.

D: As far as a west-coast style east-coast ale, this one takes the cake. Spring Peeper was very good; this is incredible.

Do not miss this.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2010 16:42:58 | More by sk8man121

CheezyBlaster

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Wonderful pour! Great head and retention, a rocky beast.

I close my eyes and sniff, and I smell a well hopped and fruity arrangement with the associated citruses and pines. The hops are the voice and I have to search for some malt or fruit, and I do eventually find some moderate caramel, but the hops are just, mmm, juicy.

Initially, at the front end, it tastes like roasted barley with a slight nib of dark chocolate, and I expect that to follow differently than the fruity/citrus driven hopsplosion that ensues. Fresh grassiness and smoked woodchips finish it out with a lingering chalky malt and sour hop tingle. Very interesting brew. I like it, a LOT. Try one!

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 23:21:19 | More by CheezyBlaster