Carrabassett Pale Ale - Casco Bay Brewing Co.

Jason

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber hue with dark orange hues, pancaked frothy white head with great retention. Brilliantly clear. Resilient medium body with a well structured smooth mouth feel to carbonation level. Handful of malt on the palate ranging from toasted malt to caramel. A touch fruity. An increasing hop bitterness starts off small but builds to a prickling bitterness. Hops are mineral earthy, almost herbal, and some light citrus. A tasty "don't rock the boat" brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2001 23:11:14 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12oz brown bottle with a very New England, nautical looking label. Freshness date on the back.

Appearance: Slight hazy light amber beer with a two finger thick fluffy white foam head that sticks to the glass. Head retains rather well on this brew.

Smell: Fresh sweet pale malts and lightly pungent raw hops.

Taste: Biscuity up-front with yeasty bread flavours on the edges of the palate. Malt sweetness reserve, but consistent throughout. Hops kick in with a thin tea-like semi-sour citrus bitterness that wants to break out and rule your tastebuds, but it opts to withdraw and balance the beer instead -- very nicely. The hoppy profile peaks with a slighly salty sting on the palate then the beer dries up a bit with a dry grain husk taste and feel. Finishes dry with grain & bready flavours.

Notes: I really enjoyed this brew. It's definitely a hoppy one, but not overpowering. Just a very decent brew that you could drink all night long.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2001 00:00:01 | More by Todd

Hairrrrrrrr

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-09-2013 21:32:29 | More by Hairrrrrrrr

rderedin

Maine

2.25/5  rDev -39.8%

01-05-2013 21:16:59 | More by rderedin

cliff1066

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

12-13-2012 04:32:34 | More by cliff1066

bzach

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

10-16-2012 03:13:07 | More by bzach

WeldBeerMan

4/5  rDev +7%

08-29-2012 01:50:17 | More by WeldBeerMan

kangarooAdam59

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass:

A: clear copper/golden colored body with a small one finger white head. Some lacing is left. Some carbonation is seen rising slowly.

S: centered around the malts with a light wood and earth slightly mixes in. Some buttery notes come out near the end of the beer.

T: very sweet at first, with some caramel and toffee backing up the sweets and then a slight hop spice comes in near the end of the taste

M: medium with a fair amount of carbonation, sessionable

O: this is a pretty good APA, however it did seem a bit sweeter for a normal APA. I almost thought it was more of an English pale ale. No worries. I liked it. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 17:38:55 | More by kangarooAdam59

mecmd

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-03-2012 04:43:38 | More by mecmd

searsclone

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

Clear copper color with a nice tan head. Good lacing.

Smells like wood and earth, maybe a little citrus

Taste is very sweet at first, caramel and toffee. Followed by hop spice with a syrupy finish.

Mouthfeel is good. Lots of carbonation, a bit thin.

Overall, I really like the taste of this one, but for some reason the drinkability is low for me. It's not hard to drink, I just think that one is enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 02:15:27 | More by searsclone

rab53

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

12-01-2011 04:57:05 | More by rab53

ExtraStout

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber hue with dark orange hues, pancaked frothy white head with great retention. Brilliantly clear. Resilient medium body with a well structured smooth mouth feel to carbonation level. Handful of malt on the palate ranging from toasted malt to caramel. A touch fruity. An increasing hop bitterness starts off small but builds to a prickling bitterness. Hops are mineral earthy, almost herbal, and some light citrus. A tasty "don't rock the boat" brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2010 00:35:51 | More by ExtraStout

plaid75

New York

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On drat at The Inn on Peaks Island, Portland, Maine.

Poured a medium copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and decent lacing.

The smell and taste both featured caramel, butterscotch and a grassy hop. Finished sweet.

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style.

Overall a bit of a hybrid between the American and British styles.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2010 13:38:27 | More by plaid75

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

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

S: The aroma is of floral hops, caramelized malts and some citrus.

T: The taste is well-balanced with sweet flavors of caramel & citrus and a moderate hops bitterness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, this is an ordinary yet decent session beer to drink for long time.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 02:01:16 | More by TheManiacalOne

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Out of a bottle this beer was an amber copper color with a khaki colored head. Modest retention as a collar but weak lacing. The aroma was a combination of caramel malt, some ripened fruit esters and a background of floral hops. The flavors however were more hop based, a flash of caramel malt up front quickly followed by hop bitterness and some orange zest and rind. Hints of yeast and bread. The finish is crisp and rather refreshing. Well balanced. The mouthfeel was ok, the body medium and the carbonation delicate but not too soft. Yum. Flavors: Approved. Too bad it doesn't look as good as it could.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 15:16:35 | More by thekevlarkid

BDIMike

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an amber hue with a half-inch white head with great retention. A lot of active carbonation.
Smell is buttery or biscuity. Not expected for a pale ale.
Taste is slightly boring. A bit of hops in the taste, but more malts than anything.
Good mouthfeel for a pale ale. Nice thickness mixed with a sharp feel.
Drinkability is good, but too boring to drink many of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 02:22:54 | More by BDIMike

deltatauhobbit

Maine

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an amber color with orange hues, decent head and lacing.

Smell is surprisingly fruity but with a strong hop/citrus backing, balanced out with some malt.

Taste is crisp from the hops, leaves a slight bitterness at the end, upfront there is a slight fruitiness, maybe pear and orange, coupled with the malt.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2008 23:13:55 | More by deltatauhobbit

oberon

North Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a standard pint glass a clear lighter golden with a fizzy white head that was gone quickly,lemony and toasty in the nose mainly with a hint of caramel.First off way over carbonated goes down hard its very prickly flavors are light leaning in a citric hop direction with a bit of toasty malt but nothing really stands out.With such a prickly mouthfeel its a drain pour,Iam surprised it got decent reviews but it dont work for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2007 00:11:57 | More by oberon

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.08/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Amber body with thin offwhite head. Smells bready and hoppy. Tastes malty at the beginning with a hoppy bitter finnish. Sweet with some bitterness, and a hint of roastiness on the finish too. A very well-balanced beer. Medium in body with just slightly less carbonation than many APAs have. Very drinkable and enjoyable. A new favorite example of the style, from a brewery that hasn't disappointed me yet!

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2006 00:40:12 | More by MrHurmateeowish

Jaynuze

District of Columbia

4.35/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my first micros wayyy back in the day … great stuff. Pours a nice deep amber with a white frothy head that follows you right to the hoppy/bitter end. It also leaves a nice Belgian lace down the glass. It is a bit hoppy (nothing like Stone or DFH), but the soft hints of malt jump in to save the day. As others have mentioned, this does get quite bitter and piney, but that's just part of the love/hate relationship with this beer. A nice nose with a strong hoppy fruitiness. I love this beer; unfortunately I can only find it when I'm visiting my parents in Maine. Grab a sixer, some steaks, and head down to the lake with this one. A great beer for those humid Maine summers ... after a couple you even forget about the six mosquitoes who've set up camp on your calf and the cloud of black flies manically hovering just out of reach.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2006 20:06:25 | More by Jaynuze

gotbeer

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I'm reviewing this beer again many years after my first one.

It has a great mouthfeel and taste. There is a nice bite of hops with some malty balance, just like an American Pale Ale should be. There are some fruit flavors, orange, citrus, melon, and more. Incredible balance and drinkability.

This is one of my all time favorite session brews. You could easily drink this one all night long.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2006 03:33:58 | More by gotbeer

villainchiwwin

Maine

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

served in pint glass on-tap from you know whose pub in waterville, me
amber/dark honey colored, thin stubborn head without much lacing. citrus and doughy smell with floral notes. tastes of malt near middle of palate while citrus notes ascend from front of mouth; hops near the back. nice balance between these flavors with the hops winning in a lengthy finish. heavy on hops but not overwhelmingly so - plenty to catch a good chunk of the palate without making the brew difficult to drink. light-bodied with a carbonation snap. good, easy-drinking but hop-laden brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2005 20:32:26 | More by villainchiwwin

HoorayBeer

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had a pint of Carrabassett Pale Ale after work, it was not just any ordinary Pale Ale. This Pale Ale had a nice light brown color with a slight head that laced the glass nicely. Nice malty aroma with a hint og nuts and a small lasting impression of sugar or caramel. The malty flavor sits in your mouth nicely as the flavor lasts quite a while. Not a bad bite, it kind of creeped up on you for the after taste. Maybe a little hint of caramel in there, could not quite tell. In all a good beer, could have had a few more.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2005 21:37:01 | More by HoorayBeer

Gavage

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crystal clear orange in color with a two finger white fluffy head. The head slowly recedes to a fluffy surface foam. Mild lacing develops. The aroma is of mildly floral hops and some caramel. The flavor leans towards a maltier level, as it is a bit stronger than other pales. A decent bitterness, traces of butter, orange citrus, and soft caramel tones round it out.

Medium in body. Mouthfeel is crisp as numerous tiny carbonation bubbles are present. Finish is crisp and quick. Nicely drinkable, worth trying a bottle or two.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2005 23:26:17 | More by Gavage

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle with non-present "best by" information on the label. Thanks to PhantomVoDoo for sending this one.

Poured clear. Color is a dull amber-copper. Thin and wispy off-white head reduced quickly from its boisterous state to leave only minimal lacing. Soft aromas, comprised mainly of citrus and caramel. Flavor is balanced, but nothing great. Initial doughy/yeasty flavor, followed by a sweet middle, and finishes with a strong iced-tea bitterness. Quick and snappy finish. Dry. Mouthfeel is on the thin side...lacking body. Nothing too memorable in this one. Very even-keeled. A candidate for a crossover beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2004 21:54:37 | More by OldFrothingSlosh