Flagship Ale - Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap 1/24/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub, in Pawtucket, RI served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color with a short dense white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains light caramelized malts, grain and some hops.

T: The taste starts out with breadiness from a light malt character which transitions into a mild malt sweetness. Then a decent hops bitterness for the style comes in creating a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready.

M: Crisp and smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a nice lighter beer to drink for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2012 20:38:27 | More by TheManiacalOne

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

The CANQuest (TM) CANtinues its salute to New England in the aftermath of Winter Storm Nemo! I scored a sixer of this last weekend while in West Warwick to visit my buddy.

From the CAN: "Thank you for hoisting our Flagship Ale!"; "This first offering from Grey Sail has been craft brewed in the cream ale style to be bright, refreshing, and flavorful."; "We hope you enjoy it. We also hope you'll visit us at the brewery or on Facebook to let us know how we're doing and what more we [CAN] brew for you."; '[undersigned Jen and Alan]".

I went with my soon-to-be-patented Crack & inverted Glug which produced two short-lived fingers of foamy, bone-white head. I will say that it did leave some beautiful lacing in its wake, however. Color was a golden-yellow with a very slight haze, but just enough to be noticeable. This had a pleasant malty sweetness to the nose, suggesting an all-malt cream ale, which is a nice change of pace. Mouthfeel was medium and there was a grassiness to the hops that worked well with the malt to create an eminently drinkable beer. Finish was semi-dry and very refreshing. Once more, thanks to it relatively low ABV, I CAN easily envision myself drinking this on a hot summer's day or better, with a fresh soft pretzel.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 19:08:00 | More by woodychandler

woosterbill

Connecticut

2.83/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz can into a Duvel tulip. Thanks to vonschplieffen for sharing this new arrival to CT. It's good to see another RI brewery on the scene.

A: Slightly hazy pale amber body under a frothy white head. Ok retention, good lace. Nice.

S: Slightly salty, slightly vomitous, and primarily corny. Really not good.

T: Better here, with sweet corn being the dominant flavor. Very boring and one-note, with a mildly bitter finish. No better than average for a generally underwhelming style.

M: Light-to-medium body with light, creamy carbonation. Pretty good.

O: Apart from the awful smell this wasn't too terrible. I'm sure it's intended to be consumed directly from an ice-cold can - savoring it in a tulip may have put undue emphasis on the aroma. Obviously you'd expect a well-made beer to stand up to the strictest scrutiny, but I'm sure this would be fine as a thirst-quencher under the right circumstances.

Cheers!

Serving type: can

09-06-2012 03:16:37 | More by woosterbill

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. can served in an nonic. Pours a translucent straw gold with a one inch, bright white head. Nose expresses sweet cereal grains and perhaps a slight buttery quality. Taste consistent with nose - there's almost a buttermilk character that comes out towards the middle and gradually drops off leaving some residual grainy notes. Mouthfeel is light in body with a pleasant, even carbonation that asserts itself just enough to tickle the tongue and palate. I don't have a lot of experience or depth with this style, but this is a very simple and drinkable brew without much complexity. An easy session beer for the summer that would go great with grilling.

Serving type: can

08-07-2012 01:13:43 | More by Jwale73

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another beer courtesy of woodychandler. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a rich golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, a touch of sweetness. Taste is crisp, malty, creamy, a touch of hops, easy drinking. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

Serving type: can

02-14-2013 00:38:37 | More by tone77

Durge

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed with dinner at Trio's restaurant in Narragansett, RI, this brew presents a pale gold color with a giant white pile of foam and plenty of lacing. The aroma brings a subtle floral lemon blend that is pleasant but a bit too polite perhaps. The flavor offers a biscuit wheat and somewhat watery cabbage sort of deal. Kind of musty skunky, a papery wheat. It’s light bodied but offers a nice, evenly carbonated feel that refreshes and finishes with a dry tongue. The flavor is somewhat unique, a bit perfumey, not really my thing but definitely not a bad brew. Worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 16:39:25 | More by Durge

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. can with just about the 'happiest' label design ever: radiating sunbeams, blue skies and a small sailing vessel on open waters. Poured to a pint glass. A nice 'local' extra from jedwards.

A: Appropriately blonde/golden, almost perfectly clear (a faint haze barely distorts my fingers through the glass). White foam topping can't quite reach a finger high; it ebbs but holds as a thicker skim with a thin, creamy ring. Lace in dabs and drips. I've seen some boring, lifeless Cream Ale and this isn't one of them.

S: Pleasantly sweet aroma of honey and baked bread and an odd earthy note that I can only liken to peppers - not a 'hot' aroma, by any means, but an odd but strangely alluring 'vegetable' quality. I've had/enjoyed a Chili Pepper Ale from Calapooia (Oregon) that this is reminiscent of.

T: Hay-like 'crusty bread' graininess, an earthy/doughy flavor that's balanced well and is as sweet as most cream ales I've had. Hops add a dusting of spice and a little 'leafy greenness'. I'm questioning my taste buds, because I get a hint of that 'pepper' that I found in the aroma; not a bad thing, just different... and memorable.

M: Light-medium body, after an initial roil of carbonation it's as 'creamy' as a cream ale should aspire to be. Smooth, clean finishing, mild carbonation. A slight starchy/sticky malt lingering on the lips.

O: Satisfying, refreshing, easy to drink. Nothing to complain about, a solid cream ale. Maybe I was thirsty or it was just plain good (probably both), but this was gone in about 5 sips/5 minutes. A good effort by Grey Sail (my first chance to try anything of theirs)

Thanks, Jonah, for sending this and allowing me to be the first non-Rhode Islander to review it!

Serving type: can

02-01-2012 23:53:12 | More by msubulldog25

bruachan

Rhode Island

3.73/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

pale amber-gold hue with a very nice sudsy head

aromas of blackcurrant and something woody coming from the hops. a gentle golden sweetness as well

as far as drinking the brew itself: very dry. more woody hop. fruity in a delicate and general way. bitterness is good: present but hardly assertive

a very quaffable beer, which i imagine is a must for a new Rhode Island brewery. it's crisp and too light for my liking--i might be temped to drink this in the gym

overall, however, i'm pleased that this will be the flagship brew for a new Rhode Island brewery. if people start drinking this regularly, they may soon realize how nasty Narragansett is

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 12:41:31 | More by bruachan

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed 11/30/12

Appearance: Light amber, dark gold in the light - mostly clear, slight chill haze- pours with a small, off-white head, keeps a little cap, leaves some nice spots of lacing

Smell: Interesting, mostly good - pale and lightly toasted grains - hearty white bread with a touch of honey - dough and some flowers - slight vegetal edge, like sweet corn - clean, lightly sweet, with some grassy hops

Taste: Doughy, yet lightly toasted, bread - kind of like a grainy bread with corn and honey - a light grainy sweetness balanced by a mild bitterness - lightly earthy, with some grass and fibrous vegetables - some hints of light citrus in the background

Mouthfeel: Medium body, nicely smooth as a cream ale should be, nicely carbonated

Overall: Good enough to be a flagship

Choosing a Cream Ale as a flagship beer for a new brewery seems a bit odd. But Grey Sail pulled it off. This is an all-around solid beer, more interesting than the "average" Cream Ale. If only these came in tallboys...

Serving type: can

11-30-2012 06:24:25 | More by angrybabboon

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.55/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz can. Pours a translucent straw color with an inch of frothy head. Good amount of lacing. Aroma is of sweet grains, grass and some bread. Taste is sweet breadiness, grains, and a bit floral at the end. Pretty crisp and easy to drink. Somewhat of a creamy mouthfeel. Seems like it'd be perfect for summer. Overall, its nothing special but worth having some of in the fridge.

Serving type: can

02-08-2012 04:28:19 | More by PicoPapa

mostpoetsdo

Rhode Island

3.4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ah, a new brewery who is part of the CAN revolution!

A: Crystal clear yellow, with a slight touch of amber. Thin, bright white head. Blotchy remains cling to the glass all the way down.

S: Very faint malts, cooked corn, and slightly herbal.

T: Starts off with a crisp, malt flavor, transitioning to grassy hops, with a slight peppery touch. Surprisingly more bitter than sweet and malty.

M: Light, good carbonation, maybe a touch too much for some; very clean.

O/D: The canned version is worth trying. Fairly hoppy for the style. Good beer to go along with bar food. Probably won't get any of your beer-nerd friends excited. Price is steep at almost $9 for a six pack of 12 oz, compared to all the other quality choices by other breweries. Looking forward to seeing what else these guys have to offer.

Serving type: can

01-24-2012 22:53:00 | More by mostpoetsdo

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.63/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

marked February 28, 2012--presumably the date it was canned

A: Nice clumpy head with modest retention and nice lacing.

S: Faint grain and vegetal hops.

T: Pronounced grain with a marked sweetness that becomes bready. Modest herbal hops on the finish lend balance.

M: Creamy with nice carbonation.

O: Not a remarkable beer, but it is quaffable. The sub-5 abv is nice.

Serving type: can

03-31-2012 22:20:55 | More by greybeardloon

foureyedgeek

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thought I'd do a quick review as this one doesn't have many.

Can dates 6/11/12, from a beer run while visiting RI.

Pours golden with a bit of haze and an off white head. Decent lacing but the foam doesn't stick around long.

Smell is sweet and grassy, nothing overpowering but good and fresh.

Taste is nice and easy, a mild sweet, almost vanilla flavor washed away with a mellow hop bitterness. Exactly what I'm looking for in a cream ale.

Mouthfeel is nice and light, very drinkable.

Overall this is a style often ignored by brewers, so its nice to see another one around. One of my favorite summer beer types and this one fits the bill just fine.

Serving type: can

07-15-2012 21:19:12 | More by foureyedgeek

icepik

Rhode Island

3.4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: blond color, good head and lacing.

S: Light grassy hop aroma with a stronger malt/bread background.

T: Nice biscuit/bread malt flavor with some grassy hops, not bitter at all.

M: Very nice, smooth mouth feel, very soft carbonation, prototypical cream ale.

O: This is a great session beer, comes in cans as well. The draft version had more hop character, but even so, this is solid cream ale. I’ll be drinking this on the beach in the summer and loving it.

Serving type: can

01-28-2012 23:49:28 | More by icepik