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Mountain Ale
The Shed Brewery
- From:
- The Shed Brewery
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- English Strong Ale
Ranked #21 - ABV:
- 7.4%
- Score:
- 85
Ranked #21,801 - Avg:
- 3.75 | pDev: 12.27%
- Reviews:
- 122
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 20, 2024
- Added:
- May 07, 2012
- Wants:
- 20
- Gots:
- 199
An English-style strong ale. This brown ale has great malt depth and drinks like a session beer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Doctor_Bogenbroom:
Reviewed by Doctor_Bogenbroom from Pennsylvania
4.23/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Dark, lustrous, earthy brown. Journey to the center of the Earth. A small but lingering tan head with good lacing along the sides of the glass.
Aroma: A bit weak, actually, but I can detect some soft hints of caramel. Not much else.
Taste: Earthy with a bit of toasty maltiness. It's not overpowering. It has a kind of natural passivity about it, like the Dao. And like Dao, there is a strength to that passivity. Okay, all silly philosophical banter aside, it tastes good.
Mouthfeel: Decent, medium body, with good aftertaste.
Overall: I found myself liking this beer and craving more almost right away. It's unassuming, and gently flavorful.
Dec 23, 2014Aroma: A bit weak, actually, but I can detect some soft hints of caramel. Not much else.
Taste: Earthy with a bit of toasty maltiness. It's not overpowering. It has a kind of natural passivity about it, like the Dao. And like Dao, there is a strength to that passivity. Okay, all silly philosophical banter aside, it tastes good.
Mouthfeel: Decent, medium body, with good aftertaste.
Overall: I found myself liking this beer and craving more almost right away. It's unassuming, and gently flavorful.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.75/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16 oz can from Tavour. Ratings don't do this beer justice. Dark, clear brown with small,foamy tan head. Rich toasty malt aroma, sweet and nutty. Taste is full and robust, malty, sweet, nutty. If all browns tasted this good I'd order it more often....
Mar 20, 2024Reviewed by FreePal88
4/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tastes "darker" than it looks, with kind of a roasty, toasted sweetness anchoring everything. A little toffee-ish, applewood-ish, vaguely chocolatey, a bit herbal, some brown sugar, some raisin, and spice-like notes. Complex and hard to describe, but if you're looking for an "autumnal" beer, this is that. Oddly dry finish. With an unintimidating IBU and 7-ish abv, it's kinda sessionable... kinda.
Mar 12, 2024Reviewed by QuietlyJudgingYou
4.26/5 rDev +13.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.26/5 rDev +13.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pours a ruby color with some dark copper hues. A thin ring of some quickly dissipating khaki foam.
Smell: Brown sugar, bread crust, little bit of caramel and a little herbal.
Taste: Much like the aroma, lots of bread crust, bit of a honey like sweetness, brown sugar, nutty and just the right amount of bitterness towards the finish.
Feel: Medium bodied, well carbonated, finishes dry. Easy drinking for 7.4%.
Overall: Great beer. Underrated and a real stand out in this stupid beer market.
Dec 06, 2023Smell: Brown sugar, bread crust, little bit of caramel and a little herbal.
Taste: Much like the aroma, lots of bread crust, bit of a honey like sweetness, brown sugar, nutty and just the right amount of bitterness towards the finish.
Feel: Medium bodied, well carbonated, finishes dry. Easy drinking for 7.4%.
Overall: Great beer. Underrated and a real stand out in this stupid beer market.
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas
3.9/5 rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.9/5 rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a bottle into a tumbler glass
Appearance – The beer pours a dark reddish-brown color with a small head of off-white foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a bit of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is rather heavy of a caramel and toffee aroma mixed with a good showing of a brown bread and lightly toasted malt smell. Mixed with these aromas comes notes of nutmeg and allspice as well as some harvest fruits of apple and pear. A touch of cheery and raisin round it all out, creating a rather warming inviting aroma overall.
Taste – The taste begins as one may have anticipated from the nose, with a toasted bready and doughy flavor that is paired with a decent deal of toffee and caramel sweetness. At the same time there is a light nut bitterness as well as some notes of harvest fruits and herb. As the taste advances the sweet fades just a tad, while more nut and some light spice of coriander joins in. A touch of earthiness comes in at the tail end, leaving one with a rather warming and moderately sweet malty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a moderate carbonation level. For the style, abv. and flavors the feel is rather nice and makes for a nice fall style sipper.
Overall – A rather flavorful, yet balanced red/brown ale. Overall, a nice fall brew.
Nov 18, 2023Appearance – The beer pours a dark reddish-brown color with a small head of off-white foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a bit of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is rather heavy of a caramel and toffee aroma mixed with a good showing of a brown bread and lightly toasted malt smell. Mixed with these aromas comes notes of nutmeg and allspice as well as some harvest fruits of apple and pear. A touch of cheery and raisin round it all out, creating a rather warming inviting aroma overall.
Taste – The taste begins as one may have anticipated from the nose, with a toasted bready and doughy flavor that is paired with a decent deal of toffee and caramel sweetness. At the same time there is a light nut bitterness as well as some notes of harvest fruits and herb. As the taste advances the sweet fades just a tad, while more nut and some light spice of coriander joins in. A touch of earthiness comes in at the tail end, leaving one with a rather warming and moderately sweet malty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a moderate carbonation level. For the style, abv. and flavors the feel is rather nice and makes for a nice fall style sipper.
Overall – A rather flavorful, yet balanced red/brown ale. Overall, a nice fall brew.
Reviewed by KP7 from Massachusetts
4.54/5 rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.54/5 rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark amber with a nearly three-finger off-white head that dissipates to a lasting coating.
Aromas of floral and earthy hops at the fore, with toffee and a dark fruit backbone.
Layers of flavor that I'm definitely not doing justice: slight toffee, whole grain bread, and earthy hops start it off, then comes the dark fruits, and finally some robust sweetness with toffee, browned caramel, and a hint of molasses. Adding air brings out the sweeter flavors at any point in the sip. The finish blends this sweetness with hop bitterness with moderate dryness. Just a hint of alcohol bite on the swallow. As it warms, the sweeter characteristics come to the fore and linger more throughout the sip, but it avoids becoming syrupy or cloying.
Moderate but fine carb creates a smooth and frothy mouthfeel. Medium bodied.
I've always found it a bit difficult to describe the flavor profile of beers that get slotted into the English strong ale category, but I do know that I thoroughly enjoy them. This is a fine example out of VT and a bit of a surprise that it's a core offering. It's pretty much spot-on to what I expect from the style.
Nov 07, 2023Aromas of floral and earthy hops at the fore, with toffee and a dark fruit backbone.
Layers of flavor that I'm definitely not doing justice: slight toffee, whole grain bread, and earthy hops start it off, then comes the dark fruits, and finally some robust sweetness with toffee, browned caramel, and a hint of molasses. Adding air brings out the sweeter flavors at any point in the sip. The finish blends this sweetness with hop bitterness with moderate dryness. Just a hint of alcohol bite on the swallow. As it warms, the sweeter characteristics come to the fore and linger more throughout the sip, but it avoids becoming syrupy or cloying.
Moderate but fine carb creates a smooth and frothy mouthfeel. Medium bodied.
I've always found it a bit difficult to describe the flavor profile of beers that get slotted into the English strong ale category, but I do know that I thoroughly enjoy them. This is a fine example out of VT and a bit of a surprise that it's a core offering. It's pretty much spot-on to what I expect from the style.
Reviewed by LagerMan_US from Maine
4.47/5 rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.47/5 rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Everything a 'strong brown ale' should be; rich, yet well tuned, with lots of deep flavors 'Rugged', as per the label - is an apt description. However, you barely notice the alcohol content. It's so flavorable. One of Vermont's best.
Sep 18, 2023Reviewed by DavetotheB from Pennsylvania
4.01/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.01/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
On tap Twiggs restaurant-pint glass.
Dark copper color. Very little tan head. No ret or lacing. (assuming gentle pour)
Caramel sweetness and light bread on the nose
Tastes of malty caramel and mild dark fruit. Sweet.
Smooth full bodied. Low carb.
Nice beer. Easy drinking..
Aug 25, 2023Dark copper color. Very little tan head. No ret or lacing. (assuming gentle pour)
Caramel sweetness and light bread on the nose
Tastes of malty caramel and mild dark fruit. Sweet.
Smooth full bodied. Low carb.
Nice beer. Easy drinking..
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)
4.02/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours a rusty dark brown with three fingers of frothy tan head.
Smell - earthy, leafy, and floral hops, dark fruits (plum, raisin, and fig), hint of smoky aromas, bready and biscuity malts, toffee, and earthy yeast.
Taste - earthy, leafy, and floral hops upfront. The dark fruits (plum, raisin, and fig) come through next alongside some nuttiness. The hint of smoky aromas are there followed quickly by the bready and biscuity malts. The toffee and earthy yeast round out the brew.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes smooth and slightly creamy with the hops adding a nice bite in the finish.
Overall - A solid and easy drinking brown ale. This goes down really easy considering it's 7.4%. I'll enjoy the rest of this can sitting outside on my deck on this mild Cowtown "winter" afternoon.
Jan 14, 2023Smell - earthy, leafy, and floral hops, dark fruits (plum, raisin, and fig), hint of smoky aromas, bready and biscuity malts, toffee, and earthy yeast.
Taste - earthy, leafy, and floral hops upfront. The dark fruits (plum, raisin, and fig) come through next alongside some nuttiness. The hint of smoky aromas are there followed quickly by the bready and biscuity malts. The toffee and earthy yeast round out the brew.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes smooth and slightly creamy with the hops adding a nice bite in the finish.
Overall - A solid and easy drinking brown ale. This goes down really easy considering it's 7.4%. I'll enjoy the rest of this can sitting outside on my deck on this mild Cowtown "winter" afternoon.
Reviewed by ANIMOUL from Vermont
4/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a 16 oz pint glass at Long Trail. Pours dark brown with plenty of foamy white head. Tastes of burnt / smoke; more like a rauchbier. Smooth, smokey taste with subtle notes of chocolate. Good.
Jul 04, 2022Rated by FrMatthewLC from Virginia
3.49/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.49/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A song brown ale but nothing exciting or making me want to buy it again vs other brown ales, porters or strong ales.
Apr 17, 2022
Mountain Ale from The Shed Brewery
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
705 ratings
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