Mountain Ale - The Shed Brewery

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.56/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy, dark amber. Modest bar-pour head but it lasts. Lots sticky, spotty lace.

Earthy and dark. Far more malty than hoppy. A bit of chocolate and alcohol to the smell.

Starts with darker malt but, in the swallow is a good dose hop. In short,well balanced. Thin bodied with a level of carbonation above normal. Earthy overall with a low sweetness.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2013 00:47:04 | More by smcolw

brewtus

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark amber. Had it on tap at JAX right off Killington mountial. Tastes great, a boarder line American Pale ale but had a hint of dark Belgian after taste. I had never never heard of this brewery before coming to VT but this was a great ale and I'd love to try some of their happier offerings

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2013 01:55:38 | More by brewtus

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 12/19/2012 at The Gridiron Bar & Grill in Warwick, RI served in a becker pint glass.

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

S: The aroma is faint but contains caramelized malts, fruit, honey and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, honey and fruit. The malt character is a bit thin. The hops presence is mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and a little crisp but a bit watery, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, good kick, decent representation of style, it’s a decent beer but there are other similar beers that I would choose first.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2012 02:51:15 | More by TheManiacalOne

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Otter Creek. Pours opaque dark brown with a good sized cream colored head. Solid retention and excellent lacing; very nice overall appearance. Aroma is quite malty and sweet, somewhat toasty, with light fruitiness, brown sugar, and very faint herbal hops.

Flavor is again on the sweet side, with caramel and brown sugar, toasted, slightly nutty malt, distant fruity and herbal hops that really only emerge as a light bitterness in the aftertaste. Quite dry despite the initial sweet flavor. Hint of booze in the finish as well.

Medium body and carbonation; feels smooth and has a little heft to it. Average drinkability. Tasty but not super exciting; a little one dimensional, perhaps.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2012 04:08:28 | More by tobelerone

Lawl3ss

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Lightly chilled 12 oz bottle into a 33cl snifter. No visible bottling date, but it's been in my fridge for at least six months.

Look- Clear amber-brown with three fingers of off-white head that falls quickly. Bottle declares it's unfiltered, and the sediment in the bottle backs this up. Nice webbed lacing.

Smell- Mild, nutty, dark bread. Nondescript but pleasant.

Taste- Similar to the nose - pretty standard, even plain, but well done. Toasted biscuit and moderate yeasty breadiness, light fruitiness as it warms, subtle spice.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, light carbonation. Light warming on the back, but fairly light feel for 7.5%.

Overall- A pretty nice brown ale, nice flavor. Nothing too flashy but a decent easy-drinking robust brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 00:01:56 | More by Lawl3ss

Etan

Illinois

3.66/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz into an MBC tumbler.

A: Pours a honey-hued amber with a thick off-white head.

S: Yeasty, dried fruit esters, apricot, brown sugar, multigrain bread, slightly buttery.

T: Caramelized grain, fruity British yeastiness, very light roastiness, toffee, a hint of alcohol, plum.

M: Medium-bodied with active carbonation.

O: This is ok. A very yeasty English brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 01:28:01 | More by Etan

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

One of the beers I obtained on an Easter Sunday beer swap.

Dark hazelnut to auburn in color with a thin beige head. Horseshoe shaped retention.

Smells like pumpernickel. Brownie batter peaks out a little as it warms.

Bread crust and orange rind with a swamp hop tea finish. Burnt brownie edges emerge after it's been sitting in my glass awhile. A 7.4% it's a big brown and it's got a big brown body. Full and creamy and just plain thicker than most browns.

Toasty and tea-like like a Northern English brown but big and full like an American brown. Neat genre straddler but not something I'd buy again. Or buy in the first place technically.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 20:59:02 | More by donkeyrunner

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear but very dark reddish brown in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation when it is held up to a bright light (but appears black when viewed from afar). It poured with a finger and a half high dense beige head that gradually died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles on the surface, a collar around the edge, and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of dark and nutty malts are present in the nose along with notes of dark fruits.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a light amount of bitterness and bits of initial malty sweetness. Plums seem to stand out in particular among the flavors of dark fruits.
M: It feels medium-bodied, a little smooth and a bit creamy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This wouldn’t be a bad beer to sip on a cold day. It definitely lives up to being described as "a rugged brown ale" on the label.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 02:44:47 | More by metter98

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A pretty desent beer here in all catagories. It has a nice looking appearance with a brownish amber. The head is small though and there is no carbs. Aroma is nutty malts and biscuit malts though the nose doesn't jump out at you. Still not bad. Taste is all malts. Rich and sweet with a nuttiness too. In the aftertaste it sweetens up a bit. I don't notice much hops in the taste. It is semi dry and slightly bitter in the aftertaste.
All in all a good beer but not one I'd care to have again.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 14:29:35 | More by micromaniac129

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.76/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Described on the label as a 'rugged brown ale'.

Poured to my Shed pint glass. Darkish brown with bright orange highlights, nice color. Beige head retains as a mostly-full thick cap with some lace left behind.

Nutty and roasty malts stick out most in the scent, with some light caramel and molasses backing. Some earthy and leafy hops.

Taste - nutty malts, roasty toasty malts, caramel, candied dark fruits, hints of cocoa, some dark bread and earthy hops - less hoppy than expected, nice malt profile. Some booze.

Malty and oily mouthfeel, medium carbonation, a little boozy.

Good, an interesting beer with some nice complexities, reminded me of a doppelbock kinda.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 12:15:30 | More by Chico1985

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Another of my local, in-person trader, tone77's latest drop-off.

From the bottle: "A deep Stowe, Vermont heritage, this small batch classic now makes its home in Middlebury, Vermont. Smooth, malty overtones with a pronounced hop finish."; "Born in Stowe, Vermont at the legendary Shed Restaurant & Brewery, moved to Midddlebury to to raise up a family of Vermont ales."; "Unfiltered, Brewed fresh since 1995, established in Stowe, Vermont, a rugged brown ale."

It is early, so I decided to go with a heavy-handed pour that ended up producing some cascading action in the glass. It also produced two-plus fingers of dense, foamy deep-tan head with good retention. Color was a deep-brown with burnt orange highlights and just a touch of haze in terms of clarity. Nose had an interesting mix of chocolate malt and minty, evergreen hops. It is Girl Scout cookie season and this made me think of Thin Mints. The lacing that had begun to form was wonderfully sticky. Mouthfeel was medium, approaching full and the chocolate malt was immediate on the tongue with the minty hops following as I breathed in. This was really good, much more than I was expecting and the finish really did have a Thin Mint cookie quality to it. I will be recommending this one to others.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 12:45:54 | More by woodychandler

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Nice label.

Don't see enough brown ales out there. Not that I'd really be rushing out to get them anyways.

This is a pretty nice one. Decent body, flavor is bringing something, though it's slightly too tangy. Just a wee bit. Carbonation is a bit too high as well. Overall a pretty good brew. Glad to be able to try something from a new (to me) brewery. Will keep an eye out for more from them.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 04:56:20 | More by RblWthACoz

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a two finger khaki tan head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Brown hazy color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Light malty nose, flavor is sweet malty and nutty. Better than the usual brown. $1.80 for a 12oz bottle from Concord Coop Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 23:09:10 | More by jdhilt

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a 341ml bottle

A: Dark brown color with some ruby red tinges coming through in the light. One finger head that died rather quickly into a little ring. Moderate lacing.

S: Nutty perhaps toffee like smell. If you really search in the smell you can find the booze but its pretty undetectable.

T: Nutty flavors typical of a Northern English brown ale. Mild hop bitterness in the beginning of the sip but it finishes with nice toasty malts. Caramel and toffee are slightly evident but far less present then the nutty backbone of the beer. Alcohol is masked very well and is barely noticeable after the first couple sips.

M: Nice body to it. Not too thin and a nice feel going down.

O: Third time I've had this beer now. They were all given to me as gifts. Its a pretty good beer. Nothing that astounded me or made me want to go out and get some but the experience was enjoyable and memorable.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 23:44:04 | More by Haydn-Juby

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.69/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served from my local bar as part of a beer incentive program with a pilsner style glass.

This beer was a very cloudy brown with a decent amount of foam. Off the top I pick up a decent amount of malt from this beer. The hopping was kind of light.

This is more like an English Brown, than an English Strong. The flavor was more muted than you would expect. The flavor on this one is deceptive compared to the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 21:33:16 | More by ummswimmin

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.65/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Shed - Mountain Ale - 12fl oz bottle

Look - Nice looking 6-pack, fresh marketing from Shed, was surprised to find this at the grocery store, although it is a local brew so it makes sense. Pours a dark brown sugar with a minimal head.

Smell - Malty and bitter, but appetizing.

Taste - An interesting bite, a tasty malt and cocoa attack, slight hop wave finish.

Mouthfeel - Smooth and casual, surprisingly tasty bite with a "throat bomb" at the end. So drinkable.

Overall - This brew is deceptively smooth for a 7.2%, it goes down with grace. Enjoyed wholeheartedly.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 14:45:57 | More by JMScowcroft

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Mildly hazy, red-brown in color. A half inch of creamy tan head retains fairly well, but settles after a bit. Thin rings of lacing are left in its wake.

S: Bready, caramel, molasses, slight brown cocoa. Toffee. Wild berry esters. Very faint earthy hop backing.

T: Bread crust and cocoa. Nutty and a little yeasty. Cocoa and toasted crust. Berries. Oily hops on the mid palate. Toasted nuts and cocoa powder on the finish.

M: On the thicker side of medium bodied. Slight weighted presence in the mouth. Very creamy and very smooth. Moderately low carbonation. Very slight warming sensation.

O: Nice to see this brand brought back from the dead. This is a good beer. Rich, flavorful, and smooth. Highly drinkable despite its size. You would not know that this is 7.4% abv. A great fall beer, though I'm glad it's offered year round.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 19:22:04 | More by ryan1788a5

Ryanm1

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark copper color with moderate white lacing. Unfiltered as labeled on the bottle. Sweet in smell.Tastes slightly carmely. definite malt flavor, not coffee or chocolate but a lighter malt. Sweet with a touch a hoppy, piney bitterness at the finish.

This is great tasting beer. Very smooth. I pegged it for a standard "brown ale" as stated on the bottle, but later found it was classified as an English Strong Ale weighing in at 7.4% abv. You can barely taste the alcohol in this thing which is a great thing.

One of the better brown ales on the scene. Crafted with care to produce a palatable taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 23:43:53 | More by Ryanm1

ithacabaron

California

4.05/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice deep walnut. Little or no head, which soon becomes a thin halo around the edges. No lacing evident.

Smell is subtle -- unsweetened chocolate, cherries (both the fruit and the stone), untoasted sesame, milk caramels. Although it's hidden well, what's there is nice.

Taste is complex and malty. Notes of raw pecans start, with allspice and brûléed sugar soon behind. Carefully implemented hops keep things dry, but never assert themselves beyond that. Skillful, mellow, and superb.

Mouthfeel is nice and full, if a bit too foamy. This is really a matter of taste; the carbonation could be taken down a touch, but then the sweetness might become too dominant and the balance of the beer would be lost.

Overall, a nicely done beer, and perfect for a night by the fire. These kinds of brown ales are rapidly being lost under the influences of more hop-forward examples, so it's nice to see the New England style come out to shine. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 01:29:45 | More by ithacabaron

MusicaleMike

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Original beer recipe designed by Shaun Hill from Hill Farmstead.

Poured into my Tired Hands stemmed glass. Deep ruby brown color with finger worth of tan, frothy head. Head drops down to some bubbly lace. Attractive brown ale, but I have seen better.

The aroma is familiar, but hard to pin down where I've smelled this before. Notes of brown bread, herbal hops, cherry cordial (yum!) and candied ginger, with a mostly lightly sweet malty aroma dominating this beer. It's a robust aroma and certainly fits their designation of this beer as a "Rugged Brown Ale." It's not very hoppy, but it's not one-dimensional either. Good. I like this complex malt aroma.

Flavor is full of rich, delicious rich malt notes and only a balancing bitterness in the finish. This dark brown ale shows no flavor of chocolate or coffee or any other roasted flavor, but what we do get is sweet notes of plum pudding, dark fruits, and brown sugar.

Carbonation is spot on and it has a medium to heavy body. Not overly sharp or effervescent, and enough carbonation to lighten up this 7.4% alcohol beer.

I found this brown ale to have a very unique character in the flavor and aroma. I'm not completely blown away by this beer, but I would buy this beer again and certainly would recommend this over some (most) of the other duller brown ales out there. Better example of an American Brown Ale than most.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 03:44:34 | More by MusicaleMike

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tumbler pint, the beer is a dark, vibrant, ruby-highlighted brown coloring that looks dark and deep. A thin, sparse, filmy coating on the surface of the beer is all you get for head. Aromas of rich toffee, molasses, and a touch of roasty qualities. Smells very heavy/big, but not overpowering on the nose. Flavors are much more roasted than the nose lets on, with the rich, dark, sweet flavors entering in after the forward punch of earth and roast. Malty profiles overall, with a touch of bitter coffee at the end to draw a bitter close to the palate. Roasty and blended aftertaste, with hints of the dark, earthy sweetness you just tasted, as well as the bitterness that brought everything to a close. Smooth and clean in mouth, with a slight effervescence at the end of the drink. Very easy to drink, with a rich, roasty finish that hangs on just long enough to bring you back for more.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 00:29:55 | More by GarthDanielson

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: dark brown, copper shimmer, finger khaki head, ok lacing

S: very mild malt, toffee, nutty

T: nutty, caramel, toffee, biscuit malt, mild roasted finish

M: med body, mild bubbly mouth

O: Nice beer, would buy again. Great to see this new brewery
make a name for it's self.

PRETTY GOOD, GIVE IT A TRY!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 21:34:07 | More by BeerLover99

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark brown in color with a dark beige head one inch high.

Aroma: Figs, dark fruits, molasses, brown bread, raisins, grape notes. Lots of malty sweetness.

Taste: Quite a malty sweetness in front. Raisins, dark fruits all through it. Very bready and chewy, molasses mild traces of brown sugar.

Notes: A very large malty backbone but still very smooth and drinkable. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 04:24:49 | More by horshack7

Chas58

New Jersey

2.68/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a Firestone Walker Nonic Pint Glass

Appearance: This beer pours a brownish red, with a thinness that is initially unappealing. It tends to settle into a more full looking brown. The head is active with a full two fingers of a loose brownish appearance. It tends to dissipate fairly quickly with a lacing on the glass and a persistent small head remaining through half of the glass.

Smell: The only description i can find, because very little jumps out at me is a normal malty brown ale. The smell is very non-descript, little hop nose, and only a slight hint of maltiness.

Taste: The taste is unremarkable, with a limited amount of maltiness and a slight hop bite. The overall taste is good, but nothing that sticks with you. Very limited hint of alcohol, and for a 7%, very drinkable.

Mouthfeel: A slight malty stickiness remains after the moderate carbonation that bites at the tongue.

Overall: There is absolutely nothing wrong with this brown ale, and if it was available, I would drink it, but it is not memorable and does not warrant going out of the way to find. Otter Creek taking over The Shed brewery, may have made this more mainstream, but it is just OK.

Serving type: growler

11-30-2012 23:23:15 | More by Chas58

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.08/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle. sampled on November 29, 2012

The pour is a handsome looking mahogany brown with a soft, silky beige head and considerable carbonation rising up toward it.

The aroma is sweet and malty up front with a slight earthy hop note on the end. It is subtle yet noticeable and pleasant.

The body is medium to bold.

This is one of those beers that I really like because it moves through several sensations as I drink it. It begins sweet and slightly malty, coats the tongue in a creamy way, and then ends with a low to moderate bitterness which lingers and finishes dry. I had this on tap once in Vermont but the bottle is just as nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 23:42:12 | More by puboflyons