Geary's Autumn Ale - D.L. Geary Brewing Company

BuckSpin

Maine

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12oz bottle in a Shaker pint glass

Poured smooth & clean with a faint and constant sizzle. Nicely hopped nose, citric with orange and lite grapefruit, distant sweetness with brown sugar, and I swear the aroma of cool evening air drifting thru pine. As it warms it grows softer but retains all the aforementioned qualities in milder form, perhaps a bit sweeter with some fruit. Head was almost 2 fingers of very tight, compact, subtly sculpted latte colored foam with great retention, only settling to a finger's worth with nice lacing in rings. What can best be described as a rhubarb inspired, ruddy port hue resides beneath it with a stead parade of aquarium-esque bubbles rising haphazardly thru it. It is a very pretty beer.

Crisp, clean, nicely hopped but not overly so, it has a very nice bittersweet, burnt caramel quality. Smooth on the tongue, its not very dry, which helps to accentuate the sweet malts and lets the subtle hops shine. I'm enjoying the way the bittering hops keep the malted sweetness grounded and act as a counterweight.

Growing drier & sharper on the palate, the hops continue to peak & shine as the overall mouthfeel, while peaking, grows very even & balanced as if all coming together at a common convergence. An added benefit is the faint warming of the mouth from the IBUs, even if they are low. The finish is still noticeably hopped, clean, leaving a faint bittersweet film of an aftertaste, slightly chalked but altogether nice.

A very interesting Autumn Ale and one of the hoppier English Browns I can remember trying. This isn't to say this is a Brown IPA but this style doesn't usually have hops this noticeable. Its a nice change, and this would be a Brown that should appeal to hopheads and a nice change-up for maltheads. Can see this going great with aged cheddar, beef, root veggies, any sandwich on good bread with cheese. Anyone looking for a change of pace or just a nice, easy to drink beer that should appeal to hop & malt lovers alike should definitely seek this out before the winds of November blow it away for another year.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2007 23:20:48 | More by BuckSpin

beersvh23

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-29-2013 03:42:23 | More by beersvh23

sixerofelixir

Ohio

2/5  rDev -46.5%

02-28-2013 01:28:25 | More by sixerofelixir

Skarod

Maine

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

02-17-2013 20:59:11 | More by Skarod

george42

Illinois

4/5  rDev +7%

02-12-2013 21:27:23 | More by george42

rorjets

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

02-10-2013 14:26:12 | More by rorjets

thinwhiteduke

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

12-31-2012 03:38:38 | More by thinwhiteduke

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

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

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a deep ruby red with brown tinges. Very creamy white head holds fast at a half an inch. Lacing manifests itself in the form of thin, foamy rings.

S: Hints of toffee, wood, brown bread, cocoa powder, and a berry-like fruitiness. Earthy hops in the background.

T: Woody, brown bread, brown cocoa powder. slight cola and toffee. Fruity esters of raspberry. Strong earthy hop presence of tea leaves, tobacco, and garden herbs. Finishes on the dry side with a lingering woodiness and earthy, herbal hops.

M: Full and creamy in the mouth. Medium bodied. Moderately high level of carbonation scrubs the palate and pricks at the tongue.

O: I was in the mood for a nice English style brown ale, and this beer filled the void. It's nice enough, but certainly doesn't bear the standard for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 06:40:31 | More by ryan1788a5

BrewQuest

Maine

4.75/5  rDev +27%

11-03-2012 03:57:11 | More by BrewQuest

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

10-21-2012 04:43:40 | More by RedAleMan

bigox420

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

10-21-2012 02:30:58 | More by bigox420

Flounder57

Massachusetts

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

12 oz bottle was poured into a pint glass. Enjoying this up in OOB to start off my relaxing weekend.

Appearance: This beer poured a minimal head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is an amber brown color with some visibility and vision of carbonation through the glass.

Smell: Some fruitiness, mocha, bready notes, caramel malts, and some roasted coffee too

Taste: everything is blended well together.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, feels light and watery, creamy, medium bodied, and medium carbonation.

Overall: The drinkability and flavor of this beer is good. Happy to have scored this beer when I opened up the fridge here in Old Orchard, ME.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 01:52:26 | More by Flounder57

dbrauneis

New Jersey

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

A: Pours a crystal clear very dark garnet red to reddish brown in color with minimal amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall creamy beige head that reduces to small patch of very thick film with a moderate amount of very thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of brown sugar, burnt sugar, and caramel malts. There are lighter notes of nuts and some fruity yeast.

T: Moderate flavors of bready and caramel malts along with some notes of brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and nuts. The beer starts out with a light to moderate amount of sweetness but finishes with light to moderate amounts of bitterness that fades quickly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with a light amount of dryness in the finish.

O: Easy to drink and sessionable with a little more complexity than is usually found in the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 20:37:39 | More by dbrauneis

TMoney2591

Illinois

1.98/5  rDev -47.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Gettin' into the swing of autumn with an appropriately-named brew. Right on. This stuff pours a clear garnet-sienna topped by a finger of sandy khaki foam. Actually, this stuff is quite lovely. The nose comprises brown sugar, maple syrup, light buttery biscuit, and a kiss of earthy hops. Not bad. The taste, though, sets everything on sacrificial fire, with notes of burnt brown sugar, rancid wheat, and a harsh, stinging, spicy bitterness that pervades the finish and malingers for far too long.

Lemme see if I can't illustrate this somehow: You see an incredibly good-looking woman off in the distance. As you approach each other, she's not growing any less attractive, so you ask her out, and she accepts. During your first couple of dates, things are kept low-key and kinda superficial, and everything seems to be going fine. Then, you two decide to take the relationship deeper. All of a sudden, she's moody, abusive; her tastes in things have swung 180 degrees; she's snorting coke off her "buddy's" dick and swearing it's all in clean fun, despite the increasing signs of various venereal diseases popping up on her person. Shit, sh even pulls a knife on you during a particularly heated argument. At this point, you dump her, taking the opportunity to land a job in a city the next state over (say, taking a job in Milwaukee when you're living in Chicago...that kind of distance). You think you're moving on, but she keeps calling, unattractively sexting, threatening to find you. This goes on for a few months before she finally fades into the nuthouse ether. You don't know why she's finally gone, and you don't care. At long last, it's over. You thank every possible deity and try to move on with your life, knowing and fearing potential baggage from the whole ordeal may surface at a later date. Just keep focusing on the future, and all will be fine, you tell yourself...

Yeah. It's exactly like that, and possibly even worse. I refuse to go back and find out. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda dry finish. Overall, no matter how good this stuff looks, it can't compensate for the horrendousness of the taste. It's just too much suck to even think of ignoring it. This is some evil shit right here, my friends...

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 15:27:54 | More by TMoney2591

Jeb37

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -19.8%

10-07-2012 17:42:28 | More by Jeb37

DouglasChasse

4/5  rDev +7%

10-06-2012 18:34:55 | More by DouglasChasse

NardiByNature

Massachusetts

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

A: Small tan head settles quickly into a collar; leaves some sudsy spotting down the glass. The brew itself is opaque and brown (duh) but with some auburn hues.

S: Nice – sort of the molassasey-fruity aroma of a Belgian dark mixed with a kick a kick of oatmeal

T: There was a hop presence in the nose that I didn’t mention but it’s more apparent in the taste – it’s a bit citric, and provides a nice crispness. There’s more coffee on the palate than in the nose

M: Smooth, creamy. A little alcohol in there that I didn’t expect. moderately carbonated

O: An excellent brown ale on the Amtrak...

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 00:03:36 | More by NardiByNature

NHSTEVE

New Hampshire

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

09-25-2012 21:48:29 | More by NHSTEVE

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: This seasonal beer pours a dark Amber color with a solid 1/2 in off-white head that leaves some lacing.

S: Aroma consists of roasted malts, grain and oats up front. Does conclude with a caramel and brown sugar finish.

T: Off the first sip, I get a caramel/toffee flavor with roasted malts and brown sugar. Grains and oats follow through the middle of the taste with a bready type texture through the aftertaste.

M: Very consisytant with a Brown ale in terms of mouth feel. But does lack that nutty flavor which is more dominated by grains. Smooth texture, somewhat creamy with no carbination to speak of.

O: Very good beer for the fall season, has all those dark, robust flavors that get you in the mood for Autumn. I have had Geary's Hampshire special before. This beer doesnt live up to the abv of that, which is what I was hoping, but does stay true to that harvest style.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 01:31:55 | More by SouljaSaia17

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a 1.5" beige head with average life. The body is dark as coffee but held to the light it's a deep burnt umber brown. It smells mildly of roasted malt but really not much else. The taste is mildly malty and has a slightly burnt aftertaste. It's OK, just not really a standout to me.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 10:50:04 | More by MoreThanWine

WeldBeerMan

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

08-29-2012 01:32:53 | More by WeldBeerMan

kaelingirl

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

08-28-2012 19:18:29 | More by kaelingirl

ZacMetalFan

Maine

4/5  rDev +7%

04-18-2012 01:56:28 | More by ZacMetalFan

clord717

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

03-03-2012 23:40:17 | More by clord717

AndrewMichael

Virginia

3/5  rDev -19.8%

01-15-2012 20:43:22 | More by AndrewMichael