Gritty McDuff's Halloween Ale - Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gritty's Halloween Ale
12 oz brown bottle
Best before September 2013 notched on the side label (?)
Served in a 20 oz tulip glass

Pours a light brown color with pumpkin orange highlights on the bottom of the glass. A decent head forms on top with surprisingly nice trails of sticky lacings on the side of the glassware.

Smells like freshly baked bread with melting butter.

This is a really smooth beer with a strong malt and bready backbone. The finish provides a hint of that classic Maine craft beer flavor of butter. I'm never quite sure if that is diacetyl yeast I'm detecting. I have a tendency to get that taste from Maine brews like Gritty's and Geary's. Other flavors of sweet caramel and brown sugar contribute to this beer's flavor. A nice mini hop snap on the finish helps round everything out.

A drinkable Fall offering and at $7.99 a 12 pack from Supreme Liquors, I'm really glad I decided to try this out.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 00:47:34 | More by Hibernator

BGsWo22

New York

2/5  rDev -47.6%

03-23-2013 18:31:33 | More by BGsWo22

BEERMILER12

Maine

4/5  rDev +4.7%

02-27-2013 03:02:38 | More by BEERMILER12

rorjets

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.7%

02-10-2013 14:26:54 | More by rorjets

RyanSBrennan

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.7%

02-07-2013 14:24:32 | More by RyanSBrennan

EatonHops

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

01-19-2013 02:37:34 | More by EatonHops

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

01-08-2013 14:27:07 | More by tobelerone

dunix

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

01-02-2013 14:47:53 | More by dunix

Jim_DemonDeacon

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

11-11-2012 20:34:51 | More by Jim_DemonDeacon

mountdew1

New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Color was a dark orangey amber. Thin off white head with a bit of side cling. A few sad streams of carbonation rose from the bottom. Aroma was primarily malts, a small bit of smokey sweetness. Also able to pick up a bit of sour, something like a lime. Flavor was a slightly bitter tangey malt. Nicely developed to want one to keep drinking. Felt good in the mouth, well coated and nicely carbonated. Overall it was a nice beer, but really had nothing to tie it to Halloween.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 22:35:54 | More by mountdew1

Cavanaghty

Maine

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Reddish amber color with a beige head of about one finger. Mild lacing on the glass.

Smell: Carmel, malts, hops, maybe some grass and nutty notes to it as well. The smell is not overpowering.

Mouthfeel/Taste: A little rough, but not bad, typical of Gritty's. Medium Bodied. Taste of roasted malts, carmel, and a bit of a nutty aftertaste.

Overall: Great brew. I usually find my self having a few of these around September and October, goes great wiht some fresh game meat, or poultry.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 19:58:15 | More by Cavanaghty

Gatordaddy

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%

10-26-2012 22:15:13 | More by Gatordaddy

ale207

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

10-23-2012 00:56:00 | More by ale207

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.7%

10-22-2012 00:38:06 | More by DrewSnyc667

bluerabbit

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

10-21-2012 17:16:25 | More by bluerabbit

Mikeynas

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

10-21-2012 00:14:59 | More by Mikeynas

MacCherry

2.55/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle poured into pint glass.

A- Beautiful brown/copper with a creamy, off-white head @2in thick. Laced all the way down. This is what beer should look like; before, during, and after.

S- Metallic. Some grain, a little caramel, and some yeastiness. But it's just swimming in this metallic twang. At first I thought it was the glass, then maybe just this bottle, but subsequent bottles were the same. Not sure what the deal is here.

T- A little more of that caramel breadiness. Dry, dry, dry and long-lived hop bitterness.

M- Tight carbonation hides some of the malt sweetness. A little on the sticky side.

O- I can't see why they would market an ESB far inferior to the Gritty's Bitter. I suppose you've got to do some market pandering, but I expected more from this beer than a Halloween label and a "it's not a pumpkin-beer" presentation.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 20:29:20 | More by MacCherry

jwps214

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%

10-14-2012 01:33:11 | More by jwps214

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Barcade in Jersey City, NJ

A: Pours a clear very dark amber in color. The beer has a quarter finger tall creamy light beige head that slowly reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a medium sized thicker patch and a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of bready malts with some light hints of toffee sweetness and grassy hops. Light notes of spices - cinnamon and nutmeg.

T: Very similar to the smell, there are flavors of bready malts with some toffee sweetness. After that, there are light notes of bitterness from the grassy hops and some light flavors of nutmeg.

M: Slightly heavier than light bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Enjoyable and definitely a unique take on a Halloween beer - the lack of pumpkin and the style are quite unusual choices. Sessionable, easy to drink, and enjoyable. I would have another of these. Perfect for fall.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 20:18:48 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Barcade, Jersey City, NJ

A: The beer is clear and very dark amber in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white that gradually faded away, leaving a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of grassy malts, toffee and spices in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of malts and grassy hops along with some notes of spices towards the finish.
M: It feels on the lighter side of being medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is a nice change of pace fall beer if you are looking for something seasonal but don't want a pumpkin ale or a märzen. It is also rather easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 12:54:51 | More by metter98

doof116

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%

10-05-2012 23:24:31 | More by doof116

Didier

Maine

3/5  rDev -21.5%

09-23-2012 00:31:59 | More by Didier

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At Antonia's, Freeport, ME:

A: burnt brown colored body and gave a small off white/brown head. Some haunting lacing slowly slid down the glass as the beer went down.

S: slight caramel and apples with a bit of a woody yeast and earthy hops to it too.

T: sweet through caramel, light ginger, and apples, mainly an cooked apple aftertaste, hops once the beer warms a bit

M: medium, sessionable, yeasty finish with some light hops in that

O: full-flavored beer that I always come back every season it comes out since I've lived in Maine.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2012 16:23:38 | More by kangarooAdam59

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear copper with an unexpectedly impressive stalwart head. Leaves a lacey mess all over my glass. While the new tie dye Halloween label art is great I like the old headless bartender better.

Caramel and molasses cookie aroma.

Caramel and rum offset by a medical bitter. I found the hops contradictory rather than balancing. More bitter than I remember from a few years ago but I

Sweet and caramel-ly like Halloween candy.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 23:36:23 | More by donkeyrunner

brewdente

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

09-12-2012 20:58:27 | More by brewdente