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

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

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

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #33 (Oct 2009):

Inviting dark amber clarity with an ample lacing. Fruity, taffy-like, perhaps a little peppery and malty in the nose. Solid malt base lets the smoothness of the carbonation roll right through it. Malt is king of the hill here, though it struggles to stay on top with complexi- ties coming from all directions. Hops dial in with a low-key bitterness but bigger herbal and woody flavors. Taffy? Ripe fruit jumps up with a quick flash of estery alcohol and the yeast throws down a musty flavor to show its uniqueness from other yeasts. Everything seems to work together though, leading to balance in the finish.

A masterpiece that we'll miss soon enough--all good seasonals seems to be that way ... every day can't be Halloween either. Hands down one of our most favorite ESBs ever.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 21:49:07 | More by BeerAdvocate

Jason

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber with no freshness date. Freaky looking label. Reddish amber colour with a fine clarity and a thick off white lace that sticks quite well.

Buttery caramel, faint alcoholic esters, rustic hop leaf and a toasted grain in the aroma. Very fresh and aromatic with that Ringwood yeast flair.

Smooth and creamy with a medium to full body, big malty flavours of toasted and caramel. Fruity with ripe pear and faint apple juice. Buttery diacetyl is a touch musty, hops round the corner with a more than ample bitterness that is lightly pungent. Hops linger with an earthy woody flavour. Toasted malt flavours survive as well as some diacetyl and faded hop. Finishes a bit sweet also.

A masterful brew that is not only a great rendition of the ESB style but a perfect change up from the onslaught of Oktoberfest beers during the fall.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2002 17:14:38 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 1 pint 6 oz brown bomber. No freshness date, but a kick-ass spooky wood-cut-style label. Yikes!

Appearance: Deep, dark copper with amber hues, crowned with a slightly off-white foam lace with plenty of retention and clinging action.

Smell: Loads of distinct, coarse Ringwood floral action going on in the nose. Soft apple skin, hint of all-spice and some starchy aromas too.

Taste: Smooth and malty upfront, going coarse with a leafy, apple skin texture on the palate. A delicate apricot and a juicy fruity flavour blends nicely with an even malt sweetness, touch of candy-like sweetness and thin caramel. Subtle spiciness. Big wood notes define this beer, while a background thin semi-citrus bitterness helps to balance the heavy handed fruit/malt flavours. The wood flavours ride you into the finish, which becomes pretty damn clean. Pumpkin starch flavours and body? Maybe?

Notes: Once you get over the sameness of, and get to like, the Ringwood (aka Shipyard) yeast strain in many of the New England beers, you'll find the most interesting and unique flavours. This is no exception. A wonderful ESB, and a masterful seasonal. Drink up! Happy Halloween!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2002 17:31:45 | More by Todd

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

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

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