Hibernator - Long Trail Brewing Co.

number1bum

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clearing out the last of the winter beers as the weather turns warm for the weekend...

Pours a cloudy reddish brown, dark copper sort of color with a finger and a half of light beige head. Keeps a thin lace and leaves a bit of webbing on the sides.

Smell is pretty nondescript, with a bit of caramel, some grain and a very light toasted note. Nothing to see here...moving on.

It's a bit more flavorful than it smells, with more caramel and biscuity malt flavor in particular. There's just a bit of fruit as well as a light toasted flavor. Enough flavor to do the trick.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, or maybe a bit thinner than that. Feels a touch watery for the style. It's clean enough.

This is a pretty mediocre beer overall, but that doesn't make it unpleasant. I like a bit more body on a cold evening (hell ya I do), but this is a pretty easy drinker. This is basically one of those 'not bad for the price' beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 01:18:48 | More by number1bum

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep amber, cloudy and hazy. A tall fluffy white head sits on top. Average carbonation.
Simple aromatics here. Caramel malts slighty toasted. Thats about it as i can tell.
Taste is malt forward slightly toasted some hops in the pine resin catagory. Back to the malts there seems to be a faint toffee aspectI'm picking up here.
Medium mouthfeel here.
Long Trail in my opinion makes good beers. Thier like a second tier brewery and they try hard but this is just an average scotch ale, pale ale,amber ale, whatever. I like this beer perhaps out of a tap in Vermont it would be better but today it's just average.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 20:02:33 | More by micromaniac129

JTBacon

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

To say it quickly, this beer is good. It looks by the label to be more of a 'winter' beer. But it isn't at all. It's not dark, or heavy, or has a distinct taste. But it is good, and I can see it being relatively easy to drink several of these. It's pretty neutral, so I can see IPA and Ale fans enjoying this...while those that like a darker and heavier fare try a few of those for a lighter alternative. Long Trail is a fine brewery that makes some great beers...this one probably ranks slightly above the median of its offerings. Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 17:43:01 | More by JTBacon

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.41/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – Served an orange-amber colored brew with a one finger white head. The head faded very rapidly leaving a great level of lacing on the glass.

Smell – The smell is heaviest of a bready aromas mixed with a lighter caramel sweetness and some oak and nut smells as well. Overall the aroma is quite light.

Taste – The taste begins with flavors of a more breaded and lightly roasted malt flavor. Up front there are hints of a caramel sweetness. The sweetness begins to fade more toward the middle as flavors of a bit more roasted malt and more bready flavors come to the tongue joined by a lighter citrus hop of a grapefruit flavor. Other flavors of a woody and spiced nature then come to the tongue. In the end, with a increase in the caramel sweetness once again, a moderately sweetened spiced and bready taste is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The thickness of the beer was on the medium to slightly above medium side with a little bit of chewiness and a lower level of carbonation. The slightly thicker body was quite nice for the bready and spiced flavors of the brew. A bit more carbonation may have been nicer for the lighter grapefruit citrus hop flavors of the brew, but overall it was pretty well done.

Overall – Not bad. While the combination of flavors upfront was not too appealing, with somewhat off transitions, as the brew warmed more it took on a bit more sweetness allowing for a bridging of the flavors in a smoother transition.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2013 01:37:59 | More by Darkmagus82

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz brown bottle.

Creamy off white head with average retention. Some faint spotted lacing with okay strength. Dark copper in color.

Semi-sweet maltiness with hints of brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey.

Semi-sweet big malt profile up front with nutmeg and cinnamon spices. Moderate hop-filled, dark bitterness at mid sip. Grain and wheat flavored aftertaste with a very light touch of honey adding a second wave of sweetness.

A shade above medium bodied; Grainy on the palate. Slightly unbalanced; not as mellow or smooth as I would expect from the style.

Nothing more than an average ale IMO. Good flavors, slightly unbalanced. Nothing unpleasant regarding flavor, but nothing special either. I'll pass on this one next time.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2004 02:05:06 | More by NEhophead

albern

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I knocked this one down a bit in the drinkability category because it has a slightly harsh bite in the aftertaste that is unwarranted. The beer overall is pretty good, although I don't know if I would call this a Scotch Ale since it does not really have that burnt or smokey straw distinguishing characteristic. This is a medium bodied, traditional malty winter warmer. There isn't much carbonation, the head is a very nice off white, creamy and frothy. There are ruby notes to this beer and it is sufficiently cloudy to add some intrigue to its presentation. It retains and laces. The smell is dextrin malt maybe a hint of spice in the allspice family. The taste is a bit complex in that the malty sweetness, the spices, the butterscotch notes are most pronounced on the front end. The hops show up towards the finish and add a nice balance to the spices. The slightly off aftertaste detracts from an otherwise pretty good beer. The mouthfeel is slightly tilted towards the dry end, although there is a creaminess to this beer that is an overall asset.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2008 21:20:42 | More by albern

confer

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another trade with co-worker. Had several of the Long Trail offerings previously and the Hibernator follows along. A good solid beer. The color is a deep amber almost brown. Pours with a small off-white head that disappears shortly. Very smooth taste. The beer feels very dry on the tongue, and leaves a distinct but pleasant aftertaste. This is a good choice for the winter season.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2008 03:58:12 | More by confer

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a dark amber with about a finger of head. Noticed the head dissipated some & separated into thicker "islands" of foam, interesting & not something I'd expect from such a medium-bodied beer. The smell was the high point -- sugary caramel & toffee notes, with just a little hope bite for balance. The taste was like the smell, but more bitter, & a little roasty flavor. I notice a mild syrupy character in the aftertaste & mouthfeel, one that sticks around for a minute after each sip. Not so much bitter like other reviewers had said, but almost like the sensation you get a few minutes after brushing your teeth: fresh for a little, then stale, & I'm compelled to drink more just to refresh the sweetness. Smooth & even-bodied enough, I could probably put away a few of these without flinching.

Looking at the style on this profile now makes sense -- given the name, I was expecting a Doublebock & felt it fell short of the style. Not a bad brew, but not one I'd search out.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2009 21:06:30 | More by OneDropSoup

bamadog

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle to a pint glass. Review is from notes taken on 12/13/2009.

Appearance: A pretty standard copper color; starts with a 2 finger head that is the lightest tan that fades slowly and becomes a little rocky as it dwindles to a full skim; body is pretty cloudy and shows moderate carbonation; leaves a solid curtain of lacing.

Smell: Pretty grainy like I would expect more from a lager as opposed to a Scottish ale; slightly biscuity/bready backing; not an especially strong nose.

Taste: Pretty much just like the nose -- grainy and lager-like; slightly bitter coppery presence; mild malty backing with a slightly sweet and fruity aspect to it, bot overall it's dominated by the grains and that metallic bit.

Mouthfeel: Nothing special -- moderate carbonation; very slight sticky coating on the roof of the mouth, but beyond that, it's largely a clean finish.

Drinkability: Meh. Nothing I'd go out of my way to pick up, but I've definitely had worse beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 20:50:10 | More by bamadog

TheGarvenator

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - pours into an amber color with a lingering head

S - smells like toasted malt and herbs, also some butterscotch

T - caramel and other malts...has a fruity taste thats shadowed by the first taste of the malts

M - smooth with a little kick with a medium level of carbonation

D - very drinkable, the little kick with the fruity malty taste provides a good winter brew experience...

I thought it was pretty good...the original taste had me question it but it won me over...a good winter beer and i recommend it

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 04:28:51 | More by TheGarvenator

KDawg

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

poured from bottle into a pint glass. Pours a medium orange color with a nice foamy head.

The aromas are a bit muted with some aromas of malts, toffee, and caramel with a touch of hops. Not all that deep either sadly

medium bodied with a smooth feel and flavors of caramel and malts

A good scotch ale and very drinkable. It would be better if there was more depth to it, but it's enjoyable regardless

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 14:50:45 | More by KDawg

wiseguy142

New York

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy orangey brown with a nice thick 1/2 cm head. Aroma is sort of like Raison D'Etre.. very raisiny that suggests of alcohol or a Doppelbock with a good balance of malt and hops. Taste is extremely malty with well placed hop bitterness finish and really tastes like it has more alcohol than it really does. A bit of a grainy sandy mouthfeel to it. Usually I'm all about malty beers but this one is just rubbing me the wrong way at the moment. Something about the suggestive alcohol content, although it's only 5.6% is getting to me. Not bad, but I'm having a hard time finishing it.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 02:13:15 | More by wiseguy142

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Hibernator has a clear orange body with a pillowly little head that leaves just a touch of lacing behind.

The aroma has grain, toffee and herbal hops.

The flavor fallows the aroma and the grany flavor is the most powerful, followed by an equal showing of both toffee and hops. The hops stick out a little bit actually, they are just a touch too bright and bitter for my liking. In fact, Hibernator doesn't bring the malt enough. That's not to say it isn't a pleasant beer, just that it isn't a great one.

Mouthfeel is pretty light with moderate carbonation.

Hibernator is pretty drinkable, but lacks any form of malty richness.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 12:52:43 | More by Hojaminbag

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass.

3.5 A: Nearly perfectly clear orange amber color. One and a half fingers of frothy beige head with below average retention and plenty of lacing.

3.5 S: Very grainy with touches of herbal hops and crystal malts.

3.5 T: More of a pale ale than a Scottish ale. Grainy malts with caramel crystal malts. Grassy and herbal hops. Was not expecting this. It isn't bad, but isn't great either and has nothing to do with a Scottish ale.

3.0 M: Lighter medium body. Carbonation is a bit too aggressive. Needs to be thicker and creamier or get a new name and style designation.

3.5 D: Not a bad drink if nothing better exists, but no reason to seek this out.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 02:54:51 | More by DavoleBomb

micmillon18

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Long Trail pint glass. Born on date reads 11-3-10.

A - Pours a small white head that dissipated quickly. No lacing around the glass. The beer itself is a reddish amber color, slightly clear. A small amount of sediment of sorts is floating around in the glass.

S - Cascade hops, caramel? faint to the nose.

T - Coppery, hoppy flavors. Malty. Bready towards the end. I"m tasting black licorice bouncing around in here somewhere which is a nice touch with the slight hoppy bitterness.

M - Carbonation is well balanced. Very smooth and drinkable.

D - Overall, a tasty brew though I wouldn't call it overly special. Maybe I'm comparing it too much to a Belhavens. Another solid beer from Long Trail.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 01:08:53 | More by micmillon18

oline73

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a mostly clear reddish amber with a half finger of off white head. A layer of head remains on top of the pour.

Smell: Sweet malt with some fruity notes. Not as much caramel as I would expect given the style.

Taste: Bready malt with some fruity notes, I'm picking up mild cherry. The finish is bitter with the malt flavor lingering.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with fluffy carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This is a nice take on a winter beer. I would have liked just a touch more sweetness, but not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 03:26:46 | More by oline73

rlee1390

Indiana

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Cloudy ruby red, little head

S-Spices, cinnamon, nutmeg and some roastiness.

T-Malt with some spice. Not much else. A bunch of malt with little else to offer.

M-Medium bodied but lacing carbonation.

O-There is nothing off putting in this beer. However it has a bunch of malt and little else.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 17:01:18 | More by rlee1390

williamherbert

New York

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Has a dark red hue with very little head to speak of. Has a spicy, malty scent.

Flavor is heavy malt, with a honey-ish touch. Very mild, much more so than most winter ales. Pleasant enough, but doesn't seem to have a "thing" that separates it from other winters. The honey is a nice touch, though. Surprisingly nice aftertaste.

A little chewy, but nice. As it warms up it becomes a little more cozy. Nice mild maltiness with a slight honey kick to it.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2006 02:27:41 | More by williamherbert

jamie2dope

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I love the image on the front of this beer...makes winter seem that much warmer and cozier. Anyway enough about that, the beer pours a nice looking copper, almost ruby color, with a small white laced head. It is also surprisingly clear, with champaigne like bubbles floating to the top. Smell is of dry grain, doughy bread, caramel, toast...not bad. Taste, lets see...Im getting more of the toast and grain flavors, with a mild backing of chocolate towards the end. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, bordering on light perhaps. This is a very easy beer to drink for the cold Fall and Winter months. While this may not be an earth shattering beer, it delivers in my opinion....nothing too extreme or offensive with this one, simply a beer you can rely on. I wouldn't mind seeing this one all year round.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2006 21:53:28 | More by jamie2dope

talkinghatrack

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The color and opaqueness makes it look like a glass of maple syrup. With a beer viscosity, of course. Poured from the fridge it's just a standard semi-bitter hopped beer. Nothing special. Medium body, not much there in the aroma outside of a bit of citrus.

Given my usual affinity for scottish ales this beer doesn't do much for me. It lacks much malt flavor and doesn't hide even the low-ish 5.6% alcohol content. Any warming sensation is overpowered by a bitter, semi-astringent aftertaste.

It's odd. I had a Long Trail sampler pack this summer in upstate NY and recall really enjoying it. Is the winter sampler pack all that different? Something tells me I'm not going to dig the Milk Stout or the hoppy IPA, either.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 01:01:17 | More by talkinghatrack

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark reddish brown with a slight skim of head. No lacing nor retention.

Some nice dark roasted malt, some rich toffee edges, brown sugar, burnt caramel.

Needs a bit more strength. They didn't overdo the style, but this needs some punch. Alcohol would help. Toffee, malt, and burnt sweet/bitter flavors are pleasant, but not intense enough. Sugars and bitterness mix well. Finish is long and pleasant, although a bit weak.

Medium-full body, but still too thin. This is a sessionable scotch ale. Needs more smokiness, needs more strength. These could go down easy, but you can do better. Still, one of the better ones from this brewer

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 15:58:49 | More by OtherShoe2

asabreed

New York

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a 12 oz. Samuel Smith nonic.

Appearance: A mildly hazy orange color, almost like an orange marmalade, without the thickness of course. Off-white head balancing at the top with minor retention.

Smell: A nice balance of mild fruit esters and good bitter hops, with some candied fruit aromas. But even as it warms, there's not a lot that's discernible except the commingling of the two.

Taste: The hops here come into play a lot more than the malt and fruit esters, which surprises me a bit for more of a winter brew. Lingering earthiness and hops with back-end mild fruit esters.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a good creaminess, and one of the best attributes of the brew.

Drinkability: A decent and somewhat sessionable brew for the winter. Both a little hoppier and heavier than I expected originally, which turns out to not be a bad thing at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 21:50:43 | More by asabreed

dtivp

West Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pored a clear amber brown with a slight white head that dissipated quickly leavig a very slight lacing.

Aroma of malt, caramel and floral hops.

Taste had a little grainy malt, hint of butterscotch and a bitter hop finish.

Mouthfeel was medium body with moderate to light carbonation, creamy smooth and a slight bitter ending.

This is a nice session beer, however, I would expect a bit more malt and a little less hops for this style.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 17:51:25 | More by dtivp

Kinsman

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice light mahogany brown with some ruby red highlights and a creamy ecru colored head sitting nicely on top.

Malty sweet notes present an inviting aroma with hints of toffee and some butterscotch. Just a touch of herbal hops in there as well.

Biscuits and grain welcome you at first before the sweeter malts come at you with notes of caramel, which are followed by the floral hops and their accompanying touch of bitterness.

Mouthfeel is smooth but leaves you wanting more. Not quite the umphh you'd expect from a winter seasonal. Overall, Hibernator is a enjoyable malt-forward beer for a cool winters evening but it lacks the strength to make it stand out in a crowded field of winter brews.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 20:23:55 | More by Kinsman

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clear dark brown with a medium sized white head.

Smell is rich and malty with some brown sugar sweetness and earthy hops.

Taste is boozier than the abv indicates. Perhaps due to the unique hop profile. Malt and grain dominated with the bitter end of hops shining through

Medium bodied with good carbonation

Not my favorite from Long Trail but worth a try this winter.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 00:48:25 | More by TheMultiYeast