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Thu, 20 Jul 2006 Just retried two brews from Southampton bottling, and found them to be very fine summer brews, indeed. The bottled brews come from Southampton Bottling in Saratoga Springs, NY. But the brewer is listed as Southampton Public House down on Long Island. In any case, nice stuff.
First thing I tried was the Secret Ale. They tell me
Secret Ale is a faithful re-creation of Dusseldorf-style Altbier. Its clean malt flavor & crisp hop character make it a most original brew.
Other than some question about the use of "faithful re-creation" and "original brew" regarding the same liquid, it's really good stuff!
The color is clear and red. Make that clear and red, not a speck of anything disturbs the appeal of this in a good glass. The head is generous but not excessive, about 1/4in on a fairly quick pour, with lots of active bubbles which lasted until the mug was empty.
The aroma is hard to describe, I'll just say it smells inviting and like beer. A bit complex. On taste the flavor is complex, with a lingering aftertaste with a bit of hops, and malt without a load of caramel which you might expect from the flavor.
The other brew is the Southampton IPA. This one is cloudy, more so that perhaps is really desirable for best appearance. There is a definite aroma of finishing hops, but without that perfumey smell which some IPAs present. The taste definitely shows the use of bittering hops, which is the way I like my IPA. Not some bitter that my wife didn't like it, but enough so that the character is obvious. There was enough malt used to give it a good complex flavor, as it should be.
The brewer says:
Southampton IPA is inspired by the heavily ales once shipped from Great Britain to India by Clipper Ship. We brew our "India Pale Ale" with domestic malts and five varieties of Pacific northwest hops.
Good stuff both, I intend to get some more.