Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale
Our first beer, Shoals Pale Ale debuted on July 16, 1994 on Portsmouth’s historic waterfront. Our interpretation of a classic English ale is copper-colored, medium-bodied and pleasantly hopped. Its flavor is delightfully complex yet balanced: tangy fruit at the start, with an assertive hop crispness and a long malty finish that one well-known beer writer has compared to the flavor of freshly-baked bread.
The Samuel Haley House, which is featured on the label still stands on Smuttynose Island, one of nine Isles of Shoals, just off the New Hampshire coast. The rich lore of the islands holds that Samuel Haley paid for this house with four bars of pirate silver he found exploring the island. And yes, there are hordes of seagulls on Smuttynose Island.
The Samuel Haley House, which is featured on the label still stands on Smuttynose Island, one of nine Isles of Shoals, just off the New Hampshire coast. The rich lore of the islands holds that Samuel Haley paid for this house with four bars of pirate silver he found exploring the island. And yes, there are hordes of seagulls on Smuttynose Island.
3.4
956 reviews
Hampton, United States
Community reviews
Bottle 35,5cl
@ LaBIRRAtorium, Madrid, Spain.
A: Hazy amber.
T: Malt, caramel, citrusy, hoppy.
Slightly hazy amber color with beige head. Aroma has grapefruit and resiny hops. Taste starts with grapefruit and orange, followed by an underlying malt sweetness and finishes with medium to intense piney hop bitterness. Light body but the mouthfeel is quite smooth. Really good overall. Classic, well made pale ale with high drinkability.
Hazy, dark amber beer. Limited carbonation. Light sour but full mouthfeel. Soft finish. Bitter aftertaste. Not bad at all.
Soberbia! Cobriza. Maltosa, presentes caramelo y frutos secos. Bastante cuerpo y ligeramente amarga
33cl bottle from cervezalandia. Dark cooper. Thin white head. Light sweetness, medium bitterness. Aroma is herbs, hops, malt, caramel.
Pours a clear golden amber with an off-white head. Aroma is malt, fruit, caramel, pine and hops. Taste is medium sweet leading to a hoppy finish.
355 ml bottle. Hazy dark orange colour with stable head off. Aroma of citrus fruits. Taste is hoppy with oranges, grapefruits, malty, huge bitter aftertaste.Moderate carbonation.
Bottle. Lively upon opening with quite a large head. Rather fruity with citrus floating around. More complex than I expected. Quite pleasant and easy to drink.
355 ml bottle. Hazy orange-brown capped with a sudsy off-white head. Orange, dark bread, caramel, flowers, pepper and marmalade in the nose. Smooth body delivers rich malt at first, zipped up by orange zest and pepper. Lingering finish with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Nice English style pale.
Medium head misty amber pour strong carbonation aromas citrus caramel the flavours caramel floral peach mild bitter earthy grain citrus strong tastes the finish good earthy notes hops grain notes very likeable ale
355mL bottle from Camperdown Cellars, Sydney
Deep golden body, firm white head.
Lovely nose of caramel, biscuity malt with spicy, slightly piney hops.
Smooth body, creamy sort of carbonation, full bodied.
Geared towards maltiness here - biscuity, toasty, slightly nutty with spicy hops delivering a moderate bitterness & nice finish.
Rather enjoyed this!
Bottle. Copper color. Aroma of malt, caramel and grass. Flavor of buttery caramel, malt and some faint bitter grassy hops. It’s a bit old, but still allright.
33cl bottle at home. Hazy dark orange with a medium white soapy head. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Medium bitterness with subtle fruity tones. Citrus, pine, caramel, tropical fruits and some herbs. Very nice refreshing pale ale.
Dark amber, hazy, with a one finger high head.
Nose: Nothing to write home about... Dried fruit, toffee, caramel malt, dark syrup and pine.
Taste: Dried fruit, resin, grass, malt, a bit of citrus and some bread.
Mouth: Medium body and carbonation. Prettyy easy drinking. A light bitterness.
I think this is a great "dinnerbeer" because it doesen’r run the show. It sits quiet in the back.
To just drink and fell a great beer... Choose another beer, but to a diner with friends - Great!
BB 28/10/15. Poured a hazy coppery amber colour with a 5mm off-white foamy head that retained OK and laced OK. Carbonation very high and fine. Lots of yeast particles settling out. Aroma of pale malt, a hint of pine, a hint of yeast and possible grapefruit/citrus. Taste of moderately sweet malts with a moderate grapefruit bitterness. Light body. Crisp, clean, smooth, slightly dry and malty with a slightly soft bitterness on the finish. OK.
Bottle: Hazy, light amber coloured, stable and lacy off-white head; distinctive herbal-hoppy nose plus some x-mas spices(?), supported by a little bit of caramel and a tinge of vanilla in the background; dry bitter flavour with a very faint sweetness, astonishingly light bodied; lingering dry bitter-herbal finish, traces of cough-syrup included. Surely good, but IMHO a bit uniforme…
Tap at Cosmic Comic Cafe. Caramel, bread, grass and fruits. Mild citrus. Mild to moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness. Bitter and somewhat dry finish.
Bottle from Archive Beer boutique 211015. This is an IPA that reminds me why I started drinking craft beer way back when - an old school IPA - no fuss, no bother, just straight up full flavour and aroma.
L:
-pours a slightly hazy amber-red with a medium to big, frothy, beige head
-lots of particles visible
-low to medium carbonation visible
S:
-earthy,caramel,toffee,grapefruit,pine,peach
T:
-resin,caramel,toffee,grassy,grapefruit,pine,peach,toasty
-high bitterniss for the style
F:
-medium carbonation
-light to medium body
O:
-Probably to hoppy for a true-to-style English PA, but still very good
Aroma is malty with a pretty apparent bread character. Slightly floral. Sweet and caramelly taste with toffee at first, but then the hops grows on you from underneath with a low and earthy aura with an almost spicey bitterness. Solid.
Tap at the Porterhouse, badged as 5.6%,, brown with a red tinge and a lasting tight white head, faint biscuit and grapefruit nose with a slightly metallic blackberry tang, earthy malt with a citrusy dry-bitterness, a bit acrid in the finish.
355ml bottle from Bottle Bank, Falmouth. About a month out of date. Pours hazy amber with good off-white head. Malty aroma with some light fruit. Taste is a pretty easy-going pale, some mild fruits, nice moderately sweet malts, reserved bitter tones. Decent US bitter.
Draft at Beer Temple. Pours hazy amber brown with a medium cream head. Aroma of toffee, caramel malt, light fruits, orange peel and toast. Flavour is light moderate sweet and moderate bitter. Light medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Pours clear coppery amber with a thick and frothy buff head. Malty aroma has hoppy and yeasty notes as co-stars. Refreshing flavor is mainly malty, with plenty of hops and fruity and yeasty hints. Texture has slightly thin body and so-so fizz. Still, catch a taste of these shoals.
Draught @ Cockney Pub, Aarhus. Pours slight hazy light brown with a offwhite head. Aroma of malt, grass, light fruity hops. Flavor is malt, little bread, grass, fruity hops, peach, mild citrus. Medium body, soft carbonation, light bitter finish. 030915
From the very old notes, hence this is not a real rating, but more just a mark to myself that I have tried this at one point. OK fruity pale ale with a bit watery body.
Very good stuff. Great complexity and balance between sweetness, acidity and bitterness.
Pours a deep copper color with a decent white head with laces and lingers a bit......aroma is citrus, pine, bread, sweet malt......taste is very clean, nice mouthfeel, citrus, bread, slight touch of pine, with bitterness in the back end. Quite nice.
bottle from Bierpost. Golden with a white head. Malty start, pleasantly fruity with citrus fruit - but not ans intensive as ecxpected. Best bitter from the US of A.
Bottle from Rudat, Dortmund. The beer starts fresh and malty. Hints of sourness with a subtle hoppy floralness. Nice fresh and easy to drink, but this subtle sourness with hints of cardboard doesn’t fit too well. Probably my bottle is too old (best before is July 2015). But not bad at all. Fruity-fresh hints, nice bitter ending with a subtle ground sweetness.