Brew Review: Offshore Ale Company, Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, MA

The Offshore Ale Company is the sole microbrewery on the island of Martha's Vineyard.  It has a 10 barrel system, with great looking copper kettles and is walking distance from the Oak Bluffs ferry landing.  They do not offer a sampler flight but do sell half pints of their beer.  I tried eight of their offerings and was not disappointed.

Let the review begin!

A growler'll do ya good

East Chop Lighthouse described as:
A MEDAL WINNER, CRISP STRAW-COLORED BREW WITH A SLIGHT MALTINESS AND LOW BITTERNESS. PART OF OUR “PINTS WITH PURPOSE” FUNDRAISING PROGRAM WITH THE COAST GUARD FOUNDATION, A PORTION OF ALL SALES OF EAST CHOP GOLDEN ALE SUPPORT THE COAST GUARD FOUNDATION ENLISTED GRANT FUND. 4.2% ABV / 8 IBU
This beer is indeed straw colored with great head retention.  This is your typical light lager type beer.

Amity Island Ale described as:
GOLDEN COLORED ENGLISH SUMMER ALE WITH A HINT OF FRUITY CHARACTER AND MEDIUM-LOW BITTERNESS.  THE OFFICIAL BEER OF JAWSFEST TRIBUTE 2012 5.2% ABV / 29 IBU
This beer is light gold in color with good head retention.  There is a slight malt with hint of hops aroma, with a hop forward flavor and a mild finish.  I really enjoyed this beer and hope they brew it again.

Offshore Blueberry Ale described as:
A SEASONAL FAVORITE, THIS BEER IS STRAW IN COLOR WITH JUST A HINT OF BLUBERRIES. 4.2% ABV / 8.9 IBU
This beer is straw colored with a strong blueberry aroma and good head retention.  It has a light forward flavor with a slight blueberry finish with a hint of bitterness.

Offshore Amber Ale described as:
OUR FLAGSHIP BREW. LIGHT AMBER IN COLOR, MEDIUM BODIED WIHT HINTS OF CARAMEL & CITRUS ZEST, WITH A PERFECT BALANCE OF MALT AND SUBTLE HOPS.  THIS BEER WAS DESIGNED TO BE VERY APPROACHABLE FOR OUT PATRONS AT THE PUB WHO WERE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE DOMESTIC LAGER STYLE BEERS.  AS A RESULT, THE AMBER ALE OFFERS ATTRACTIVE ALE STYLE FLAVORS, BUT HAS GREAT DRINKABILITY.  5.0% ABV / 25 IBU
This beer is golden amber in color with good head retention.  It has a slight hop aroma, with a hint of malt forward and a bitter hop finish for flavor.

Offshore IPA described as:
THE SECOND PACKAGE RELEASED FROM OFFSHORE HAS DEVELOPED A STRONG FOLLOWING IN THE CRAFT BEER COMMUNITY. OUR VERSION OF THE POPULAR INDIA PALE ALE STYLE IS LIGHT COPPER IN COLOR WITH A BOLD HOP BITTERNESS YET STILL APPROACHABLE, WITH A CRISP FRESHNESS AND BALANCED MALT CHARACTERS.  6.0 % ABV / 60 IBU
This beer is golden amber in color.  It has a hoppy aroma, and hops upon hops with a hint of malt for flavor

Hop Goddess described as:
A LUCIOUS ALE WITH MANY LAYERS, HAZY ORANGE COLOR, GENEROUSLY HOPPED, NOTES OF EARTH, SPICE & MALT SWEETNESS LIKE NO OTHER. 6.9% ABV / 69 IBU
This beer is golden amber in color with a hoppy aroma, but less so than the IPA.  It has an all around bitter hoppy flavor.

Steeprock Stout described as:
ROASTED, SMOOTH AND DELICIOUS WITH A DEEP BLACK COLOR AND AN EASY, DRY FINISH. 4.6% ABV / 29 IBU
This beer is dark brown in color with a roasted malt aroma.  It has a malt forward with a roasted coffee finish.  This beer also has lots of body with a very creamy mouthfeel.

Black & Blue
This is a half and half Steeprock Stout and the Blueberry ale offering a blueberry aroma and a coffee finish.

All in all, this brewery offers a great variety of flavors for every palate.  I would like to come back and try some of the other seasonal offerings.  If you visit the Vineyard, or find their beers on tap, give them a try.

Brew Review: Horseheads Brewing Inc., Horseheads, NY

The next stop on the east coast tour brings us to Horseheads, NY.  Horseheads Brewing is a taproom offering growler fills and some 22oz bottles.  They had eight offerings and all were very well crafted.  One note: The IBUs and ABV differ from those from the website descriptions, I am using the numbers provided on the day of tasting.

Chemung Canal Towpath Ale: Descibed as:

This style of beer is classified as an "English-Style Summer Ale". The focus is on the malts used during the brewing process. Our version of this beer uses malts imported from England. The taste is extremely mild, sweet and refreshing. 22 IBU / 7.1 ABV

Golden in color this beer offers good head retention with a minimal sweet/ bitter forwardness with a malty finish.

Iroquois Wheat Beer:  Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an American Wheat Ale, not to be confused with the German unfiltered version - Hefe Weizen. The focus is on the wheat used during the brewing process. Our version is filtered and slightly "off the beaten path" with a dry "hoppy" finish. 14.9 IBU / 6.4 ABV

Part of the Summer Collection, this beer is light gold in color, with a bitter forward and a slight malty yet mild finish.

Blueberry Ale Described as:

This style of beer is classified in the "Fruit Beer" category. The focus is obviously on the fruit used in the brewing process. We used an over-whelming amount of blueberries for a true blueberry flavor.   15.1 IBU / 6.7 ABV

Part of the Specialty Collection, this beer is golden in color, with a noticeable blueberry aroma, with a hint of blueberry forward and a malt finish.

Pale Expedition Ale: Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an American Pale Ale or APA. The focus is on the hops used during the brewing process. It has a floral aroma and the taste is "hops-infused" with firm bitterness.  40.2 IBU / 6.4 ABV

Amber in color, this beer has a slight malt aroma, with a slight hop/malt forward with a hoppy finish.

Brickyard Red:  Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an American Red Ale. The focus is on the malts used during the brewing process. Our version of this beer uses malt and hops imported from England. The aroma is as mildly sweet as the taste.31.9 IBU / 6.8 ABV

Dark amber in color, this beer has minimal aroma, with a malt forward and hop finish.

Horseheads IPA:  Described as:

This style of beer is classified in the "American India Pale Ale" category. The focus is obviously on the hops used during the brewing process. Our version has a citrus/fruity aroma with a big citrus taste and bitter hop finish.  91.1 IBU / 8.6 ABV

This beer is golden in color, with good head retention.  There is a definite hop aroma, with a citrusy hop forward, a hint of malts in the middle and a hoppy finish.

Black Horse Ale: Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an India-Style Black Ale. The focus is on both the malts and hops used during the brewing process. Our version is a medium body beer with a strong dark roasted malt flavor that finishes with an assertive hop bitterness. The aroma is roasty/citrus.65.1 IBU / 7.4 ABV

Part of the Specialty Collection, this beer is brown in color with a hoppy aroma, with a hop forward and mild finish.  There is just a hint of malt and roastiness throughout.

Hot Jala Heim: Described as:

This style of beer is classified in the "Fruit/Vegetable" category as a "Chili beer". The focus is obviously on the chili peppers used during the brewing process. Our version uses a mix of hot peppers, including jalapenos and anaheims (hence the name...Hot-Jala-Heim). It has a delightful 'peppery' aroma as well as taste with a 'mild' sensation of heat experienced after swallowing.19.2 IBU / 7.3 ABV

This beer is golden in color with a mild aroma, is fairly mild forward with a heated spicy finish.

As a note: my spice tolerance is low, so for this me, this was a very spicy beer, for those of you who regularly enjoy "heat" this beer may be considered quite mild.

All in all, Horseheads offers a little something for everyone.  There are many more beers they offer throughout the year and I think, if you are in the area, or you find them on tap somewhere, grab a pint.  You won't be disappointed.  My favorite of the bunch was the Chemung Canal Towpath Ale.

Cheers