The Tap, in Haverhill, MA

Merrimac Mild, 3.4% ABV

Coffee flavors up front. Somewhat thin, but tasty and very drinkable.

Leatherlips IPA, 5.3% ABV

So hoppy it made my teeth squeaky. Not terrible, but a little excessive for my tastes.

Cask Conditioned Harviestown Ptarmigan

Had this at Redbones back in May

Harviestown Ptarmigan, Cask Conditioned

This is a mouthful. Good hop bitterness, well balanced by a full malty flavor. Nice oak flavor. Lots of layers to the flavor, mostly up front. Another beer I could drink all night.

Another visit to Redbones

Bamberger Rauchbier

Crystal clear, blond, with a loose, smooth head. The smoke in this beer is on equal footing with a nice fruitiness. The mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, spritzy. Beautiful balance in this very traditional beer. A great quaffer. A fine example of a beer that is flavorful and complex, without any reliance on hops whatsoever, other than lending a light, crisp bitterness.

Delirium Noel

Minimal head, just a film across the surface. Served in a 10.5oz glass, this strong Belgian Special is brewed for the Christmas season, as indicated by the name. Clear brown, and inviting glass of beer. Light aroma of dark malt. Sweet, fruity, cidery-raisin notes, still manages to be light in the mouth, with some tartness reining it in. Tasty, and a nice change-up. Light enough that I might convince myself to stay for just one more.

Great Divide Hercules IPA

A cloudy brown beer with a big foamy head. Green hop aroma, with malt underneath. This beer is all about hops in the mouth and finish. Partway through the first sip, you notice that there is considerable body, and some malty sweetness, to balance all that hop flavor. The hops would be way too much otherwise. As it is, there is the slightly vegetal taste of LOTS OF HOPS, but all the malt keeps everything in balance. Barely.

Sampled wednesday 12/7/05.