Fat Pug – Maplewood (Stout - Oatmeal Milk)
It’s always a shame when I buy a beer based on its label and it doesn’t hold up to its looks. I drank Fat Pug by Maplewood Brewing in a normal pint glass. The beer poured looking “thick” with a very thin head but overall was dark to match its style. The Beer has a sweet malt scent to it with a slight hint of oats but lacks some more of the unique characters you might expect. Upon tasting the beer it was apparent that the lack of variety in the scent shines through in the taste. Fat Pug tasted thin with a hint of chocolate but it quickly disappears and you are left feeling dissatisfied and hoping for more from the next drink.
I would rate this beer a 6/10 and hope that future varieties have a better mouthfeel and offer some more characteristic to a well designed bottle.
Gatecrasher (Pale Ale - English)
Nice murky copper gold color with a tight white head. Mild citrus aroma with hints of sweet malt. Taste is pretty malty with light citrus hop touch. Reminds me of the old days before IPAs became true hop bombs. A well-balanced beer that you might use to convert your hop-phobic friends to IPAs.