In many industries a company that’s ten years old is still relatively early into their lifespan and just establishing themselves in the minds of their competition. Craft beer is a very different beast, a 10 year old brewery is a grizzled industry veteran that was around before the current explosion of new breweries. It will be really interesting to see how many of the breweries that opened in the last few years make it to their tenth anniversary. I bring this up because Mayflower Brewing Company recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary, a huge milestone for a brewery in the current market. To celebrate ten years Mayflower brewed a big and boozy imperial stout simply named X. It seems like breweries tend to make high alcohol beers for big anniversaries, maybe because these styles tend to age well and it’s fun to cellar some and re-visit the anniversary beer in subsequent years. Mayflower X is a one-off beer, available for a limited time on draft and in 16 oz tallboy cans.
Mayflower X pours pitch black with a mild tan head. The aroma is rich roasted malt, chocolate and dark fruit. The flavor is malt forward, notes of cocoa, coffee, dates and brown sugar along with some warming booze. There is minimal hop flavor, as you would expect from a boozy stout. Mayflower X is a full bodied sipper and packs some serious punch at 11% ABV. The finish is rich with some lingering malt flavor and booziness. This is a really nice imperial stout, happy 10 years to Mayflower! Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Previous Mayflower Reviews:
Mayflower Hometown Brown, Mayflower Alden, Mayflower Standish, Mayflower Daily Ration, Mayflower Squanto, Mayflower Porter, Mayflower Scotch Ale, Mayflower Spring Hop, Mayflower Oatmeal Stout
Springdale Maple Barrel Aged Brigadeiro pours pitch black with a small tan head. The aroma is rich, coffee, bourbon and roasted malts. The flavor is complex between the malts, adjuncts and barrel aging, but everything works well together. The malts add notes of dark chocolate, caramel and mocha. The adjuncts add substantial coffee flavor and just a little sweetness. The bourbon and maple are both on the mild side, they add complexity, a little booze and sugary flavor without overwhelming the underlying beer. There is minimal hops flavor, as you would expect from the style. Maple Barrel Aged Brigadeiro is full bodied but drinks very easy and isn’t overdone at 8.5% ABV. The finish is smooth and rich with some lingering coffee and roasted malt flavors. I really like this beer, too many barrel aged stouts have aggressive whiskey flavors and booziness that overwhelm the rich malt character of the stout. Maple Barrel Aged Brigadeiro manages to meld a huge number of different flavors in a way where each contributes without overwhelming. Nicely done. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Newburyport Joppa Grande Stout pours nearly black with a mild tan head. The aroma is mostly roasted malt with coffee as the predominant scent. The flavor is also very malt forward, notes of espresso, dark chocolate and black licorice. This is complemented by some mild hop character, earthy and grassy along with a touch of bitterness. Joppa Grande is medium bodied and goes down smooth, it isn’t an imperial stout but it packs some punch at 7.0% ABV. The finish is rich and full with some lingering malt flavor. This is a very good stout, no frills just a well designed and executed beer. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Foundation Forge pours pitch black with a small tan head. The aroma is full of rich roasted malts, make you want to dive right in. The beer is malt forward, notes of black coffee, dark chocolate, raisin and just a faint hint of booze. There is also some noticeable hop flavor, hints of pine and herbs along with a little bitterness. Forge is a full bodied sipper but goes down pretty easy for a beer with 10% ABV. The finish is full and rich with lingering malty goodness. This is a top-notch imperial stout, an absolutely delicious beer. If DIPA and imperial stout are truly the Blue Chip beer styles Foundation is in very good shape with Epiphany and Forge! Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.
Marshall Wharf Little Mayhem pours deep brown with a massive off-white head. The aroma is mild featuring some roasted malt. The flavor is malt forward, notes of roasted barley, black coffee, and dark chocolate. There is some late hop flavor for balance, grassy with a little bitterness. Little Mayhem is medium bodied and sips easy, sessionable at 4.1% ABV. The finish is dry with some lingering malt flavor. Low ABV dark and malty beers are underrepresented on the market, it’s nice to see a flavorful and easy to drink stout that won’t put you under the table. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.
Marshall Wharf Can’t Dog pours deep red with a small white head. The aroma features some hops, floral and grassy. The flavor is balanced for an IPA. The hops add notes of pine, tangerine and earth along with a solid bitter bite. This is complemented by a full malt body, hints of caramel, honey and a little boozy burn. Can’t Dog is a full bodied sipper, a very big beer at 9.7% ABV. This is an interesting beer, part way between a classic DIPA and a newer style hopped up barleywine or strong ale. Hoppy Boston score; 4.0/5.
Mast Landing Gunner’s Daughter pours cola-brown with a solid tan head. The scent is a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter. This beer tastes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in beer form. The malts and adjuncts combine for notes of chocolate, peanut butter, caramel and lingering sweetness. There is minimal hop flavor, this beer is made to showcase the sweet malt flavors. Gunner’s Daughter is medium bodied and smooth, not too boozy at 5.5% ABV. It finishes with some sugar and lingering roasted malt. This is a really interesting beer, I loved it at first sip but was OK with just one can, anything more would have been overkill. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.
Mast Landing Double Dry Hopped Tell Tale Pale Ale pours hazy orange with a massive white head. The scent is a huge burst of hops, tons of citrus and tropical fruit aroma. The flavor is also very hop forward, hints of tangerine, grapefruit and mango with a soft bitterness. This is balanced by some light malt flavor, touches of bread crust and honey. DDH Tell Tale is light bodied and crushable at 5.3% ABV. The finish is crisp with some lingering hop flavor. This beer is stellar, huge hop flavor and aroma but still easy to drink and not too boozy. I hope cans start hitting the shelves in MA, because this will become a regular part of my rotation. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.
Boston Tea Party Saison: Collaboration with Woods Beer Company in San Francisco, CA. Boston Tea Party is a saison brewed with yerba mate tea, coriander and grains of paradise and fermented with the yeast strain used in Sam Adams Kosmic Mother Funk. My favorite beer in the pack, funky yeast on the nose and tons of flavor from the fermentation, apple, pear, a little acidity along with the distinct flavor imparted by the Brettanomyces. The spices add complexity without overwhelming the beer, and the finish is dry and just a touch tart. A complex but still easy to drink saison.
Oats McGoats Stout: Collaboration with Brewery Rickoli in Wheat Ridge, CO. Oats McGoats is a gluten-reduced oatmeal stout. A little roasted barley on the nose, and full dark malt flavors, milk chocolate, toffee, espresso. A little bit of herbal hops round out this full bodied but still easy drinking beer. You would have no idea the beer is gluten-reduced, it’s a tasty and flavorful stout.
ThreeNinety Bock: Collaboration with Roc Brewing in Rochester, NY. ThreeNinety is a Helles Bock brewed with Mosaic and Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops and named after the distance between Boston and Rochester. This is a super drinkable maibock, crisp and clean. The crackers and bread from the malts meld well with grassy and herbal hops. I enjoyed the beer, but I would have liked to see the fruity Mosaic hops shine through a little more, it would have made it a little more unique.
Time Hop Porter: Collaboration with ChuckAlek Independent Brewers, Ramona, CA. Time Hop is a hopped up porter brewed with Zeus, Chinook, Cascade and Goldings hops. Dark chocolate and black coffee notes from the malt combine with grass, pine and lemon from the hops. Smooth, drinkable and not too boozy at 5.3% ABV. I have mixed opinions on this beer, it was a interesting take on a porter with the extra hops, but not what I usually love about the style. Hop-heads might love this beer, for me it was just OK.
Desert Kaleidoscope IPA: Collaboration with Bosque Brewing in Albuquerque, NM. A West Coast IPA brewed with Zeus, Cascade, Mosaic and Ekuanot hops. This IPA features solid hop flavor, notes of pine, lemon and grass along with substantial malt, with touches of honey and caramel. I would have liked some more hop aroma, for me that pungent aroma is make or break in an IPA and I didn’t get enough of it here.