Narragansett Lovecraft Innsmouth Olde Ale

Review Date 10/28/2015 By John Staradumsky

  Style:  Old Ale   Brewery: Narragansett   Country: USA   State: Rhode Island   $ Per OZ: $.12 (B)   ABV: 7%

As I type, it’s late October, and Halloween fast approaches. This time of year I’m always fond of reading the masterfully crafted horror tales of one H.P. Lovecraft, regarded by many as one of the masters of modern horror (along with Poe). Lovecrafts tales are even more bizarre than those of Poe (if such is possible), peppered as they are with monsters and ghouls and even a race of intelligent amphibians that plagued a New England coastal town called Innsmouth (see “The Shadow over Innsmouth”).

Fitting, then, that Rhode Island’s Narragansett Brewing Company should release Innsmouth Olde Ale as the second in their series of beers based on the works of Lovecraft (also a Rhode Islander). The beer was released in April and I thought I would not get to sample it, though I desperately wanted to. Lovecraft Honey Ale, the first beer in the series, was very well done indeed and I enjoyed it very much. Anyway, a trip to New England in September landed me a 6-pack of the Innsmouth Ode Ale at Liquor Warehouse in Warwick.

From the label:

Dark and charming, like the shadow that hangs over the strange, blighted town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, this ale is said to have powers that keep the Deep Ones at bay. Its origins are only whispered in circles of cult followers from the past, but rumors have it that Captain Obed Marsh brought this recipe back from his travels and brewed it in secret batches under the moonlight in the attic of the Inn. Others dismiss this notion as just an age-old tale. What cannot be questioned is that Innsmouth Olde Ale is malty, dark and hearty with a slightly bitter bite like the fisherman of the town, because they know something is lurking in the shadows and under the surface of the restless sea.

Ingredients from the brewery website:

Two-Row Pale, Crystal, Cara, Dark Munich, and Chocolate malts, Chocolate rye and finishes with just a touch of Summer and East Kent Goldings hops.

Narragansett Lovecraft Innsmouth Olde Ale has an alcohol content of 7% by volume with 30 IBUs. I paid $11.99 for a six-pack, but keep in mind that that is a six-pack of 16-ounce kinger cans. Innsmouth Olde Ale was formulated by Narragansett head brewer Sean Larker and is contract-brewed at Genesee in Rochester, NY. It won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the Strong/Old Ale category.

Narragansett Lovecraft Innsmouth Olde Ale pours to a rich mahogany color with a thick creamy head formation and a luscious nose of buttered raisin toast. Taking a sip, the beer has a beautiful toasty malt character up front with a hint of butter and deep seated dark fruity raisin notes. The body here is smooth and malty and eminently drinkable, all the while being rich and warming. The finish is herbal and grassy and adds more than a balancing bitterness.

Friends, this is an excellent old ale in the New England/Old England fashion, very nicely done and perhaps second in my book only to the wonderful Geary’s Hampshire Ale. I really think that fall and winter are the perfect drinking season for it, and I’m guarding my last few cans jealously.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be off. The third beer in the series, Reanimator Helles Lager, has just been released and I must find a way to get some.