Try?
Downtown Portland! Such a delight for a beer lover like me, and there I was in the heart of it. Of course, Portland is more than beer, much more, and before I left it this warm September evening I would do a bit of shopping (gifts for the wife) and dining (Dimillo’s Floating Restaurant) as well. For now, though, I was happily wandering the streets of Portland, breathing in the salt air and in search of beer. First stop: Sebago Brewing Company.
I
had been here before when the brewery first opened about 15 years ago. I
ponied up to the bar and ordered up a sampler. Not cheap here, I think it
was about $12 for 7 4-ounce samples, but hey, that is a lot of beer. Sebago
did have an eclectic assortment of beers on tap, and the first of these that
I tried was Frye’s Leap IPA.
Frye’s Leap IPA is named for the famous rock on Frye Island in Maine’s Sebago Lake. Legend has it that Captain Frye (for whom the rock and island are named) took a leap from the rock into the lake. Would that he could have just dropped by Sebago Brewing for a pint of IPA instead.
From the website:
Frye’s Leap IPA is an intense experience. From the American caramel malt, which gives Frye’s Leap IPA its golden color, to the unique and intense dry-hopped aroma of pine and grapefruit, this beer is every bit as exciting as its namesake.
Ingredients from the website:
Malts:2-Row Barley, 80°L Caramel, Chocolate Malt
Hops: Cascade, Columbus, Centennial
Sebago Frye’s Leap IPA has an alcohol content of 6% by volume with 60 IBUs.
My glass of Sebago Frye’s Leap IPA arrived a golden to slightly orange color with a thin head of foam and a spicy resin and grapefruit nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a pleasant but not overbearing maltiness up front followed by a pleasant, assertive hoppiness. Resin and grapefruit citrus flavor and aroma lead into a dry, lingering bitterness in the finish.
A very, very nice IPA and one of my favorite beers here. I’d absolutely buy it again (it’s sold in cans) if I could. As it is, I’m glad I dropped by tonight and enjoyed some.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
