Rising Tide Brewing Company

Ishmael American Copper Ale - Portland Maine- 5.1%ABV

by Derek Brewlander | September 17th, 2012

The Ishmael American Copper Ale, brewed by Rising Tide Brewing Company in Portland, Maine is an modernized and Americanized version of a German Altbier which is a German style brown ale that is conditioned for a longer period of time than a normal brown ale. Right on the label it states that the beer is “brewed with new-world hops and old-world tradition.” Sounds excellent! To start, the beer pours a very deep hazy brown/copper with a thin tan head that leaves a good amount of lacing as it dissipates. The aroma is fantastic – very earthy, nutty with some notes of roasted malts and caramel. They managed to achieve a great balance in the overall flavor with a nice roasted, earthy taste with notes of caramel and toffee and the malts mixing well with some light hops to give it a nice balanced flavor that good Altbiers are famous for. It is a medium bodied brew with moderate carbonation that is extremely smooth and has a clean finish. VERY drinkable. Overall, I am very impressed with Rising Tide’s take on the German style Altbier made with their own homegrown hops. They hit the mark on the Ishmael, concocting a smooth, drinkable, well balanced beer that is easy for any beer drinker to enjoy. Being that this is the first beer from Rising Tide that I have tried, I cannot wait to sample their other beers as well. In the mean time, I recommend coming down to Depot Liquors and grabbing a bottle of Ishmael for yourself. Cheers!