Yankee Brew News Archive

Yankee Brew Review: The Lucknow Line-Up

Originally Published: 02/97

By: Brett Peruzzi

The Lucknow Line-Up

Reviewed by Brett Peruzzi, Yankee Brew News Staff

Beer: Lucknow Porter

Brewer: Castle Springs Brewing Company, Moultonborough, New Hampshire

Appearance: Dark brown with reddish highlights; tight, retentive tan head.

Aroma: Strong herbal/pungent hop aroma mixed with caramelly, crystal malt sweetness.

Taste: Rich blend of dark malts, sweetness balanced by hops and acrid, slightly burnt note from black malt. Finishes dry.

Summary: Classic London-style porter--rich, well-balanced, yet somewhat dry, from liberal dose of black malt.

*** (three mugs)

Beer: Lucknow IPA

Brewer: Castle Springs Brewing Company, Moultonborough, New Hampshire

Appearance: Deep gold to light copper; creamy, lasting off-white head.

Aroma: Sharp floral hop aroma.

Taste: Big, bold, stinging hop bitterness. Medium bodied, some malt in middle; long, reverberatingly dry hoppy finish.

Summary: Well-made IPA hopped with a heavy hand. Brewer Richard Young, a Massachusetts native, began his career in California, and has integrated the Left Coast hophead flavor profile into his New England-brewed beers.

*** (three mugs)

Beer: Lucknow American Wheat Beer

Brewer: Castle Springs Brewing Company, Moultonborough, New Hampshire

Appearance: Dark straw to light gold, short, quick-fading off-white head.

Aroma: Delicate fruitiness mixed with slight grainy note from malted wheat.

Taste: Clean, lightly hopped malt body with some fruitiness; slightly tart note. Crisp finish, a mixture of malted wheat taste with mild hop bitterness.

Summary: A good example of the style--like most American wheat beers, light and quenching, but without.the spicy, clove-like complexity of a Bavarian weizen that many people enjoy in wheat beers. The style is not assertive, but instead projects a delicate subtlety that drinkers of light American lager tend to like, but craft brew fans used to walloping amounts of hops or malt sometimes find it underwhelming.

*** (three mugs)