The Shed IPA

After searching various sites for more information regarding the Shed IPA, I was unfortunate in finding any reliable sources to share any statistics, not even the ABV%. You'll have to try calculating this the old fashioned way...

Alcohol Content: ?
IBU: ?
Malts: ?
Hops: ?

Price: $4.25 @ Church Street Tavern
Medium: Served in pint glass

Aroma: Opens up a slightly bready malt aroma with a clean, crisp nose (most likely due to the cold serving temperature). The temperature also played a role in a lack of strong hop character that I would expect from an IPA - I later found this to be more of a mellow IPA in the flavor as well. Slight degree of citrus and overall pleasant. Strong carbonation nose potentially scrubs off the hop aromas as well.
Appearance: Minimal head retention, as noted by the fill level from the time the beer was poured from the time it reached my table (I didn't actually see the pour but the head was almost nonexistent when served). Deep golden to pale amber color with a steady stream of bubbles, some of which clinging to the sides of the glass - typically a sign of "unclean" beer glassware but not worth sending it back.
Flavor: Bready malts start, with a pleasant sweetness characteristic of caramel/ crystal malts. Some buttery notes pair with a lightly toasted caramel profile but not in a deterring way. Middle can be defined by a moderate hop bitterness with an inconsiderable degree of citrus and floral notes. Bready malts bounce back into the finish. Aftertaste was decent and nothing to be overly excited about.
Mouthfeel: A bit bland feeling with some degree of slickness on the tongue. A medium body is combined with a moderately-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: There were possibly some problems from the way it was served as I got a rather bland, stale, oxidized impression, possibly from beer that was sitting in the draft line for too long. This could also affect the hop aroma and flavors that weren't as good as I had hoped. On the other hand, this beer was more of a session IPA than most American versions I have had. My experience was more between a pale ale and an IPA.

The Shed Mountain Ale

The Shed Restaurant in Stow is closed. However, the brewery and its brand lives on through Otter Creek Brewing Co. It can be found on tap at a few various locations but is not as readily available as other local Vermont brands. I believe Otter Creek is actually brewing part or all of the production in Waterbury as well.

Alcohol Content: 7%
IBU: ?
Malts: ?
Hops: ?

Price: $3.50 at Manhattan's Pizza & Pub
Medium: Served in a pint glass

Aroma: Spicy yeast notes are combined with a pleasant maltiness characteristic of molasses. May also be described as a deep caramel sweetness with a complex fruity ale yeast character. I also detected a very lightly roasted character almost coffee-like in nature from the use of dark malts.
Appearance: Poured for a frothy, creamy, and contained tan to light brown colored head about one inch in thickness. Retention looks great with lots of residual lacing throughout the session. Appears to be a dark amber to brown with some ruby hints when held up to the glass. Moderate haziness makes the carbonation difficult to see
Flavor: The first thing that stood out most was its crisp finish with a balance of alcohol and semi-roasted drying effect lingering into the aftertaste. It seemed rather contradicting but they somehow play out very nicely. It starts out super molasses-like with a very mild bittersweet coffee grain character and deep caramel note. Hop aroma and flavors are light, pleasant, and earthy. Perceived bitterness is moderately low, but is enhanced with a slightly roasted malt finish. Well rounded and balanced.
Mouthfeel: Moderately-full bodied with an appropriate level of carbonation to follow. Almost a nuttiness to the malts. Some warming alcohol effect in the finish. Feel very clean otherwise.
Overall Impression: This was actually the first time I had ever tried the mountain ale - trying to pick away all of the layers was a delightful experience. A way better offering than their IPA if you're looking for a little more full-flavor experience. This is an "all-encompassing" strong ale for any season. I'm not sure what category this would fall under if it had to be placed in one - Red Ale/ Amber? Winer Red, Strong Ale, Mountain? I would love to have this with my next burger.