Long Trail Brewery's Double Bag Strong Ale

Allow me to present Long Trail Brewery’s Double Bag Strong Ale. Long Trail Brewery is based out of Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. It started up in 1989 by Andy “The Fearsome” Pherson. They’ve come a long since brewing in the basement of a wool mill; that’s for sure. They have six regular beers and an additional one for each season. They also have special limited edition beers that include stuff that you don’t even know about! Its common place to find it throughout New England and PA, NY and NJ; but almost half their hooch is boozed in the VT.

The name “Long Trail” itself is named of the Vermont Long Trail, which runs the length of the state; nearly 300 miles. The "Double Bag" either refers to when you have coitis with a broad so ugly that you have to put a bag on her head and, just in case, put a bag over your head, just so you'll never see her....or, and way less likely, the added twice as much stuff to it which will give it an ABV around 7.2%. You choose.

The brewery themselves are ecologically savvy (owned by dirty hippies) and have been presented with an award from the governor of Vermont. Some people think the award is for having more flash on their website than a college streaking but, in fact, it isn’t. It is for their continued focus on water conservation, heat recovery, and using other initiatives to generate power, which they’ve participated in since 1993. Yes. This includes using methane from cow shit to power other shit. That’s a lot of shit.

The ABV on this suck-a-duck is 7.2% which is high enough to grab anyone’s attention from the shelf and if that doesn’t tickle your pickle you might be impressed with the 22oz beauties lined in a row like a Dutch brothel. That’s one reason America is so rad. These “European folk” get by on these 500mL bottles where as here in the U.S. we stand by our double-deuces; that’s 4.5 extra ounces or half a beer if you are my dad. Screw the metric system. These guys also have “tasting tips” on their website. This includes temperatures, glasses and even how to pour it. Here’s a taste tip for ya: Buy a bunch of this stuff and put in it the fridge and drink it until your wife is hot or until you throw up; either way, everyone wins.

A big, brown label and bottle give an impression that this is a thick, syrupy beer but keep in mind, this is an ale, and not a stout or porter. The ale makes it very drinkable and the "double" ensures you get all the flavors doubletime and all the booze, doubletime. There are "strong" hints of cocoa to this. In fact, I wonder if it would taste like hot chocolate if you warmed it up. The aftertaste is pretty strong also, again, hints of cocoa but not over bearing. This isn't a beer you want to go insane with and bong it in a basement through a hole in the bathroom. The smell is pretty mild; it smells like it tastes, which is nothing short of gorgeous. I got the double-deuce for $3.50 so you'd have to be an idiot not to pick this up, you idiot.

Drinkability: 6/10

Taste : 7/10
Value: 7/10
Curb Appeal: 5/10

Overall: 6.25/10