2016 Night Shift Barrel Society Release #5 – Sheridan

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Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Barrel Society, Night Shift Brewing

Time once again to get caught up on this year’s Barrel Society lineup.  I actually made it into the brewery to have this on draft, my first time being able to sit down and grab a drink there in a few months.

Beer Name: Sheridan

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing Company

Style: Flanders-style Sour Ale

ABV: 9.2%

Description: The fifth entry in this year’s Barrel Society lineup came with the following brewer’s notes: “Pours red orange with a tan head; aromas of strawberry, lemon pith, and cranberry; sips with tannic notes of peach marmalade, tart cherry, and vanilla. Smooth, soft body mellows the ABV warmth.”  It was tapped on 10/24, just about a month before I got a chance to try it out the other day.

Appearance: It poured a deep reddish amber body with a healthy off-white foam head.

Smell: Hints of subtle fruits with a slightly boozy aroma that lingering in the background.

Taste: Tart fruit upfront, primarily strawberry, cherry, and just a bit of lemon.  These were followed by a sweet, warming alcohol presence accompanied by more cherry and notes of vanilla atop a notable barrel influence.  The flavors flowed into each quite well, with a tart sweetness carrying the beer throughout.

Mouthfeel: Thick and a touch syrupy to start, the beer turned more full-bodied and creamy by the end.  Very low carbonation.  Excellent compliment to the flavor profile.

Hype: Elevated.  I was not only excited to try this release, but it was nice to have it on tap as well.  There was also a sense of mystery here for me, as I haven’t tried many beers in this style before.

Overall: I really liked this.  The flavors played off each other well, putting this release in serious contention for my favorite of this year’s batch.  Can’t wait to see how this develops in the bottle at sometime in the future.

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Mayflower Brewing Company – Thanksgiving Ale (2015)

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Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Massachusetts, Mayflower Brewing Company, New England, Thanksgiving

As soon as I saw this I knew I had found the perfect beer for pairing with Thanksgiving dinner.  Based out of Plymouth, MA, Mayflower Brewing Company has been putting out some fantastic yet under the radar brews for nearly a decade now, giving me all the more reason to pick this up on sight.

Beer Name: Thanksgiving Ale

Brewer: Mayflower Brewing Company

Style: Old Ale/Strong Ale

ABV: 6.7%

Description: Part of the brewery’s limited release Cooper Series, this seasonal offering was brewed with “a rich array of barley and rye malts” before getting aged on toasted oak.  After I got this beer home, I noticed a stamp on the neck that said Gobble Til U Wobble 2015; apparently I picked up a vintage bottle without realizing.  Since it seemed like the kind of thing that would hold up well, I stayed optimistic.  I forget how much I paid, but I am almost certain the bomber was less than $10.

Appearance: The body had a brown/dark caramel color with reddish highlights if the light hit it just right.  A thick bubbly head formed with the pour and gradually settled down to a thin layer of off-white foam.

Smell: A swirling mixture of sweet, toasted, and grainy malts.

Taste: The beer started out with grainy malts which were quickly joined by a sweetness reminiscent of raisins, dark fruit, and caramel/toffee and backed up by a little kick of rye.  Towards the end of the sip there was a rum-like booziness that finished off with a distinct oak barrel presence.  When first poured I found the oak taste near the upper limits of my (admittedly low) preference zone, but as the beer warmed up it blended in really well with the other flavors, creating a delicious overall experience.  The alcohol was a bit noticeable, enough so that I would have believed someone if they said the beer was a percentage point or two higher.

Mouthfeel: Medium to thick bodied, the beer maintained a smooth and almost creamy feeling despite a rather moderate carbonation level.

Hype: Another beer I bought with only my own hopes and expectations in mind.  I probably wasn’t going to find a more thematically appropriate brew for the day, but having it comes from a local brewery with a great track record was icing on the cake.

Overall: An excellent beer to sip on after a hearty meal on a cold New England night.  I felt like this kept getting better the longer it sat in the glass, which was ideal since it wasn’t really the sort of thing you can drink quickly.  Don’t know what this year’s release is like, but this brew tasted great after one year in the bottle.  I also really enjoyed sitting down with a malt-forward offering after going on a bit of a hop spree the past month or so.  Definitely a nice change of pace.

Book Review: Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel, by Austin Grossman

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Austin Grossman, Book, Book Review, Comics, Reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction

Although I came across this title in my library’s Sci-Fi section, it is something a little bit different than my usual fare.  Published in 2007, Austin Grossman essentially has written a superhero comic in the form of a novel.  Despite having never really been into this sort of comic, I decided to give it a read.

The book is an intimate portrait of the two characters through whom the story is told.  Fatale is a down on her luck cyborg who may have just caught her big break.  She has been offered an audition to the join the New Champions, an Avengers-like supergroup, that has reunited to investigate the disappearance of prominent superhero, and former team member, Core Fire.  Although it is an excellent opportunity, fitting into the group’s dynamic is difficult and she struggles to find a place for herself within what had once been a tight-knit team of friends.  The other character, Doctor Impossible, is a man who, in combination with enhanced speed and strength, has a condition referred to as Malign Hypercognition Disorder – aka Evil Genius Syndrome.  Reflecting on his past exploits and the circumstances that lead to his life of supervillainy, he is planning as always his next world domination scheme.  Upon learning his old nemesis Core Fire is missing in action he senses that now is his time for ultimate victory, provided of course he can defeat the New Champions.

I had a hard time putting this book down, though not necessarily for the reasons that might be expected from a superhero story.  While there were a few action sequences, most of the entertainment came from the introspective narratives of the main characters and seeing how they come to terms with the day-to-day realities of their extraordinary circumstances.  The characters were always at least in part aware of the dynamics of the genre in which they exist and the dry wit and nonchalance with which they dutifully embrace their roles as heroes or villains and accept things like magical artifacts, superpowers, alternate timelines, and awkward supervillain hangouts as part of their internal monologues was written to good effect.  These narratives, combined with the tangled backstories and relationships between the characters that gradually unfolded, were really what made the novel standout.  I don’t have too much else to say about this one other than it was another fun, quick read worth checking out.

Book Review: The Empress of Mars, by Kage Baker

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Book Review, Books, Kage Baker, Mars, Reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction

After reading a brief synopsis that mentioned both sci-fi and (somewhat tangentially) beer, I couldn’t resist picking The Empress of Mars up.  It was also well received, having earned best novella nominations for the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2004.  Although set in the same universe as the author’s Company series (which I have not read) no previous reading seems to have been required for this book.

There were three Empresses of Mars.  The first one was a bar at the Settlement.  The second was the lady who ran the bar; though her title was strictly informal…The third one was the queen of England. (Prologue)

The story takes place around the first two, Mary Griffith and her bar.  Mary is one of the most influential colonists on Mars and the proud proprietor of its only brewery, an operation she runs with the help of her three daughters and a contingent of eccentric yet loyal staff.  While there is no shortage of interesting people and money-making schemes coming through her doors, life is not exactly easy on the red planet.  Colonization had once been enthusiastically led by a merger of corporate interests and old-fashioned British Imperialism, but the dream was soon abandoned when the board of directors of the British Arean Company (BAC) determined the endeavor was unlikely to turn a profit.  Left to their own devices, the remaining colonists carry on the task of terraforming the world and creating a society of their own, all the while cursing the BAC and its remaining administrative presence.  Life continues on like this until one day an unexpected discovery rekindles interest in the planet and draws in a host of new people, problems, and intrigues; all of which inevitably end up passing through the Empress.

On the whole I enjoyed this book.  Although it felt a bit superficial at times with its short, episodic, and often anecdotal chapters, there was a fun overall story arc.  Mixing in bits of political and economic intrigue with slices of sci-fi life, something about the reading experience just felt good as the book’s light-hearted, whimsical narrative moved the story along at an enjoyable and easy-going pace.  Calling this Cheers in space might be somewhat incorrect considering many of the events that take place outside the Empress, but that’s not exactly an inaccurate comparison either.  All the action and events in one way or another end up involving the bar’s regular group of workers and/or patrons, creating a diverse ensemble cast that compensated nicely for the lack of depth given to any one character in particular.  All in all, a quick and satisfying read.

Celebrating the Classics: Sierra Nevada – Snow Pack and NES Games!

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Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, NES, NES Marathon, Nintendo, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Variety Pack

This is shaping up to be a pretty eventful weekend for me.  Not only I am on-call for work and taking on baby duties for the morning, but it also happens to be time again for the annual NES Marathon hosted by Pat the NES Punk.  The Marathon is a 24-plus hour session of playing old school NES games to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.  The fun starts today Saturday, November 12 at 3:00 PM EST.  To keep me hydrated for however much of it I end up being able to watch, I picked up the winter seasonal sampler from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  It came at a great price (just shy of $20), featured a couple of beers I was really interested in trying, and the 12 oz. bottles were a pretty convenient format for my needs.

The sampler featured three bottles each of four different beers representing a nice range of styles.  I began my journey with the two hop-forward offerings, starting out first with the brewery’s long-tenured flagship Pale Ale.  Most likely this brew needs no introduction here, as it has been around since 1980 (making it older than both myself and the NES!) and is something of a craft beer staple.  It might not be the sexiest or most hyped beer around, but it was refreshing as ever with subtle notes of piney bitterness, grapefruit/citrus, and grainy malt.  The other beer in this category was Single Hop Cascade IPA.  Coming in at 6.3%, it poured a cloudy yet transparent golden body with a foamy white head.  For the taste, it featured bready pilsner malts upfront and a burst of floral hops at the end.  Didn’t love this, but don’t mind having a couple more around either.

It was the two other beers that had me excited.  The first of the was a scotch ale called Maple Scotch.  I’m always eager to try more examples of this style and this one did not disappoint.  It started out promising with a nice tannish brown body beneath an off-white head of foam.  The thick, creamy mouthfeel was perfect for presenting the prevalent toffee and caramel malts.  The malt mixed together nicely to give the beer a subtle sweetness before it came to a slightly toasty finish.  I do wish the sweetness stood out just a little bit more, but I was quite happy with this beer and it gave no indication at all that it was 7.3%.  Last up was the Coffee Stout, which also happened to be my favorite beer from the box.  It had some great notes of creamy, lightly roasted French Vanilla coffee and looked great in the glass with a solid finger-plus tan head topping off a deep brownish/black body.  Delightfully smooth and easy drinking at 6.2%, it wasn’t as thick as some of the bigger stouts out there, but it was delicious.  Great beer to have around and an excellent coffee stout.

And that rounds out the box.  Time for me to get to work, have fun weekend everyone!

 

Avery Brewing Company – Ale to the Chief

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Avery Brewing Company, Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer

Wanting to have a thematically appropriate beverage to get me through election night, I felt like I had a winner when I saw this at a local bottle shop.  I think one of the few things most of can agree on this year was that a beer was most certainly needed while waiting for the results to come in.

Beer Name: Ale to the Chief

Brewer: Avery Brewing Company

Style: Curiously, I have seen this listed as DIPA and as a Strong Ale.

ABV: 8.1%

Description: Going by the bit of detail provided by the brewery, this beer been brewed twice before, originally in celebration of the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and again during the 2012 election.  It is now on a four-year brewing cycle, seemingly to help take the edge off election nights.  This imperial, ahem, presidential pale ale was dry-hopped with Cascade.  The price on a 22 oz. bomber in downtown Boston was $11.00.

Appearance: It had a deep reddish amber and slightly orange body topped off by foamy white head.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt with a nearly hidden hint of piney bitterness.

Taste: As with the smell, the taste started out sweet with a nice mix of caramel and biscuity malts.  From there it took on notes of grapefruit and citrus zest combined with fresh tasting grassy and floral hops.  Hoppy, but not aggressively bitter.

Mouthfeel: It had a creamy medium-plus body with a relatively low-level of carbonation.  A sticky, sappy finish allowed the hops and sweetness to really stand out at the end.

Hype: Not much that I was aware of.  I’ve had some good beers from this brewery in the past, but bought this based on the name alone.  Dangerous, I know.

Overall: I liked this beer, but I think if someone picked it up wanting a DIPA in today’s market they might be disappointed.  The strong ale categorization is much more accurate, as the beer’s prominent malts and complimentary hop profile make it more at home in this style.  Indeed, this reminded me a bit of Stone’s Double Bastard Ale.  As for myself, I’ve made no secret of my love for caramel malts and I felt all aspects of this beer came together perfectly.  A good beer on a sad night.

Trillium Brewing Company – Deciduous Imperial Brown Ale

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Beer, Beer Review, Boston, Craft Beer, Massachusetts, New England, Trillium Brewing Company

I had some mixed reactions when I saw that Trillium had released Deciduous again.  At first I was excited to have another chance to get my hands on a beer I really enjoyed previously.  However, when I saw that the recipe was changed from a red ale to a brown ale this time around, I was a little bit apprehensive as I’m generally not that excited about this style.  Since I trust the brewery and my boss was buying, it seemed like this was worth a shot anyway.

Beer Name: Deciduous

Brewer: Trillium Brewing Company

Style: Imperial Brown Ale

ABV: 7.5%

Description: Brewed to celebrate the arrival of the fall season, this imperial brown ale features a complex mix of malts joining Columbus and Centennial hops.  Full description can be found on the brewery website.  The 64 oz. growler we split at the office cost $17 and 4 packs of cans were going for $17.20.  Poured into one of the only clean glasses I could find that day.

Appearance: The body had a light, tannish brown color reminiscent of iced tea or apple cider.  The brew was topped off by thin bubbly off-white head.

Smell: Slight fruity sweetness with lots of piney hops.

Taste: There were three very distinct elements to this beer, each of which had a chance to both stand out on its own and serve a supporting role.  The beer started out sweet with orange and citrus notes.  It then took on a moderate helping of toasted malts accentuated by a dank, resinous pine sap bitterness.  There was a lingering blend of all three tastes at the very end that really captured the best of each aspect.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of bubbly carbonation.

Hype: Elevated.  With a decent sized production run this beer has stuck around for a bit, but when Trillium makes something people inevitably want to try it.

Overall: Very good beer.  While I think I preferred last year’s red version by a hair, that personal preference should by no means detract from this brew.  Although I am not a huge fan of hoppy brown ales in general, I really enjoyed this and might consider it my shining beacon of the style going forward.  I thought the sweetness was an excellent touch and brought with it a nice contrast to the toasted malts which I sometimes find overwhelming.  The beer a big hit with my coworkers as well, so make sure you try this one out if you have the chance.