Ipswich Ale Brewing Company – Summer Ale

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Massachusetts, New England, Summer

As I’ve mentioned here before, I have a lot of love for the Ipswich Ale Brewing Company and their ability to consistently put out excellent offerings at a very competitive price.  Needless to say I was pretty excited when my wife picked me up a six-pack of their Summer Ale to help me beat the heat.

Beer Name: Summer Ale

Brewery: Ipswich Ale Brewing Company

Style: Blonde Ale

ABV: 4.9%

Description: The label on the bottle’s neck says it all: “No fruits.  No spices. Just an ideal blend of pale malt, Cascade, and Mosaic hops.”

Appearance: Cloudy golden body with plenty of little bubbles running up from the bottom.

Smell: Light citrus notes.

Taste: Crisp, sweet pale malt joined by mellow hints of citrus rind.  A very mild grassy bitterness came out on the end.

Mouthfeel: Body was on the lighter side with a moderate carbonation.

Hype: None.  Summer ales don’t tend to generate a lot of hype and Ipswich is more of an “old reliable” type brewery than a trendy hot spot.

Overall: The beer offered a nice clean sweetness that really hit the spot on a warm summer day.  I’ll be having a few more of these this over the next few months for sure.  It’s pretty much exactly what you’d want from the style.

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Stone Brewing Company – Scorpion Bowl IPA

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, California, Craft Beer, Stone Brewing Company

I’ll admit it was the name that caught my eye on this one.  While it’s been awhile since I’ve had an actual scorpion bowl, I was intrigued to see how it would work in beer form.

Beer Name: Scorpion Bowl IPA

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company (Escondido, CA)

Style: IPA

ABV: 7.5%

Description: Made to be juicy and tropical without adding any fruit, the brewers used a combination of Mosaic, Loral, and Mandarina Bavaria hops to accomplish the goal.  Read all about it here.  The price was most definitely right at $4.99 for the bomber.

Appearance: Cloudy, just barely see through golden copper body with a wispy white head.

Smell: Sticky fruit backed by piney bitterness and a sweet bit of heat.

Taste: Melon and tropical fruit upfront, followed by citrus rind and pale malt.  The finish was dry with a sappy pine bitterness. A warm sweetness closed out the experience after the beer sat in the glass for a bit.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: Being a Stone release I was aware of this beer’s existence but can’t say there was any general hype surrounding this.

Overall: I wouldn’t call it anything particularly special, but I was happy with this.  Not something to go out of the way for, bit still a nice pickup in that it was a solid IPA that could be had at a reasonable price.  It did a passable job at representing scorpion bowls, though if you’re in the mood for one I suggest just taking the plunge and going for the real thing!

Mystic Brewery – Von Lume

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Massachusetts, Mystic Brewery, New England, Pilsner

I grabbed this one on impulse last time I went shopping for beverages.  It wasn’t particularly showy or eye grabbing, it just had the distinction of being one of the few offerings in the local arrivals section that wasn’t an IPA.

Beer Name: Von Lume

Brewery: Mystic Brewery (Chelsea, MA)

Style: Pilsner

ABV: 4.70%

Description: I actually had a harder than expected time tracking down information on this one.  All I can tell you is that this was a can conditioned pilsner.

Appearance: Golden yellow body accentuated by copper highlights and a foamy white head.

Smell: Crisp malt and citrus rind.

Taste: Light notes of pale, crackery malts fortified with moderate grainy taste.  Also picked on hints of lemon and pepper throughout and a mild grassy hop presence on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and moderately carbonated.

Hype: None that I am aware of.  I couldn’t even dig up basic background information on this one, let alone any buzz.

Overall: I wasn’t a huge fan of this as the flavor profile just wasn’t quite my thing.  I grabbed this feeling somewhat invincible after having some really great pilsners lately, so I suppose every streak has to end eventually.

The Lookout Farm Taproom

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Brewery Visit, Craft Beer, Farm, Massachusetts, Natick, New England

Last weekend our quest for family fun brought us to Lookout Farm, located just about an hour southwest of BeerRantsandBooks HQ in South Natick, MA.  This trip did not disappoint; the spacious farm was beautiful to behold and with two play areas and a train to transport visitors around the premises there was plenty to keep our toddler well entertained.  That alone would have made for a pretty good day, but the farm also had another treat in store for us: a taproom serving food and a variety of farm brewed beer and cider. Talk about something for everyone!

I decided to go with a beer flight to (responsibly) get as much of a sense of what they had to offer as possible.  Going in the order of right to left, the sampler offered a nice mix of styles and flavors, starting with Super Yellow Pilsner.  Checking in at 5.6% it had a nice clean, light taste and was rather refreshing after a day out in the sun.  Up next was Natick Nectar, a smooth, funky, and slightly sweet 4.7% witbier brewed with peaches.  Not sure the funk quite fit, but it wasn’t bad either and had a nice fruitiness.  Beer number three was a 6.4% hoppy red ale named Big Red Barn Ale.  I consider myself an aficionado of this style and was quite pleased by this offering.  Its sweet caramel malt base and fresh, hazy resinous hop presence hit all the right boxes for me.  Closing things out was Harvest Day, a 6.7% IPA featuring a grassy/piney hop bitterness atop a slightly sweet light malt base.  The glass behind the flight contains their Hop Up cider, which got an enthusiastic thumbs up from my wife.  

Although I am going to limit my reviews here to the beer, I do want to put in a quick plug for the food  The fried Brussels sprouts and french fries we had were both fantastic, and they served up a pretty good pretzel and cheese and sausage plate as well.  Also of note, food allergies are a concern in my family and the bartender serving us was very helpful and accommodating in helping us make our decisions.

All in all we had a great time here and will definitely be coming back during the months ahead.  There were a couple of brews on tap that I did not get a chance to try this, a stout and a triple, so for sure I’ll be checking those out if they’re still around next time.

Founder’s Brewing Company – Dankwood

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Founders Brewing Company, Michigan, Red IPA

Having a fondness for both red IPAs and brews aged in Bourbon barrels, how could I not try this?

Beer Name: Dankwood

Brewery: Founder’s Brewing Company (Grand Rapids, MI)

Style: Red IPA aged in Bourbon Barrels

ABV: 12.2%

Description: Called “the perfect alchemy of wood and hops,” the brewers took a big red IPA and aged it in bourbon Barrels.

Appearance: Medium brown/dark caramel colored body topped with a thick off-white foam.

Smell: Sweet caramel malts upfront backed up by bourbon barrels.

Taste: Started out sweet with notes of caramel malt and toffee before a dank, resinous bitterness set in right around mid-sip.  A heavy barrel influence set in shortly thereafter which carried the beer into a big pine and bourbon finish. Came with a bit of heat after settling into the glass for a bit.

Mouthfeel: Smooth medium-plus body with a roughly moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: It earned a social media shout-out from a few of my local shops, but I don’t get the sense that there’s a huge demand on this.  I was excited though.

Overall: Tasty, but strong!  A delicious brew but definitely one you want to make sure you are ready for.  Tasted like a very good high ABV red IPA to start and then about halfway through those bourbon barrels hit and the beer took off to a whole other level.  Check this one out!

Toppling Goliath Brewery – Pseudo Sue

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Iowa, Pale Ale, Toppling Goliath Brewery

I happen to live in an area that sees some pretty good beer distribution, with new things coming in fairly regularly these days.  One of the latest brands to arrive here is Toppling Goliath, a popular brewery based out of Decorah, Iowa. Their wares first hit the shelves here with a decent amount of fanfare a few months ago so I waited a little bit before trying to pick any to avoid the rush.

Beer Name: Pseudo Sue

Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewery (Decorah, IA)

Style: Pale Ale

ABV: 6.8%

Description: A pale ale hopped exclusively with Citra.  Said to feature ferocious hop aromas and a well-balanced body.  It draws its name from Sue, a T-Rex fossil that resides at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL.  Apparently this was the source of some tension at first, bit happily the two sides were able to come together.

Appearance: Poured a cloudy, light orange/amber body topped by a fluffy and slightly off-white head.

Smell:  Mostly tropical fruits to start, followed by a sweet grapefruit and pine bitterness on end.

Taste: Citrus and mango upfront followed by grapefruit and pine bitterness atop a bready/crackery pale malt base.  Smooth and balanced progression of flavors.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation.

Hype: Elevated.  There was a lot of demand for this beer when it first hit the shelves, understandably so it has very high reviews on the popular beer rating sites.

Overall: Very tasty, but from my perspective I think a lot of the excitement about this came from it being new to the market.  I definitely understand why the beer has earned such a solid reputation, but with so many other excellent examples of this style already available in my area, I don’t really feel like I’ve missed out by not having had this before.

Lamplighter Brewing Company – The Upsidedown

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Cambridge, Craft Beer, Lamplighter Brewing Company, Massachusetts, Stranger Things

As soon as I saw the name and can art I knew this beer was a must buy for me.  My wife and I are huge fans of Stranger Things and I couldn’t resist trying out a beer that pays homage to this amazing series.

Beer Name: The Upsidedown

Brewery: Lamplighter Brewing Company (Cambridge, MA)

Style: Dark Saison

ABV: 7.8%

Description: Reading from the can, this dark saison was brewed with caramel malts and rye  and fermented with a Belgian farmhouse yeast. Recommended food pairing is waffles, preferably Eggos I would assume.

Appearance: Deep cola brown body topped by a fizzly off-white head.

Smell: Dark fruit sweetness mixed with a subtle hit of that distinct farmhouse yeast.

Taste: Very subdued overall, this started out with hints of dark fruit and toffee sweetness, followed by notes of creamy yeast and wheat.  The finish was earthy and featured subtly toasted malts mixed with a bit of pepper and spice.  A slight bit of heat towards the end of the glass.

Mouthfeel: Light body that felt slightly creamy on account of its low-level of carbonation.

Hype: I didn’t know anything about this going in.  I just jumped at the cool name.

Overall: Unfortunately I found the name and can art a bit more exciting than the beer itself.  It seemed a bit stuck between trying to be both a saison and a brown ale without really finding a way to stand out as either.  Super mellow throughout, but what stuck with me the most for me were the toasted malts and earthiness on the finish which just wasn’t quite my thing.  No regrets in trying this though.

Aeronaut Brewing Company & Finback Brewery – Improbability Drive

Tags

Aeronaut Brewing Company, Beer, Beer Review, Collaboration, Craft Beer, Douglas Adams, Finback Brewery, Hitchhiker's Guide, Massachusetts, New York, Towel Day

Happy Towel Day!  To those that may not be aware, May 25 is Towel Day, a day set aside to celebrate the life and work of English author Douglas Adams, best known for writing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  After somehow missing Star Wars day this year, I was determined not to miss this one as well.  I wasn’t sure at first how I would celebrate, but fortunately my favorite bottle shop was there to pick me up.

Beer Name: Improbability Drive

Brewery: Aeronaut Brewing Company (Somerville, MA) & Finback Brewery (Queens, NY)

Style: IPA

ABV: 5.8%

Description: An IPA brewed with lactose and infused with orange zest and vanilla bean.  It also features some pretty awesome can art paying tribute to the book, most notably a certain free-falling whale hoping to make friends with the ground.

Appearance: Poured a cloudy, straw-yellow body topped by a layer of thick white foam that stuck around for the duration of the beer and left lacing along the glass.

Smell: Orange juice, mixed with a slight bit of cream on the ending.

Taste: Orange juice upfront, followed by citrus zest and sweet cream with hints vanilla lurking in the background with a very mild grassy bitterness.   Think orange creamsicle with a touch of vanilla on the end.

Mouthfeel: It had a super creamy, medium-plus body with a slightly less than moderate carbonation.

Hype: Elevated somewhat since this was a collaboration effort between two popular breweries, but not to the point where this was too difficult to get my hands on at the store.  Personally, my excitement level was quite high, and that would have been the case with or without Towel Day being a factor.

Overall: What an interesting beer!  Definitely a bit out of the ordinary, but that seems appropriate given what it’s paying tribute to.  I liked this a lot and had fun drinking it while looking up some of my favorite quotes from the book.

Brewmaster Jack – The Little Brother

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Brewmaster Jack, Craft Beer, DIPA, Massachusetts, New England

I always welcome the chance to pick up something new from Brewmaster Jack.  Careful readers of the blog may be tempted to read deeper into the name of this beer, but I assure you, it’s just another brew.

Beer Name: The Little Brother

Brewery: Brewmaster Jack

Style: Double NEIPA

ABV: 8.5%

Description: Listed as the brewery’s biggest double IPA, this beer was brewed with “loads of Citra hops and just a hint of Simcoe.”

Appearance: Hazy golden orange body with a thin white head of foam.

Smell: Tropical fruits mixed with a touch of spicy pine resin on end.

Taste: Not entirely unlike hopped juice.  Light tropical fruit upfront blended smoothly into a hazy bitter finish that brought on tangy orange and grapefruit mixed with bitterness from a combination of piney, spicy, and earthy hops.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy, medium body with light carbonation.

Hype: None that I can attest to.  I found these cans hanging out with the rest of the store’s new arrivals, but I didn’t know these came in as well until I got there.

Overall: Fairly mellow and super smooth, I really enjoyed this one.  It packed a lot of flavor and was an excellent example of the style.

SingleCut Beersmiths – 日本から来たネコ IPA

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, New York, SingleCut Beersmiths

I’ve been really enjoying this brewery lately.  Their combination of outstanding brews and cool can art has definitely gotten my attention.  It also helps that my favorite bottle shop gets frequent deliveries of their stuff and seems just as excited about that as I am.

Beer Name: 日本から来たネコ (Cat From Japan)

Brewery: SingleCut Beersmiths (Queens, NY)

Style: IPA

ABV: 4.3%

Description: Listed on the brewery’s website as a juicy, tropical session IPA brewed with “new age” hops from the Pacific Northwest and New Zealand.

Appearance: Poured to a hazy, golden/orange juice colored body topped off by a fluffy white head of foam.

Smell: Tropical fruits with a pine and grapefruit bitterness on end.

Taste: Light tropical fruit upfront mixed with pale malt.  The finish brought on a mix of bitter grapefruit, tangy orange, and a dry crackery presence.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a slightly elevated level of carbonation.  Happy little bubbles were especially apparent at beginning and end of the sip.

Hype: As mentioned in the intro, I had expectations of my own for this one, but I don’t think there was any general hype around this.

Overall: Very tasty, but maybe a bit overpowered as this little session IPA packed quite a punch on the finish.  I’m probably still looking to pick some more of this up when the warm weather returns for good though.