Trillium Brewing Company – Black Mettle

Tags

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

The slow but steady return of spring-like weather has made me more willing to go for lunchtime walks at work again.  In need of a destination, I decided to take a peak at what Trillium had to offer last Friday and pretty quickly made up my mind as to where I was going.

Beer Name: Black Mettle

Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company (Boston, MA/Canton, MA)

Style: Black Double IPA

ABV: 8.4%

Description: A darker, roastier variant of the brewery’s popular Mettle double IPA.  You can read up on the full story and brewing specs here on Trillium’s website.  Price point was $20.20 a four-pack (or $5.05 per individual can).

Appearance: Thick black body topped by a foamy tan head.

Smell: Sweet upfront, with citrus notes eventually backed by pine resin and roasted malt.

Taste: Started out slightly creamy with notes of bittersweet dark chocolate that gradually blended into a more citrusy sweetness highlighted by notes of grapefruit.  From there it transitioned towards roasted malts and coffee and brought on a moderate bitterness of pine resin and floral hops. The finish was quite dry and nicely blended all the different flavors.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, super dry finish with moderate carbonation

Hype: Perhaps a bit elevated as all things Trillium tend to be, but despite being a new addition this wasn’t a beer that had people lining up down the street.

Overall: An absolutely delicious black IPA with an excellent assortment and blending of flavors.  Definitely check this one out if you’re able.

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Almanac Beer Company – Peach Galaxy

Tags

Almanac Beer Company, Beer, Beer Review, California, Craft Beer, Farmouse

One of the best things about my wife surprising me with beer, other than the obvious, is that she tends to notice stuff that I might not.  She also has a pretty good track in that regard, so when I came home to find this the other day I was certainly intrigued.

Beer Name: Peach Galaxy

Brewery: Almanac Beer Company (San Francisco, CA)

Style: Sour Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 7.5%

Description: This one has quite the story behind it!  You can get the full version here, but to summarize this beer was born from the blending of various farmhouse ales, Brettanomyces, oak barrels, Galaxy and Citra hops, spices, and a whole lot of peaches.

Appearance: It had a juice-like golden/pale yellow body topped by a fizzly white head.

Smell: Lots of sweet, ripe peaches with a bit of funkiness towards the end.

Taste: Really pronounced peach sweetness upfront with a slight fruity bitterness coming through towards the middle.  The sip ended with a tart and sweet funkiness that had a moderate level of acidity. Hints of oak and subtle spices on the aftertaste after sitting in the glass for a bit.

Mouthfeel: Medium body that had a slightly syrupy finish with a just below moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: I am guessing none?  For what it’s worth I was unaware of this beer until my wife surprised me with it.

Overall: I liked this a lot.  It was light and fruity (ok – peachy) despite the fairly elevated ABV and had a nice bit of funk on the finish.  Might seek this one out again when the weather gets a bit nicer and I sit out on my back deck.

Battle Road Brewing Company – Lexington IPA

Tags

3 Amigos, Battle Road Brewing Company, Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Drink Local, Malden, Massachusetts

I don’t often review beers I drink out in the wild anymore, but for this one I made an exception.  Last Sunday the family ventured forth to a new Mexican restaurant named 3 Amigos Bar & Grill that very recently opened up down the road from us in Malden Center.  Putting the beer aside for a moment,I am happy to report that the food was amazing and I would highly recommend the Chorizo Queso Fundido and Short Rib Tacos if you’re in the area.  The adult beverage selection beyond their signature margaritas was also quite good, boasting a small but well curated list of local beer options that included draft lines from the nearby Idle Hands Craft Ales and Night Shift Brewing Company.  As for my beer choice, the keg had kicked on my initial choice and the waiter suggested this one as an alternative.

Beer Name: Lexington IPA

Brewery: Battle Road Brewing Company (Maynard, MA)

Style: IPA

ABV: 6.2%

Description: An IPA brewed with a combination of Columbus, Mosaic, Azacca, Centennial, and Citra hops.  

Appearance: Cloudy golden/amber-colored body with a foamy white head.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt with a citrusy hop bitterness in the background.

Taste: Sweet upfront, again mixing a caramel malt base with citrus and grapefruit notes.  The sweetest gradually gave way to a resinous blend of pine and citrus hops for the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.  Pretty typical for the style.

Hype: Not much.  I feel like I’ve seen this brewery around for years at various local beer festivals but don’t really see their beers around town all that often.

Overall: I liked this a lot.  It featured that sweet malt profile I really go for in my IPAs and made an excellent companion to my dinner.  In fact, I ended up liking this so much it inspired me to another thing I don’t ordinarily do when out at a restaurant – ordered the same beer twice!

SingleCut Beersmiths – Eric More Cowbell

Tags

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

As soon as I saw an Instagram post saying this beer had hit one of my usual spots, I knew I had to have it.  Not only does the bottle literally have my name on it, but the beer has my initials as well! While I admit I don’t quite get the whole ‘more cowbell’ craze, I will still share a link to one of my favorite cowbell-centric songs anyway.

Beer Name: Eric More Cowbell

Brewery: SingleCut Beersmiths (Queens, NY)

Style: Milk Stout

ABV: 6.6%

Description: Listed as a lusciously creamy stout with a roast malt base and infusion of cocoa that have it ready to rock all night long.  

Appearance: Black body with a finger of thick tan foam.

Smell: Light roast coffee, sweet cream, and milk chocolate.

Taste: Roasted coffee upfront that got joined by dark malts and grain shortly after the sip began.  It went on to a sweet creamy finish that combined bittersweet chocolate and a hint of lactose.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, slick medium body with fairly low-level carbonation.

Hype: I obviously had my reasons for being partial to this but I drank it with an open mind.  I’ve also had some very good experiences with this brewery so my hopes were elevated in that regard as well.

Overall: Featuring a great blend of flavor and a very nice mouthfeel, this was an excellent example of the style.  My nitpick on it is that I wish the ending chocolate and sweetness stood up to the opening roast just a little bit more, but that’s really more a matter of personal preference.  I approve of having my name on this.

 

Idle Hands Craft Ales – Galaxy Four Seam

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Idle Hands Craft Ales, IPA, Malden, Massachusetts, New England

When looking for the perfect beer to pair with the start of the MLB season, my thoughts immediately went to my neighbors at Idle Hands.  They usually have a few baseball-themed offerings available and at my last visit they certainly did not disappoint!

Beer Name: Galaxy Four Seam

Brewery: Idle Hands Craft Ales (Malden, MA)

Style: New England IPA

ABV: 6.6%

Description: A variation on the brewery’s primary NE IPA that substitutes Galaxy hops for Citra.

Appearance: Hazy, juice-like body with light golden/amber color and persistent foamy white head up top.

Smell: Blend of tropical and citrus fruits with a  similar bitterness lingering in background.

Taste: Started with a burst of fruity sweetness that dominates until about mid-sip.  Intricate blend of citrus zest, grapefruit, and melon with tropical influences as well.  Halfway in, the beer picked up some light crackery malts before closing with a moderate haze of dank grassy hops and sweet bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy medium body, with a roughly moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: There was a decent bit of buzz in local beer forums and social media feeds about this one.  Not enough to generate obscene lines and immediate sellouts, but it’s fair to say Idle Hands had a hit on their hands with this one.

Overall: I highly enjoyed this and thought it was a superlative example of the style. Fans of NE IPAs should definitely should not to miss out on this just because it’s not from a brewery hyped for the style.  Local beer drinkers in general should check this out as well because it’s just that good. Cheers!

Idle Hands Craft Ales – Edgeworth

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Malden, Massachusetts, New England, Pilsner

After fully recovering from the lingering effects of my illness a couple of weeks, it was time go forth and try out some new beer again.  I took advantage of a particularly nice day last weekend to swing by my local brewery and grab some provisions. This one also comes with a nice little story; it is inspired by the neighborhood the brewery is a part of and $1 of every sale goes to the restoration of a nearby WWI monument.

Beer Name: Edgeworth

Brewery: Idle Hands Craft Ales (Malden, MA)

Style: Pilsner

ABV: 4.8%

Description: The release notes call it an easy drinking American hoppy pilsner made with 100% American hops and malts that give it a floral aroma and notes of cracker malts and citrus peel.

Appearance: Perfectly see-through pale straw body with a lively white foam head.

Smell: Light cracker malts with a slightly lemony, floral backing.

Taste: Clean and crisp with crackery light malts backed up by a citrus/grapefruit sweetness.  Slightly grainy finish with subdued lemon and floral notes on the very end.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and somewhat less than moderately carbonated.

Hype: The brewery had some social media buzz around this, but pilsners typically aren’t really where the hype goes these days.

Overall: Light and easy drinking with a nice blend flavor, this was an excellent brew for me to get back in the game with.  I was happy to hear that they plan on canning on this in the future as I would love to have some of these to sit outside with on a warm summer day.

Brewmaster Jack – Total Eclipse

Tags

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

This is a beer I’ve actually been meaning to review here for quite some time now.  I picked it up for the first time a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, but missed out on getting it reviewed.  To make matters worse, the beer that took its place was something from the same brewery I didn’t really like all that much.  Time to make amends!

Beer Name: Total Eclipse

Brewery: Brewmaster Jack (Northampton, MA)

Style: Porter

ABV: 6.0%

Description: An American porter brewed with a blend of barley, rye, and oats to impart coffee and chocolate flavors mixed with a touch of lactose sugar.  Read more about it here.

Appearance: Smooth black body with a thin tan head.

Smell: Creamy and sweet, with hints of rye on the end.

Taste: Started out with creamy, rich dark malts that carried into a smooth blend of rye and grain mid-sip.  Subtle light roast coffee came in for the finish

Mouthfeel: Slick, smooth less than medium body with low carbonation.

Hype: Not much for the rest of the world, but as I said in the intro I was on a personal mission to see this brew reviewed here.

Overall: Smooth and flavorful, this is now one of my favorite porters. The rye added a nice extra dimension to the near perfect balance of roast and cream.  Recommended.

Harpoon Brewery – The Craic

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Boston, Craft Beer, Harpoon Brewery, Massachusetts, New England, Red IPA

As soon as I saw this hit the shelves in early March I knew I had found my St. Patrick’s Day brew.  Unfortunately, illness intervened and I instead spent the day recovering from a terrible stomach bug.  This review is based on notes I took from the “research” bottle I opened up last week.  I’m not quite ready yet to start thinking about drinking beer again just yet, but did want to wish you all a belated Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Beer Name: The Craic

Brewery: Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)

Style: Irish Red IPA

ABV: 6.9%

Description: Listed on the brewery website as a combination of a toasty Irish Red Ale and a citrusy IPA, the given inspiration behind this was extend the St. Patrick’s Day spirit to last an entire season.  Sounds admirable enough to me and at $9.99 six-pack this was relatively easy on the wallet as well.

Appearance: Surprisingly see-through coppery red body topped by a bubbly layer of off-white foam.

Smell: Sweet and toasted malts with a piney/grapefruit bitterness on the backend.

Taste: True to the description, there was a steady presence of toasted malts throughout the brew, though they were most prominent at the very beginning and end of the sip.  About mid-sip a citrusy sweetness appeared just ahead of a wave of bitterness highlighted by grapefruit and earthy hops. The hops and toasted malt lingered slightly after finishing the sip.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: Despite their history and longevity Harpoon doesn’t get a ton of attention in the local beer scene, at least in what I refer to as the enthusiast community.  I personally had some high hopes for this quietly being a standout brew since Harpoon’s sadly retired Red Squared and Celtic Red were two of the beers that opened up my eyes to Red IPAs.

Overall: My final verdict on this is pretty good, with bonus points for price.  The interplay of toasted malt and earthy hops wasn’t my ideal profile for the style, but that said I’ll have no problems finishing off the six-pack once I am back up to full strength.

 

Funky Bow Brewery and Beer Company – Panama Red

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Funky Bow Brewery, Maine, New England, Red IPA

Despite the stubborn tenacity of wintry weather in my area, it seems that my preferences in beer are gradually drifting away from big stouts for the time being.  Looks like hoppy red ales are becoming my go to style of late-winter/early spring.

Beer Name: Panama Red Ale

Brewery: Funky Bow Brewery and Beer Company (Lyman, Maine)

Style: Red Ale

ABV: 7.5%

Description: Listed as a red ale brewed to provide a balance of bready caramel malts and Centennial hops.  Read all about here on the brewery website.

Appearance: Poured a murky, deep-red/amber body with light tan foam up top. Some sediment could be seen floating in the glass.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt on top of a sticky hop bitterness.

Taste: Started out with a solid backbone of creamy caramel malts combined with a slight bit of citrus sweetness on the edges.  The finish brought on a slightly more than moderate amount of bitterness in the form of grapefruit and a blend of spicy and floral hops.  A mild hop presence and crackery malt tastes lingered a for a few seconds post-sip.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body with a roughly moderate amount of carbonation.

Hype: Another situation where any hype involved was more of a personal thing.  I’ve officially started hunting down red IPAs again and the guy in the beer store mentioned this was a good one.

Overall: I was quite pleased with this one.  Although I tend to prefer piney hops with my caramel malts, this particular blend of floral hops really worked for me.  Definitely going to seek out more.

Mayflower Brewing Company – X

Tags

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

I made it a mission of mine to make sure I got a chance to try this.  Though they don’t always generate the most hype in the Massachusetts brewing scene, Mayflower consistently puts out some amazing beer and I had to see what they did to celebrate a major anniversary.

Beer Name: X

Brewery: Mayflower Brewing Company (Plymouth, MA)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 11.0%

Description: An Imperial Stout brewed in honor of Mayflower’s 10th anniversary.  Apparently it’s their largest beer brewed to date!

Appearance: Dark cola brown/black body topped by a thin tan head that cleared out very quickly after pour.

Smell: Creamy and sweet, with slight hints of roast and heat on the end.

Taste: Creamy sweetness upfront, with lots of dark malt and chocolate.  Stayed on the sweet side throughout but turned towards caramel and faint light roast coffee on the finish with some moderate heat mixed in.  Heat level slowly intensified as the beer sat.

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied with a minimal amount of carbonation.

Hype: This made the rounds on social media postings from various local bottle shops I follow, but overall the hype was low-key in the sense that I had no problem going out and picking this up.  That said, this brewery has a solid reputation with many Massachusetts beer drinkers and I jumped at the chance to try out their big anniversary offering.

Overall: An excellent straight up Imperial Stout and a very worthy anniversary release.  Definitely check this out if you come across it.