I have moved...

Folks, I combined all of the content from this blog with my beer website. I am posting regularly and I have included my top 100 beers of all time. Come check it out http://bostonbeerman.com/

This is not from the Congress Street of my childhood...

Trillium Brewing Company, Congress Street IPA, Boston, MA

7.2% abv. This beer is two weeks old. It pours a brilliant unfiltered yellow gold color with a huge head and fluffy Belgian lace. Pine, orange zest, mango, and fresh cut grass aromas. It has an amazing silky smooth mouthfeel with an aggressive hop finish. This beer has a light and pleasant carbonation and it is so fresh it almost tastes cask conditioned.  Super drinkable with pine, apricot, orange, mango, grapefruit, and fresh pineapple flavors. Wow the 7.2% is sneaky. It is going down way too fast. This is a thoroughly enjoyable IPA and something I would definitely revisit in the near future. I may even have to make a trip to the brewery soon. 

I wish I lived in Bourbon County...

Goose Island Brewing Company, Bourbon County Imperial Stout, Chicago, IL

This one weighs in at a whopping 14.9% abv. It was brewed in August of 2013 and I cellared it until today. I should have waited longer, but I have another one that I am going to let sit for a couple of years. I'll be sure to compare notes when I review it again. Thankfully it comes in a 12oz bottle, it is a force to be reckoned with. 

Pours tar black with a thin tan head. Good carbonation generated through the middle of the beer. On first smelling this beer I get an immediate oaky bourbon aroma with a fresh raisin scent and touch of mild espresso. Plums and other dark fruits as well. The huge round body of this beer is obvious on first sip. It is big, syrupy and boozy. 

This beer has 450 calories! I just walked two miles and I should have walked a few more before cracking it open. While the alcohol is clearly present in each sip, even adding a peppery spicyness, it is not overwhelming. You want to drink this beer slowly of course, but it really doesn't become overbearing at any point. What an incredibly complex beer. I am getting oak, bourbon, sherry, molasses, maple, tobacco, coconut, candy sugar, dark chocolate, coffee, plum, raisin, figs, and a light citrusy hop flavor...and that is just in one sip. After about 10 more the gums start to tingle and the belly warms right up.

I stepped slowly away from this one for about 20 minutes and now I am back. The smell is simply amazing. Now I am catching a distinct bourbon vanilla aroma with some raw sugar, maybe even old school ribbon candy...yes, that shit your grandma used to give you and it would cut your tongue and gums! I am tasting new flavors as well, anise, dates, charcoal smoke, burnt caramel, and dried orange zest. This beer is fantastic. It gets more and more astringent with each sip due to the intense malt profile, but not in a bad way. It might be a really good thing that this beer is incredibly hard to find. I could drink it all night, but at 450 calories per bottle it is like adding an additional breakfast to your daily intake...it is so worth it though. 

This is a revival that I can appreciate...

Revival Brewing Company Double Black IPA

Label on the bottle depicts Chinook vs. Sorachi Ace. 8% abv. Given to me by Trevor Smith (thank you sir), who recently met the brewer. Bottled by Cottrell Brewing Company for Revival Brewing Company. Pours a rich dark brown color with big whitish tan head. Tootsie roll, lemon, cilantro, and roasted hazelnuts on the nose. First sip is a burst of tangy citrus and piney hops that finishes with a mild coffee ice cream flavor. The two hop flavors really do battle it out with each sip. Roasted nuts, milk chocolate and a few herbal notes. Extremely drinkable for the relatively strong 8% abv. Becomes astringent toward the end of the bottle, but not in a bad way. I am a big fan of this style and this one really holds it weight. This beer is a must try.

And then there were eight...

For the longest time, there have been only 7 Trappist breweries, Westvleteren, Westmalle, Orval, La Trappe, Chimay, Rochefort, and Achel. La Trappe was the only Trappist brewery outside of Belgium and I never would have imagined that the next one would be in the United States...never mind in my home state of Massachusetts. Needless to say, this is an exciting development that enhances the already white hot craft beer production in this state.

Brewed by the monks at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, MA. 6.5% abv. Pours a gorgeous, unfiltered orange color with a rich creamy head. Nice carbonation and head retention. This beer smells incredible, ripe banana, spicy clove, touches of floral and citrus hops, and fresh berries. Good Belgian lace. Great mouthfeel. First sip is cloves and dried tropical fruit, maybe mangos, papaya, and pineapple. About halfway through you pick up Belgian candy sugar and  raisin flavors. Pear skin and just the slightest white pepper finish. Crusty bread and dry cracker maltiness. Well balanced and excessively drinkable. The 6.5% abv make this a fantastic session beer. I think this an excellent first effort from the brothers of St. Joseph Abbey. I am looking forward to their next offering.

Mr. Kiwi Rising...

Jack's Abby Brewing, Kiwi Rising Double India Pale Lager
8.5% abv and 105 IBUs.

The brewery used tons of New Zealand Kiwi hops in brewing this one. Hopped 6 or 7 times during the brewing process. Pours gold with a thick cauliflower head. Great Belgian lace. Flowery and herbal hop aromas with a touch of piney resin. First sip is a hop bomb.  Alcohol is no wear to be found. Mostly grapefruit and orange, but pine and spruce flavors become more prevalent with each sip. Some caramel and malty cracker flavors try to balance this beer, but it is all hops. Another superb offering from the folks at Jack's Abby. Hey. I think that dog is eyeing my beer!

Hop on this Hoponius...

Jack's Abby Hoponius Union

Jack's Abby Hoponius Union
6.7% abv. 65 IBUs. They call it an IPL. Uniquely hoppy lager. Pours to a thick white head with great lace. Some murkiness from the sediment, but it is a rich gold color. Unmistakeable pineapple aroma. Crisp and incredibly refreshing. Fresh fruity malt flavors combine with crisp biscuit or cracker dryness and tropical fruit hops to make it a rather complex and super tasty beer. Hops are what drives it. This is a first class beer.

Might want to use google before naming your beer...

Ov-ral Imperial IPA, Mikkeller To Øl Collaboration

Not sure of the origins of the name of this beer, but before distributing it in the US the brewers should have google searched the name. It is the name of a morning after pill! Anyway, it is a great beer.

10.5% abv. Pours a brilliant orange color with a wispy white head. Somewhat original aroma has a nice combination of caramel malt, banana, and pine. Super smooth mouthfeel with solid carbonation. Strong hops jump right out at you, followed by a sweet bready, dried fruit, caramel malt, and then a tinge of peppery alcohol esters. The wild yeast definitely give is a little bit of a funk as well. Gets a bit astringent toward the end, but not in a bad way. Some warming in the belly halfway through the glass. For some reason I find it somewhat somewhat reminiscent of Pliny the Elder, but much funkier. 

Enjoy the fall harvest...

Founders Brewing Company 2012 Harvest Ale

6.5% abv. 70 IBU. Pours clear gold with a big white head. This beer is all grapefruit on the nose. First sip is grapefruit, pine, and tropical fruits. Not overly carbonated and  a bit oily. Much lighter body than expected. Sharp hop bite that leaves you wanting another sip. Hops linger forever with a slight minty essence. Kind of one dimensional, but very good. Maybe a touch of light caramel malt and biscuits, but really all hops. Another fantastic beers from the folks at Founders. They really can't do anything wrong over there.

I love that Headwaters...

Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

5.1% abv. Pours a dark gold, copperish color with a white head. I love the smell of this beer. Citrus and pine with orange zest hop aromas. Touches of sweet caramel and papaya as well. It really has kind of pineapple or apricot taste that is refreshing. Smooth and drinkable for a hot summer day, but plenty of flavor to keep it interesting. This is as much flavor as you will find in a 5.1% abv beer. This one really defines the style and I hope I can continue to find this on the shelves as my local packie. Another fantastic offering from the folks at Victory.

I spy with my Big Eye...

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA 

6.88% abv. Orange zest and pine resin on the nose. Huge fluffy head. Great lace. First sip brings a spicy hop bite to the tongue. Assertive hops continue with each sip. Columbus and Centennial hops used in making this one. Drank it at room temperature, so I am really getting all the flavors here. Slightest tinge of black pepper and lots of fruit, maybe dried apricots and tropical fruit. It does have a bit of a sweet, "bready-fruity-carmely finish." The caramel maltiness tries to compete, but the hops dominate. A very solid IPA. It gets better and better with each sip.

This beer is hardly tiny...

Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Tiny Belgian Imperial Stout

11.8% abv. Pours a jet black color with a light tan head. Dark chocolate, red wine, and anise aromas make for a very interesting yet subtle aroma. Pepper, clove, citrus, bittersweet chocolate and cocoa flavors on the first sip. Dark fruit dominates, including plums, red grapes and figs. Gets boozy after a while with a slow subtle alcohol warming on the back of the throat.  Belgian candy sugar and bourbon vanilla and molasses flavors as well. The mouthfeel is silky and smooth and stays that way throughout. I cellared this for at least a year. Overall a nice offering.

Red Betty, Red Racer, just call it good...

Red Betty IPA, Central City Brewing Company, Surrey, British Columbia

6.5% abv. Served from a can. Half inch head with a dark orange amber color. Piney and sweet grapefruit hop aromas. This is a smooth drinking and reasonably balanced IPA. The hops are certainly dominant, but it has a solid malt profile as well. Pineapple and other sweet tropical fruits. Grapefruit and floral hops flavors with touches of pine.The fact that a beer this good comes in cans is very useful for outdoor summer activities...summer BBQs, for the golf bag, hikes, and by the pool.

Called Red Racer in Canada, but Bear Republic won a recent lawsuit and they now call it Red Betty in the US.

Chocolate and coffee = yum...

Blackwater series. 11% abv. Made with Jamaican roasted coffee and bittersweet Belgian chocolate. Cellared for about 6 months. Smells like a chocolate covered donut dipped in a cup of coffee. Certainly a dessert beer to be consumed on its own or paired with your favorite chocolate dessert. The chocolate flavors seem to dominate slightly more than the coffee. Sweet and flavorful, but it finishes dry with a slight astringency from the big malt profile and coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Alcohol is well-masked at times, but there is a touch of booziness to it. Wide range of flavors including caramel, bourbon vanilla, molasses, citrusy hops, and just a touch of black pepper spicyness. Slight warming on the back of the throat and gums. This beer is really a combination of their Jahva and Choklat beers. I am a big fan of this series and this brewery. 

16.83% abv.  Bottled December 2009. Crazy carbonation from live yeast coming up the center of my Chimay chalice. I believe it is saying El Diablo, El Diablo. Dark chocolate, molasses, anise, candy sugar and figs on the nose. Immediate warming in the belly, but the alcohol is surprisingly masked for this ridiculous almost 17% abv beer. Cellared this one for almost 2.5 years and I am sure that has helped tame the alcohol. Thick and viscous mouthfeel, but it has a dry finish. Slightest bit of herbal hops at finish. Very complex with black pepper, raisins, rye bread, cherries, dark chocolate, candy sugar, molasses, oak, bourbon vanilla, rum, and tawny port flavors. Wow, the alcohol sneaks up and hits you like a 16.83 lb sledge hammer. This beer is brewed only on December 1st each year and I am certainly going to track down some more this year.

Happy Valentine's Day to me...

Founders Brewing Co. Imperial Stout

Pairing up a Founder's Brewing Company Imperial Stout with some Taza Stone Ground 70% Cacao Chipotle Chili chocolate. Happy Valentine's Day to me. Do you have anything special on the beer menu tonight?

10.5 % abv. 90 IBU's  Pours ridiculously dark black with one of the darkest heads I have ever seen on a beer. Smells like what I can best describe as dark chocolate covered espresso beans. First sip is all coffee. Virtually no carbonation. Second sip is all coffee with a strong hop backbone. Third sip if followed quickly by a third, fourth, and fifth sip. I am definitely going to have to cellar a couple of these to see how they mellow. This is certainly a beer that grabs your attention. Full bodied with a syrupy but creamy mouthfeel. The dry, citrus hops begin to come forward about halfway through the glass. They use all kinds of malt in this beer and there are a variety of great flavors, from dark fruit to anise to even a touch of smokey oak. Amazing how long the flavors linger on the sides of the tongue and gums. How do you balance a 90 IBU hop bomb, you brew something with an amazing amount of malt. Mission accomplished on this one. Another great beer from Founders. Now if I can only get my hands on some Canadian Breakfast Stout.

Bring better beer to Mississippi...

Just got an email from some folks in Jackson, Mississippi that are looking to open up only the second production brewery in the state. They have some seriously strict laws that restrict beer production and distribution and they could use your help. I will let them speak for themselves, here is the email and be sure to click the link to learn more. Good luck down there!

First, I want to say thank you for being a voice for craft beer and for the little guys like us. We appreciate all that you do and your work is truly an asset for the craft beer community. 

Lucky Town Brewing Company is a new planned brewery in Mississippi, and although there is no brewery within 150 miles of Jackson, the craft beer community here is thriving. As many of you know, Mississippi suffers from some of the strictest beer legislation in the country, which is one reason why there is only one production brewery located in Mississippi currently. Since the laws do not allow for many to bring their beer to Mississippi, we at Lucky Town intend to give the local craft beer enthusiasts a broader choice. 

Lucky Town recently launched a Kickstarter project, and our goal is to raise at least $20,000 to help cover some of our up front costs such as license fees, insurance costs, keg expenses, and ingredients costs among others. We raised over $6,000 in the first 10 days, and with the support we have locally we feel confident that we can reach our goal. We need your help to reach those who haven't heard our story yet - please help us spread the word. 

You can find our Kickstarter page here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/luckytownbrew/lucky-town-brewing-company-be-bold-rediscover-beer

If you need any more information from us or if you would like to talk with us at Lucky Town, we would be more than willing to speak with you. For more information on our beers and bios, visit our website listed below in my signature. Feel free to follow us on twitter and facebook as well.

Again, thank you for all that you do.

Mystic descendant hits home...

7% abv. Brewed in my childhood hometown of Chelsea, MA. Pours dark brown almost black with a healhty four finger dark tan head. You can smell the molasses used in the brewing during the pour. After that it is all a beautiful Belgian yeast aroma with pepper, cloves, lemon -- maybe even a touch of dark chocolate. The beer is brewed with molasses, Belgian Renaud yeast, and American hops. Great carbonation with a dry finish. Has a very pleasant mouthfeel. Touches of stout, porter, and saison all wrapped into one. Dark fruits abound, including figs, raisins and plums. Candy sugar and some caramel. The carbonation just does not calm down on this one. Each pour is a foam filled yeast fest. This is a much better beer than their first release, the saison. Looking forward to more beers from this brewery.

Birch beer...

Colonial Ale Aged on Cedar 6.8% abv. Had this six months old. Pours to a crazy sudsy cauliflower head. Has a bit of a brettanomyces yeast funk. Interesting cedar notes give it a mild cask conditioned flavor. Insane Belgian lace. Just a touch of alcohol. Dark fruits, especially figs and a nice citrusy hop bite at finish. A decent beer, but probably not something I would go out of my way to find.

White Birch...RedStone

Thanks to Jeff, one of the handful of people that frequent this blog's comments section, I have a new favorite beer store. Ironically it is about a mile from my house, but I had not been there in years. It is called Redstone Liquors and the new owner Kamal knows his stuff and is genuinely friendly. It is great to see such a small place dedicate itself to quality products and great service. I am very troubled that I had no idea how good their selection is. I am sold and will be going back on a regular basis. I picked up a number of bottles, including a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA to add to my brother's belated birthday beer bonanza bag. I also grabbed my first White Birch Brewing beer, Hooksett Ale, and it was a nice surprise:

Batch 10 - 7.5%abv. Pours a beautiful copper color with a frothy white head. Incredible Belgian lace clings to the glass all the way to the last sip. Interesting combination of flavors. First sip is ripe fruit and bready malt. Orange zest hops. Candy sugar and citrusy hop flavors become more noticeable toward the end for the glass. Caramel and the mildest touch of cloves from the Belgian yeast. The 7.5% alcohol is incredibly well-masked, so much so that this could be mistaken for a session beer. This is the first beer I have tried from this brewery and it is quite well done. Again, kudos to Redstone Liquors in Stoneham, MA for introducing me to this line. I had not seen it anywhere else.