Otter Creek Copper Ale
November 26, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Ok, so it cracks me up that I have not reviewed this beer this year. A few years ago this was my beer of choice. I have had so many Copper Ales in my life, love! I searched my site twice and I think this is the first one I have had this year, amazing! I was one of the crazies, yes I hit the mall on Black Friday. Why? Well, I think my next project is gonna be to wear suits for a year, not a different one each day (that would be wicked expensive) but anyway, Banana Republic Outlet was having 50% off entire store, seriously great. So I did it, I went to the Manchester outlets.
I can’t go to Manchester and not stop by my favorite restaurant/furniture store, Depot 62. I have been know to drive the hour just to eat one of their lamb pizzas, no joke. While there, I cracked open an Otter Creek Copper Ale, the perfect addition to my meal.
The Otter Creek Copper Ale is a solid beer. It is not fancy, it does not break into song. It is just good. It is good in the summer when you need something refreshing. It is good in the fall when you need something with a bit more body. It is good in the winter when you need something to warm your sould. It is even good in mud season when you need something to calm you down after getting stuck in the mud. It is a good beer. It is everything I love about Otter Creek, and I have lots of love.
Thanksgiving Warmer
November 25, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Ok, so that wasn’t the title of the beer, made you look though! Had dinner with my boss and some wonderful students. It was a nice chilly day in New England and sitting by the fire watching football was a blast. The food was amazing and mostly locally sourced. The problem… EVERY liquor store was closed and I was out of new beers at home. I thought this was gonna be a big issue, and my friends pulled through. Luckily for me there was one bottle left of Harpoon’s Winter Warmer to warm my bitter soul. It hit the spot! Happy Thanksgiving, I am grateful for…BEER!
Thank you to Michael Seneschal for the photo I stole off his flickr. I was not able to get a shot while I drank.
Berkshire Mountain Brewers
November 25, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
So, I discovered a new brewery, well new to me, right in my backyard. Berkshire Mountain Brewers has been around since 1995. Also referred to as Barrington Brewery, according to their website, they have been serving their own Barn Brewed Beer and food made from scratch and were the first brewery on the east coast to install a solar panel system that supplies solar-heated hot water for brewing and restaurant use.
I forgot to buy a friend a house-warming gift so I stopped off at a Pittsfield liquor store to get him some vodka, seriously more useful than a toaster. While at the store I saw a wide variety of Berkshire Mountain Brewers beers so I bought one of each. Overall, I found them to be ok. They are not much better than your average homebrewer. This is not meant to be a slam against the brewery or homebrewers just saying that the flavours are very reminiscent.
I tried their ALT, Pale Ale, IPA, and Prague Pilzner. Saying that only the Pale Ale is listed on their website leads me to believe that these might have been off due to age. The Pale Ale was the best of the selection. I will try these again if I get the chance and now I know that I might want to actually stop at the Barrington Brewery next time I’m in south county.
Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA
November 24, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
I love IPA, I love my dark beers. This is a match made in Vermont! Otter Creek’s Alpine Black IPA, seriously good stuff here. It is rather light in mouthfeel with a slightly toasty flavour not found in most IPAs. But the hops, they shine! This is a great addition to the Otter Creek lineup.
The forgotten beer
November 20, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Seriously, I don’t remember what this is. This is what I get for not blogging right away. I must of liked it because I didn’t take a photo until I was almost done, good sign. Also, I know that this was at Mezze, I have spent many hours at that bar so I know. So, conclusion, go drink at Mezze, they have good beer!
Rogue Maierfest Lager
November 19, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Hit Ye Olde Forge for lunch and enjoyed this fine brew from Rogue. Rogue Maierfest Lager is not their finest beer but it is good none the less. I should have ordered meatballs or pulled pork with this instead of nachos. The flavour is rich and dirty, earth like. Needs a strong meat to go along side it.
Long Trail Brewmaster Series Imperial Porter
I have heard good things about this Long Trail Brewmaster Series Imperial Porter and a friend bought me a bottle for Halloween! I was excited to see what everyone was talking about and I found that though it is a really good beer, Im not sure it lived up to the hype. Granted, it was local peeps I know who were mainly hyping this one but aye?
I found a very solid porter. Not so sure if I would rate this an Imperial other than the fact that the ABV is 8.3%, fairly high for a porter. When you look at the ABV and the flavour you notice that the alcohol taste is totally hidden, huge kuddos! Overall, very tasty beer..
Chateau Jiahu
November 15, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Dogfish Head has done it again, a beer with a history and a purpose. Fabulously executed. Today I was reading Beer Advocate and I found an article talking about Asian beer and how some call it “Tiger Piss”. The article pointed out that if Dogfish Head was brewing a historical Chineese beer and it was awesome, full bodied, deep, and smooth, why is Asian beer tiger piss these days. The problem, if you ask the not so humble beergeekdude, the West! Yes, “westerners” brought shit beer to people who had fine traditions of alcoholic beverages and f’d it all up.
So, drink Chateau Jiahu next time you want a beer with your fried rice. Trust me, you will thank me.
Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout
November 14, 2010 by kevin · Leave a Comment
Back in June, Jusin reviewed the Porterhouse Oyster Stout. I recently got to try that beer and while I pretty much agreed that it was solid but nothing special, all the talk in the review about the Harpoon Oyster stout piqued my intrest. When I saw this in my local specialty beer store (one of only two bottles left!) I pounced on it. My first impression was that this beer is very similar to the porterhouse oyster stout, which I found disappointing. I thought the porterhouse beer was tasty, but too bitter with a weird astringency and not enough body on the palate. Having tasted a second entry in the style, I’m beginning to think that the astringincy is a characteristic. This beer also exhibits a astringent bitterness, different from the bitter flavors that come from hops. The label mentions “mineral flavors” from the oysters, so I have to conclude that it comes from their shells. The astringent flavor itself is not bad, per se, but feels like it needs a lot of malt backbone to support it.Gude Greg’s Wee Heavy Private Reserve
November 14, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
So, I am all caught up with posting. Yep, I have been falling behind but hey, drinking is a tough job, and someone has gotta do it. Gude Greg’s Wee Heavy Private Reserve is from BBC. I should have know that it was gonna be a strong one. it is a wee heavy and all. It was so easy to drink, I looked down and realized I was done. Then I realized that yes, I was done. What a good ale.
According to Berkshire Brewing Company, “This special ale was brewed to celebrate the life of Greg Noonan—a pioneer, a mentor, an inspiration, a friend. This Scotch Ale is our reflection on the man to whom we owe so much. Rich, spicy, smoky, bursting with malt, and then aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels…please join us as we raise our pints in his honor.
Berkshire Brewing will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this brew to support the Greg Noonan Scholarship Fund at the American Brewers Guild.”
Gregg was the founder of Vermont Pub and Brewery and author of several beer books, including one called, Scotch Ale.