Mass Brewers Fest

Last night was the Mass Brewers Fest at the WTC in the Seaport and my third year attending. Awesome (and ridiculous) as always, and quite the kickoff for Labor Day weekend. As I'm watching the first College Gameday of the season and recovering, it seems like a good time for some documentation.

There were so many great beers, but here are my favorite new discoveries:

• Riverwalk (Newburyport, MA) - Gnomad
• Belgian with lots of citrus
• Riverwalk (Newburyport, MA) - Unveiled 
• Hibiscus with pink peppercorn
• Mayflower (Plymouth, MA) - S'mores
• Cask beer, earthy, with subtle sweetness. Apparently made just for this festival, but I'll be keeping an eye out for it!

We somehow managed to convince each other that going to Bukowski's after the event would be a great idea (news flash: not our best), so we snagged a cab back to Inman for a nightcap.


Beer: Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil Porter
ABV: 6.00%
Home: Alva, Scotland, UK
Slogan: Viscous-Bittersweet-Dark

The color is as dark as it gets with a tan head. Strong, bitter coffee is the predominant flavor - it reminds me of the overly bitter Starbucks dark roast if you buy it in the cafe rather than make it yourself. The brewery describes this beer as having a residual bittersweet flavor, but I think it's actually pretty dry. Also smoky. My fellow mug teammate was adamant that it tastes like "liquid smoke in a meat locker" (keep in mind this was immediately post-brewfest). Earthy finish. I might have picked a bad time to get this one - I think I'd appreciate this beer more if I hadn't just tried dozens at the brewers fest.

Crush it like Quint!

"Crush it like Quint" Night (a.k.a. Gansett Night, a.k.a. Jaws Night). The mug team gathered at Bukowski's to watch Jaws on the TVs while enjoying some good beer. Since I already checked the Gansett off my card, I closed out the Bottle Specials category with my first beer of the night - huge accomplishment!

Beer: Newburyport Pale Ale
ABV: 5.50%
Home: Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA

This can of Newburyport is my final "bottle special." I drank it straight out of the can in the spirit of "Crush it like Quint" night, so I don't have any notes on the aroma or color. The first sip is a little harsh, but it gets noticeably smoother as you go. Dry and moderately bitter with earthy hops.

During this first round, we watched with the rest of the bar as Quint got crushed by Jaws at the end! I haven't heard the bar react that loudly since the Stanley Cup Finals.

Beer: Trappistes Rochefort 8
ABV: 9.20%
Home: Rochefort, Belgium

First of all, it should be noted that the Trappist Abbey of Rochefort has been brewing beer since 1595! After looking up pronunciation in several places, we started saying Rochefort as "Roash-For," which is the closest I can get in English to the French pronunciation. The 8, which is one of their browns, is Rochefort's most produced beer. The pour is so pretty and takes a little extra time to complete, which has been par for the course with Trappist beers. The beer is a murky brown color with an off-white head. The flavor is nutty and a little sour, with a long bittersweet finish.

TGIT

TGIT = TGI (Taco) Tuesday!!

Beer: Spaten Helles Lager
ABV: 5.20%
Home: Munich, Germany

I was disappointed starting with the aroma, when I realized that the beer was slightly skunked - Once again, not a surprise with the green bottle. One of our good friends who joined us at the bar said that it reminded her of Stella Artois and my fellow mug teammate used the phrase "faint field corn" to describe the taste - I just couldn't get past the skunkiness to distinguish anything else on my own.

Beer: Allagash Tripel Ale
ABV: 9.00%
Home: Portland, Maine, USA

While I've had the Allagash White many times, I've never tried their Tripel Ale. Delicious brew! The pour yields a generous fruity-smelling head on top of a translucent golden brew. I immediately recognized citrus fruit with a slight sweetness to accent the flavor.

Beer: Lindeman's Peche
ABV: 2.50%
Home: Vlezenbeek, Belgium

This beer has the lowest ABV on the list so far, which balances out the Tripel quite nicely! Pours a clear, light amber with virtually no head. The peach aroma is immediately apparent. The taste reminds me of an ice wine - sweet and almost syrupy. It's hard to believe this bottle is 12 oz - It looks larger and the Peche is a slow-drinking beer. I recommend splitting it as a dessert!

And with that, everyone on the mug team has reached triple digits! Cheers to being on the home stretch!

Post-ride session

Cheers to post-ride sessions on a Saturday afternoon!

Beer: Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager
ABV: 5.50%
Home: Frederick, Maryland, USA
Slogan: "Good people drink good beer"

The Flying Dog labels have been catching my eye for years. It turns out that the label art is the work of Ralph Steadman, who famously illustrated Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In fact, Steadman was introduced to the Flying Dog founder by Thompson himself (he lived down the mountain from the brewery's original Colorado location). Anyway, about the drinking experience... The pour yields a very thin head on top of a clear amber brew. This is a well-balanced beer: Its malty, slightly sweet and slightly bitter flavors remind me very much of the Full Sail Amber. Very drinkable.

Beer: Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew
ABV: 7.00%
Home: Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

This Japanese beer is categorized as an herbed/spiced beer in Beer Advocate. In addition to their beers, Kiuchi Brewery also makes sake and shouchu (a traditional Japanese, high-alcohol spirit made from sweet potatoes that I should definitely try). The beer pours a light orange color with virtually no head, but it takes no time at all to detect the robust ginger aroma. Surprisingly, though, the ginger is subtle in the beer's flavor and it was quite delicious. I've had ginger drinks that were way too harsh and I was worried this experience would be similar. Not so. Very refreshing with just a touch of sweetness.

Beer: Bass Pale Ale
ABV: 5.00%
Home: Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK
Slogan: "Ah, that's Bass"

The beer pours a copper color with no head. The aroma gives a fairly accurate preview of the flavor, as it's too subtle to determine anything specific. All I can say about the taste is that it's a bit tangy. It's not bad, but not memorable. I don't remember the last time I had this beer by itself - It's better in a Black and Tan!

Lagunitas Night

Beer: Lagunitas Sonoma Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 5.20%
Home: Petaluma, California, USA
Slogan: "Life is uncertain, don't sip"

Until we're done with the challenge, this is the only beer I'll review that's not on the card! We couldn't resist tonight's "get a pint, take a pint glass" special for all Lagunitas beers on draft. Pretty sweet glasses, too, if you ask me! Good lord, this beer is delicious. It's light-bodied, lightly hopped, and ever-so-slightly bitter with an earthy finish. There's a subtle spice in this beer that I can't quite identify - yet another feature that makes this beer unique.

Beer: Affligem Blond Ale
ABV: 6.80%
Home: Affligem, Belgium

I figured it would be a quick visit since the bar was so crowded for Lagunitas Night, but we ended up getting just one more (big surprise). Mine was the Affligem Blond, which was fantaaaastic. Beautiful pour with a thick, foamy, off-white head atop a clear golden beer. The aroma is a little fruity and slightly sweet. Super drinkable with a slightly nutty flavor - almost like hazelnut.

Random Taco Tuesday

Beer: Ayinger Celebrator
ABV: 6.70%
Home: Aying, Germany
Slogan: "The best thing about Munich is the road to Aying"

This beer pours a very dark brown with a thin head that dissipated before I could get a picture. My friends really enjoyed this beer, and I liked it, but I wasn't completely into it. It's a doppelbock that's intensely bitter and sweet, neither of which I enjoy in excess. I did get a toy goat, though! (Fun fact: Bock also means "goat" in German)

Beer: Pilsner Urquell
ABV: 4.40%
Home: Plzen, Czech Republic
Slogan: "We made the world's first golden pilsner and we never stopped"

I figured I'd balance out the Celebrator with a lightweight. This beer's actual Czech name is Plzensky Prazdroj ("original source of pilsner"), but clearly better known by its German name.  I remember being able to easily drink this beer when we'd buy a six-pack in grad school, but it just doesn't taste that great anymore. It's a light-bodied beer that is more bitter than sweet, and even a little metallic.

Dupont Saison

What better time to drink a 25.4 oz bottle than a lazy Sunday afternoon?

Beer: Dupont Saison
ABV: 6.50%
Home: Tourpes, Belgium

The time has come for the pride and joy of Brasserie Dupont. Now, we all know what happened with the Moinette Brune a few weeks ago, so I was mentally prepared this time for a one-and-done. The sound of the cork popping lets you know that this bottle means business. Since I got three glasses out of this one, I have plenty of experience with the pour... The brew pours a cloudy golden with a substantial fluffy head. Another mug team member had the experience of a very slightly skunked (just by aroma) bottle, but she still enjoyed it! The flavor is mainly wheat and banana, but there's also a bit of citrus and light hops. Light bodied and well carbonated.

The bartender was kind enough to keep the bottle on ice while I was working on it, which made this drinking experience extra awesome. I would highly recommend doing the same for anyone drinking this beer!