Pretty Things/Yeastie Boys Our Turn Your Turn

With their interesting takes on traditional British, Belgian and American styles Pretty Things beer and ale project has emerged as one of the most popular microbreweries in the Boston area. Technically they aren’t a microbrewery, as there is no physical brewery (the beer is contract brewed at Buzzard’s Bay brewery in Westport, MA), thus the “project” in their title. Pretty Things is run by Martha and Dann a husband/wife team who do the brewing, marketing, and even the artwork on the labels. I would not be surprised if you’ve met them at your local liquor store handing out samples and chatting about their passion.

While Pretty Things makes a number of year-round beers and seasonals (many of which you can expect to see reviewed in this space), they also do experimental single batch beers, often as collaborations with other brewers. Our Turn, Your Turn is one of these collaborations, with the New Zealand based brewers the Yeastie Boys. Our Turn, Your Turn is an American style wheat ale brewed with New Zealand hops, a blend of English and German yeasts, and a special ingredient, the Linden flower, which is usually used to make tea. This is a big change for Pretty Things, as they rarely put exotic ingredients in their beer.

Our Turn, Your Turn pours a hazy yellow with a sustained white head. The first smell is the New Zealand hops, a nice mixture of lemony citrus and earthy notes that is perfect on a sunny late summer day. The bitter hops are well represented on the first taste too, nicely balanced by a crisp malt backbone with notes of wheat. The linden tea flavor is there, adding a herbal complexity without overwhelming the beer. The beer is very easy to drink, you have to be careful with it, since it weighs in at 7% ABV. Another excellent offering from one of the leaders in the Boston beer scene. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.0