Trillium Congress St IPA

The insanely popular Trillium Brewing Company in Boston recently re-opened after a month-long hiatus caused by licensing issues with the state. This was a big relief to local beer geeks who had missed their creative and delicious series of ales that routinely results in lines around the block at the small brewery in Fort Point. I am sure it was also a huge relief to the brewers and employees! Small breweries don’t typically have abundant amounts of available capital, so missing out on a month of sales can be a significant blow to the bottom line. The re-opening brought out the masses and they were met with an impressive variety of available beers, from staples like Forth Point pale ale and Trillium Farmhouse, to newer selections like PM Dawn and Broken Angel. I stopped by last week and stocked up before Christmas, taking home a solid selection of bottles. I told my wife that it was my Christmas present to myself, and she was fine with it! In other news, my wife is awesome. One of my selections was Trillium Congress Street IPA, one of the American IPAs they routinely brew. While Congress Street is one of Trillium’s oldest selections and one of the first styles they started to bottle, you rarely see it outside of the brewery and a few local draft accounts. This beer sells out quickly. While sales have been brisk, Trillium still needs your support to make up for the time they were closed, so head down and grab some beer for your New Year’s party!

Trillium Congress St IPATrillium Congress Street IPA pours a very cloudy yellow with a moderate white head. The smell is a huge burst of American hops, strong scents of citrus and tropical fruit. The hops dominate the flavor too, a complex mixture of grapefruit, lemon, mango, papaya, pine and orange. There is some solid maltiness, crackers and whole grain, but this beer is a vehicle for the hops. The bitterness is present, but not overpowering, and the beer goes down smoothly. The finish is clean with some fruity hop notes and a pleasant bitter bite. This is an exceptional version of an American IPA, a true celebration of hops. It is no wonder that people wait in line for this beer. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.

Previous Trillium Reviews:

Trillium Farmhouse AleTrillium Wakerobin Rye