Sam Adams was famously late to the IPA game. When IPAs were first taking off as the dominant style in American craft beer Sam Adams owner Jim Koch expressed a disdain for the style and refused to make them an integral part of the brewery. Eventually Sam Adams gave in and started making IPAs, but […]
A quick bit of Hoppy Boston news: I am now contributing to the NewsBreak creator platform, posting new Hoppy Boston articles on NewsBreak in addition to the blog. For new followers you can find out a bit more about what to expect in this post. Anyone who uses the NewsBreak app to get their local […]
I think it is crucial for every brewery to have a “calling card” style, a beer style or set of styles that they consistently excel at. If your brewery make awesome pale lagers, saisons, or sours than fans of that style will become regular customers, and will eventually try the other beers you create. While […]
My beer thoughts column is relatively short this month, between my “real” job and my family commitments I just don’t have a ton of time to hang out on beer social media right now, so it makes it harder to compile these lists. I am hoping things will get back to some state of “normal” […]
Want to know how far I’ve fallen behind in my beer reviews? It is almost the end of June and I am finally getting around to reviewing a maibock, the balanced pale lager style literally named for the month of May. What can you do, my life is especially crazy right now and Hoppy Boston […]
We survived our first heat wave and the longest day on the year is coming up soon, it now feels like summer is in full swing. My beer fridge definitely reflects this, fewer dark and heavy beers, much more focus on easy drinking and refreshing beers that will help to beat the heat. While I […]
The major story in craft beer this month is pretty obvious, the pervasive issues with sexism, assault, and racism in the industry. While this has been a problem for a long time, the discussion on the issues really took off when two different contractors working near the new Notch Brewing site in Brighton made sexist […]
Hard seltzer has become a major segment of the alcohol market, with rapid growth every year. It is no surprise that breweries all over the country, from the biggest brewers in the world to small local establishments, are jumping into seltzer. I haven’t tried much of it, I am not a huge fan of non-alcoholic […]
When I think of the pilsner style I am usually thinking about the two countries best known for the crisp and flavorful light lagers, Germany and the Czech Republic. The style originated in that part of the world and many of the best versions are produced in those countries or directly inspired by their beers. […]
Not much of a preamble this month, just plugging away and getting through another month of this pandemic. The good news is that I got my second shot this weekend, my wife gets hers next week, most of my family, friends and co-workers are either fully vaccinated or well on their way. If you are […]
