I completely understand why many breweries have shied away from the brew-pub model and focused just on selling beer instead of serving food. Running a restaurant is a whole other headache and a very difficult business in it’s own right. That being said, I love brewpubs, beer goes well with so many types of food and producing both in […]
Author: ryanbrawn
Random Beer Thoughts: September 2016
This is a slightly new idea that I am playing around with. Every so often there are interesting tidbits, opinions and ideas that I have regarding beer, brewing, the industry, etc. that don’t necessitate a full post. Every so often I am going to try and compile a few of these thoughts into a “random […]
Lost Nation The Wind
Many beer geeks have spent the last couple years frequently pontificating that sour beers are the “next IPA”. I think this is an incredible over-statement, while many sour beer styles have increased in popularity and production they still have a long way to go to catch up to the volume and selection provided by the hop bombs. […]
Foundation Wanderlust
There is a gas station/convenience store in the center of the small town where I grew up. It was a place where I pumped my first tank of gas after passing my driver’s test, where I would stop to grab a soda or a candy bar in high school and where I bought scratch tickets and Swisher Sweets […]
Hoppy Boston Best Beers: Summer 2016
This summer was a little crazy for me personally, bought a house, lost my job, moved, started a new job, plus all of the day to day stuff that keeps me busy even in a “quiet” stretch. Due to the extra demands on my time Hoppy Boston actually went on hiatus for a month in […]
Kent Falls Alternate World
I really wish every brewer would put dates on all of their packaged beers. It sucks as a consumer (and as a beer reviewer) when I buy something that tastes a little off or unexpected and I don’t know if it was a flaw in recipe, a quality control issue or the beer is just out of […]
Mystic Sauvignon Blanc Barrel Saison
I am a big advocate for more variety in barrel aged beers. We have plenty of bourbon barrel aged stouts, I want to see more combinations of traditional (or less traditional) beer styles aged in barrels that used to hold various types of wine or spirits. One group of beers that are under-utilized in barrel rooms are the non-sour Belgian […]
Bissell Brothers Seed
A couple weeks ago I took a trip with my family up to Maine to see my parents and some friends. The trip was a little quicker than I would have liked, we needed to squeeze it in between the end of our move and the start date for my new job. Fortunately I was […]
Battle Road Barrett’s Farmhouse Ale
I recently moved out to the suburbs, more specifically to the northern part of Sudbury. Unfortunately the proximity of local breweries was not the highest priority in our house search, it fell well behind finding a house in our price range and with the amenities we were looking for along with reasonable commutes, a good neighborhood and […]
Trillium Melcher Street IPA
As of today I am no longer unemployed, I am back into the workforce after a 6 week break. My wife and I bought a house right before I found out I was losing my previous job, so the majority of my break was spent moving, cleaning out the old apartment and then dealing with all […]
Hoppy Boston 