One issue that many small craft breweries face is how to grow. Any successful brewery starts by making great beer and building a loyal customer base. Once demand starts to exceed supply the brewery needs to find ways to increase capacity and distribution. Enlightenment Ales started as a small specialty brewery in Lowell, MA. As demand rose, they found […]
Author: ryanbrawn
Sour beer starter: Petrus Oud Bruin
One group of beers that has become very popular amongst craft beer conisseurs recently is sour beers. Sour beers undergo part/all of their fermentation with strains of wild yeast or bacteria, which impart a tart, acidic sour flavor to the final beer. This flavor is considered “off” in most beer styles, many homebrewers have an experience with […]
Stillwater Classique
Starting a brewery is a major investment. Beyond great recipes and ingredients you need a place to brew, ferment, bottle/can/keg and store your beer. The costs associated with this process has led to an increase in contract brewing, where the brewery exists as a brand, but they pay to brew at an existing location. This means less investment for the contract brewer […]
Pretty Things Grampus
The craft beer market can be a little trendy. A particular beer or beer style can gain popularity and lead to a host of imitations and clones. The shelves of any good beer store are currently saturated with hop-bomb double IPAs, barrel-aged Imperial Stouts and sour beers. A few brewers coined the “session IPA” term […]
Homebrew Recipe: Hoppy Boston Witbier
The weather is getting warmer (finally) and lighter beers seem to go well with sitting on the porch, going to the beach, and backyard BBQs. My brother and I recently brewed a Belgian witbier together with the idea of having it ready to drink in time for the warm weather. The recipe is pretty straight […]
Stock-up Run: CBC Newton May 2014
I swung by Craft Beer Cellar in Newton for a little stock-up run last night, as always the selection was almost overwhelming. I picked up a bunch of good stuff, I figure this is about the end of my run of saisons this Spring, but I found a bunch of new ones to try. Look for reviews of […]
The 99 Bottles Blog on Boston.com (RIP)
Anyone who has visited boston.com in the last couple weeks has noticed the complete re-design of their website. In addition to the different look many of the popular columnists and bloggers from the old site have been moved to bostonglobe.com, the paywall site for the Globe. One of the blogs that has moved is the […]
Trillium Farmhouse Ale
It seems like a new brewery opens in New England every month, to the point that you can easily lose track of all the local beers. This rapid expansion of craft beer has created a competitive marketplace, where the brewers are vying for tap lines, shelf space and customer dollars. Local breweries have taken different tactics to stand […]
Beer Bar Review: Cornwall’s Pub Boston
The Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood in Boston has undergone sweeping changes over the past decade. The new T station along with building projects spearheaded by the city, the Red Sox, BU and private developers has turned the Kenmore Square area into a year-round destination for food and drink lovers. While the newer bars and restaurants attract a lot […]
Big Elm 413 Farmhouse Ale
The roots of Big Elm Brewing Company started when husband and wife team, Bill and Christine, met while working at Victory Brewing Company in PA. From there they moved to MA and opened their own brewpub, Pittsfield Brew Works. While they loved the brewing part of the business, the restaurant wasn’t really a fit. Although they initially had […]
Hoppy Boston 