My friend Russell grew up next door and still lives up in Maine, we typically get together a couple times a year when I am up visiting my parents. He is a big time beer geek who is tapped into the Maine beer scene, so I try to bring up some Massachusetts offerings in exchange […]
With all of the opinion articles and 5th anniversary stuff I’ve been writing over the last few weeks I’ve fallen way behind on my beer reviews. I have tasting notes together for a bunch of beers, mostly from my trip up to Maine in late August, so I am going to try and knock out […]
I’ve noticed a trend where many breweries are “refreshing” their branding, changing their logos and the artwork on cans/bottles/tap handles. I think the increased competition in the market and the number of craft beer fans who are constantly chasing something new and different are major factors in the decision to change branding. New artwork can […]
When it comes to certain beer styles I’ve always been a seasonal drinker. I don’t have hard and fast rules, but if I’m drinking an imperial stout it is probably cold outside and brown ales are perfect for a crisp fall day. Pale lagers can work with any season, but my consumption of pilsners and […]
Earlier this week I reviewed a couple of New England style IPA’s from Hill Farmstead, widely considered one of the best breweries in the world. Hill Farmstead makes some amazing hoppy beers and are rightly credited with helping develop the trendy NEIPA substyle featuring fruity hops, a soft mouthfeel and low bitterness. The thing that […]
There are a number of places that every New England beer fan should visit, and I’ve done a decent job knocking some of them off of my list. I do pretty well in Massachusetts and Maine (where I have family so trips are frequent), I have occasional stops in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and […]
Even with the massive popularity of taprooms there are still a large number of breweries who rely on contract brewing, where they rent space and time at a larger brewery to produce and package their beer. Most contract breweries don’t have a set location, all of their beer is sold through distribution. Recently some breweries […]
There is an interesting trend that has been developing for a while where breweries who brew a popular IPA are making multiple versions with tweaks to the recipe. The “double dry-hopped” and “dry-hopped with XXX” beers are pretty minor changes to the beer all things considered, but add a little variety to a breweries offerings. […]
I make 3-4 trips a year up to Maine, usually centered around visits with family in the mid-coast region. While the family needs take precedence over everything else I usually try to work in some beer related fun, usually stops at breweries or restaurants with good beer selections, or even just a quick trip into […]
Eventually I will hit a point in my life when I can plan weekends around trips to breweries again, but between a demanding job and the crazy life of parenting two young boys my road trips are limited right now. Breweries in Western Massachusetts that involve long travel are the toughest, it’s rare that my […]
Hoppy Boston 