Sam Adams (and other larger craft brands) are in an interesting place in the evolving beer culture, trying to balance the needs of their regular customers with the fickle tastes of beer geeks. Many of these beer geeks got their start drinking Boston Lager and Sam seasonals, but some shy away from the brand now, and the increased […]
Category: Beer Review
Maine Beer Company Beer V
I am way behind in my beer reviews, first there was the CBC blacklist issue, then end of the year posts and the holidays, and all of a sudden it’s 2017 and I have some beers from November that I still need to review (I’ve already drank these beers and took notes, no worries that […]
Lamplighter Blitzen
Merry Christmas (a day late) and Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend celebrating with friends and family, and that it included a number of delicious beers. I am enjoying a large variety of styles over the holidays, from hop-bomb IPAs to malty stouts and barleywines. In my opinion you don’t need a specific style for […]
Alchemist Focal Banger
This is post #500 on Hoppy Boston (thank you WordPress for keeping track of stuff like that, I lost count by week 3). I had no idea where the blog would go when I started writing it over three years ago, or if anyone would read it, but I am still having fun writing about […]
Foundation Afterglow
When I make my semi-annual trips up to Maine I try to grab some Maine beers that aren’t distributed in Massachusetts yet. One of the breweries I find myself consistently gravitating towards is Foundation Brewing Company out of Portland. When I first visited Foundation a couple years ago they were just getting started and benefitting from being sandwiched between […]
Smuttlabs Trucco
I used to drink a considerable amount of whiskey, it is the only spirit that I’ve ever had much of an appreciation for. Now it’s pretty rare that I enjoy a glass, I drink a lot less than I used to and most of my alcohol consumption is in beer form. With this in mind […]
Castle Island TBD
I had to shovel a little snow when I got home from work this evening, mostly just cleaning the porch and walkway, but enough to conclude that winter is officially here. With the winter months I am moving some more dark beers into the rotation, expect plenty of reviews of stouts, porters, barleywines and Belgian […]
Notch Dog and Pony Show
My wife and I had a somewhat rare treat the other weekend, a child-free afternoon thanks to my in-laws, so we did a little date day (it was also the 6-year anniversary of our first date so we had a good reason to celebrate). We decided to head up to Salem, get some lunch and […]
Oxbow Barrel Aged Farmhouse Pale Ale
I’ll be traveling up to Maine for Thanksgiving again and hopefully stopping at a brewery or two as part of the trip. One place that I’ve been meaning to visit is Oxbow Brewing in Newcastle. I’ve heard great things about their eclectic Belgian style beers, but the brewery is a little off of the beaten […]
RiverWalk Blackberry Porter
In you told me a few years ago how many fruit infused beers I would drink and enjoy, I would have never believed you. In fairness, the majority of fruit beers on the market even a few years ago were still lighter wheat ales with massive doses of cloying artificial fruit flavor. Over the last couple […]
Hoppy Boston 