Idle Hands brewery in Everett, MA makes a variety of Belgian-style craft ales. The co-founders, husband and wife team Christopher and Grace Tkazh, decided to focus on Belgian style beer due to its diverse flavor profile and the interplay between these ales with an array of different foods. Idle Hands beers often feature a classic […]
Category: Beer Review
Backlash Redux
Backlash beer was founded by avid homebrewer Helder and his partner-in-crime and inspiration Maggie (along with their bulldog Stout) in 2011. They are a contract brewery operating out of Paper City Brewery in Holyoke. You can find their Belgian ales and double IPAs in 22 oz. bottles and on draft throughout Massachusetts. The beers combine […]
Brewmaster Jack Aquila Pale Ale
Brewmaster Jack, based in Northhampton, MA, is among the many breweries embracing a focus on local ingredients. All Brewmaster Jack beers use at least 25% organic, locally malted grains from Valley Malt in Hadley, MA. They hope to reach the point where all of their malts are locally sourced, but there are still a limited […]
Slumbrew Trekker Trippel
The Belgian tripel is a unique abbey style of ale that combines a lighter malt profile, compared to the much darker dubbel and quad styles, with the distinct flavors of Belgian yeasts. Despite the lighter color, the addition of Belgian candi sugar results in a full beer that typically has high alcohol content. American craft […]
Mystic Vinland Two Saison
The Great American Beer Festival was held was held from October 10th-12th in Denver Co., around 600 craft brewers from all over the country congregated to share their work, taste great beers and submit their favorites for judging and awards. Judges awarded gold, silver and bronze medals to beers in 84 different styles based on […]
Clown Shoes Swagger Hoppy Red Lager
Some breweries prefer to make beer that is restrained and balanced, named after the traditional beer style that inspired the brew. Clown Shoes Brewing in Ipswich, MA prefers to smack you right in the face with big, bold flavors, occasionally crazy ingredients, and typically high ABV. They also have eye-catching labels and names that include […]
Wachusett Green Monsta IPA
I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for Wachusett Brewing company in Westminster, MA. My lovely wife and I got married in that area of the state and Wachusett beers were on draft all weekend. Having good craft beer of draft was a must for my wedding and Wachusett came through big time. While […]
Pretty Things Meadowlark IPA
There are a lot of things to like about the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, unique and well balanced beers in a wide variety of styles, cool labels featuring original artwork, and non-traditional seasonal beers to name a few. One thing I’ve always enjoyed is that many of the beers come with stories, some […]
Mystic Table Beer
Many American craft brewers have been inspired by the diverse and storied ales from Belgium. One of the keys to great Belgian ales is the yeast, which gives the beer funky and fruity notes that nicely complement the hop and malt flavors in the beer. Mystic brewery in Chelsea MA focuses on brewing Belgian-style ales […]
Jack’s Abby Wet Hop Lager
One new-ish trend in craft brewing is hyper-local brewing, making beer entirely from locally sourced ingredients. This fits nicely into the craft brewing ethos, namely the idea that fresh ingredients thoughtfully prepared in smaller batches are always going to give superior products over something that is mass produced at the lowest possible cost. This can […]
Hoppy Boston 