The fact that Vermont has the most breweries per capita of any state in the country is well publicized, but Maine isn’t far behind, coming in second overall. So, even though I make somewhat frequent trips up to the state where I was raised there are a large number of breweries that I haven’t visited. […]
When a brewery (or any business for that matter) undergoes an ownership change it can cause a mixture of excitement and trepidation for regular customers. In the case of a brewery the causes for concern come in the form of worry that the new owners will stop making classic styles or that quality will decline. […]
The newest substyle of IPA that has gained a ton of buzz is brut IPA, a hop forward beer with an extremely light body, dry finish and high carbonation, intended to resemble brut champagne with added hops. This has led to a number of think-pieces asking if brut IPA will be the “next NEIPA”. The […]
People often talk about the movies or TV shows that others can’t believe they have never seen. For example, when my wife and I started dating I was shocked that she had never seen Animal House or Caddyshack (this was quickly amended). The movie that sticks out on my list is probably Titanic, although that […]
The trend for many modern breweries is to rotate between a wide variety of beers, retiring or changing recipes that don’t work (or don’t sell well) and constantly introducing new beers to keep draft lists fresh and exciting. Many breweries make anniversary beers as part of this rotation, usually a new beer to celebrate each […]
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 […]
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 […]
It has been a crazy year for Smuttynose Brewing Company. After issues with debt the brewery was put up for auction by a bank and eventually they found new ownership that was fortunately committed to keeping and growing the brand. Smuttynose is stuck in a tough spot along with many other regional brewers. These mid […]
Mighty Squirrel originally launched as a contract brewery focused on high protein beers for people with active lifestyles. Lots of breweries try to market to the “go on a long run and then have a couple beers” customers, either with branding or with claims about the beer itself. I’ve never really understood it, I’ve run […]
Hoppy Boston 