Hop-Scotch

Oh god, I forgot how to do this . . . again. Wait no I didn’t, hey it’s me . . . CJ. . . .the beer guy . . . oh here’s my post.

Recently I decided to take a little trip out into the wide world of southern Massachusetts, specifically Ludlow. What’s out there well I’m sure something but what I went there was for Iron Duke Brewing. Back story on how I found it: I just googled breweries into google maps and scrolled around till I found some new places. Trust me this is the best way to find all the new ones.

Back to the brewery. Fair warning this place is located in an industrial park in the back, but once you find this jewel in the rough it’s worth it. Not to mention they have this great food truck parked outside, I suggest getting some fries and a loaded hot dog. Really helps put you in the mood for a brew.

I got myself a nice little flight of some quality brews, like I’d do anything else. Starting with a nice Baby-Maker, Irish Porter, it’s an easy porter that I could drink without stop during a crisp day.  If you want something with more hops try a Stockhouse 122, an easy pale ale that went great with the fries.

Moving right along to the other half of my flight was their The Common, a Kentucky Common Ale. What’s that? you ask. You don’t know? Then look it up, you have the internet. If you want me to tell you then read this: “Brewed with a combination of Malted Barley, Malted Rye, and Flaked Maize this beer makes for a refreshing and light taste experience”. In easier terms, its similar to a pale ale in that it’s not heavy. Though it doesn’t hold a candle to the Iron Smith’s, a spring stout, this was the first time they tried it too. An easy stout on that doesn’t sit in your stomach for days. It’s a great introduction for people who aren’t into heavy beers.

I suggest everyone go to this place even if it’s a bit hard to get to, heck they’ve only been around since Thanksgiving 2014 and if we don’t support local breweries, who will?!

Till the next round, Drink Up!

CJ

For The Love Of Beer At Sam Adams

We finally made it to one of the biggest power houses of the craft beer industry: Samuel Adams!

If you’re planning on visiting from west of Boston like us, taking the T will be far too much trouble in most cases. But fear not, Sam Adams has a great deal worked out with Doyle’s Cafe in Jamaica Plain: park for free, take their trolley over to the brewery, and present your tour pass when you return to Doyle’s. If you order a pint of Sam on tap, you’ll get to keep the Sam pint glass it’s served in! No worries about smuggling it out in your friend’s oversized purse.

The trolley is driven by an outrageous Southie with plenty of personality and he’s got the whole trolley equipped with disco balls, dancing poles, and subwoofer to keep the short ride to Sam’s rockin’.

The Sam brewery in JP is their experimental branch so as soon as we got our hands stamped and tour passes, we had the opportunity to provide feedback on three beers they’re working on. Tours can be very standard across the board at breweries but Sam kept it interactive, interesting, and educational. Three different grains were passed around, tasting was encouraged, and everyone got a handful of hops to smell, evaluate, and rub all over their bodies because that smell is far better than anything you’re buying at the store. I had a tough time resisting the urge of pocketing my handful.

Once in the tasting room, our guide walked us through a taste appraisal starting with appearance, moving on to nose, then taste, and finally mouthfeel. A man in our group took out a sandwich and chips to enjoy with the beer. So prepared! I only had trail mix and stomach ache.

The experience was well worth the trip but I was a little disappointed that 2 out of the 3 beers we got to taste were ones you can get anywhere: Boston Lager and Summer Ale.

Why? They’re good, solid beers, and they tasted so fresh but I hoped we would get to taste some of the beers you can’t get outside of Boston. The third taste was a nitro that I enjoyed immensely but I missed the explanation of its composition!

We did have a great time and I highly recommend visiting. Who knows where the craft beer industry would be today without Jim Koch and the Boston Beer Company?! #respect

Off-Centered And Delicious At Dogfish Head

You’ve probably heard of a brewery called Dogfish Head. And if you haven’t, I’ll forgive you because you’re probably a newbie. I was you just a few years ago: drinking wine and the occasional margarita…

There was absolutely no way we were going to skip a visit to Dogfish on our DC road trip. So it was a little out of the way; who cares? When are we going to drive through/near/around Delaware again? This was our chance!

It was gross out, snow/sleet/rain, but we’re from New England. We just had a miserable yet historic Winter. It was nothing we couldn’t handle. Because we’re tough. Grrrr!

Running through the chilly rain, because we’re not really that tough, we pushed through the visitor’s entrance and into the Brewery. Choirs of angels sang.