Great Pumpkin Ale Festival 2011

Cambridge Brewing Company went ahead with their Great Pumpkin Ale Festival again this year, pouring rain and freezing temperatures and all. After an hour-and-a-half in line, we were definitely ready for some pumpkin beer!

CBC provided an especially inspired array of pumpkin beer options, highlighted by a mole infused, cask conditioned Irish Stout, El Mariachi (8), well-balanced tripel, Kraftwerk (9), and a 2008-vintage wild ale, The O.P.P. (8). Other solid new offerings included Friends with Benefits (6), Valley Ghoul (6), and Biere du Gourde (5). (The brewpub's pumpkin-inclusive food menu was solid as ever too -- I went for the hushpuppies, risoto with duck confit, and shared the whoopie pies and fried pumpkin pie.)

The beer I made a bee-line for upon entering though was New Belgium's Kick (10), a wonderfully drinkable sour. The last beer of the night, Allagash Ghoulschip (9), another sour, was almost equally impressive. The distinction as most unique beer of the night, however, goes to the dark and citrusy, Stone La Citrueille Celeste de Citricado (9).

There were traditional pumpkin's (Nogne Pumpkin (8), Iron Hill Ichabod Imperial Pumpkin Ale (7), Martha's Exchange Pumpkinweizen (6), and Sixpoint Autumnation (6)), pumpkin's with a twist (Stewart's Mischief Night (6), Elysian Hansel & Gretel (6), and Elysian Kurbitinus Pumpkin Dunkelhefeweizenbock (4)), and the pumpkin's that just didn't work (Elysian Coche de Medianoche (3) and Silver City Punk Rauchen (3)). We didn't even get to them all; next year I will be returning for Avery Rumpkin, The Bruery Autumn Maple, Watch City Pie-Eyed Pumpkin Ale, Wormtown Pumpkin Ale, and Zero Gravity's Cornucopia. Consider it yourself.

The rich get richer

As if Cambridge/Somerville wasn't already the capital of good beer in Massachusetts, Davis Square recently opened another top notch beer bar. Five Horses Tavern is every bit the classy, polished bar you would expect, with lots of black leather, a copper bar, and stone fireplace. The menu was impressive and I absolutely loved the spicy, pork belly tacos with pickled red onion. With 36 rotating taps and another 80 bottles, Five Horses has all the credentials of a beer destination.

I started off with the Cape Ann Homeport Honey Pale (7). I am a sucker for any small batch made with local ingredients. Nice looking beer with balanced, subtle nose. Caramel malts and honey provide a sweetness that is pleasant, but not overbearing. Well done. Next up: Brewdog Zeitgeist Black Lager (5). Schwarzbier's are quickly climbing the rankings of my favorite styles, with that wonderful ability to provide the best of both worlds -- hoppy and dark. Once again, Brewdog fails to meet expectations but rather than going over the top, this one is a little watery. No regrets though.

Cambridge beer bar reviews

Lord Hobo
92 Hampshire St, Cambridge
One of the few highly acclaimed beer bars in Boston that had alluded my grasp, up to now. Not much to distinguish it from the outside, but you are met with a classy, polished bar, and bright red walls adorned with bright canvas paintings. Comfortable atmosphere and good spacing. Service was good, if slow for a Saturday afternoon. We are started with water, receive proper glassware, and are treated with a perfect beer menu. This is a real beer bar. There are bigger selections out there but everything was of top-notch quality. I had the cheese platter made up of three of the chef's choices: cow, goat, and sheep cheese with honey, blueberry sauce, and crostini bread alongside. It was exceptional. I did think my wife's calamari was undercooked, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. Lord Hobo immediately joins my list of the elite beer bars of Boston.
Score: A

Green Street
280 Green St, Cambridge
I had sought out this bar once before during a pub crawl, but couldn't find it tucked down a quiet alleyway. It didn't help that this looks like a total dive bar from the outside, replete with giant Budweiser billboard. Fortunately, that was no indication of what would be on tap. I wasn't overly excited with any of the selections and was definitely hoping for a larger number of options. Quality was good though. We were there at dinner-time, but it definitely seemed more upscale with an older, more well-heeled clientele. Very nice interior, but quite crowded and lacking in character. Makes for a nice stop on a Cambridge pub crawl, but I wouldn't consider it a beer-destination.
Score: B+

Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter, Score: 8
chocolatey and smooth. downing a bomber of this would be no problem.

De La Senne Stouterik, Score: 9
it's refreshing to find a stout with the appropriate 4.5% abv. flavorful and lovely to drink.

Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale, Score: 7
a little spicy for my taste in saisons.

Mikkheler Red and White, Score: 6
described as a blend of their english red and wit. to my surprise it turned out far more like a hopped-up red IPA.

Stone Lukcy Basartd, Score: 9
one of the new beers of 2010 i wanted to seek out. huge piney hops that you have come to expect from the bastard's.

CBC Great Pumpkin Festival 2010

Cambridge Brewing Company had one serious Halloween party last night! 30 pumpkin beers from CBC and other guest brewers were on tap, along with a menu full of creative dishes using pumpkin in some fashion. It didn't end there either, the whole restaurant and courtyard were decorated, many came decked out in costume, and at 10 pm they tapped a giant pumpkin full of beer! There was a $10 cover, it cost $1.25 for most samples, and we had to wait 1 1/2 hours in line to get in, but it was well worth it. A highly recommended event for next year -- just come early.

Allagash Ghouleschip, Score: 7
probably had the biggest buzz going.

American Flatbread Cornucopia, Score: 5
overly spiced and muddled.

Cape Ann Fisherman's Imperial Pumpkin Stout, Score: 7
a more alcoholic version of one of my favorite beers.

CBC Black Magic (Cask), Score: 9
espresso and chipotle, two of my favorite flavors in beer!

CBC Ich Bin Ein Kurbisweisse, Score: 10
simply fantastic. one of my favorite styles and the just nailed the pumpkin syrup you add in. sour and sweet -- kelly and i could drink this by the pitcher full.

CBC Punjabi Pumpkin, Score: 6
curry used barely registers... probably a good thing.

CBC The Great Pumpkin Ale, Score: 6
seemed like CBC's version of pumpkin Bud Light.

CBC The Great Pumpkin (Giant Pumpkin), Score: 4
flat and real earthiness to it. nice to see i wasn't the only one that struggled with the whole pumpkin keg concept. very fun though.

CBC The O.P.P., Score: 6
a sour porter with a little spice. odd but not bad.

CBC The Pumpeter!, Score: 7
a black and tan with their porter and great pumpkin. pretty good.

Elysian Hansel & Gretel, Score: 6
certainly do taste the ginger.

Iron Hill Pumktoberfest, Score: 6
one of the most over-the-top spiced beers of the night.

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcella, Score: 6
a sour that didn't quite mesh.

Rock Art Imperial Spruce Pumpkin Stout, Score: 7
a very textured imperial stout. good.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, Score: 7
solid, if a little unexciting.

The Alchemist Uncle Daddy, Score: 9
this was very good. a saison without spices, and none were needed.

Wormtown Pumpkin Ale, Score: 7
my first from this worcester brewer. light and sessionable.

Happenings in Brookline

So there have been some developments at The Publick House in Brookline since my last visit. Some of you may be aware that Publick House also operates a Provisions Store and sister restaurant on the other end of the block. However, The Roadhouse, a BBQ joint has been replaced by American Craft, more geared towards "artisinal" food. A quick peak indicated a more modern decor but similar taplist to what I would find at The Publick House. Not making it in to Brookline as much as I would like, it is going to be hard to pass on the original when the quality is so high. Could make a nice mini-pub crawl though...

Mayflower Autumn Wheat Ale, Score: 7
dark and bitter, so an unusual wheat to say the least. nice fall beer though.

Pretty Things Hedgerow Bitter, Score: 6
very coarse grassiness. not my favorite.

Victory Saison Du Buff, Score: 5
so as dan explains it to me, victory, dogfish head, and stone all took the same recipie and then brewed the beer seperately. so that is interesting. the whole "sage, rosemary, and thyme" was a little too gimmicky for me. between the spices and hoppiness, this didn't work in practice either.

Wachusetts Larry, Score: 8
very piney and sweet. not exactly sessionable, but not unapproachable either. solid doublle ipa.

Brewpub roundup

Went to Cambridge Brewing Company yesterday to grab a bite and a beer. As always, there were some new seasonals. The Spring Training IPA (6) was pretty weak for my taste, with the flavor of mild grassy hops. Kelly ordered the Sgt. Pepper (2) a saison brewed with peppercorn. Not surprisingly, the peppercorn was overwhelming, taking on a spicy, anti-septic taste that lingers. This was a wounded soldier.

At the start of the spring I made a visit to The Tap in Haverhill. The Smoked Pils (8) had a sharp bitter flavor with smoke in the background. Nice. GestAlt (5), an altbier, was on cask. Sweet and kind of watery with the low level of carbonation you tend to get from a cask.

Going back even further was a visit to Trinity Brewhouse in Providence. My sampler tray covered a number of new beers: Belgian Wit (4) was tart and quite lemony... Schwarzbier (5) had an off-note, closest to a nuttiness... The Kolsch (6) was good, if lacking substance... ESB (7) was even better with some coffee amidst all the malts. BeerAdvocate claims this beer has been retired... and the Imperial IPA (6) was predictably hoppy, herbal, and coarse. Oh, and Trinity's Russian Imperial Stout was as good as ever.

Jury Room Bar Closing

I got a sad email today; The Jury Room in Quincy is closing. I don't think the owner would mind if I include the email below:

After a year and a half of trying to get people to drink beer other than bud light, I'm throwing in the towel. My last day of biz will be oct. 17th (sat) between now and then i am blowing my entire beer inventory out at dirt cheap prices. Starting on weds any beer on my list (85 types) are all 3 bucks. Yes, even the Chimay Blue.

Let your readers know if you would like or just drop by yourself. The next 2 Weds. nights I'm doing a beer tasting starting at 8. My name is Clint, stop by and say Hi! Later, Clint Smith Soon to be ex owner, Jury Room Bar.....

This was, without question, one of the best beer bars on the South Shore. I must have gone here 3 or 4 times in its short existence -- the first trip was a little rocky (check the archives...) but I had much better luck on successive visits.

Overall though, I really liked how they attracted a young audience and stayed committed to offering craft beer. Great effort, Clint, and you will definitely be missed. I plan on being there tomorrow for the Chimay Blue!

Fall Beer Calendar

I try to keep an eye out for interesting beer events on BeerAdvocate.com's calendar among other sites. Fall being the peak of the beer drinking season and all (if you ask me), I thought I would share a few of the most exciting happenings with all of you as well.

Upcomming Events

Saturday, Semptember 19
Drink New England Charity Pub Crawl @ People's Republic ($20)
Cambridge, MA
*Note: Pre-registration has ended... try contacting Devon if interested.

Saturday, September 19
Haverhill Beer Festival @ The Tap / Haverhill Brewery ($29)
Haverhill, MA

Tuesday, September 22

Ipswich Beer Dinner @ Cambridge Common Restaurant ($48)
Cambridge, MA

Saturday, October 3

Outdoor Cask Festival @ British Beer Company (No cover)
Walpole, MA

Sunday, October 4
Street Beer Festival @ RedBones BBQ (No cover)
Somerville, MA

Friday, October 9
Mayflower Beer Tasting @ Publick House Provisions (Free)
Brookline, MA

Tuesday, October 13

Port Brewing Beer Dinner @ Armsby Abbey ($?)

Worcester, MA

Friday & Saturday, October 16-17
Night of the Funk & Belgian Beer Festival @ BeerAdvocate.com ($45)
Boston, MA

RedBones Barbeque

RedBones Barbeque
55 Chester Street, Sommerville
Now this is a barbeque joint! Not trendy in the least, this place has some good old fashioned cooking. The pulled pork sandwich was amazing. It isn't often that I open one of these posts talking about the food, and I don't mean for it to take away from the beer. 24 taps, with a good mix of local, west coast, and Belgian. Bottle list isn't much to speak of, but you come for the tap list, right? The atmosphere was very comfortable with a full restaurant and bar, the game on, and bright decorations reminiscient of a road-side stand (see picture below from The Phoenix.) I believe they get live acts downstairs, host charity runs and poetry readings, so there is a lot going on. Service, quality -- this place had it all. Certainly recommended, especially if you are hungry.
Atmosphere: 5/5, Selection: 8/10, Quality: 8/10, Service: 4/5, Overall: 15/20, Total: 40/50
Total rating: A-

Chester Street Amber
Sample -- RedBones Barbeque
i couldn't figure out where this beer came from at first before deciding that it must be a housebrew. whatever the story, it was pretty good. note of chocolate stuck out to me. manages to be both flavorful and very light drinking.
Score: 7

Harpoon Leviathan Saison Royale
Sample -- RedBones Barbeque
curiously, our waiter tried to talk me out of ordering this beer as "a lot of beer." seeing as it was just a sample and i am a man, i told him i thought i could handle it. glad i did because it was great (...and strong...) golding and hallertauer hops are strong enough that you feel like you are eating them whole. a good thing -- delicious.
Score: 9

Southern Tier Harvest Ale
Sample -- RedBones Barbeque
an esb with very impressive lace coating. sweet, hoppy, and smooth. good qualities. best southern tier drinking experience i have had in some time.
Score: 7

The Lower Depths

The Lower Depths

476 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA

Lower Depths is a part of the solid cluster of bars in close proximity to Fenway. Those immediately around the park get a little too crazy for my liking, but being around the corner in Kenmore Square makes a world of difference. Even on a Friday night it was pretty quiet with a crowd that seemed to fancy themselves as regulars. Crowd was definitely hipster -- a vibe I don't pick up on in Boston nearly as much as I used to in Portland, Oregon. Not a huge place with a fashionable dining room adjacent to the bar and a small patio looking up to the street. Motif seemed a little conflicted to me with a cool, timeless mural of a bunch of bar patrons and the industrial chic of the stainless steel bar. I still liked it though. Selection was very good but kind of confusing (they appeared to have four different color-coded menu's.) Not too many taps, but I did see Pretty Things American Darling and Harpoon's Bohemian Pilsner. Bottle list was good although it seemed like I had tried just about all of them. Staff was a little too cool for school but were definitely responsive. I was probably most impressed with the quality since they had tons of glassware in each style, the serving temperatures seemed right, and everything appeared to actually be in stock. I may have to make this my regular stop when going to Fenway.

Atmosphere: 3/5, Selection: 8/10, Quality: 10/10, Service: 4/5, Overall: 12/20, Total: 37/50
Total rating: B+

Lagunitas Dogtown Pale Ale
Bottle -- The Lower Depths

i was debating between lagunitas' maximus and this one... ultimately going for the more sessionable of the two. and while it went down easy it seemed kinda lackadaisical to me. subdued aroma while flavor is a balance between grainy pale malt and surprisingly spicy hops. next time i would have gone for the maximus. or better yet, the pretty things i saw on my way out the door. so it goes.

Score: 6

New Microbrewery Gets Smooth Start in Canton

My friend Mark recently emailed me this article about Blue Hills Brewery in Canton. Now this isn't the first I have heard of Blue Hills (I have rated their Xtra Pale Ale a 6 and their IPA an 8) but I never got the full story on the brewery until now. Best news is, tours are available by contacting them through their (very sharp looking) website: http://www.bluehillsbrewery.com/ I'll be reporting back on the tour before too long. In the meantime, welcome to the neighborhood, Blue Hills!

New Microbrewery Gets Smooth Start in Canton
Boston Globe, Emily Simon

Latvia or Massachusetts.

Andris Veidis and Peter Augis chose the latter, and the result is the Blue Hills Brewery in Canton, which was established nine months ago and produced its first draft on Jan. 15.

Named after the nearby slopes, the company is the newest addition to Greater Boston's vibrant microbrewery scene. But if European history had been a little different, the partners today could be brewing on the other side of the Atlantic.

Augis and Veidis, who live in Westwood and Canton, respectively, are of Latvian descent and met in the early 1990s through the area's Latvian community.

Veidis has been brewing since 1994. He cut his teeth as an intern at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston, then worked in a Worcester brewery before enrolling in a professional brewers program at the University of California, Davis. He later worked for brewpubs throughout the Northeast and helped set up Boston Beer Works on Canal Street in Boston.

Augis has a background in architecture and construction, and in addition to overseeing the brewery operations and managing sales, he creates the tap handles for the Blue Hills line.

In 2002, the pair began discussing the possibility of a brewpub in Latvia with their friend Marty Grots. They hoped to take advantage of the nation's inexpensive real estate, but after Latvia joined the European Union in 2004, land prices began to skyrocket.

Veidis wrote up a business plan for a microbrewery in Greater Boston and began looking for space. The group signed a lease on the Canton property last May. In addition to Augis, Veidis, and Grots, there are two other partners: Veidis's father and 2-year-old son.

"We haven't told my son he owns a stake yet," said Veidis. "But when we do, he'll probably be the coolest kid in school."

The brewery occupies a small warehouse that used to house a yoga studio. Downward dog and "om" have given way to "bottoms up" and "burrrp."

The floor space is filled with brewing equipment, and there's a small gift area in the front, with hardwood floors and a mahogany bar in the shape of a pilsner glass designed and built by Augis.
The facility can brew up to 20 barrels (31 gallons each) at a time. From start to finish, the process takes about three weeks, and Veidis brews once a week. By midsummer, he plans to boost the rate to twice a week, and hopes to produce 1,500 to 2,000 barrels over the course of the year.

Blue Hills's products are Xtra Pale Ale and an India Pale Ale. Additional ales are under development, and the partners plan to unveil a Hefeweizen in late May and an Irish red by mid-June. They also hope eventually to brew a lager, most likely a pilsner.

For now, though, they're focused on ales and settling into a community that has welcomed them with open arms.

On move-in day neighboring contractors provided forklifts and trucks. The brewery works with local firms for printing and gives excess grain to a farmer in Sharon. And nearly all of the brewing equipment is composed of recycled or repurposed materials.

"We're a real neighborly operation," Augis said. "We try to be involved in the community and work with local purveyors whenever possible."

Now that's good karma.

Bukowski's Tavern

Over July 4th I found myself with a few friends back in Cambridge for the fireworks. The highlights of course weren't the pyrotechnics but a new beer bar and an old favorite.

Bukowski's Tavern

1281 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

Bukowski's has one of the best reputations among beer bars in Boston; Cambridge is their second location. For some reason I had it in my head that it would be a bit of a dive, but it was really almost trendy, if anything else. Very dark, with a diner-esque sort of feel to it. I was impressed with the beer list; Pretty Things, lots of top-notch west coast beers, and all the way down to 40's of malt liquor. Beer menu is well put together, food looked good, and service was responsive. Really dug this place -- recommended.

Atmosphere: 4/5, Selection: 9/10, Quality: 8/10, Service: 4/5, Overall: 14/20, Total: 39/50

Total rating: A-

Brooklyn Cuvee de Cardoz
Tap -- Bukowski's Tavern, Cambridge
a belgian strong pale ale. served in brooklyn glass, but with an overly carbonated pour. lots of different spices and a hop presence. brooklyn really does a great job with belgian styles for such a large craft brewer.
Score: 8

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale
Tap -- Bukowski's Tavern, Cambridge

a pale wheat ale and lagunitas' summer seasonal, which i was excited to see. i would say this was very hoppy, but not quite astringent. not your typical wheat ale, but i suppose we should have expected it with lagunitas being from the west coast and all. nice.
Score: 8

The Tap Ascension

Tap -- Bukowski's Tavern, Cambridge

a belgian ipa this time. huge pillowy head. subtle hops. chalky and dry. very drinkable. vastly exceeded expectations.
Score: 8

CBC Benevolence
Sample -- Cambridge Brewing Company
murky maroon... dates and medicine in smell, which i think turned off my drinking buddy George... lots of dark fruit in flavor, and quite sweet... powerful stuff at 12.6%. i see why George didn't like it.

Score: 4

CBC Imperial Skibsol Danish Smoked Dark Lager Beer
Sample -- CBC
what a mouthfull this name was, huh? smoke does make it to aroma, while taste is of liquorice and note of coffee. finish is bitter, mouthfeel is lively. pretty good.
Score: 7

CBC Spring IPA
Sample -- CBC
served in flute, which seems odd. fresh hop aroma and quite bitter. strong but drinkable. easily my favorite of these three new beers.
Score: 8

Cambridge & Somerville

My friend Heather, who I met in PDX, recently moved to the city of Somerville (located just north of Boston.) This is happy news for many reasons, not the least of which is it will give me a much better opportunity to get to some of the bars I have been meaning to get to on the other side of the Charles River.

Cambridge Common Restaurant
1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA
#1 on my to-do list for several months now. It has an interesting ambiance to it, with both indoor and outdoor seating, dark lighting but bright colors. Heather seemed to think it was a little too trendy, but I thought it struck a good balance that would appeal to most people, whether they are most inclined toward that dive bar or an upscale restaurant. And it is a restaurant. The food is very good, with more of an emphasis on comfort food than the "imaginative cuisine" of cross-town Cambridge Brewing Company. What I will be returning for is one of their "beer dinners," with several courses and an accompanying beer for each. (Stone is coming on August 25th...) As for the beer, there are 30 taps, with way more new options than I am used to. I loved their idea of having a tap for certain brewers, but rotating the style regularly. Berkshire, CBC (which is generous of them), Sixpoint, Troegs, and Rogue all are on this list, which is pretty cool. My sampler tray was great and the service was excellent, so high marks all around..
Atmosphere: 3/5, Selection: 10/10, Quality: 9/10, Service: 5/5, Overall: 14/20, Total: 41/50
Total rating: A-

The Independent
75 Union Square, Somerville, MA
Heather didn't have a good first impression of this place, but I talked her into giving it a second chance. There are three parts to this place: a roped in patio section on the square, a nice looking dining room, and a dark, study-esque bar, which we chose. Very comfortable with lots of leather books lining the walls and the ballgame showing on several TV's. The beer list is pretty impressive in terms of quality, but they are mostly familiar choices (Dead Guy, Boont Amber, Avery Brown, Hennepin, Old Rasputin.) Service was lackluster but the Korean Calamari was delicious! I think Heather was a convert.
Atmosphere: 4/5, Selection: 8/10, Quality: 8/10, Service: 2/5, Overall: 12/20, Total: 34/50
Total rating: B+

And then there were the beers...

Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA
Sample -- Cambridge Common Restaurant, Cambridge
clear with nice head... really hoppy aroma you would expect in a double IPA... grapefruit flavored hops have sharp edge. didn't particularly enjoy this.
Score: 6

Peak Organic IPA
Sample -- Cambridge Common Restaurant, Cambridge
totally see-through... yeasty / grainy smell I can't place... floral taste with light bitterness, very grassy. i enjoyed this.
Score: 7

Rogue Captain Sig's Deadliest Ale
Sample -- Cambridge Common Restaurant, Cambridge
another one of rogue's gimmicky beers, this one a nod to the show deadliest catch. (i find this whole racket very annoying -- let's hope it doesn't catch on...) very cloudy amber with thick head... sharp hop nose... very bitter citrus flavor, verging on grapefruit... very textured and drying. not bad actually.
Score: 6

Sixpoint Righteous Ale
Sample -- Cambridge Common Restaurant, Cambridge
a rye. reddish and translucent with head that coats beer. balanced aroma. interesting, a distinct cherry taste materialzes in flavor. some citrus too, but bitterness is checked. best of the bunch.
Score: 8

Stoudt's Gold Lager
Bottle -- The Independent, Somerville
translucent... grain and light hops on aroma... flavor is malt and mild corn... quite clean, sterile bitterness... perfect beer to accompany most any meal.
Score: 8

New brewers to town

I have found that in order to find new brewers, I have to try a little bit harder these days. A couple of months ago, I took a swing down through my old stomping grounds of Fall River and came up with a couple of these new brewers. The other two came from two of my favorite local haunts: Luke's in Rockland and The Jury Room in Quincy.

Eel River Certified Organic Porter
Bottle -- Chris Gasbarro's, Seekonk
another good california brewer. color is brown with definite reddish tint... lots of chocolate on nose... creamy texture actually makes bigger first impression than flavor... subdued taste of caramel malts, chocolate, faint roasted coffee, and somthing close to vanilla. tasty enough, but i have had better porters.
Score: 6

McNeill's Extra Special Bitter
22 oz -- Luke's, Rockland
first time i have found this fairly well-known vermont brewer. a robust esb for sure, with big flavorful piney hops. decent balance but seemed to break down towards the end of the bottle. wouldn't rush back for this one but am curious to try another.
Score: 6

Snapperfish IPA
Can -- Pour Judgement, Quincy
felt bad ordering this can when dale's pale ale was available but i can rarely pass on a chance to try a new brewer. snapperfish is from upstate new york. a milder ipa, with hops taking on a grapefruit-like coarseness. if ever faced with this choice, go for the dale's without a second thought.
Score: 4

Troegs Pale Ale
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Fall River
i have been waiting for this popular harrisburg, pennsylvania brewer to make it up here, and was some excited when it did. light copper color... malts are quite sweet in the aroma -- think honey... hop character is closest to earthy... flavor is a little bland with an not altogether pleasant bitterness... light mouthfeel, well-balanced... good, not great.
Score: 6

Best bet:
Troegs Hopback Amber Ale
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Fall River
shallow amber with reddish tint and neat head. wow, now this is my kind of amber! big, flavorful citrus, piney hops on nose. hops in taste are balanced by solid malt profile. robust bitterness at end. smoothness only lends to drinkability. my excitedness to finally find troegs was totally justified. order this beer!
Score: 8

Boston Pub Crawl!

With the wedding three weeks away, it was time for my bachelor party, which meant... Boston Pub Crawl! Dan Cedrone was the master of ceremonies, putting together a very ambitious but organized three-mile loop through Allston and Brighton. I mean, he had not only our time in each bar timed, but knew how long it would take to walk between each place! In order to get to the some dozen bars on the itinerary, we met at 8:30 in the morning at my house for breakfast beers (my homebrewed coffee porter) and some pretty cool matching pub crawl t-shirts (thanks to Slick). By the time all was said and done we numbered 13 -- so a big thanks to Dan, George, Slick, Matt, Link, Nate, Steve, Jon, Ryan, Eric, Colanti, and Budri who turned out and made this an awesome day!

Now, of course, I had to bring along my notepad, but I knew better than to try to rate beers in the midst of a day of heavy drinking. I would, however, keep notes on the different bars of the pub crawl, of which all but three were new to me. If you are looking for a new bar in Boston, odds are you can find what you are looking for somewhere in this eclectic list. Here we go!

Deep Ellum
477 Cambridge St, Allston, MA
the pub crawl started at the finest beer bar of them all: deep ellum. been to this personal favorite a few times but have never officially reviewed the bar... pretty small, trendy looking bar but we settled on the decent-sized wooden balcony out back. tap list is always roatating and never disappoints. i kept it light and drinkable with victory's braumeister pils and anderson valley's boont amber. staff is knowledgeable, glassware is proper, even the food is good. i'd say this is my second favorite beer bar after publick house in brookline. good start!
Atmosphere: 4/5, Selection: 10/10, Quality: 10/10, Service: 4/5, Overall: 16/20, Total: 44/50
Total rating: A

Irish Village
224 Market St, Brighton, MA
15 minute walk up to brighton for an... irish bar?! what in the hell? but i hate irish bars! this was undoubtedly the greatest irish bar i have ever been to, and that is not even a swipe at irish bars -- this is a cool place. spacious, dark mahogany bar, futbol and rugby on tv, and good beer on tap! love those easy to read beer lists on the chalk board. i had an allagash white which was delicious... the whiskey not so much. dogfish 60 minute, smuttynose, and chimay were all good alternatives on tap. we pretty much had this place to ourselves, along with the first of what would be many drunk guys trying to convince me not to get married. i would actually return here.
Atmosphere: 3/5, Selection: 7/10, Quality: 7/10, Service: 3/5, Overall: 13/20, Total: 33/50
Total rating: B+

Brighton Beer Garden
386 Market St, Brighton, MA
the shots started to catch up to me in a hurry from here on out (so i am going to cut back on my bar reviews a little bit...) i know this boston-based chain from their flagship bar in southie; this place is really just an upscale sports bar. i enjoyed an ipswich ale here, which i want to say was my last good beer for a while. the highlight here was the horse race on tv, that i convinced everyone was the kentucky derby and we had to bet on it. the always lucky mr. pomerleau won, of course.
Total rating: B-

Porter Belly's Pub
338 Washington St, Brighton, MA
called an audible on this next one, was not on the original itinerary. can't remember how, but this place was on my radar. another irish bar, albeit with a much less exciting tap list. place had a pretty good feel and the curry fries were delicious. everyone else seemed pretty into the rugby match, which is pretty fun.
Total rating: B-

Green Briar
308 Washington St, Brighton, MA
heard great things about this place from kelly's cousin tom, so my expectations were probably a little too high. i think i was even less impressed with the tap list here than the previous bar, and ended up with a hoegarden. the booth we sat in towards the back was kind of dingy, but the bar itself looked nice enough. i'll probably have to give this one another shot.
Total rating: B-

Joshua Tree
1316 Commonwealth Ave, Allston, MA
this was the long walk of our trip, just about a mile to get back to allston. i recall taking a shortcut by rolling down a grassy knoll at somepoint... how dan got us from one bar to the next i will never know. we had our first change in personell here; thorley dropped off and eric arrived. as for the bar itself, it is a pretty trendy spot that i think i might have been to years ago. i went for the long trail ale, but there were some better than expected options. imagine this place gets ridiculously crowded at a time other than 3 in the afternoon.
Total rating: B

Our House
Commonwealth Ave, Allston, MA
this was the dive bar leg of the trip, which was perfect timing. pretty sketchy lounge set-up here though. for some reason they had like four people working this empty joint -- one of them stood ten feet away and stared at us the whole time. they gave us a round of shots on the house, but then tried to trick the guys into paying for the shots. there was some sort of incident with the fusbol table too. skip this one.
Total rating: D+

Avenue Bar & Grille
1249 Commonwealth Ave, Allston, MA
nothing memorable here either. we sat out by the street. i ate goldfish and had a shot of jager. they didn't like us because we opened a window. and we lost steve to the celtics game, that lucky guy.
Total rating: C-

Sunset Grille
130 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA
sunset grille wasn't that far of a walk away from our previous stop but two of my friends managed to blow out both of my knees before we got there. however we did finally make it to dinner time at sunset grille! thank god. my chicken sandwich was probably the greatest meal of my life. this wasn't my first time to sunset, but it was the first time i have been able to get inside and get a table (they gave us a room to ourselves, go figure.) this is a great beer bar: their tap list is legendary at 112 beers, glassware is proper, and service was very good. a must for any craft beer fan. people started to crash at this point, but we picked up some new blood with colanti and budri.
Total rating: A

The Kells
Allston, MA
this was our shortest stop, a fashionable club across the intersection from sunset. the guys tried (unsuccessfully) to force another shot down my throat before we crossed back across the street to our last stop, big city.
Total rating: C+

Big City
Allston, MA
upstairs of sunset grille, big city is generally disrespected as the lesser partner. however, i generally enjoy my time there, with a little more room to spread out, play some pool, and in this case, watch the celtics game 7. besides, even though the beer list isn't too exciting, with 80 taps to choose from, you can always find something worth drinking. quality and service is definitely a bigger question mark up here, but i was pretty pleased with my cambridge regatta golden. great place to cap this highly successful pub crawl and close the night at jon's in brighton.
Total rating: B+

How Dan executed this pub crawl will remain one of life's greatest mysteries. We made it to eleven of the thirteen bars on the original itinerary (which was more than enough) and even finished on time (11 hours after we started...)! This was a great bachelor party so thanks again to everyone who came out and bought me a drink! I hope all those who were in attendance will share your own favorite moments and correct my misrembrances in the comments below.

Beer Works

Returned to Salem Beer Works last weekend. Didn't enjoy these beers as much as the first time around, but still solid.

Beer Works Back Bay IPA
Sample -- Salem Beer Works
good hops flavor here: sweet, piney, citrusy. crowds out malts a little. almost full bodied too. solid.
Score: 7

Beer Works Smoked Porter
Sample -- Salem Beer Works
i wanted the beantown nut brown, but this was the substitute. smoke is pretty heavy. not bad, but not my favorite type of porter.
Score: 6

Beer Works Splendid Splinter
Sample -- Salem Beer Works
can't find this on beeradvocate yet, so i'm not even sure which style of beer this is. aroma of hops and... wet dog. yup, definitely wet dog. tastes like west coast hops to me, raw. warming and balanced. not bad.
Score: 6

Beer Works Terrier Scottish Ale
Sample -- Salem Beer Works
typical in appearance with muted aroma. java taste does come through. pretty light and watery though...
Score: 5

Beer Works Triple A Amber
Sample -- Salem Beer Works
dark amber, but not too dark. very hoppy aroma and taste for an amber. it is no secret that i find many of the big malt beers (browns, bocks, irish reds, ambers...) to be too heavy and one-dimensional. point being that, i love the direction they went with the strong bitterness here.
Score: 7

Best of the bunch:
Beer Works Bay State ESB
Draft -- Salem Beer Works
the beer i started the night off with, and a good choice. i was handed my friend dena's "light light" beer by mistake, and was relieved to see this much darker copper beer with good lacing was for me. dark, grainy malt (going so far as a note of coffee) is there throughout, but earthy bitterness really takes the prize.
Score: 8

CBC Winter

Figured this was my last chance to try the winter seasonals at Cambridge Brewing Co. You might be able to catch some of these solid beers too if you hurry!

Big Man Ale
Sample -- Cambridge Brewing Co.
a strong ale as their winter seasonal -- nice. cloudy, dark amber pour... balanced aroma with fruitty esters... pretty assertive bitterness but plenty of toasted malts to build this one up. excellent.
Score: 9

Blunderbuss Barleywine 2008
Sample -- CBC
perhaps my tastes have changed, but i have fonder memories of the blunderbuss from last year. taste is too sweet for me, with assertive hops pushing their way towards front of flavor.
Score: 7

CaCow! Chocolate Milk Stout
Sample -- CBC
to be fair, i am a sucker for milk stouts... but this was great! awesome aroma of strong java and sweet chocolate malts. roasted coffee comes through in taste along with hop bitterness to give it some depth and complexity. velvety smooth and medium-bodied. i would have bought a growler of this for dessert had it been available.
Score: 10

Never Mind the Bollekes!
Sample -- CBC
a belgian pale. the smell is of some unusual musty yeast... reminds me of some german styles. sour flavor, with yeast and floral hops making their mark. not my favorite.
Score: 5

Regatta Golden
Sample -- CBC
the one house regular that i had not tried in my previous trips, a kolsch. light and golden appearance with fresh grain and lemon in aroma. light floral, grassy hops balance flavor. very drinkable.
Score: 7

House Brews

I will never pass on a house tap when I find one at a bar or restaurant. One, I want to encourage this kind of behavior. Imagine, if all bars did this, every homebrewers could find a tap for their beer! Two, there is always the hope of finding a hidden gem. The IPA I found at Paddy O's came awfully close...

Beer Belly Ball and Chain IPA
Tap -- Paddy O's, Newton
i found this at an irish pub in newton. overall their tap selection was pretty unexciting (flat sierra nevada pale, harpoon ipa, sam...) except for a big fancy tap of murphy's irish stout, which i found out was just ornamental! fortunately in that tap they did have an ipa from "a couple of locals." all bars should do this. it was a really good brew too: nice up-front bitterness with balancing malts that make this sessionable. bravo!
Score: 8

Fresh Catch Amber Ale
Tap -- Fresh Catch, Easton
yeah, this wasn't good. fairly dark pour for such a watery, flavorless beer. they must have used a few black patent malts to artificially darken this beer up because there is very little substance to it. as much as i love getting the house brew, i can't really recommend this beer.
Score: 2

Loco Pilsner
Tap -- Loco Restaurant, Easton
first thing that strikes you are the similarities to bud light. fortunately, there is more to this beer than that. flavor of light toasted malts does come through to taste. hops take on an almost fruity nature in aroma and flavor. an easy drinker as you would expect. pretty good actually.
Score: 6

Publick House

Publick House and Monk's Cell

1648 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA
as a place that was once voted the #1 beer bar in america, the publick house was at the top of my to do list. located on a nice pocket of beacon street, when you walk in you are immediately impressed with the hominess of the place. my group of 8 found a nice large table with wooden stools in the dining room down off the bar. decent sized place but i can see how it would get really crowded on a weekend night. first off, beer menu was very well put together (grouped by style)... something that is very important to me. there must have been at least 15 beers on tap, (including quality stuff like allagash, founders, and smuttynose) as well as countless bottles. proper glassware, knowledgeable waitresses, fancy food menu -- this place has it all. alright, its beer was served too cold, but i am a realist. not cheap (mostly $6 pints) but quality makes this the best beer bar i have found in boston.
Atmosphere: 4/5, Selection: 10/10, Quality: 9/10, Service: 5/5, Overall: 17/20, Total: 45/50

Total rating: A

Founders Dirty Bastard
Tap -- Publick House & Monk's Cell
i stole a taste of this scotch ale from my friend matt. very dark in appearance. strong smell of raisins and other dark fruit. taste makes you think of bourbon at 8.3% abv. very good.
Score: 9

Great Divide Denver Pale Ale
Bottle -- Publick House & Monk's Cell
sweet hop aroma... smooth and well balanced... strong hop presence with nice finish... good drinkability.
Score: 7

Oskar Blues Ten FIDY
Can -- Publick House & Monk's Cell
russian imperial stout in a can! jet black with minor head... chocolate and alcohol on nose, black patent malt and creamy chocolate in taste. rich, heavy, yet drinkable. a good imperial stout and i had to give an extra point for it being in a can.
Score: 8

Sixpoint Sweet Action
Tap -- Publick House & Monk's Cell
an american blonde. hazy and golden... spicy hop aroma... full, flavorful hop taste that matches well with fruity, peach malts. a perfect session beer.
Score: 10

The Tap Dopplebock
Tap -- Publick House & Monk's Cell
dan had to get this being from haverhill. and i, not knowing the tap even had a dopplebock had to steal a sip. muddled aroma, sweet malt taste with distinctive sour mash of dopplebock's not emerging until very end. this didn't work for either of us, and i think dan would consider my score generous.
Score: 4

Victory Bags Packed Porter
Tap -- Publick House & Monk's Cell
victory is as traditional a brewer as you will find, and this porter is no exception. deep brown with reddish tint, emphasis on roastiness all around, smooth with moderate body. a solid, if unadventurous porter.
Score: 7

Salem Beer Works

Salem Beer Works
278 Derby Street, Salem, MA

shockingly, this was my first trip to a beer works. i have a feeling the salem site was more my speed since i have heard from many people that the boston locations tend to take on more of a clubbing atmosphere... but on a snowy new years eve up in salem, my friends and i nearly had this place to ourselves. a nice brick building that is going for that "trendy industrial" look, if you know what i mean. big bar, pool table, window into the brewery. twelve plus beers on tap by my count -- awesome! looks like they come out with five or so new seasonals at a time too. beers themselves were good, not great. i had a couple of flights, and really liked the paper they provided with a color spectrum and space for tasting notes (although they did write the beer names over the notes section...) the real flaw though was that our server switched the strong ale and pumpkin beer (at least a mistake i could catch...) that and their food was pretty bad. overall though, a definite thumbs up!
Atmosphere: 4/5, Selection: 9/10, Quality: 6/10, Service: 4/5, Overall: 10/20, Total: 33/50
Total rating: B+

Beer Works Black Bat Stout
Sample -- Beer Works, Salem
sweet coffee aroma and taste... mouthfeel is too lively for a stout and quite watery... if there was a weakness in their beer menu it was in their dark beers.
Score: 5

Beer Works Bunker Hill Blueberry
Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

with half a pint of blueberries floating inside, this obviously was not a beer i ordered but tasted from my fiance. very spiced for a blueberry beer, with lots of nutmeg... good angle. some body too it, but light and smooth enough to be sessionable. i think one of the highest ratings i have given a blueberry beer.
Score: 7

Beer Works North Shore Light
Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

again, a beer a borrowed from my friend rebecca. she was going for closest beer to bud light, and i thought it was pretty close with that corn adjunct taste. didn't meet bud light's standards for her though...

Score: 3

Beer Works Pumpkinhead Ale
Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

just what you would expect. spice comes through at finish. nothing memorable here.

Score: 5

Beer Works Saison Nouveau

Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

maybe my favorite beer of the night. served a little too cold, so aroma is minimal. taste however is both tangy and spicy taste with some nice flavorful hops. light, crispness makes this very sessionable. i think having a farmhouse ale is a great idea for a winter seasonal.

Score: 8

Beer Works Salem American Pale Ale

Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

my other top pick. sweet aroma and hops know role in taste... a perfect balance. very nice beer. i would have bought a growler had it been available.

Score: 8

Beer Works Tell Tale Lager

Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

malts are light and flavorful, something you don't get bogged down in. an excellent darker session beer. my guess would be that they were trying to copy sam adam's boston lager...

Score: 7

Beer Works The Grinch

Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

an english strong ale. all spice on nose... distinctive yeast and alcohol characterize taste. i might have enjoyed this more if i wasn't tasting it expecting a pumpkin beer...

Score: 6

Beer Works Winter Works

Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

spicy, yeasty, citrusy. again, i like the direction they went with their winter seasonals as tastefully spiced, sessionable beers, rather than heavy, muddled malty beers.

Score: 7

Beer Works Witch City Red

Sample -- Beer Works, Salem

strawberry blonde in color, with an earthy malt flavor. hops are relegated to the background here, when i would have liked them to step forward a little more. that said, this was my friend george's favorite beer of the night.

Score: 5