Ten Spring Seasonals

This Winter has been a tough one but Spring is finally here and so are the Sox and playoff Hockey.

Seasonals are fun beers that let a brewer show off their brewing skills making special beers to celebrate the particular time of year.  We get heavier spiced beers in the Winter and lighter fruity beers in the Summer.  As the days get longer and the temperatures start to rise, America’s craft brewers are celebrating the upcoming season by releasing their spring favorites. With these offerings, you can often expect a lighter-bodied beer with bright and fresh flavors that herald the coming of warm weather, barbeques, and spending time outdoors. Five I have tried:

Glimmerglass Spring Saison | Brewery Ommegang
Cooperstown, NY

ABV: 5.4 | Rating: 90

Located in Cooperstown New York, once the epicenter of US Hop production, the brewery was built on 136 acres of land that used to be a hop farm. Using water from deep artisan wells and local ingredients, Ommegang brews award winning Belgian style ales.

Glimmerglass is a Spring Saison that is named after the lake that is nestled between the gentle mountains that surround Cooperstown.  The beer is deep straw to light amber in color with a thick, pure white head. The saison yeast strain gives off fruity aromas of pear, apple and slight citrus balanced with a delicate floral hop character and a touch of spiciness. Taste is very clean, with pronounced fruit flavors, delicate bready malt followed by welcomed spicing. Crisp finish with lingering yet subtle notes of yeast and touches of fruity pepper. We enjoyed this very much!

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Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam IPA | Koochenvagner Brewing Company (Stone Brewing)
Escondido, California
ABV: 8.2 | Rating: 92

Released on February 10, 2014, this over-the-top IPA hails from Stone Brewing, even though it's cleverly disguised as a creation by Koochenvagner's Brewing Company (which is the actual DBA of Stone, named after co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner). This hop monster logs in at 95 IBUs, just shy of the 100 maximum that the human palate is believed to be capable of tasting. It's hopped with Centennial, Chinook and Magnum, known for their citrusy character. The word "stochastic" means involving a random variable, but in this case, the variable is not that random. Instead, for good measure, the brew is dry hopped with more Centennial and an immense dose of hand-zested fresh grapefruit peel providing intense citrus fruit. It's the ultimate citrus-hop bomb, but you may be surprised to find the bitterness is balanced and does not overwhelm, lingering long after you've swallowed.

Hazy golden orange with tropical and citrus aroma. Hoppy and intense the grapefruit dominates.  Well balanced, crisp and delicious.  Bitter but not scorching.  I loved this beer.

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Spring Training IPA| Cambridge Brewing Company
Cambridge, Massachusetts
ABV: 6.0 | Rating: 85
CBC’s “Spring Training” breezes in like a breath of fresh air, ready to awaken your senses from a long, strange winter. Crafted of New England-grown pale and wheat malts to contribute to the beer’s complex body and hazy straw-golden color.

Bright and fresh a light bodied IPA perfect for Spring!

Ahtanum and Palisades hops, both relative newcomers on the hop varietal scene, were chosen for their essence of wildflowers and freshly-cut grass, evocative of floral springtime breezes. This is in contrast to the piney, earthy and resiny characteristics of most IPAs. But don’t worry that these “pretty” hops won’t deliver a strong punch- in addition to extensive kettle hopping the beer is dry-hopped with even more Ahtanums to satisfy your hop craving. Available only during the brief Boston springtime!

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 Fluffy White Rabbits Hoppy Triple | Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Somerville, Massachusetts
ABV: 8.5 | Rating: 90
Each Spring Pretty Things makes a pale gold, hoppy triple called Fluffy White Rabbits. This is a fun and Springy beer. In Yorkshire, they say “White Rabbits” on the first of the month for luck.

The beer is 8.5% abv, with Saaz, Styrian Goldings and Strisselspalt hops added aplenty.  There’s a faint sweetness with tropical fruit undertones. Fluffy White Rabbits is a very “Pretty Things” take on a Triple.  Using the finest ingredients around: malts from Weyermann (Germany) and Fawcett (Yorkshire) in this beer.

 Nicely balanced hoppy triple. Some sweetness balanced by a floral hop backbone.

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Durty Brown Ale | Smuttynose Brewing CompanyPortsmouth, New Hampshire

ABV: 8.4 | Rating: 80

Brown and Hoppy - a rare pairing. But that’s the best way to describe Durty, Smuttynose Brewing Company’s new “mud season” ale. Take the caramelly notes of a brown ale, pair them with the hop aroma and flavor of a double IPA, and you’re right in this beer’s wheelhouse.

Durty is delicious balance of two styles. It has enough “oomph” to get you through the chilly nights and frosty mornings of early spring, but the light body and big hop flavor will awaken your tongue and senses for the coming warm weather. And at 8.4%, you won’t mind the extra mopping and snow cleaning that comes along with the seasonal thaw.

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And a five on my list to try...

Sunny RidgePilsner | Jack's Abbey
Framingham, Massachusetts

 ABV: 5.1 | Rating: NR

This aromatic lager features a sunshine hue, herbal noble hop nose, and a dry finish. We balance pilsner malt with a blend of European hops and polish it with extended periods of cold conditioning. You're royalty, now drink like it!

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                                                      Alpine Spring White Ale | Sam Adam's Brewing

Boston, Massachusetts

ABV: 5.3 | Rating: NR

The Boston Beer Company prides itself on offering beers for every season. Stirring from the haze of winter, this refreshing unfiltered White Ale awakens its smooth wheat with the bright snap of spring spices.  From the subtle sweetness of orange peel and plum to the peppery bite of fresh ground coriander, the blend of spices creates just the right refreshing kick to signal that spring is on its way.

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Southern Hemisphere Fresh Harvest IPA | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.    Chico, California

ABV: 6.7 | Rating: NR

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is known for using only fresh full-cone hops, so what's a brewery to do when hops are only harvested in late summer? The harvest season for hops is a painfully short window—that precious time when the hops are bursting with intense aromatics. Luckily for us, harvest comes twice a year: once in each hemisphere. Southern Hemisphere features fresh New Zealand hops that are picked, dried, and shipped to our brewery within seven days. The result is a complex beer that showcases the floral and herbal flavors and aromas of Southern Cross, Pacifica, and Motueka hops. Southern Hemisphere is part of our five-bottle Harvest series which features single hop, fresh hop, wet hop, and wild hop beers.

Last Year this was amazing! Available May 2014.

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Harpoon Long Thaw White IPA | Harpoon Brewery    

Boston, Massachusetts

ABV: 6.2 | Rating: NR

“Spring” in New England is a fickle friend. So we brewed a beer that could carry us through the January cold while hinting at warmer days ahead. With notes of orange peel and coriander, the soft mouthfeel of a Belgian wit, and an intense hop profile, The Long Thaw White IPA combines the warming backbone of an IPA with citrus notes indicative of the coming spring. “Spring” in New England may be indecisive, but we can help make one decision a little easier.

With notes of orange peel and coriander, the soft mouthfeel of a Belgian wit, and an intense hop profile, The Long Thaw White IPA combines the warming backbone of an IPA with citrus notes indicative of the coming spring. The Long Thaw is brewed to complement both cold-weather fun and the eagerness of warmer weather ahead.

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Irish Red Red Ale | Wormtown Brewery   

Worcester, Massachusetts

ABV: 65.0 | Rating: NR

Wormtown is one of the hottest breweries in Massachusetts. They created this to be a medium to light bodied red ale with light toasty malt aroma. It is reddish copper in color,with a caramel malt flavor and a light and dry roasted finish. A smooth and easy drinking Irish Ale.

Go Bruins!

Portland To Host Sierra Nevada Beer Camp

Portland Will Host Sierra Nevada Beer Camp

Aces High

If you like Saisons give Brooklyn Sorachi Ace a try...a fine representation of the Belgian Farmhouse beer, I enjoyed a few at the Thirsty Moose in Portsmouth.

Most Brooklyn beers are made with a blend of hop varietals. As a chef does with spices, we look to get the best qualities of each hop and create a harmony of flavors and aromas. However, a few years ago, our brewmaster ran into a hop unique enough to deserve its own moment in the sun. A large Japanese brewery first developed the hop variety “Sorachi Ace” in 1988. A cross between the British “Brewer’s Gold” and the Czech “Saaz” varieties, it exhibited a quality that was unexpected – it smelled really lemony.

The unique flavor of Sorachi Ace was bypassed by the big brewers, but we thought it was pretty cool. So we made a special beer with it, and added the beer to our Brewmaster’s Reserve special draft beer program last year. Most Brewmaster’s Reserve beers are only available for a short time, and then they’re gone. But we liked this one so much, we decided to bring it back and give it the star treatment. Brooklyn Sorachi Ace is a classic saison, a cracklingly dry, hoppy unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, but made entirely with now-rare Sorachi Ace hops grown by a single farm in Washington. We ferment it with our special Belgian ale strain, and then add more Sorachi Ace hops post-fermentation. After the dry-hopping, the beer emerges with a bright spicy lemongrass / lemon zest aroma backed by a wonderfully clean malt flavor.

It tastes like sunshine in a glass, and that suits us just fine, especially with seafood dishes and fresh cheeses. It’s just the thing on nice summer days and beyond.

Belgian Saison "Farmhouse Ale"| 7.6% ABV
Rating: 95

Brew Free or Die – NH Nano-Breweries are Springing Up All Over The State

By Eric Cioffi

My recent trip to Hampton and the Blue Lobster Brewing Co. was my first time at a Nano-brewery. What is a nano-brewery? Good question. I had do some research to find out. What I found was, thanks to a newly enacted beer friendly piece of legislation, small scale brewing operations are now allowed to brew and sell up to 2,000 barrels a year. These new nano-breweries are springing up all over New Hampshire.



These breweries are an increasingly popular segment of the craft brewing world and they’ve been growing in New Hampshire. Many of these breweries don’t brew more than one batch at a time. Nano-breweries are considered by many to be the natural evolution of the home brewer’s art. These small-batch entrepreneurs are all about producing and drinking craft beer locally - and they’re a vibrant addition to the “Granite State’s” regional economy. Under the old laws small brewers were limited to selling only one case of beer per person. While this amount may seem more than adequate, often customers traveled significant distances, especially during their vacations, and wanted to bring back local beer to share with friends and families. A case of quality beer does not last long, so many people wanted to take home several cases.

Fresh Delicious Beer!

New Hampshire is the only state in the nation to recognize and codify nano-breweries as separate from large-scale beverage manufacturers. In doing so, the state lowered certain Prohibition-era liquor limitations that make it hard for the little guys to get a license, open a tap room and get brewing. Under the new nano-brewery law, brewers cannot sell beer to wholesale distributors, and so must self-distribute or sell only on-premise. However, the one case limit no longer exists. For those seeking a tasty craft brew, the options are increasing. Other states in the Northeast, like Maine and Vermont, have laws that grant some exemptions to smaller breweries. These state laws do nothing to ease the federal licensing process—a requirement for all commercial brewers—but as demand for craft brews continues to grow, hopefully more small breweries will emerge and states will take further action to support their development.

A year and a half after the nano-brewery law went into effect, New Hampshire has seven nano-breweries, and a few more on the way. If you love good beer you have to be excited about this. Truly local artisans producing quality beer in small batches with the ability to experiment and try out new styles…wow I have some “research” to do.

Fat Jack Double Pumpkin

Sam Adams Fat Jack

By Jeff Purcell

Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin is part of the brewery's Small Batch Series. The Small Batch brews are big, bold and flavorful. These beers are meant to be savored and enjoyed slowly. True inspiration for the Small Batch Beers is bred from a respect for the craft and gives Sam Adam's brewers the chance to try new things and experiment with ingredients. The results can be amazing.

This rich and luscious brew indulges in flavor with over 28 lbs. of pumpkin per barrel, for a full bodied sweetness and deep russet color.  Classic pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice ignite a warmth and spark that’s deepened by an undercurrent of roasty smoked malts.  The result is a delectable brew full of enveloping layers of flavor and spice.

 

This is definitely one of the best Pumpkin Ales I've ever had. It poured nice and dark with a serious aroma of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Unlike many pumpkin ales it didn't overwhelm. While the hint of spice is there, the beer is still just that, a beer. It is sweet initially, then the caramel and pumpkin pie spice really takes over for a nice finish. It is full-bodied but not heavy. The spices augment the beer and make this a true positive drinking experience.

This is really good stuff!

 

Jeff Purcell Angler and Beer Aficionado

Blue Lobster Brewing

Blue Lobster Brewing in Seacoast New Hampshire
By Eric Cioffi

It was a gloomy drizzly Saturday with nothing much going on.  I managed to cut the lawn before the rain started and got a few things done around the house.  Played with Jackson for a while then decided to head over the boarder to the New Hampshire Seacoast to check out Blue Lobster brewing in Hampton.  Located in a nice little strip mall on Lafayette Road the tasting room is set up with a number of high top tables and a nice blue stone bar.  Four beers were available for tasting at the unbelievable price of $1.00 a glass.  The samples were poured into 5 ounce snifters with the Blue Lobster logo on them.  A very generous sample for a dollar!  The owner was behind the bar and we chatted for a bit.  He spent some time in Oregon where he was influenced by the west coast style of beer.  Blue Lobster’s beers are definitely hop forward!

 

I started with their flagship beer the Gold Claw American Pale Ale.  This is a fantastic brew!  The beer was a clear pale yellow in color with a nice white head.  Aromas were of citrus and slightly sweet tropical notes.  Very carbonated and crisp; the ale is medium bodied and hoppy.  You get some resinous hop up front, which is followed quickly by citrus and pine.  The hops are balanced nicely by toasty biscuity malt.  The finish is bitter but not overwhelmingly so.  I picked up a growler for the Patriot’s game tomorrow.

 

The Black Claw Stout was very good.  Plenty of roasted malt and chocolate with some hop bitterness.  A dry stout with plenty of carbonation and flavor.  Smooth and balanced.  One of the better stouts I have had that is not Guinness.

Next up was the Ragged Neck Porter.  My past experience with porters has not been good and I generally stay away.  Usually sticky sweet and heavy, they reminded me of cough syrup.  I was in for a very pleasant surprise with the Ragged Neck.  It was crisp and dry with a medium body.  The brew master uses peat in the brewing process, which imparts a wonderful smoky flavor that stays in the background adding depth without being obnoxious.  Dark but not bitter it was a great beer.  I picked up a half growler.

The final beer on tap was A Life Of Sundays, a wee heavy scotch ale weighing in at 10% ABV.  I never tried a wee heavy before.  It was very good, sweet but not overly so.  It was balanced by a measured hop bitterness.  Lightly carbonated and very smooth.  Flavors of honey, rich caramel, and roasted malt with a subtle bitterness at the end. ABV is very well disguised. The finish is mellow and smooth with a lingering sweetness. A great winter beer.

I also picked up a bottle of Little Lobster on the Prairie, a Farmhouse Saison that is lightly hopped with Galaxy hops and fermented with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.  I will be cracking that for the Sox game.  I was very impressed with these beers and will definitely be back to try more!

Go Sox!

 

MassWhole HefeWeizen

Wormtown Brewery - MassWhole HefeWeizen

By Eric Cioffi
 

The days are getting shorter, football season has started, the kids are back to school, and summer is just about over. With all the end of summer gatherings, the tempestuous change in routines, and crazy work schedules, it has been a busy time over here at Hoppy Daze and I am finally getting caught up.  This review is of a delightful wheat beer from Worcester’s Wormtown Brewing and finishes off my assortment of wheat beers.

The Wormtown Brewery is located in Worcester Massachusetts in the same building as Peppercorns restaurant. Opening to the public in the spring of 2010, Wormtown prides itself on using local ingredients whenever possible and has been delivering a vast array of truly unique craft beers.

The name Wormtown is based on the nickname that was foisted on the city during the late 1970’s when there was a punk rock explosion in the area. The independent Wormtown Punk Press covered the music and art scene and hit a nerve in the city. Those who were entranced with punk picked up on the name Wormtown and adopted it quickly to represent themselves and their emerging culture.

Not everyone identifies with Wormtown. Not everyone is involved with the underground music scene, and not everyone is a fan of punk. But the name has stuck and has been adopted by countless Worcester citizens because it symbolizes and embraces the free spirited do-it-yourself ethic that is simply Worcester. Wormtown Brewery has that same spirit - they are creating something unique to add to the mix in of the city. Will it change Worcester the way music did back in the late '70s? Who knows. But one thing is for sure, there is nothing that goes better with good music than good beer.

MassWhole HefeWeizen

All of the ingredients in every batch of Mass Whole are Massachusetts grown. Brewed with 4 Star (Northfield) Wheat and Magnum hops, and Czajkowski grown (Hadley) Valley Malted barley. Bavarian style unfiltered wheat beer with spicy clove and banana aroma. Pale straw color with cloudiness from wheat protein and yeast. Clove and banana continue into the flavor complimented by sweet wheat malt. Medium light body with a spicy dry finish.

Wormtown's take on the classic German style pours a cloudy pale straw color into a weizen glass from a 22 ounce bottle.  A full fluffy head of white foam lingers and draws silky lacing as the bubbles slowly recede. The aroma is clean and carries hints of citrus, banana, clove and sweet bread.

The first sip reveals a medium body with a high degree of carbonation leading to subtle clove spices with citrus and tropical flavors.  With just a hint of tartness, it is not overwhelmed by the Bavarian yeast.  The beer is crisp and smooth, refreshing and easy to drink. For those who want to give German style wheats a try this is an excellent entry into the style.  It is more like an American wheat, yet this ale presents a complicated flavor profile without being overbearing.  This has become my favorite wheat beer and I highly recommend you grab a bottle if you see one.

Bavarian Wheat | 4.9% ABV

Rating: 93