- Buzz on Beer -

First Ska Brewing beer I’ve had and it is FANTASTIC. A very very solid IPA
(one of the best I’ve had in awhile - reminds me of Southern Tiers
IPA)….plus it comes in can, which is fun. I can never remember if I’ve
had some Sierra Nevada brews - I just need to come to the conclusion that
I’ve had them all. For some reason I thought I hadn’t had the Porter, but I
have. It’s good….it’s Sierra Nevada. -Drew

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- Edison is a purposefully light beer (“Brewed to be Light” reads the
label) that is indeed light. Unfortunately this also means “light” on flavor
and “light” on awesomeness. There’s really just not a lot to it. But, having
said that, I still get one almost every time I visit Houston’s in Boston.
And hey, if you’re looking for light, this definitely beats Bud, Miller,
Coors, and the gang. — Zach

I really like Port Brewing. All of their brews are consistently good and
have not disappointed me yet. They don’t do anything crazy, just standard
simply good (that makes sense right?). They also do a Black & Tan (which
far too few brewers do) that is really really good. Anyways, this IPA is
really good - reminds me a little bit of Racer 5. Haven’t had the Bell’s
Pale Ale yet, but will comment when I do. - Drew

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It’s been awhile for me here, but let’s get back into the swing of things
with a GREAT mixer. Feel like I’m beating a dead horse here, but Big Sky is
making a very strong push for my brewer of the year. I had had the two
beers on the right (IPA & Moose Drool), but not the two beers on the left
(Trout Slayer & Pale Ale). First, the names of their beers rock (Trout
Slayer, Scape Goat, & Moose Drool….how do you beat that?). Secondly and
more importantly, the beers are so good. The Trout Slayer is a wheat brew,
which I usually don’t care for, but liked this one quite a bit. The Pale
Ale was also very very good. If I’m back east next year, I will certainly
miss the accessibility of Big Sky here in the Midwest.

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— Enjoying the dog days of summer at the BMW in IL - with some imported fun. —Grant

I was pretty excited to try this one, as Dogfish Head is generally
infallible (even with its weirder beers), but the Shelter Pale Ale was
surprisingly disappointing. Basically it was just a “blah” beer. Not bad by
any stretch, but really failed to live up to the brewery’s legacy of awesome
beers. Normally when I don’t love a Dogfish Head it’s because the beer is
too intense/flavored/hopped/something - and oddly, the Shelter was pretty
much lacking intensity/flavor/hops/something. There’s just not a lot to it.
If you’re a Dogfish Head fan, you’ll try this anyway. But if not, it’s a
fair one to skip. — Zach

— This was a top contender for my 2008 BOTY (Beer Of The Year) award and
I’m excited it’s back in season. The concept here is that hops are a
seasonal crop, but beer is a daily drink. Sierra Nevada imports hops from
New Zealand (I think) during our off-season - their in season - to make the
freshest, hoppiest, most delicious beer. The only downside I see is that it
only comes in big bottles, but it’s really one of my favorites. — Zach

— Continuing the micro-brew-in-a-can series, I tried out a few from Oskar
Blues, a CO based brewery. The Pale Ale was interesting in a few ways: it
wasn’t very pale but was sort of red, it was bit more bubbly than I expected
but also delicious! Surprisingly strong and really good, I never would have
called this a Pale Ale, but whatever category it goes in, I like it. —
Zach

— After over a month off from posting, I have a lot saved up and ready to
go, starting with a series of microbrews in cans. I’d heard great things
about SF’s 21st Amendment brewery and its IPA does not disappoint. It almost
has a little sweetness to its aftertaste, which was nice, but overall a
pretty tasty beer. 21st also makes a watermelon beer, which I’ll likely not
try anytime soon… but thought it was worth noting for any fruit beer
enthusiasts. — Zach

Otter Creek’s Imperial IPA:

Picked up this delicious brew in VT this weekend, part of Otter Creek’s
special series. The Imperial certainly lives up to its name at 11% abv - a
good kick, but surprisingly not overpowered by the alcohol. The hop finish
is outstanding - one of the best in recent memory. The biggest surprise to
me was the light color - indicated pretty accurately in the picture -
representative of a lager, but it has a deep and rich taste. I strongly
recommend! —-Zach

Drew: Saranac’s 6 Beers of Summer: I drank them all the time in college and it was wonderful to see this mix pack at the store. It was an easy decision to purchase. I had the Helles Lager, Pale Pale Ale, and the Rye Pilsener. They were all great. —

Drew: Shipyard’s Captain Collection: I always grab a Shipyard mix pack when I get home to Maine. This one, unfortunately, was packed incorrectly with only 3 beers! They’re all good though. I like the new Summer Ale label as well. —

Drew: What’s wrong here?: —

Rock Bottom’s Cinco De Mayo - Jalapeno Beer!: Drew was in Boston this weekend, which meant it was beer time. Specifically, Rock Bottom. I’m not always the biggest advocate for Rock Bottom beer, but even a perfectly well lit picture wouldn’t do this enigma of brewing the justice it deserves. Rock Bottom’s Cinco De Mayo beer has a distinct smell, and an even more shocking taste, of jalapeno pepper. Truly like nothing I’ve ever had before. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad - actually really tasty. Like the way a chocolate stout has the chocolaty tint - this had a peppery tint. I can’t say it was the most refreshing beer, but definitely one of the most interesting I’ve had in a while. (Also, seen next to Improper Hopper IPA, also pretty good.) —Zach

Thomas Hooker’s Hop Meadow IPA: I drank a lot of Thomas Hooker when I lived in CT a few years ago - it’s really good quality beer and definitely underrated due to its relatively low distribution. This is actually the first time I’ve seen it outside of CT and had to jump on it. It’s got a strong hop kick to it, almost reminiscent of Harpoon’s IPA - in, of course, a really awesome way. — Zach