Hear Ye, HEAR YE!!!

The ACBF is at the Seaport World Trade center June 19th and 20th. I was hoping that we would be able to make this event our June meeting (I know, we don't even have a May event scheduled yet), but with this kind of thing, tickets are involved, and the good sessions sell out quickly. Corey(seeker) and I (spleeb) thought that the Saturday night Session Two(6-9:30pm) would be the time when the most of us could attend. I am planning on purchasing my tickets within the next day or so, please, PLEASE let me know if you guys think another time would be better for the bunch!!! Here is the link(http://beeradvocate.com/acbf/) to the site where you can find out all the info and purchase tickets!

Saison!!!

Tuedsay night: Hamburgers, baked beans, salad, and Great Divide Saison. Mmmm, what a combo. The lady and I enjoyed a 22 of this wonderfully crafted saison which lived up to the description on the bottle as well as the preconceived notions in my head. It tasted just like I imagined it, slight hay on the nose, some citrus, some spice. A nice fluffy head poured into a over sized wine goblet, hazy golden color, everything seemed just right!

Wednesday night: Lemon-Spinach pesto atop grilled chicken breast, roasted garlic-rosemary potatoes, and zucchini on the grill, and Pretty Things Jack D' Or "saison americain". To be honest, one of my best coordinated and timed grill experiences of my life, and my excitement only grew as I opened the cap on the saison. A surprising rush of hops to the nose, I thought, well, this is a nice surprise. But alas, I must put it a hair behind the Great Divide from the night before. Trust me, this is a very good beer, it went very well with the lemon in my pesto, and I am enjoying it as I write this, especially in that crystal wine glass, but it seems just a hair less focused than the previous, something seems to be missing. Hmm, very interested in trying some other offerings by Pretty Things, Drink Local!

Saison?

Just finished reading about Saison style beers and I cant wait to grab a few bottles and jump in. Luckily, Corey found a cheaper spot in Porter Sq. to get Fantome, so I am now in possession of two bottles, one to try and one to age. I'd love to hear others thoughts or ideas on the style!

Allagash Tripel Reserve

I've had this in my fridge for about a week and last night I couldn't wait any longer! It was corked, champagne style, and the label said it was suitable for cellaring to further develop the flavors of this Belgian style ale. Soooo...... I popped it open and poured it into my trusty tulip glass. It had a medium dense white head that faded not too quickly into a solid 1/8 inch which remained for the duration of the session, suggesting a silky mouth feel. It had a fantastic golden-orange-yellow color and gave up distinctly sweet aromas of bright tropical fruit. It was not overly carbonated with a honey-sweet background that finished very crisp and lingered nicely on the palate for some time. Despite it's full and complex flavor, this tripel managed to retain a perfectly light and balanced profile which, even with it's 9.0% ABV, makes this delicious version of a Belgian Ale, a perfect companion for a relaxing summer's evening, sitting on the porch, watching the cars go by.

Oh, and it's brewed in Portland Maine, so when you drink this you not only get a great local beer but you're supporting local business too! I give this guy an A+

SATURDAY NIGHT!!!!

Sorry, but I cannot contain my excitement. Its my kinda Friday/Saturday night wrapped up in one. Two grueling days at the FB+C, its "Miller Time" as the kids say. After picking up my bottle of Fantome this week and rushing it to the basement to avoid the beer interrogation, I passed on buying the second bottle to drink immediately. Maybe next week, after payday. I hope I haven't hyped this one up too much for you guys, I am expecting nothing less than a mind blowing experience.

Other than that, stopped by the place I don't like to go that's closest to my house to pick up a variety pack. I'm kind of into them these days as I try and develop my beer palate. It was hard choice between Brooklyn and Geary's. I went with Geary's because Corey(aka Seeker) gave me an article about drinking locally, and Portland is just within the 100 mile radius. More to follow tomorrow!

A special shout out to Corey and Shaun for their posts and comments! Keep 'em coming, looking forward to trying the Mayflower IPA and skipping the Long Trail Belgian White.

Also open to suggestions and dates for our May meeting, I know I cant wait to have another beer with all of you!

Long Trail Belgian White

A cloudy hay-yellow coloring with a fluffy white head that quickly dissipated. Smells of old grass, lemon and some spice. Lemon taste at first, hint of coriander, hint of some spice that I'm not picking up on. Maybe clove? Not sure that I like it. Spice and mild hops with a lingering yeast taste. A pleasantly light mouthfeel and decent carbonation. Overall I was not a fan. Something about the smell and taste that I just didn't like. I would probably not buy it again.

Another Chance?

Well, this one did surprise me a little bit. An unfiltered lager with just the right amount of hops. Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm sure I am, but I'm not sure that I have ever had an unfiltered lager before (Please someone tell me that I have!). I have been drinking so much ale lately, trying this, testing that, lagers for me have gone by the wayside. But this one did stand tall, nice floral notes, slight sweetness to the nose, well balanced and pretty tasty. There may be hope for these arrogant brewers....

High & Mighty?

I had a bottle of Brew Dog in one hand and a bottle of Pretty Things in the other. Something made me put both of these down and pick up two bottles of High & Mighty, excited about a western MA brew, but I think I regret my decision. I tried The St. Hubbins Abbey last night, which was decent at best, the wife didn't really like it at all. It had a delicate flavor with hops poking through here and there, but not enough to be memorable. Saw a twitter post from the BA guys this morning, saying the guy from High&Mighty denounced all American hops, maybe that clouded my judgement. Overall, after looking at their website you can tell that they truly believe in and embrace their name.

Special Mayflower/Cambridge Conference Collaboration

Just saw some posts about a special Belgian IPA on tap in the city in honor of the Craft Brewers Conference. Keep your eyes out for it, I might just have to sneak out for a pint. Its called the "The Audacity of Hops", available on tap at :Redbones, Cambridge Common, The Other Side Cafe, Bukowski’s, Deep Elum, Public House, The Roadhouse, Sunset Grill and Tap, among other places. Grab some before its too late!

Craft Brewers Conference in town this week

Its a big beer week in Boston boys, here is a link to the BA calendar, sounds like there might be some fun to be had! http://beeradvocate.com/events/calendar

If you do end up heading out this week to any of the events, let us know all about it. Some of us with wives and kids can live vicariously through you!

Heavy Seas 'Sunken Sampler' 12 pack

Ok, I'm not one to try out beer that I have never ever heard of before, but this variety pack of 'big beers' wouldn't let me leave the store without it.

The one I picked up Friday night included 3 bottles of the following:

1) Small Craft Warning Über pils

Hops: Amarillo, Saaz, Hersbrucker and Tettnang

Malts: German Pils and Carapils

ABV: Approx. 7.25%

2) Peg Leg Imperial Stout

Hops: Fuggles and Styrian Goldings

Malts: English Pale, Crystal, Chocolate and Black BarleyABV: Approx. 8.0%

3) Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale

Hops: Magnum, Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo and Palisade

Malts: Crisp English Pale, Carapils, and Munich

ABV: 7.25%

4) Below Decks Barleywine

Hops: Magnum, Fuggles, Goldings

Malts: Pale, Crystal and Carapils

ABV: 10.0%

For a random buy I'm pretty pleased, its been a few weeks since having a big beer, so it was nice to start out and try one of the pilsners as I fired up the grill Friday night. Great taste from the beginning, they call it a pilsner style bock, and you can definitely taste the bock! After having some amazing sausage and peppers with an equally amazing witbier Corey gave me, I tried the Imperial stout. Ive definitely had bigger and better imperial stouts, but alas it was pretty good. Deep chocolate and coffee shows through and lingers on and on. Last night I got home from work, took a quick ride on my bike and then dove into their IPA, which according to their website has so much hops "3 pounds per barrel! Also the beer is hopped 3 ways - in the kettle, in the hop back, and dry hopped". I must say, slightly sweet, floral and fruity, it was a nice treat and I cant wait to go back for another! I finished my night with the Barleywine, sweet and smooth, wishing I hadn't put them all in the fridge and kept a few out to vintage as the bottles recommended. Oh well, maybe next variety pack!

In the beginning....

There is a guy sitting at his computer at 6:45am on a Sunday morning. He has a vision: a blog for newly formed beer club, where members can connect, talk about beer, tastings, pairings, brewing, basically everything and anything beer. I know this has been done before, its nothing revolutionary, but hey, a guy's gotta dream right?

I hope you all enjoy this as much as we all enjoy beer, hopefully we can have a little fun with this. This is a no pressure, no commitment, no hassle blog, contribute if you like, its up to you!

I have added a few features on the side bar, a links area where we can post links to articles, events, etc. as well as our "Wish List". This is how the wish list works, you post a beer in the wish list with your name next to it in (parentheses). If someone sees that beer in their journeys they have two options. 1) Be a good sport and buy the beer knowing full well you will be paid back promptly ,or 2) Contact the person and let them know where you spotted their wish list item.

Enough with the rules, lets have some fun and drink some great beers!