Tuesday Night Tasting - Wachusett Brewing Co: Larry Imperial IPA

Wachusett Brewing Co - Westminster, MA
The Public House Series - Larry Imperial IPA
1pt 6oz. 7.5% ABV, 85IBU

I had first tried the Larry Imperial IPA at the Curtis Liquors' Fall Beer Tasting, and picked up a bottle while I was there. I'm not quite sure why I didn't open it earlier, but nevertheless, I was glad I did last night!



The bottle pours a smooth body and great foamy head, which likes to take its time working its way down. It leaves nice traces on the glass to show you where it has been. The color is a nice golden and copper hue most often found in a good IPA. The aroma is pungently citrusy, piney, yet clean. You can definitely smell the hops on this one!

After my first sip, I said out loud, "Man, is that good!" Nerdy? Yes. True? Yes. So what? Who cares?

Anyway, Larry is a perfect blend of bitterness, subtle maltyness, and hop character. While it's less intense than other Imperial IPAs, that shouldn't discount the fact that this is one hell of a beer! The brew has a full, but not heavy mouth feel. It certainly coats the entire palate, but doesn't linger very long. It has a subtle aftertaste, which makes it hard to resist going back for another sip.

I really wish this beer came in six or twelve packs, because it is that good. I would definitely buy more, and drink more. You could definitely get through 1-2 bombers, but be careful as Larry carries a 7.5% ABV.

Liquor, Beer, Wine Sales Tax to End Jan 1st

It was reported in yesterday's Boston Globe that the Massachusetts' 6.25% Sales Tax on liquor, beer, and wine will officially end on Friday of this week!

We posted in November urging our readers to Vote "YES!" on Question #1, and the vote passed by a ratio of 10-to-1. Originally a non-binding ballot question, there was curiosity to find out if the tax would ultimately be repealed. Thankfully it is going into effect!

Brew England Visits: Chicago, Part IV

So after a good night's rest, we headed downstairs to the Markethouse (our hotel's restaurant) for breakfast. Aside from a good meal, we needed to figure out what we were going to do that day.

See, when we were planning out our trip, we thought it would be funny/cool to rent a car and drive to Milwaukee for a few hours...simply to say we went to Milwaukee. I mean, from what I hear they have some good brewpubs like the Milwaukee Ale House, Milwaukee Brewing Co. and a few others I can't recall. But, aside from beer, I'm not quite sure what else is there. Anyway, we decided that we could get more done if we stayed in Chicago, which is what we did.

After we finished out meals, we headed to the Magnificent Mile to catch the bus. We were on our way to the Sears Tower. Now, technically it is called the Willis Tower, but no respectable long-time Chicagoan will EVER refer to it as anything other than the Sears Tower. It just doesn't happen.

Nevertheless, after a short line for the security check in, we were on the elevator to the pinnacle of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and 5th tallest building in the world.



Here are some quick stats:

From the Skydeck at the top of the Sears Tower is a massive 1,353 feet (412 meters for the metric crowd) from the ground, perched on the 103rd floor, and has a speedy elevator that takes approximately 60 seconds to ascend to the top. The building itself is 1,450 feet tall and 110 stories in all. On a good day, you can see four states. Fortunately it was a mostly clear day, and we could see all of Chicago, and DEFINITELY get an idea for how unbelievably massive Lake Michigan is.

We poked around the deck, which is similar to the Top of the Hub in Boston, and even spent a few quarters trying to find Wrigley Stadium through a view finder (no such luck...).




We also "dared to stand out" onto the Ledge, which is four separate glass boxes which literally allow you to stand over the streets of Chicago.


Notice the Cape Ann Brewing Fisherman's Brew T-shirt!

Now, I'm not scared of heights. Flying is no big deal, and I could handle walking around the Skydeck with no issues; however, I have to admit that going out onto the Ledge is pretty nerve racking. Sure, it has to be safe, but you still get a bit freaked out being that high up without a parachute and being separated from death by only four inches or so of glass. Anyway, it was a great experience and something I'll always remember. Though, I'm sure I'll visit it again some day.

After coming back down to earth, we wanted to visit the Unity Temple, built by the amazing architect Frank Lloyd Wright, which is located in Oak Park. Due to a snafu with our Google Maps app on our Blackberry, we took the bus to a remote location which was really nowhere near it. Thankfully it was the middle of the day, as this was a part of Chicago you probably don't want to find yourself late night.

We gave up hope on finding the Temple, and instead caught a cab to the Goose Island Brew Pub in Wrigleyville for some lunch. Success! It was one of the places on our list we wanted to visit, and we were finally there.



The Goose Island pub was pretty big. You'd figure they'd have to be, considering they're only about 250 feet from historical Wrigley Field. With it only being around 1-2pm, we had no problem bellying up to the bar for lunch and several beers. Sarah ordered the turkey burger, and I got the cheddar burger (both were delicious), so while we waited for the food to come we ordered a beer flight.

The sampler came with a choice of four beers, so we went with the Green Line Pale Ale, Nut Brown Ale, Christmas Ale, and Bourbon County Stout.


L to R: Bourbon County, X-Mas, Nut Brown, Green Line

The Green Line had a nice floral aroma with a slight bitterness, the Nut Brown was malty, and a little sweet, and the Christmas Ale was also sweet, but with a nice spiciness to it. The Bourbon County Stout was something entirely different. This stout is aged in wood barrels, which completely shines through this beer. In fact, it tastes more like bourbon than it does stout...and at 13.5% ABV, it packs a serious punch. Don't be surprised to see it reviewed here soon.



We both ordered another beer before heading back out into the cold.



We thought about going to the Goose Island Clybourn location, but going to Wrigleyville was better as we could also poke around the stadium afterwards. So with our bellies full, and a nice little buzz, we walked over to Wrigley Field.




"Let's Play Two" says Ernie Banks

Unfortunately, legendary Cubs 3rd baseman and color commentator Ron Santo passed away the week prior. His funeral included a lap around Wrigley Field, which was televised on every Chicago news channel that day. We could see about four helicopters while at the Skydeck, flying down Lakeshore Drive towards the ballpark. People had made a shrine along the wall, leaving pictures, cards, and cans of beer.



We even witness a young girl jump out of a car and dart across the street to leave a memento. It was a sad day in Chicago for many sports fans, but we thought the tribute was very nice. I had never heard of Santo prior to going to Chicago, though I had heard the week before that he passed away. But to put it in perspective for Bostonians, it would be as if Jerry Remy passed away.

Before heading to the train station, we walked around and thought of how much fun it must be to go to a Cubs game. They have a Harry Cary's attached to the ballpark (go figure, right?), and have some other cool bars in the area.

We also snapped this Comcast billboard across the street:



We hopped on the Red Line back to downtown, to continue with our antics...

Stay tuned for Chicago, Part V soon!

Cold Weather Fun

So on Sunday, while snowed-in in Braintree, I spent several hours on Twitter. I saw someone post a picture of a few Miller Lights and Budweisers left outside as an auxiliary refrigerator. This in turn caused me to take a picture of my auxiliary beer fridge.

I tweeted the picture in response, which was then picked up by UniversalHub.com. I figured I would share the link with everyone! Click here to see Adam @ UH's post.

Universal Hub blogs many times per day, as well as Tweets some good stuff. Check him out at http://www.universalhub.com/!

Brew England Visits: Chicago, Part III

As we stated, the Berghoff was not too far from the Art Institute and Millennium Park. We hadn't walked through the park yet, so we headed back over after lunch.

Kind of like the Frog Pond in the Boston Common, the Loop area of Chicago has an outdoor skating rink. Just beyond the rink was our first stop - Cloud Gate, otherwise known as "The Bean".





We then made an attempt to head over to the Buckingham Fountain, but as you would expect it wasn't on. Perhaps that was because it was about 30 degrees and windy out? At any rate, we needed to warm ourselves up, so we opted to head back into the Loop to find a bar to get a drink while warming up.

We landed at Miller's Pub, located on S. Wabash. Miller's Pub was a cozy, dark, and warm place for us when we needed it. Sarah ordered one of their "famous" Tom & Jerry, which was an eggnog drink served warm. I opted for a Goose Island Honker's Ale.





We figured it'd be a good idea to head back to the hotel and rest for a little while before heading out that night with Sarah's cousin Paul and his wife Christie, but of course not before picking up some beer for that night. I ended up getting a six pack of New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale and a six pack of 2below Winter Ale. Did I mention that I fell in love with Fat Tire after the first sip?

Paul and Christie decided to take us to a very cute restaurant called Home Bistro, located on the North Side of Chicago.


Paul and Sarah happy to see each other!

HB is a very quaint and cute BYOB restaurant. Seating is extremely limited to around 40 or 50 guests, and the servers were some of the most friendly we've experienced anywhere. I have to say that we had some of the more interesting food. We ordered a few starters - escargot and crispy veal sweetbread. Both were surprisingly very delicious. For our entrees, Sarah had Kentucky Lamb burgoo, and I went with the roasted quail...though truthfully, the four of us shared each other's dishes.



Sarah's amazing entree

After dinner, a few bottles of wine, and a six pack of New Belgium beers, we headed out (into the snow) to head to iO for an improv comedy show. As we pulled up to the theater, we noticed that we were literally right down the street from the Goose Island Brew Pub Wrigleyville, a place that we would need to visit while in town. It also helped that we were about 100 feet from Wrigley Field, which I noticed as we hopped back in our cab to head back to the hotel.

All in all, quite possibly the perfect day spent in Chicago!

Stay tuned for Chicago, Part IV tomorrow!

What To Do When It Snows in Boston

...well, stock up on beer of course.

Sarah and I decided last night, of course knowing we were going to get blanketed with snow, that we were going to need to stock up on some necessities. Sure, most people get eggs, milk, and bread, but what the hell were WE supposed to do? Naturally, we had to stock up on beer!

Truthfully, we would have preferred to do it last night, but most places were closed on account of this little holiday called Christmas. But, we decided we would go either just before or after the snow started. Unfortunately, that happened to take place around 8:30am this morning.

Either way, we still had to get a few items, so we headed out. But, as you would expect, there were no package stores open when we went out. Fortunately, the snow tapered off a bit, which allowed a safe travel to one of our local places - Shop-N-Save Liquors - in Quincy.

I wound up getting a 12 pack of Red Hook WinterHook Winter Ale, as well as a Saranac Brewing Company 12 Beers of Winter mix pack.





I figured with these beers, in addition to the beers I had at home, should get me through our first major snow storm of the '10-'11 winter season. The snow has also given me the perfect excuse to blog and tweet, so don't be surprised if you see a few more posts before the end of the day!

I wonder what everyone else is drinking?

BrewEngland Visits: Berkshire Brewing Co. - Deerfield, MA

Sometime last year, Sarah's cousin Anna shared with her a bottle of Berkshire Brewing Co.'s Coffee House Porter with her. Sarah enjoyed it so much, she bought a bottle for us to try. Although I had heard about the brewery before that, it wasn't until then when I tried one of their beers for the first time. That was the day I fell in love with Berkshire Brewing Co.

Since trying the Coffee House Porter back in March of this year (which you can read about here), We have just about all of their year round beers, and several of their season offerings. So far, I'd have to say Steel Rail Ale and their Oktoberfests are my two favorite beers, but I really haven't had a bad beer by them. Because we love their beers, we decided it was time to make the trek out west to Deerfield, MA to visit their brewery.

Knowing that my friend Mike loves BBC about as much as I do, and that brewery tours are ALWAYS more fun with friends, we invited he and his wife Jenn. Our friend Andy and his brother Pat were around too, so we recruited them for the tour as well. Mike, Jenn, and Andy also attended my 30th birthday tour at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston, so I knew they would enjoy the BBC too.

Despite the traffic along the way, we arrived (just) in time for the 12pm tour. As of right now, Berkshire Brewing Co. only offers tours on Saturdays at noon, but it didn't disappoint.

When we first arrived, we filed into their tasting area. Fortunately for us, their Oktoberfest was readily available - as we went in October - so we got our first sample prior to heading into the brewhouse. Even though we got some great pictures, there were something around 75 people on the tour. According to our tour guide, they typically have about 8-12 people on the tour each weekend; however, it was the first few weeks of the new semester, so many students from UMass Amherst and other colleges decided to stop in that day.

Nevertheless, that wasn't going to stop us from having a good time!

Our first stop was the grain room. It's a rather small room, but they have quite the mill. They have their grain trucks pull up outside this garage doored room, but blow a good deal of their grain in through an air duct. Some of their specialty grains are stacked on pallets, as you can see in the picture.




The next stop was the actual brew area. BBC is set up with one mash tun and one kettle. According to our tour guide, who is also one of the brewers, the company tours five or six times per week. They have many primary and secondary fermenters, many within a cold storage area (to make lagers) which store their supply of year round beers. They also reserve a few for their seasonal beers.





We then head to the bottling room. We were told that the company started, they filled all of their bottles by hand. For anyone who brews their own beer, you know how annoying it is for a regular five gallon batch - imagine doing that for several barrels! Anyway, they wanted to spend as little time bottling their beer, so they decided to go for the biggest bottles they could get, 22oz bomber bottles. Therefore, the only way you can get their bottled beer is in the bombers. I guess that's not too bad, eh?



Anyway, BBC utilized many volunteers to help them with the bottling process. This helped them meet the demand of their many local consumers.




Much like our friends at Mayflower Brewing Co. as well as Harpoon in Boston, they have one of those kick ass keg washers/fillers. This allows them to fill a keg in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Our final stop was back at the tasting room for a few more samples. Some of the River Ale, a Steel Rail or two, a new Imperial Pint Glass and T-shirt later, and we were off.



L to R: Mike, Andy, Jenn, Adam, Pat, and Sarah

If you get a chance to make the trip, this brewery does not disappoint. Bring some friends and then stop off at the Northampton Brewery for some lunch, and it'll make for a great day!