I was away this week in Bermuda. It was my first time here and it will definitely not be my last. Beautiful beaches, amazingly blue water, great food and warm hospitality. All that and only a two hour flight from NYC. Not too bad at all. 

Now that's out there, let's get down to beer. I did some research before the trip to see if there was any local Bermudian beers to try. There were. Unfortunately, none of the places I went to had them. So instead I opted for ginger beer. Ginger beer is a soda like ginger ale except it actually tastes like ginger. And it is made to go perfectly with Goslings Black Seal Bermuda rum in what is known as the Dark and Stormy. The Dark and Stormys were plentiful. All slightly different, all very good. My favorites were the ones I made at my aunt and uncles home where I stayed. I added a few dashes of Angostura Bitters which gave the drink just that bit more flavor. 

I did have a few beers at the beach: Stella, Amstel, etc. I'm not going to take up any column inches writing about that. 

All in, an amazing trip to Bermuda. I'll be back to blogging about craft beer as soon as I shake this rum hangover. 


-Eric

Written by: Chris H. 

Smokejumper Smoked Imperial Porter. Left Hand Brewing Company -Longmont, Colorado. Smoked Imperial Porter. 8.8% ABV.

The Smokejumper pours a very dark brown/black with a limited brownish head and smells of chocolate, coffee, nutmeg and smoky wood. The chocolate jumped out to me more than the coffee smell and the Smokejumper felt more like a stout than a porter with very little carbonation and a smooth milky mouth feel. Smoke lingers from the front end to the aftertaste and is complimented nicely by chocolate and coffee.

All in all, the Smokejumper is a solid offering from Left Hand, but if I’m going to buy something strong and dark from those guys, I’d rather go with the Wake Up Dead Stout. As an interesting side note, theSmokejumper can be aged for up to 5 years and the bottle even carried an expiration date in 2019. If you’re into smoky flavors, this might very well be for you.

Written by: Chris H. 

Old Chub Nitro Scotch Ale. Oskar Blues Grill & Brew-Lyons, Colorado. Scotch Ale. 8% ABV.

I’ll start out by saying that I’m really getting into Scotch ales after having my first one back in the spring. Needless to say, the opportunity to try one on nitro-draught was too good to pass up. The Old Chub pours a very dark brown with a lingering caramel head. It smells lightly of scotch and malts and its texture is smooth, rich, creamy and frothy which is reminiscent of a very thick nitro stout. The taste is smoky and nutty with notes of scotch and caramel evident throughout. The caramel and texture really make this one seem sweet and easily palatable despite getting smoke and scotch on the front end.

I never seem to see Scotch Ales around with any regularity, so this was a pleasant surprise. The Old Chub Nitro (and probably the regular Old Chub) is definitely worth a shot if you’re into Scotch Ales, or if you want to try one for the first time. 

Written by: Peter Modest


Enlightenment Ales (Everett MA)  Rite of Spring (No.4)  'Rustic Saison'  6.8& ABV

An incredibly crisp, well-balanced saison.  Pours a light copper/orange with a white one finger head with moderate retention.  While pouring, beer is clearly highly carbonated with a spicy, bretty, tart green apple and hoppy-citrus smell.  This is a very drinkable, slightly funky, complex but subtle brew.  I love the citrusy start, dry crispness and spiciness through the middle, the bitter finish, and the delicate sour notes that travel throughout and tie everything together.  An admirable blend of spices and yeast that take you on a little adventure without slapping you around.  This is a saison that I could drink frequently- palatable and interesting without being overly pretentious.  Hides the alcohol as well- I would have guessed this was around 5-5.5%.  

It's so exciting to me the quality of the new breweries in Mass, and their willingness to work with less mainstream styles and flavors.  We are on the way up, and Enlightenment is definitely helping us get there!




90%

Written By: Chris H. 

Illumination Double IPA. Central Waters Brewing Company-Amherst, Wisconsin. Double/Imperial IPA. 9% ABV. 108 IBUs.

The Illumination pours a dark golden/orange color with a one finger white head, and smells of lemon and pine. A distinct thickness, to the point of feeling creamy, and heavy carbonation is evident on the palate. The citrus and piney notes come through in a taste that is surprisingly drinkable and pleasant. The aftertaste has a nutty feel that nicely compliments the beer’s bitter piney-ness.

I was surprised to learn that the Illumination packs 108 IBUs given the beer’s refreshing feel. It’s also worth noting that there was no boozy taste to speak of. The Illumination is part of Central Waters’ limited Brewers Reserve Series and I highly recommend picking one up if you happen to see it.

Chris H.

Week in beer, Week 3:

Written By: Eric Talve

(Due to the holiday, this is in no particular order!)

Kelso Rhubarb Gose, on draft at Alobar, LIC, served in a snifter: My first go around with a gose. I'm all about trying different styles of beer and this one stood out to me from the tap selection at Alobar. An interesting beer, very bubbly, slightly fruity, slightly sour, not quite as sour as a true sour, and slightly funky and yeasty. A good change of pace beer, especially on a hot, summer afternoon. I'd go back to this beer if I find it again.

Magic Hat Dream Machine IPL, 12oz bottle: Didn't love this one. An India Pale Lager, the IP took away my enjoyment of the Lager. More like a lager trying to be something it's not and it just didn't work for me. Won't be giving this one another shot.

Craig's Celebration Belgian Golden Strong Ale, 22oz bottle, poured into small glasses to share: A home brew by my good buddy Craig that he gave out as wedding favors at his wedding a few weeks back. I've affectionately been referring to it as Strong Belwas, after a Game of Thrones character. A great Belgian golden strong, coming in at a solid 9% ABV. I had this one a few weeks back at Craig's bachelor party, before I started contributing to Scott's blog. Very enjoyable beer, and very drinkable, which for a beer with an ABV this high can be dangerous! Hoping Craig makes this one again. Maybe for Ommegang to add to their GoT line?

Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2014, 22oz bottle, poured into small glasses to share: First time for me finding this one on the east coast. It's one of my favorite imperial stout's out there. Great tasting notes of chocolate and coffee, with just the right amount of bitterness. Would really love to see this more frequently in NYC, along with many other great brews from Stone.

Finback Starchild, Draught 55, NYC, served in a pint glass: A quality sour. Dry, tart and crisp, if not overly flavorful. This is the fourth sour I've tried in recent weeks and I'm discovering I prefer them with more fruit flavor.

Stone RuinTen IPA, Draught 55, NYC, served in a snifter: another high end beer from Stone. This is their special 10th anniversary release that Scott blogged about very recently. This is one of my favorite IPA's yet as the hoppiness didn't taste like I was drinking pine needles. Definitely worth trying when you can find it!