More Boston Area Nanobreweries!

Blatant Brewing:

Blatant Brewing is a brewery founded by Matthew Steinberg, who has been working with Offshore Ale Company, of Martha's Vineyard, and more recently Mayflower Brewing. Now he has started his own brewery, producing beers at Just Beer in Westport, MA in a contract brewing arrangement, which I mentioned has become the trend in new Boston breweries, and Pretty Things has had great success brewing in Westport!

Their two beers are an IPA, that is BLATANTLY hopped, and I think the aggressive name bolds well for my favorite style of beer. Blatant is also brewing a session ale, which I am also a fan of, under 4% ABV is always welcome by me, especially for day time drinking. I will be looking to try this beer on tap at the next location that I find it.


Night Shift:



Night Shift is following the trend of building a production brewery in the industrial cities just north of Boston.  Night Shift will be based out of Everett, and the three founders seem to be Tufts graduates living in Somerville. I really appreciate the graphics and design of Night Shift's website, and their glasses are really awesome looking. At this time, there is no information on the actual beers, but there are a number of great images. I will be monitoring these guys, as they hope to open in early 2012.


Critical Mass:

Critical Mass is literally just an idea at this moment. They announced their existence on the 18th of November in a thread on Beeradvocate. I do enjoy the clever incorporation of Massachusetts into their name, and I truly hope that we are not at critical mass for breweries in the state and region! Keep these guys on your radar, as beer will be flowing summer of 2012.

New England Brewing: Ghandi-Bot

Since moving to Connecticut, a few months back, this is the single beer that I have been hoping to try.  Brewed in New Haven County, CT, 45 minutes south, it is a bit hard to find, as it is such a desired commodity.  I was finally able to secure a 4 pack at Table and Vine in West Springfield, MA, for a fair price at $11.99, I also made sure to grab a sixer of New England Brewing's Sea Hag IPA at $7.99 too.

First off, I want to say that I love that this DIPA comes in a can.  The Alchemist's Heady Topper is the only other excellent DIPA that can say the same, as far as I know. All of New England Brewing's offerings come in cans, except for the Imperial Stout Trooper that comes in ~$20 750ml bottles.  The bright orange and interesting artwork make for an interesting looking can.  The name Ghandi-Bot is a great one too!

The beer pours a large, foamy head.  The color is a hazy orange, an excellent looking beer.  The smell is noticeable as soon as it is poured out.  The glorious American hops are just bursting out of the glass.  The hops are definitely American, with grapefruit, orange and pineapple smells all noticeable.

The first sip is that of sweet sweet hops, but with a strong malty background.  Although the beer is 8.80% ABV, which is fairly high, you can not tell from tasting it.  This is not a "balanced" IPA in any sense of the word balanced.  (check out local Berkshire Brewing's Lost Sailor, if that's what you are looking for!)

Amazing beer, best East Coast IPA/DIPA I have ever had.  Not as good as Pliny!

Berkshire Brewing Company Franklin Land Trust Preservation Ale

I enjoyed this beer while at my wife's college, Mt. Holyoke, in the Pioneer Valley of a Western Massachussetts, a fine craft beer destination.  I stopped at Table & Vine in West Springfield, looking to pick up some local beers to share with my uncle, visiting from Detroit, but also wanted to enjoy a beer that night.  For $4.50, it is certainly a fair price for a bomber of beer, and it was advertised as a "classic IPA" which would taste like the IPAs of yore.  I am a sucker for hoppy beers, and a big fan of Berkshire Brewing, so I decided to take the plunge, even with only one Beeradvocate review.

The beer has a spicey aftertaste, and is pretty grassy.  It is not a standard American hopped IPA, and is more closely related to our English brethren's rendition of the IPA.  Like all BBC beers, it is incredibly drinkable, and tasty. I am a big fan of the artwork on BBC bottles too, check out a close up below.

Part of the money will go to conserving the Franklin Land Trust, which keeps Western Mass's Franklin County bucolic and beautiful.  I apologize for the messy background and Lubriderm lotion bottle!

http://aterrificlife.blogspot.com/2011/09/berkshire-brewing-franklin-land-trust.html

Portland, ME Craft Beer Scene

Craft beer may be less than 10% of the American beer market, but it's certainly much higher in Portland, ME. This coastal New England city boasts over 10 production breweries as well as a thriving brewpub scene, homebrew culture, and a number of high quality bars. Located a short 2 hour drive north of Boston (be sure to take a pitstop in Portsmouth, NH) there's no excuse not to make a visit! Check out http://www.portlandcraftbeer.blogspot.com/ for more information and details.