Blog Archives

Beer of the Week: KCBC Jingle Zombie Apocalypse

12/19/2019

Pete
Finally caught up on all the beers I've been having. The best of the bunch: KCBC Jingle Zombie Apocalypse.
Description: Tons of raspberry, a little bit of sour. Can't really complain about that.
What you should know: I was at the bar with about 10 people for a KCBC tap takeover, and this was the hit of the night. It's on the edge of being a fruit beer instead of a sour, but I don't care. So good.
Recommendations: KCBC is mostly available in New York, but I'm hoping this tap takeover is a sign of things to come in Boston. Either way, if you see KCBC on a menu somewhere (most likely in cans), go for it.

0 Comments

Beer of the Week: Tired Hands Milkshake IPA (Apple Cider Donut)

12/13/2019

0 Comments

Pete
Still catching up on the beers I've had over the last few weeks. The best: Tired Hands Milkshake IPA (Apple Cider Donut).
Description: This is very hard to describe. It's a milkshake IPA, so it's super creamy, like a milkshake should be. Unlike most of the style though, it doesn't come off with a ton of vanilla. The beer grows on you as you drink it, with apple cider vinegar-like flavors balancing the creaminess.
What you should know: This picture contains a Tree House and a Hill Farmstead, and neither of those were good enough for beer of the week compared to this. The unique flavors really set this apart.
Recommendations: Tired Hands is available around Philly, so get your hands on it if you can. They just opened a store downtown too. You could also just head out to Ardmore and go right to the source, like I did. The milkshake IPA is a style that leads to some pretty weird beers, but Tired Hands has mastered them.

0 Comments

Beer of the Week: Aslin Purple Banana

12/6/2019

0 Comments

Pete
Took a few weeks off from this due to Thanksgiving, but I had plenty of beers. The best of the bunch: Aslin Purple Banana
Description: Not really sure why this has banana in the name when there's no banana in it. It tastes like a chocolate covered strawberry with a drizzle of peanut butter. On the sweet side, but delicious.
What you should know: This is 15% alcohol. Very dangerous. I'm starting to see Aslin more and more in Boston, and I'm not complaining.
Recommendations: The super strong stouts from Aslin are unreal - definitely have them whenever you see them. Better yet, have a face-off between Aslin and Trillium's outrageously strong stouts. I don't know who will win those battles.

0 Comments

DrinkCraftBeer Beer & BBQ 2019

12/5/2019

0 Comments

Pete
Going so long between posting beer fests wasn't an oversight, I just didn't go to any in between February and November. Hopefully I will do better next year. Anyways, here's what I thought about this event.

The Event: Hosted by DrinkCraftBeer, this fest has been around for a few years. It's only the 2nd time I've gone, but it's been around longer. It's at the Cyclorama in Boston, and there are 25 local breweries and cideries, as well as 7 BBQ joints. You can find something for everyone, though it's definitely a beer-drinker's event. The vast majority of beers are NEIPA's, which makes sense given that it's local stuff from New England. You also get samples from all 7 BBQ joints. They're relatively small, so don't plan on this being dinner, but also don't come full. If you do plan on having dinner here, definitely plan to buy something (fortunately all the BBQ places have stuff for sale). There was also a pickle shop giving out samples, which were awesome. One of the BBQ shops ran out of food very early for some reason. I'm not sure how that was possible, but whatever.

My Experience: I went to the 3rd session, Saturday evening. It was my 2nd year at this fest, and I learned some things from the previous year. The beer list is available in advance, so I looked that up and picked 15-20 that I REALLY wanted, and another 30 or so that I also wanted. I went full nerd, printed out the map and color-coded it so I knew where to go. I managed to try 38 different samples, which is definitely high for me for one of these. I didn't get to all that I REALLY wanted because some of the lines were long, and I prioritized trying more things to waiting in line.

The Beers: The best one I had was a version of Channel Marker Siren, which was the 2nd beer I had (my judgment unaffected by alcohol consumption). It's a sour with a decent balance of fruitiness. Other beers that were notably good: Vitamin Sea AU Jus (NEIPA), SingleCut Diamond Star Halo (NEIPA), and Trillium Plum Fated Farmer (wild ale) and Dialed-Up (NEIPA). There were plenty of other good ones, including some dark beers, but those were the best of the best.

Recommendations: This festival is pretty manageable due to the small number of breweries. They will publish a beer list in the week or so leading up to it, but don't expect it to be entirely correct. Still, look at it and decide if there's anything you really need to get. A few of the beers (and food) will run out towards the end. Don't expect any of the lines to be too long at this fest. Some of the food lines can look long, but I even waited in a line (for food) that went across the entire venue and it only took 10 minutes.

Everything you really want to get (both food and beer), get in the first 2 hours, then explore. If you are focused on beer, just skip the cideries, there will be plenty of different beers to get you through the fest. If you like everything, just wander around trying stuff. Ask the brewers which ones are the most popular and start with those - they're popular for a reason.

0 Comments

Beer of the Week: KCBC Jingle Zombie Apocalypse

Beer of the Week: Tired Hands Milkshake IPA (Apple Cider Donut)

Beer of the Week: Aslin Purple Banana

DrinkCraftBeer Beer & BBQ 2019

Categories

Archives