Come Together

In recent years breweries have begun to work together more and more with the results being absolutely fantastic. These collaborations between these breweries do countless things aside from giving brewers a chance to get to know one another better. Collaborations allow for brewers to share techniques, tips, tricks, and styles with one another and release something truly special. Collaborations between small breweries is really cool however when larger breweries get together it can be something really special.

With this I was able to try 'Blowin' Smoke' a collaboration between Other Half and Bissell Brothers, two breweries I absolutely love but do not get to have enough of. They came together using their own techniques for this beer and it was quite delicious and that is the beautiful thing about collaborations. 'Blowin' Smoke' is a beer with an initial taste and mouthfeel similar to most Bissell beers, however the aftertaste that lingers is very, very similar to the offerings I have had from Other Half. It is these things that make collaborations so special. 

What collaborations are some of your favorites? Also what breweries would you like to see collaborate together? I know that I would kill to see something from Trillium and Treehouse. 

Ocean State Beer Fest 2019

This past Sunday was the fifth annual Ocean State Beer Fest and it was an absolute blast. I attended with my girlfriend and we spent the festival talking with the different brewers and their staff about their offerings and what they had coming up. Now last year I had a very in depth review about best beer, best brewery, most unique, and biggest surprise but this year was a bit different because I was not able to check in most of the beers I had as I spent most of the afternoon relaxing and talking with others. However, here are some thoughts about the event as a whole.

- Taproot continues to be one of the most underrated breweries in the state. All of their offerings were simply exceptional and their variety was good too. Their Double IPA with New Zealand hops was both hoppy and a refreshingly crisp and clean finish and the ESB was surprisingly light with a nice malty finish. While getting out to Middletown is a pain I will be heading that way more frequently.

- While the separate cask room was a really cool idea I wish that each brewery had their cask with them. I know that the big pull this year since it was the fifth anniversary was cask/barrel aged beers and they were very good I just wish they were with each brewery.

- Big and I mean B-I-G props to LineSider Brewery for not bringing an IPA to the event. While I absolutely love IPAs it was quite refreshing. Their Blonde ale was one of the best I had ever had and their stout was the best of the day.

- Grey Sail is a lovely brewery with an awesome taproom and fun location but it was definitely too small for something this size. It did make things very cozy and allowed for more interaction between patrons it was much different than last year's wide open spaces.

- Not to leave them out but props to Buttonwoods Brewery for offering a brand new beer, Providence Brewing Company for continuing their interesting and awesome offerings, Proclamation for bringing so many different options, and Tilted Barn for bringing 'Seek The Wild' which was a special treat... that lasted for maybe 15 minutes.

- Lastly I visited Smug, Shazdion, Crooked Current, and Long Live and very much enjoyed their offerings (Ghost of Summer was one of the best beers of the day). While I wish Crooked brought another beer or two they brought my two favorites and that made me very happy. Also that I really need to get to Smug, Shazdion, and Ragged Island much, much, more frequently.

Ocean State Beer Fest was a great time and I will be attending again next year and I cannot wait for next year.

New Brew "Thursday": 'Here's To Feeling Good All The Time' from Bissell Brothers

A few years ago while waiting in line at Trillium when I first heard of this brewery. As someone who went to college in Maine and drank his fair share of beer (not always craft but we were all young once) I was upset at myself for not knowing about this brewery and vowed that my next trip up I would stop by and check them out. They did not disappoint, but that is a story for another time. Today is about 'Here's To Feeling Good All The Time' an action, and beer, that is just awesome.

This Double IPA clocks in at around 7.8% ABV and yet still has an amazing lightness to it. Light in appearance, light smelling, light mouthfeel, and light with a slightly lingering bitter finish. The oddest, and yet most amazing, is this beer's taste as it is anything but light. The complexities of the galaxy, mosaic, and simcoe hops all work in perfect harmony together while this is a galaxy beer in both appearance and taste the three hops work magnificently well together giving the beer a very piney taste. 

While I typically do not write about an IPA's malt profile here I feel it would be a disservice. 'Here's To Feeling Good All The Time' has a very distinct oat taste that is solely due to the malt. I typically hate IPAs were the malt is this present but this beer's galaxy forward hop blend make this an awesome beer to the last sip. 

I have to be honest, I did not get the Seinfeld reference because I did not remember the episode but after seeing a clip 'Here's To Feeling Good All The Time' is a perfect representation of it.  

New Brew Thursday: 'Broccoli Kong' from Other Half

I have recently gotten into beer trading (more on that later) and thanks to someone in one of the groups I joined I was finally able to try a few offerings from Other Half. I had heard of Other Half sometime last year and while I have a weird prejudice against New York breweries I had always wanted to try brews from Other Half and they did not disappoint. I had a few of their Imperial IPAs and Double IPAs however I save 'Broccoli Kong' for last.

'Broccoli Kong' is an Imperial, multi-hop IPA that is a shockingly light 8% ABV and an even shockingly lighter mouthfeel. Before even opening the beer the artwork on the can is magnificent. As stated before I am a sucker for a good name and while this one is pretty solid it is the artwork on the label that really made me save this one for a good night so sit and relax.

While this offering has Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe Cyro hops the two main stars of the show are the Simcoe and Mosaic. This beer has a distinct Simcoe look as does its initial taste with that trademark sweetness with those subtle piney hints. The finish however is mostly Mosaic with a lingering juicy finish with hints of grapefruit. Citra and Nelson Sauvin play an incredible supporting role providing balance and citrus notes as well.

'Broccoli Kong' is an awesome beer that also has a fun name with a awesome label. One of the only times in life where you can judge a book by its cover and not be disappointed.