New Brew Thursday: 'Holy Donut' from Lone Pine Brewing

While it has been about a month since I returned from Maine, I still have a few beers from the trip. One of these beers is ‘Holy Donut’ from Lone Pine. As I was looking at breweries in the Portland area, I came across Lone Pine. Upon learning they had this beer that was not only a collaboration with The Holy Donut, one of the best donut shops around, but was also described as an Imperial Double Sour Ale with Donuts, blueberries, vanilla, and lactose I knew it was something I had to try.

‘Holy Donut’ pours into the glass as a cloudy bluish, purplish beer with a light pink head and smells exactly like a blueberry-vanilla donut. With strong notes of both blueberry and vanilla, with a subtle note of a freshly baked and glazed donut it is a sweet and fruity smelling beer. The flavor is awesome. The initial tartness of the blueberry gives way to the sweetness of the vanilla and the lactose before returning at the end for a lingering tartness that stays on the middle of your tongue. The lactose also gives the beer extra body as well, giving it a slightly thicker mouthfeel than your typical sour. Even though it is labeled as an ‘Imperial Sour’ and has an ABV of 7.5% it is extremely refreshing and quite crushable.

While I will not be coming back to Maine anytime soon, you bet that one of my first stops will be to visit Lone Pine.

Rhode Trip: Long Live Beerworks

(The first part in a multi-part series as we complete the Rhode Island Brewer’s Guild Passport to learn more about the passport and download the app click HERE)

A few weeks ago, I was able to get to Long Live Beerworks in order to get my passport stamped. While I have been to Long Live multiple times and they are one of my favorite Rhode Island Breweries, this was one of the first breweries I was able to attend as the Rhode Island COVID-19 restrictions began to loosen. While they are only open for outdoor seating it was still an amazing time.

The old location of Long Live was nice albeit a little small, however, their new location is a thing of beauty. To me, the hallmark of a great brewery is simple: “Does it feel like you are drinking at your friend’s house?” Long Live passes that test. While this visit I was outside I have been inside on multiple occasions and drinking at Long Live always feels like you are drinking at your friend’s upscale loft, especially when you are upstairs. The outside has a similar feeling of drinking on your friend’s patio, but each part has this amazing warm/friendly feeling. But enough about the aesthetics, let’s talk about the beer.

When I went, and unfortunately these offerings are no longer available, I was able to try ‘Neon Nightmare’ a sour explosion of tropical fruit. Raspberries, pineapple, tangerine, and vanilla are all present and it was absolutely exceptional. I was also able to try ‘Through These Eyes’ a double IPA that was crazy juicy, hazy, and very hoppy. The Lupin powder with the Galaxy hops gave the beer its distinct flavor with a subtle hint from the Rakau. Another awesome beer from an awesome brewery. I will definitely be back but here’s to one stamp down!  

Long Live Beerworks is located at 40R Sprague St. Providence, RI 02907. For more information about the brewery and their beer click HERE.

New Brew Thursday: 'Traitorade' Smug Brewing

While I am an avid Patriots fan, most know that my love for Tom Brady knows no bounds and his leaving for Tampa Bay was hard. However, after nearly 20 years of championship caliber football I wished him well and would be cheering for the Buccaneers this season… if there is one. Despite this, when Smug brewed ‘Traitorade’ it was too interesting to pass up, although it did hurt to say this beer’s name out loud.

‘Traitorade’ pours a super cloudy yellow into the glass with a small white head. The notes are not overly powerful, and it has a faint lemon-lime smell with a distinct sourness. However, where this beer really shines is in the flavor. It has a very pronounced lemon-lime flavor with an incredible tartness that stays in the front of your mouth. The sea salt is not overpowering and just helps to amplify the underlying flavor and the tartness. It has a light mouthfeel and finishes surprisingly clean with just a slight tartness. It reminds me of lemon-lime Gatorade which makes this not only an amazingly delicious beer but a very unique beer as well. Additionally, it is dangerously crushable at 7% ABV. Smug just brewed another batch of this so if you missed out the first time you need to get there and try this beer.

New Brew Thursday: 'Luxurious Tiles' from Trillium and Bissell Brothers

Two of my favorite breweries are Trillium and Bissell Brothers. so when they collaborated for ‘Luxurious Tiles’ I knew I had to have it. It is well documented that I love collaboration beers and both ‘Lux’ and ‘Cutting Tiles’ are two fantastic beers in their own right. With ‘Lux’ having a great lightness and taste from the mosaic hops with a soft bite from the rye and ‘Cutting Tiles’ having an amazing sweetness from the raw wildflower honey right from the start my hopes were high.

‘Luxurious Tiles’ pours a very hazy and deep yellow into the glass with a light white head. It has incredibly sweet notes that to me smell like candied oranges. This is really where the ‘Cutting Tiles’ portion of the beer shines and the taste is fantastic. A rich mouthfeel with great balance between sweetness and bitterness. The combination between the mosaic hops and the wildflower honey gives the beer an awesome juiciness and sweetness. It finishes with a soft bitterness that slightly builds. ‘Luxurious Tiles’ is definitely more ‘Cutting Tiles’ than ‘Lux’ but it is absolutely amazing

"New" Brew Thursday: 'Spruced (2020)' from Tilted Barn

It's that magical time of year again people. Days are getting a little shorter, nights a little cooler, and there's a twinkle in the air... well, two of the three are true. Around this time every year one of my favorite RI breweries Tilted Barn brews 'Spruced' one of the most unique beers you will ever have. For those who do not know, Tilted Barn is on the owner's actual family farm and they will incorporate hops and other things from their farm into their beers. For 'Spruced' Tilted Barn incorporates spruce tips from their spruce trees. Each year 'Spruced' changes depending on the spruce tips and the brewing, this is the third year I have had 'Spruced' and I have to say this is my favorite. 

'Spruced' pours a very hazy yellow into the glass with a nice white head. It has strong piney notes with a subtle note of oranges. It looks heavy but has a surprisingly light mouthfeel and clocking in at 5% ABV is surprisingly light. This years 'Spruced' has a very distinct and pronounced spruce flavor with a big piney flavor being the first and last thing that you taste. The spruce flavor lingers nicely on the tongue and builds slightly with each sip. The orange flavor is very subtle in between the spruce and fills out the palate nicely. This year's 'Spruced' is fantastic and definitely worth the trip to Exeter. 

Maine Trip

We have been back from Maine for about a week now and it was an awesome trip. While we only went to two breweries, Maine Beer Company and Rising Tide we were able to get cans from Bissell Brothers, Liquid Riot, and Lone Pine. We also visited a bunch of restaurants and walked all around the Old Port. It was a bit surreal at times as it was empty due to various social distancing restrictions but it was still fantastic. Here are some highlights:

- It stunk not being able to get pours at Bissell which is always one of my stops in Portland. But I was able to pick up one of my favorite beers 'The Nuclear Whim With The Fuse Of A Mile.' It is an exceptional beer with an even better name. As I've written before I am always a sucker for a good name.

- We were not able to get to Allagash but had a few of their offerings at some of the nearby restaurants. I was a little disappointed they didn't have 'Sixteen Counties' but it has been distributed nearby so I will be on the lookout.

- The food was incredible, we did not have a bad meal the entire time we were there.

- There were a lot of good summer beers around. Very good lagers, pilsners, and sessions as well. However, one of the best beers from the weekend was 'Totally Tubular' from Orono Brewing. This double IPA was super juicy and really nice.

- While it was an awesome trip there were lots of breweries that were not open for pours that we couldn't get cans at: Sebago, Shipyard, and Austin Street just to name a few. We will definitely be back next year.

Fourth of Brew-ly

Happy Fourth of July! I hope everyone is enjoying the day and has already started their festivities. Yours truly has already prepped his wings, made his hot sauce (more on that in a future post), and has the pork shoulder on the smoker. But today is not just about food, or celebrating this country's birthday... it is about the beer. But since certain beers do not play well with this hot weather and you'll want to make it to the fireworks it's all about finding the right beer(s) to take you through the day while not sacrificing the taste. Here are some styles and beers to fill your cooler with today. 

Pilsner: Pilsners are definitely one of the best styles for a hot day. With a mid-tier ABV and a light mouthfeel and a crisp finish you'll be able to have a few as stay upright and still enjoy what you're drinking and eating as well. This would be one of the first I would reach for.
Good selections: 'Pils' from Lagunitas and 'Buffalo Czech' from Shaidzon

Kolsch: Kolsches have a similar crispness as pilsners but since the kolsch style uses ale yeast the taste lingers a bit longer. They are still very crisp but are slightly more complex on the back end. This is the style I am currently enjoying and would definitely recommend.
Good selections: 'Outlier' from Treehouse and 'Handline Kolsch' from Devil's Purse

Witbier: Wits have a nice and citrusy taste that can linger. Light mouthfeel with a subtle complexity and a lingering wheat taste these are more common than the other two so you may be able to find them more easily. Always a good selection in a pinch.
Good Selections: 'Bottom Up Wit' from Revolution and 'White' from Allagash

Hefeweizen: Unfiltered with big fruit flavors that vary from beer to beer. Nice complexity with a good mouthfeel and a lingering fruit flavor.
Good Selections: 'Hefeweissbier' from Weihenstephaner and 'Hefe-Weibier' from Paulaner Munchen

Those are the some of the best styles with good and readily available options to fill out your cooler. If you are feeling extra adventurous some other styles to look for: Wild Ale, Berliner Weisse, Gose, Lagers, and Session IPAs.

Have a great Fourth and please comment below on what you're going to be enjoying today.

New Brew Thursday: 'Sugar Shack' from Liquid Riot

As I have stated, on our trip to Maine we were able to visit several breweries but unfortunately most of them were only open for curbside can pick-up. One of these breweries was Liquid Riot and I was able to grab two four packs from them, one of which was 'Sugar Shack'. Now in the interest of full disclosure I was not sure I was going to like this beer. While it is described as a '100% Sap Lager' it is also categorized as a 'Maple Helles Bock' and I typically do not like the Bock style as I think it is too malty but I bought it because I was crazy intrigued. A Helles Bock made with 100% pure Maine Maple Syrup? I knew I had to give it a shot, and I am glad it did because this beer is awesome.

'Sugar Shack' pours a cloudy lightish brown with a nice white head with notes of maple and a subtle note of caramel. It has an impossibly light mouthfeel with an equally impossible combination of sweetness and crispness that I have never experienced before. Sometimes beers that feature maple syrup have a problem where the sweetness can be overwhelming, especially as you get towards the end of the glass... not here. With 'Sugar Shack' the sweetness does not build due to its crispness. Moreover, clocking in at 7% ABV it is D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S-L-Y crushable. The only drawbacks to this beer are that I only have three more left and since Liquid Riot opening for pours on July 9th I cannot be there to try more of their offerings.

If you are in the Portland area you have got to try this beer.