Pumpkin Beer Installment #3: Cambridge Brewing’s Great Pumpkin Ale

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer meets Bette Midler? The girly, high-pitched shriek Kramer lets loose upon meeting Bette is similar to the sound Boston beer fans made some months ago once learning that Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC) would bottle and sell their beer in stores.

CBC is a well-loved brewpub in the Kendall Square neighborhood of Cambridge. Until recently, the only place to get their beer was at the brewery (or occasionally on tap at a few select bars).

Not all CBC beers will be bottled and sold in stores. It seems just a few will. But CBC picked a great one to start with – the Great Pumpkin Ale. It’s widely considered to be the original pumpkin ale as CBC first brewed it twenty two years ago, before any other New England brewery tried brewing pumpkin beers. Easily one of the most exciting local beer releases this season, 22-oz bottles of the Great Pumpkin Ale can now be enjoyed in the comfort of our homes.

CBC makes this beer with local, organic sugar pumpkins and organic malt from Massachusetts.

Pouring from a bottle noted as “batch 1”, I saw a hazy orange brew. I could barely see my finger’s shadow through the glass. It’s fizzy off-white head isn’t substantial and quickly fades to a cap.

The aroma was mild but not boring; notes of pumpkin pie and raw pumpkin were present. Its flavor offered more pumpkin pie, but not as sweet as other pumpkin ales do. The separate layers of earthy pumpkin, fall spices, bready malt, and elegant hops are all in harmony.  A creamy mouthfeel brought to mind the dollop of whip cream one would place on top of their slice of pie.

I loved this beer. I loved that its alcohol level, despite its full flavor, is amazingly just 4.2%. The more I drank it, the more I realized how I preferred the earthy pumpkin flavor in this beer over the candied-pumpkin character in some other pumpkin beers.  

You can still find this in stores. But probably not for much longer. If you don’t see it on shelves, get it on tap at CBC until Thanksgiving. There’s actually no better time to do that than on Saturday, October 29, when CBC puts on the Great Pumpkin Festival. On tap, from 1:00 PM – 12:30 AM, will be over thirty different pumpkin ales from across the country. Dust off that dracula costume and get down there.

Grade: A

Cambridge Brewing Company

1 Kendall Square, Bldg 100
Cambridge, MA 02139

617-494-1994

Brewery Tour Stop #7: Redhook Brewery

Our New England brewery tour spotlight now shines on Redhook.  

To be blunt, I never had a very fond admiration for Redhook. I remember first tasting their ESB in college and thinking it was quite bitter. Ironically, an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) isn’t actually supposed to be all that bitter. A good one is well balanced. Granted, my palate back in college was not as experienced as it is now, but I wasn’t a complete novice at the time. Whether I’d still find their ESB too bitter these days, I’ll never know. Because I never had it again, and didn’t plan to.

Over the years a couple different Redhook brews made their way into my hands at restaurants or at a beer fest; LongHammer IPA and Copperhook, for example. They made sufficient accompaniments to my meals if only for the simple facts that they were inoffensive and wet. On their own, they didn’t make a big impression on me, and I remember a corn flavor in Copperhook that I didn’t love.

My friend who lives in southern NH will debate with me about this brewery. He swears that super-fresh Redhook beer is good. I assume at least one or two of the Redhook beers I’ve had over the years were fresh. After all, the brewery isn’t far away from anywhere in New England. But I’m willing to forget the past and start “fresh”. It can’t get any fresher than what I’ll find at the brewery, so here’s my chance.

Located in Portsmouth NH, Redhook is tucked away among business parks and apartment housing. There is plenty of lush lawn surrounding the brewery, and a large outdoor patio hosted a wedding reception during our visit.  

The building itself resembles a modern-day ski lodge. I like it. Lots of wood beams give a rustic feel along with modern steel touches. And it looks new. 

You immediately walk into a restaurant/pub atmosphere. A handful of tables had diners, while all seats in the bar area were occupied.

Tours seem popular on Saturdays, as they run every hour on the hour between 12PM – 6PM. They cost just $1.

Our tour group, of roughly twelve people, was taken upstairs to a designated tour area that overlooked the production floor. A young high school science teacher who gives tours on weekends was our guide. He ran through the brewing process, pointing at the respective kettle or area in the facility relevant to milling, boiling, mashing, bottling, etc. He was keen on mentioning more than twice that Redhook does not pasteurize their beer. Otherwise, if you’ve heard the general brewing process before, you’ve heard this one. 

I will say, though, it was amazing to see that Redhook has managed to fit such an abundance of equipment into a fairly large facility. The tour area is a wide open space, but the area we gazed down upon seemed so efficiently planned to accommodate the maximum possible amount of equipment, that I wonder how workers don't trip on hoses or bump their head on beams. 

After approximately twenty minutes, we were shuffled over to a small bar to taste a few beers.

Our first tasting greeted me with an old acquaintance, if not foe. The ESB. After a few gulps I admitted it wasn’t bad. Some hop assertiveness was present, but it was balanced with an earthy malt flavor. No unruly bitterness found. I was pleasantly surprised but it didn’t exactly make me a new convert to their flagship brew.

Next was the LongHammer IPA. This one paired decently with a pub dinner I had a while back. But a recent tasting of it at the American Craft Beer Festival had me wondering if I confused it with another beer. This tasting wasn’t terrible. In fact some floral, grassy hops made this pleasant enough. To me, LongHammer is a utility IPA. Maybe a step above Harpoon. It’s hard to be a stellar IPA in the craft beer world as the best IPAs are tremendous and in a class of their own. People are picky about their IPAs, and will easily kick aside any that are not worthy of a spot in their go-to rotation. Me included. This tasting won’t trigger me to run out and buy a 12-pack of LongHammer, but I won’t turn down a bottle if the right situation presents itself.

Moving along, the tasting pours became more generous. We got a significant helping of the Late Harvest Ale. This was a favorite. Yes, my wife and I are suckers for fall seasonal beers, but this one had an enjoyable hop spiciness alongside a gritty caramel malt profile. It was the best Redhook I had tasted. 

Lastly, we tasted a beer who’s name I sadly forget. Sad, because I enjoyed it. It was essentially a porter and I remember enjoying a second helping of it. Keep in mind this is another style of beer in which I’m easy to please. I recall a nice smokey note and an almost meaty malt backbone.

After approximately 50 minutes, the tour and tasting ends. At this point, you can easily go to the bar and order a full serving of whichever beer you enjoyed most at the tasting. Or, spend feverishly in their gift shop that’s full of the usual swag and useless trinkets. 

Although Redhook has a full restaurant, and a nice facility, a destination brewery it is not. However, I do recommend a stop by Redhook if you’re in the area. It makes a great stop in combination with another on the same day (hint: the Portsmouth Brewery).


Before I forget, Redhook’s sporty new bottle design deserves some attention. They almost look like plastic soda bottles, but I think they actually look pretty cool. Two thumbs up on package design.







Redhook Brewery
1 Redhook Way
Pease International Tradeport
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 603.430.8600

Public Brewery Tours:
Mon: 3:00, 4:00, 5:00pm
Tue:12:00, 1:00, 2:00pm                                           
Wed & Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 5:00pm
Fri & Sat: 12:00-6:00pm, every hour on the hour
Sun: 1:00pm – 5:00pm on the hour

Beer Fest Revelation – The Little Guy Wins

To most Americans, more is more. “Go big or go home!” might as well be our country’s motto. When it comes to beer festivals, the same typically applies to the interests of beer geeks. We want many brewers pouring many different beers. After all, this is why many beer fans (including myself) go to BeerAdvocate’s ACBF in Boston every June, and other large beer fests around the country.

A big draw at the ACBF is the handful of rare/great beers that I’d otherwise be hard pressed to get my hands on (i.e. beers from Lawson’s, Surly, Duck Rabbit, just to name a few). However, as much fun as the ACBF and other large beer fests can be, I sometimes walk away a little disappointed. It’s nice to have fun with my wife/friends, but I always wish that I was able to taste all of the specific beers I planned to. And I wish I didn’t waste so much time standing in line to get beer samples, to use the restroom, or to get bad, cold, expensive food. I find myself thinking that it was all a little too much. Too many options, too many people, too much money, too much wasted time.

The producers from BeerAdvocate commendably encourage attendees to not overdo it at the ACBF. They preach that one should decide which brewers they want to visit, and not feel that they have to visit every one – which is virtually impossible, anyway. But even after picking a small handful of beers I really want to try, I sometimes can’t get to them. The lines at those booths are insanely long, and the brewers annoyingly don’t have the beer you want on tap at all times. I invariably end up visiting other booths and tasting beers I’ve had before, just so I get SOMETHING for the money I spent on the ticket.

 

Fast forward – I recently went to a small Oktoberfest that arguably destroyed the ACBF and other big festivals. I may be exaggerating, but hear me out. This Oktoberfest was in a parking lot at the British Beer Company (BBC) in Walpole. It was under a small tent, with maybe twenty brewers. Doesn’t sound impressive, right? After all, I get access to maybe 150 brewers at the ACBF. 

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

Quality of selection: The ACBF does offer many fantastic beers; so many it’s overwhelming and hard to focus. But there are also beers there I have no interest in.

At the BBC, I was interested in almost all of the beers offered. If they can make a beer geek like myself feel that way, they did something right. I wasn’t overwhelmed with choices, but I saw plenty to excite me. Granted, some of the beers there weren’t new to me, but enough were. And out of the ones I’ve had before, I was at least interested in having a few of them again because I couldn’t remember if I liked them or not.

Sample size:  The sample size at large fests is often 2 ounce pours. At the BBC fest, I got 5 or 6 ounces.

Lines/Crowd: Lines at large fests are often very long. Lines at BBC? None.

Food: The food at the ACBF costs money. It’s of low quality. And you have to wait in line a good while to get it. The food at the BBC is free and delicious. Bratwursts with sauerkraut, cheeses with crackers, fruit, and more. Topping that off, I didn’t have to wait in line to get it.

Pricing structure: The ACBF costs approximately $50 for about a 3-hour session. I like to get my money’s worth in life, so at the ACBF I’m looking to either sample a lot, or sample really special brews. At the BBC, it’s pay-as-you sample. $2 per 6 ounces. Not cheap, but not expensive, and it worked out great for me because I simply wanted to try a few, and leave after an hour. At the ACBF, it’s a 3-hour commitment, get-as-much-as-you-can-for-your-$50 kind of affair that owns most of your day (factor in travel to downtown Boston, parking, etc.)

To me, it’s a clear winner. BBC was arguable far more enjoyable in its own way. Maybe it’s the old-man in me, but I’ll run out of patience for larger beer fests before I grow tired of casually popping into a nice little fest just like the BBC put on. It's easy, manageable, with quality brews and food. I'm sold.

To keep tabs on smaller beer festivals in your area, easily find one – coincidentally – on BeerAdvocate’s calendar page. There are many to choose from in Autumn, because, just as my wife says, “it’s the most wonderful time of the beer.”

Enjoy Fall with Ayinger.

As you enjoy your Octoberfest beers this fall, be sure you pick up one of the classics. To me, the Ayinger brewery in Bavaria represents a benchmark of German beer excellence. Their marzen is a classic to be consumed during Oktoberfest season. Interestingly, one would never see Ayinger at the real Oktoberfest in Munich, as that event doesn’t allow breweries outside its city limits to participate. (Instead, Ayinger flows freely at smaller festivals held in the countryside outside Munich.)

Thankfully, most decent beer stores carry the Ayinger line and their “OktoberFest-Marzen” during fall months. Go find it. It’s brewed to traditional perfection. Here’s what to expect:

Deep gold in color.  A stark white head is big at first, but diminishes to a faint film. Lacing isn't significant, but usually isn’t for the style. The aroma smells of caramel, bread, faint brown sugar, and a little spice.

The taste is simple but fulfilling. Notes of biscuit and caramel balance the moderate bittering hops. The yeast is a little spicy. Overall it leans a tad to the sweet side, and enjoyable so. The mouthfeel is appropriately on the lighter side, but it’s soft, and even a bit creamy. The drinkability is easy-going and – if you want an odd food pairing idea – I found it to go oddly well with sweet onions dipped in hummus. Don’t grimace until you try it.

I love the Bavarian scene on the bottle cap, and the fact that it comes in a 17oz bottle means it begs to be poured into a tall weizen glass. And there’s not a sexier looking beer than a tall weizen glass overflowing with a frothy, quality German brew. Grab'em while they're around. 


Grade: A+

Brewery Tour Stop #6: Haverhill Brewery

My wife and I had another toddler birthday party to go to this past weekend. Just like we’ve done before, we immediately think of breweries nearby to make the trip more interesting. As the kiddie bash was in Haverhill MA, we obviously thought of Haverhill Brewery. One brewery is all we planned to hit. But as the day progressed we didn’t stop there. We found ourselves at the Red Hook and Portsmouth Breweries as well. But let's look at Haverhill Brewery today (also known as “The Tap”, locally) and the sexy women that adorn their bottle labels.

We strolled into the Brewery’s pub around 2:30PM on a beautiful Saturday. This is a fairly large place split into two sides; restaurant on one, pub/bar on the other. It’s fairly dark inside. Old, gritty, well-loved. We sat at the bar and only after ordering a couple beer samplers did we discover a beautiful deck out back. We wished we sat outside, but I didn’t know if one had to order food out there, which wasn’t our original plan. We did end up ordering pickle chips, but I didn’t want to move at this point as I felt the bartender would lose out on the tip she earned thus far. If you visit The Tap and it’s a nice day, check out the deck first. 

Diving into our samplers, I first tasted my wife’s Homerun pale ale. Interestingly, this one doesn’t score well on BeerAdvocate or RateBeer, but my wife and I couldn't understand why. A significant hop profile was citrusy and leaf-like, while the malt was doughy and prominent. My wife loved this one, and as I can’t always notice such distinct hop and malt profiles simultaneously in other pale ales, it gets two thumbs up from me, too.

Next was their altbier, called Gestalt. It’s a pretty, dark copper ale that tastes and smells fairly simple; a little nutty and bready. Earthy hops are barely there, and carbonation is a little low. This is quite similar to Long Trail’s flagship ale. Satisfactory enough, if not a bit boring. Moving on...

What ended up as my favorite of the bunch was next in line – a hoppy schwarzbier. I recently brewed my own hoppy schwarzbier at a brew-on-premise facility, thinking “nobody’s done that before!” Haverhill shut me up. Their version had a great charcoal/bonfire note to it that was immediately noticeable. It sported relatively low carbonation (something my homebrew cannot claim), and a floral hop bouquet on the finish. This is my top recommendation at Haverhill for malt lovers.

My next sample took a nosedive down the enjoyment ladder. Their berliner weissbier was a complete change of pace from the schwarzbier. Picture a higher-end, alcoholic lemonade. It's one of the higher rated Haverhill beers on BeerAdvocate. Granted, it’s not as if it isn’t brewed to style. Its yellow, foggy straw color and its tart, sour, lemony flavor is appropriate for its breed, as well as its low, 3% ABV. But, I don’t drink enough “berliners”, and therefore can't say how well it compares to others. This one may work well on a hot day for people who normally drink Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

I, on the other hand, will pass.

Next up was a sample of the one beer I know fairly well from Haverhill - Leatherlips IPA. They bottle it and it's easy enough to find at a decent beer store. What I love about this IPA is that it's full of grassy, piney hops, which gives you the impression it's higher in alcohol. Normally, when an IPA tastes like this, I expect it to be at least 6.5% ABV. This is a mere 5.0%. That's unheard of for an IPA that offers such an abundance of citric, piney, and bitter hop notes. It would please any hophead looking for a serious fix. If you've ever been on the hunt for a (dare I say) sessionable IPA, this may do the trick. But, for me, it's bitterness would get cumbersome after two or three glasses.  One glass is certainly enjoyable, though.

I finished with their Oktoberfest. I love this style and hoped for greatness. It was fine enough. Typical, accurate, but didn’t stand out. I wished it had a bigger malt presence, but there was nothing wrong with it. It’s probably agreeable enough with most patrons.

So there were highs and lows at The Tap/Haverhill Brewery. I do recommend a visit to see for yourself, and there’s no better time to make the trip than this weekend. They’re putting on a brewfest this Saturday and other local brewers will be there pouring their own deliciousness. Participating breweries beyond Haverhill themselves, include: Notch, John Harvard’s, High and Mighty, Clown Shoes, Ipswich, Martha’s Exchange, Cisco, Sam Adams, Cape Ann, Boston Beer Works, Jack’s Abby, Harpoon, Watch City, Mayflower, Original Sin Cider, Frosty Knuckle, Narragansett, Woodchuck Cider, and Woodstock Inn Station. More info at www.haverhillbrewery.com/.

Stay tuned for a report from Red Hook Brewery in NH – a brand I struggle with and the cause of debates with my best friend.

Haverhill Brewery at The Tap Brewpub
100 Washington St.

Haverhill, MA

978-374-1117

Pumpkin Beer Installment # 2: Shipyard vs. Shipyard

A discussion about pumpkin beers in New England is not complete without mention of Shipyard Brewing from Portland ME. Why? Because their Pumpkinhead Ale is seemingly the most available pumpkin beer around in Autumn. You’ll often see 6-packs, 12-packs, and cases of it stacked high in every corner of liquor stores. Most people either love it or hate it.

I…do not love it. When I gave it a thorough critique last year on BeerAdvocate.com, its aroma was flat immediately after the pour. I told myself the aroma was just...uhm, distant. Subtle. And therefore the flavor would be elegant. Yeah, elegant. I was wrong. It was mediocre at best with only a faint hint of fall spices and a malt profile that tasted cheaper than the free coffee at Building 19. My message to Shipyard is this: Budweiser called - they lost their pumpkin ale recipe and they suspect you have it.

Shipyard makes another pumpkin beer called “Smashed Pumpkin”. It’s part of the brewery’s “Pugsley's Signature Series” that consists of unique beers, with higher ABV's, released in 22oz bottles. 

I recently poured a Smashed Pumpkin into a tulip glass and saw a nice copper/amber brew with little head. The aroma was stern with nutmeg and cinamon spices. Pumpkin notes lied underneath.

The flavor was big. Pumpkin pie hit me first. It’s strong, but not cloying. Munich malts add significant bread-like malt flavors. Cinnamon and nutmeg spices linger on the tongue in the end, along with a little alcohol warmth.

The mouthfeel isn’t too heavy. It’s generally smooth, albeit a little prickly at the beginning from the alcohol bite.

In the end I was happy that Shipyard is able to make a decent pumpkin beer. Although it’s more expensive, I’d always choose Smashed Pumpkin over the Pumpkinhead Ale. The thing is, there are still plenty of people who love Pumpkinhead.  I’d strongly argue that there are way too many good pumpkin brews in New England to waste your time with Pumpkinhead, but see for yourself if you haven’t already. After all, if taste wasn't subjective, none of this would be any fun.

Hello Fall Seasonals! - Berkshire Brewing's Oktoberfest Lager

It’s my favorite time of year. For beer that is. Labor Day is in the books and the unofficial beginning of Autumn has begun. That means brewers across the world are now unleashing their Fall seasonal beers - märzens/oktoberfests, pumpkin ales – they’re all delicious to me. Some more than others, but my beer palate is easy to please at this time of year. I’ll be reviewing a handful of them this season, and up first is Berkshire Brewing’s Oktoberfest lager.

Berkshire Brewing, in South Deerfield Massachusetts, is in the zone between Summer and Fall. I find their Summer seasonal, “Czech Pilsner”, to be stellar. But the greatness doesn’t stop there. As September rolls in I find their Oktoberfest Lager on the shelves. Between those 2 beers, I’m not sure which I like more.

Taking a closer look at their Oktoberfest, it’s rusty copper in color, with an off-white head that laces well.  The aroma showcases a sweeter malt than one would expect for the style. Most märzens have a sweeter malt profile, but Berkshire’s kicks it up a notch. Caramel and brown sugar come to mind immediately. I also didn’t expect to get esters of pumpkin in the aroma, as beers with characteristics of pumpkin are typically have the word “pumpkin” in their name.

Letting a few gulps roll on my tongue, I get a dominant flavor of brown-sugar malts. Notes of pumpkin and banana are present with a touch of hops. And there’s an underlying breadiness to it all. Its medium-to-bold body is another area that helps set it apart from other oktoberfests.

Definitely one of the tastier oktoberfest lagers out there, and it's my wife's favorite for the style. Is it a traditional märzen/oktoberfest? Essentially, no. The volume on the malt profile is turned up and beyond where other märzens lie. It’s as if it pays homage to the best characteristic of a traditional märzen by exaggerating it, and it's a successfully creative take on the style. But, what is traditional about it is that it’s brewed with appropriate German hops and yeasts, and also because it’s aged for months before release. (Traditional märzens are brewed in March, and aged until oktoberfest season in Setpember.)  If you like maltier beers and fall spices, I encourage you to run to the store for this one.

Grade: B+

Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Berkshire Oktoberfest Lager
Märzen / Oktoberfest |  6.80% ABV