July 19, 2014 Show

This week we are taking a look at just some of the great craft beer being brewed in the greater Boston area, with some side trips as well!  We also discuss the brand new and extremely limited Stone Brewing Co. release of w00tstout 2.0 with one of the collaborators, Drew Curtis from Fark.com


Clown Shoes- Muffin Top:  The beer is labeled as a Belgian Style Tripel India Pale Ale, that is certainly a mouthful!  The beer fits the description perfectly though with a strong presence in aroma and taste of a Belgian Tripel but with a lovely kick of bitterness and citrus fruit from the hops.  It still maintains a great balance and does not give off any hint of the 10.5% ABV bomb locked inside, a must try but show the beer some respect or the high ABV will come back to bite you!

Stone Brewing Co.- w00tstout 2.0: If you were lucky enough to have w00tstout 1.0 than you already know what this beer is capable of as far as intensity of flavors and high ABV.  The 2.0 version has kicked it up a notch with a lot of chocolate in the aroma and taste with notes of coffee, pecans, coconut, and vanilla dancing in the background.  If you can find this beer BUY IT!

Harpoon- Leviathan IPA: Harpoon is a brewery that needs no introduction to craft beer drinkers and they may very well have been the brewery that got you on the craft beer kick, but they are still brewing some absolutely stunning beers.  Case in point, the world class DIPA Leviathan, it clocks in at 10% ABV and has a strong hop and malt punch and remains fully balanced and highly drinkable, hunt this bad boy down!

Sam Adams- Double Agent IPL:  A beer that really kicked off this burgeoning style of IPL's (India Pale Lager).  The beer has that wonderful hop punch that we love from IPA's but with a silky smooth lager mouthfeel creating a highly drinkable and wonderful poolside beer.

This weeks ultra special beer:

Sam Adams- Utopias:  This 29% ABV behemoth is so overwhelmingly flavorful that it is almost difficult to describe.  The strong aroma and flavors dance on the border of a fine cognac with strong flavors of caramel, toffee, vanilla, and maple syrup.  There is a hint of alcohol heat but at a volume this high its not surprising.  The price tag can give some sticker shock, but rest assured it is well worth every penny!


We also had this FANTASTIC prize pack this week for listeners including shirts, bottle openers, coasters, hats, an ice bucket, and a fantastic book!

 

Including in the pack was the wonderful book Boston Beer by Norman Miller.  The book provides an in depth look at the rich history and current state of breweries in the greater Boston area.  If you are interested in picking up a copy for yourself you can check it out here.