Recent New England IPAs: Gray Sail Captain's Daughter, Lawsons Sip of Sunshine, and Trillium A Street IPA

Gray Sail Brewery out of Westerly, RI is a relatively new brewer who has struck quite a hit with their Double IPA, Captain's Daughter.  Pretty hoppy, but still drinkable.  Only available in MA/RI, as far as I know, but I enjoyed it!

Sean Lawson of Vermont's Lawson's Finest Liquids most famous beer is Double Sunshine, his double IPA produced in extremely limited batches.  When Mr. Lawson decided that he needed to scale the business a bit, he set up an agreement with Two Roads Brewing on Connecticut to brew his modified Double Sunshine recipe as Sip of Sunshine.  Originally packaged and sold only in kegs and 22oz bombers, the transition to 4 packs makes a ton of sense, especially in light of local competition in Vermont and the superior QPR of 16 oz cans.  This is brewed monthly in CT and then distributed in both CT and VT.  Great beer, comparable to Heady Topper in my opinion.

Trillium Brewery, in my view, is Boston's response to the Vermont beer scene's relentless quality.  While Boston and the vicinity has a number of good breweries, none are truly great, especially when it comes to producing the renowned IPAs that are coming out of Vermont.  I have had a number of great beers from Trillium, including Melcher St IPA, Congress St IPA, and Fort Point Pale, which drinks more like an IPA.  Unfortunately, A Street, does not live up to the others or its $10 price tag.  Still a good beer, but nothing special.  

On the Hunt: Suede Loafers - Alden, Crockett & Jones, Sid Mashburn, etc

Alden loafers are produced not too far away from me in Eastern MA.  I have had a number pairs over the past few years, but the pair I am currently looking for is a suede pair of loafers.  Brown snuff suede is great, and in a loafer form is awesome.

Alden $472 @ The Shoe Mart

Crockett & Jones Harvard $595 @ Ben Silver

Suede Loafers $295 @ Sid Mashburn

Tod's Gommini $425 @ Nordstrom

Review: Farnum Hill Semi-Dry Cider

My uncle gave me a bottle of this cider from Lebanon, NH based Farnum Hill.  I have had their ciders before, but not in the past 2 years.  The stuff is fairly pricey, but for a truly artisanal product, it is great value.  Made from true cider apples, grown on their own apple orchards in Western New Hampshire, and brewed using traditional methods.  Available in beautiful corked and caged 750ml bottles. 

The appearance is not so dissimilar from apple juice, but the carbonation is extremely lively.  The aromas in my tulip glass are outstanding, and feature almost a tropical fruit smell.  The sharp, bitter taste of apple is followed by a very clean, crisp finish.  This stuff is extremely drinkable, and not at all sweet like a Strongbow or other industrial cider.  It compares very favorably with a white wine or a saison.  I am going to try it with some goat cheese as I am a little hungry, but it can definitely stand on its own.  I am going to look into some other ciders that are from MA, and will report back in the future. 

This is a fantastic beer for autumn.

ATL Essentials: Autumn Edition

Autumn is getting into full swing, and it is a welcome reprieve from the heat of summer.  I did an ATL Essentials: Summer Edition and decided that now is an appropriate time for autumn.  These items all coincide with the cooler weather.  As usual, there is a New England-style leaning for these picks.

Pants: Charcoal Wool Flannel and Corduroy.  Although, I still wear plenty of khaki and denim, these two materials are featured most prominently in the fall.  Gray pants are the standard, but the nice warm flannel material is best suited for cooler weather.  Corduroy is fantastic as well, particularly in a green shade as pictured above.

Red Wing Boots are my favorite type of work boots.  I prefer the 875 model, and these are relegated mostly to the weekend.  Sturdy and practical.

Patagonia Fleece.  It is no secret that I am a big fan of Patagonia.  I really like their understated styling and great outdoor gear.  Fleece is perfect for this season, regardless of the model.

Tattersall shirts.  British country style tattersall is a great pattern.  It is obviously more on the casual spectrum, Barbour is the gold standard, but I own a couple shirts from Orvis and Land's End that are nice as well.

Stouts.  My favorite of which is Goose Island Bourbon County.  Perfect beer for the season, bit of a meal in itself.

Beef Stew.  The perfect fall food.  Potatos, peas, hearty meat all together.  Enjoy with stout.

Check out other ATL Essentials posts.

Hike: Mt. Martha, New Hampshire - Twin Mountain, NH

This past weekend my wife and I went up to New Hampshire and stayed at a condo in Lincoln, NH with my uncle, aunt, and my parents.  It was a great weekend, good food, good beer, football, and hiking.  I couldn't really ask for much more.  I haven't done much hiking since Mount Washington in the winter, but I always love it.

We hiked Mount Martha, which is located in Twin Mountain, NH.  It's off Rt. 3 up over the Franconia Notch and is a 40 minute drive from Lincoln.  The hike is extremely reasonable, although you certainly do get a full workout.  I feel bad that we did not take Martha's mile over to Owl's Head, but would certainly consider it in future hikes.

After the hike, we watched the Patriots handle business against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.  We enjoyed a beautiful pot roast dinner that my father and uncle collaborated on.  Delicious.  Washed it down with some great beers that my uncle brought me from Michigan.

Craft Beer: 4 Packs >>>

Ahhhhh the 6 pack, a lofty goal to many fitness enthusiasts and a man's best friend to many others.  The Beer Nut is a local blogger, based out of the Worcester, MA area.  He talks all things craft beer, and I frankly almost always agree with both his tastes and his points of view regarding the industry.  Recently, he posted about his gripes regarding 6 pack pricing.  I tend to agree with this view.  It is neither a large enough quantity to warrant a significant discount or a small enough quantity to warrant the increased price.  Unfortunately, it is the most popular distribution model for craft beer.

I tend to prefer purchasing single bottles or 22oz "bombers" when I only want to try something.  That way, I don't get stuck with 5 bottles of beer that are mediocre.  If I want to pick up something for sessions, I am probably going to go with a craft beer that is available in 12 packs, which offer significant savings for a small quantity increase.  Great for a long weekend, and not so many beers that you are inundated with beer, like with a case of four 6 packs.

However, my personal favorite is the four pack.  It is a large enough quantity that you are able to sample a beer multiple times, but not a commitment to six.  I typically only have one or two beers a night, so this is an appropriate amount for me to sample over several days or even weeks.  I understand that I will be facing a premium, but for the beers that typically come in four packs, which are made with often better or more ingredients and resulting higher gravity, the value is there.  There are tons of $10 six packs that I am not interested in, in the slightest, while a $10 4 pack means just $2.50 for each great beer.  It is the superior distribution model.

I always love the Sixpoint 4 packs, recently picked up several Green Flash 4 packs, and another favorite New England Brewing Ghandi Bot comes in 4 packs, when you can find it.  Let's support this movement with our wallets!

Tuckerman's Ravine @ Mount Washington, NH

Marina and I at the beginning of the hike

Several weeks back, my uncle called me and mentioned he was coming out to New England to visit.  As part of the visit, he planned to hike to Mount Washington's Tuckerman's Ravine.  This natural structure is near the summit of the tallest mountain in the Northeastern United States.  He told me that the four and a half mile hike is fairly easy, but it is a constant struggle, not much flat area.  He also mentioned that he would like my wife to come along as well.  I had no problem making the hike, but Marina, who is originally from Brazil, was a little more skeptical about hiking up the massive mountain in wintery conditions, as she is an inexperienced hiker.  Nevertheless, we decided it would be worth the trip, and met up with my uncle, father, and brother on a cold Saturday morning to make the hike.

approaching the bowl

My brother, who is an avid snowboarder, had decided to bring along his board, so that he could ride the ravine.  As well pulled in we learned that the trail was pretty icey.  Marina was able to use my fathers Microspikes to maintain traction, while the rest of us used poles.  The Microspikes worked spectacularly, and Marina was able to traverse up ice covered terrain with almost no delay or caution, I definitely need to look into getting a pair for each of us.  The hike took about 2 hours to reach the top, with several small breaks to catch our wind and admire the beautiful views around us.

L to R (Brother, Me, Marina, Uncle)

We reached the top of the bowl and were treated to a glorious view of the summit, Tuckerman's Ravine, the neighboring Wildcat mountain, and a bunch of other hikers and skiiers enjoying the lovely day.  It was incredibly sunny, and I quickly realized a sunburn was forming.  Luckily, I was drinking beers and was not about to allow a little sunburn to ruin a great afternoon.  After watching some great ski runs and hanging out with the locals, our beer supply was depleted and we decided to head back down.  It only took us an hour and a half on the way back, and a good amount of snow had melted.  The weather was absolutely perfect for a winter hike, roughly 40 degrees and not windy nor a cloud in the sky.

We were pretty wiped out at the end of the day, and my legs and hips were certainly sore the next day, a desk job and hiking are two mutually exclusive professions!  We drank a couple more beers back at my other aunt and uncle's condo at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH and crashed around 10pm.  We drove back to CT the next day, but the hike was awesome, and we are considering going back in the warm months.

This was the best run we viewed all day:

my father going nuts in the white.

my brother, marina and myself in the top right small group, just chillin

Summer in March

I have been thoroughly enjoying the record breaking heat here in New England, with temperatures in the 80s, and its only mid-March!  I enjoyed spending the last weekend with my family, and my beautiful wife, Marina, has been on spring break this week as well.  This means lots of great home-cooked meals, walks, and just a better vibe at home, without the stress of schoolwork hanging on her shoulders. 

We have been playing tennis lately, as she has taken it both beginner and intermediate classes at her school, and has taught me the basics as well.  I just recently ordered a Babolat racquet from Ebay, although used I am happy to get a "tweener" racquet that I can use for at least a year or two!

  

I also have been able to pick up two great ties from Ebay, a Turnbull and Asser for $8 and a Vineyard Vines for $16, both bargains!

I enjoyed a few beverages this weekend.  Blue Hills Brewery's American Bitter was pretty decent for $8.50/growler and the Sam Adams Spring Mixed 12 pack was solid, for the few offerings I had tried so far.  The Mighty Oak was not my favorite, but certainly not terrible.  I had my brother pick up a 750ml bottle of Bulleit Bourbon on his way back from New Hampshire for $25, saving $7 off the retail price here in MA/CT.  I enjoyed this bourbon a lot, and I hope to continue tasting more great brown spirits!

Hiking up Tuckerman's Ravine at Mount Washington the weekend after this coming one, should be a good time!

Superbowl...

The Patriots v. Giants Superbowl is just a few days away.  I am extremely excited for the game, and the only concern I have is regarding the health of Rob Gronkowski's ankle.  If that's alright, then I the Giants parade will come to an end. 

Celtics began to pick up some speed, beating the Orlando Magic twice, and sending their season into a tailspin.  Then they were able to win in an upset at home against the Indiana Pacers who are looking strong.  However, #1 pick Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Caveliers were 11 points behind with 4 minutes to go.  The Celtics were not able to score a single point, and Kyrie scored a basket on a botched pick and roll defense play by Avery Bradley with 2.6 seconds to go, and won the game by 1.  The Celtics play Cleveland again tonight, and hopefully are able to enact some revenge.

I have been drinking some great beer lately as well.  Sierra Nevada's new spring seasonal, the Ruthless Rye IPA is a hit.  I love buying the Sierra Nevada 12 packs, and having a nice hoppy beer available all the time for the bargain price of $1.08/beer.  Another great beer I tried this weekend was Stone Brewing's collaboration with Vermont brewpub-turned-cannery The Alchemist and Ninkasi of the Pacific Northwest.  It is called "More Brown than Black IPA" and is filled to the brim with hops, but the dark malts offset this a little bit, really a great beer all around.

I have been dealing with a virus/flu of some sort that's left me quite congested.  I think that I am coming out on the right side and am going to hit the gym tonight.  Cheers!

Superbowl: Brady & Belichick Try for 4

I got my wish last weekend. Tom Brady and the Patriots eeked out a victory in Foxboro against the Baltimore Ravens and will represent the AFC in Superbowl XLVI. (why don't they just use 46???)  The game came down to a last minute drive by Flacco and the Ravens against Edelman & Co.'s porous defense.  Sterling Moore knocked a ball out of Baltimore WR Lee Evans in the end zone, setting the Ravens up for a tying 32 yard FG attempt for Billy Cundiff.  What should have been a chip shot shanked left and Patriots nation erupted.  Although the result was as desired, the performance gave fans a feeling of unease, but all we have is one more game.

In the evening game, the red-hot NY Giants snatched victory and a berth in Indianapolis with an overtime Lawrence Tynes FG.  Eli played well and the Giants D made life miserable for Alex Smith.  2 special teams gaffes by Kyle Williams may have cost the game for the 49ers.

This sets up a rematch of 2007-2008's Superbowl 42, which haunts me to this day.  I remember watching this game in my college dorm, surrounded by a bunch of roomates who happened to be Giants fans.  The celebration for that rediculous play by Eli & Tyree will forever live in infamy.  Now that I live in Connecticut, I am surrounded by Giants fans, which is annoying to say the least.  I just hope that the favored New England Patriots can take care of business and get that ring.

I mentioned New England is favored, and the line opened at NE -3.5, which I hopped on immediately since its over the key number of 3.  I truly think the Pats win by 3, as seen in their last 3 Superbowl victories.  The one they lost also happened to land on the number 3.  This is no big surprise since 3 is the most common result in football, and probably even higher in close fought NFL Championship and Playoff games.  This means its incredibly important to be on the right side of the number.  I will definitely hedge this bet depending how far the line drops come Feb 5th, I will take NE outright or at -2, but I wanted to lock something up with NYG +3.5.  The over/under is 55.5, and I love the under.  Look at all Patriots Superbowls, and that scary Giants pass rush, means that the totals will be closer to NE v. BAL than NE v DEN.  More analysis coming as the game gets closer.

AFC Conference Championships: Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

I have been missing for quite awhile.  Last post was the day before New Years Eve.  I had a great time visiting with my wife's sister and brother in law.  We spent a great extended weekend in New York City.  Visited New Haven and Boston twice.  We drank a lot of great beers, the new Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye is excellent.  We took an informal tour at New England Brewing in New Haven, and I picked up 2 four packs of their 668: Neighbor of the Beast.  We also visited Berkshire Brewing in South Deerfield, MA.  The tour was great, the tour guide was funny and informative, and I sampled both the Imperial Stout and their "Goodbye Irene" beer brewed to help support the local community that was ravaged by the early October storm.  Through all this we watched the NBA season get into swing, and my Celtics, are performing far below expectations.  More on that later.  In the NFL, the Patriots have been rolling and with the Saints and Packers eliminated, the two best teams in the NFL are gone from the playoff "tournament."

The AFC conference championship pits the #2 seed Baltimore Ravens in Foxboro against my #1 seed New England Patriots.  The betting line is Patriots -7, which I think is a bit high, considering the Ravens impressive defense, Ray Rice, and the Patriots defense more full of holes than swiss cheese.  I think the line is elevated by the Patriots destruction of Timothy Tebow.  I think the game will be pretty great and I really hope that Tom Brady and the three headed monster of Gronkowski, Hernandez and Welker will be too much for Baltimore to overcome. The game is at 3pm and if things go well for the Pats they will be in Indy in 2 weeks!

The other game is the red hot New York Giants against the impressive San Francisco 49ers.  No one expected this to be the matchup in the NFC, with the Saints and Packers representing probably 80% of football fans #1 most likely Super Bowl victors.  Hoping for a Giants v Patriots Super Bowl rematch, but I think the 49ers will roll and they are favored by 2.5, and I think theres some value on the Niners at home.

Bobby Valentine = Boston Red Sox New Manager

I am pretty horrified with how the Red Sox performed this past year.  Francona had gotten even softer, and nobody took him seriously.  I think that with Valentine, the Red Sox will be much improved.  I don't even care if we keep Big Papi, fuck that guy. Fuck Papelbon too.  We have a ton of talent and I am extremely excited for 2012 baseball season.

god damn, this "Rappin Duke" video is hilarious too

More New Boston Microbreweries!

Blatant Brewing:

Blatant Brewing is a brewery founded by Matthew Steinberg, who has been working with Offshore Ale Company, of Martha's Vineyard, and more recently Mayflower Brewing. Now he has started his own brewery, producing beers at Just Beer in Westport, MA in a contract brewing arrangement, which I mentioned has become the trend in new Boston breweries, and Pretty Things has had great success brewing in Westport!

Their two beers are an IPA, that is BLATANTLY hopped, and I think the aggressive name bolds well for my favorite style of beer. Blatant is also brewing a session ale, which I am also a fan of, under 4% ABV is always welcome by me, especially for day time drinking. I will be looking to try this beer on tap at the next location that I find it.


Night Shift:



Night Shift is following the trend of building a production brewery in the industrial cities just north of Boston.  Night Shift will be based out of Everett, and the three founders seem to be Tufts graduates living in Somerville. I really appreciate the graphics and design of Night Shift's website, and their glasses are really awesome looking. At this time, there is no information on the actual beers, but there are a number of great images. I will be monitoring these guys, as they hope to open in early 2012.


Critical Mass:

Critical Mass is literally just an idea at this moment. They announced their existence on the 18th of November in a thread on Beeradvocate. I do enjoy the clever incorporation of Massachusetts into their name, and I truly hope that we are not at critical mass for breweries in the state and region! Keep these guys on your radar, as beer will be flowing summer of 2012.

New England Brewing: Ghandi-Bot Beer Review

Since moving to Connecticut, a few months back, this is the single beer that I have been hoping to try.  Brewed in New Haven County, CT, 45 minutes south, it is a bit hard to find, as it is such a desired commodity.  I was finally able to secure a 4 pack at Table and Vine in West Springfield, MA, for a fair price at $11.99, I also made sure to grab a sixer of New England Brewing's Sea Hag IPA at $7.99 too.

First off, I want to say that I love that this DIPA comes in a can.  The Alchemist's Heady Topper is the only other excellent DIPA that can say the same, as far as I know. All of New England Brewing's offerings come in cans, except for the Imperial Stout Trooper that comes in ~$20 750ml bottles.  The bright orange and interesting artwork make for an interesting looking can.  The name Ghandi-Bot is a great one too!

The beer pours a large, foamy head.  The color is a hazy orange, an excellent looking beer.  The smell is noticeable as soon as it is poured out.  The glorious American hops are just bursting out of the glass.  The hops are definitely American, with grapefruit, orange and pineapple smells all noticeable.

The first sip is that of sweet sweet hops, but with a strong malty background.  Although the beer is 8.80% ABV, which is fairly high, you can not tell from tasting it.  This is not a "balanced" IPA in any sense of the word balanced.  (check out local Berkshire Brewing's Lost Sailor, if that's what you are looking for!)

Amazing beer, best East Coast IPA/DIPA I have ever had.  Not as good as Pliny!

NBA Season/Chris Herren Unguarded

This NBA lockout is one of the most infuriating things I have experienced as a sports fan.  The NFL lockout was childs play, those guys were just trying to divvy up the boatloads of money they are making.  The NBA is not as profitable, I understand that, so they need to make a change.  Players need to understand that agents are telling them one thing, but for the overall health and viability of the league, as well as their fans that they are going to have to take a miniscule paycut.  Small market owners can't afford the huge contracts you people are demanding!  I am not going to rant about this anymore until the season has commenced, but you all know I am a huge NBA/Celtics fan and coming off an amazing post-season the NBA has dropped the ball big time. 

ESPN ran a documentary recently called Unguarded.  It is based on Fall River, MA native Chris Herren, who was a sensation in high school, played at BC in college, and eventually made it to the pros.  However, he was heavily addicted to painkillers, heroin, and other drugs, he was a complete addict.  I remember this guy when he was on the court for that terrible Celtics team, but then he was cut and I never heard from him again.  Bill Simmons spoke with Chris on the BS Report, and it really is a good listen.  Just because someone is rich, doesn't mean they can't fall prey to opiate addiction, I know a lot of people in my life who have been affected by this, and I can totally relate to Chris.  Worth checking out.