Beer Events Coming to MA (and very close to CT)

Here's a list of some upcoming events that might be worth your time (or my time considering I have such a small group of readers...most of whom I know don't live even remotely close enough to go with me lol):

June 18th, Dogfish Head Brewery Party (RedBones BBQ in Somerville, MA) - June 18th come to Redbones BBQ in Davis Sq. and sample 15 different Dogfish and 1 cask. Free apps from 5-7pm in Underbones. Beers are available in both bars, up and down. Come enjoy a great mix of Dogfish's finest during this keg party.

June 19th-21st, American Craft Beer Fest (Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA) - Join us Friday & Saturday - June 19 & 20 for the return of the east coast's largest celebration of American craft beer at the Seaport World Trade Center Boston, featuring 75 American brewers, 300 craft beers, and more ...

June 27 , Rock 'N' Brew Fest (The Big E Fairgrounds in Springfield, MA) - Attention beer enthusiasts of the Pioneer Valley, put your tasting hats on...

As part of our "99 Days of Summer", tickets for our 2nd Annual Rock 'n' Brew Fest are on sale NOW. Lazer 99.3 and Paper City Brewing are givin' it to you, and it all goes down at the Big E on Saturday, June 27th. 

The Rock 'n' Brew Fest will feature up to 30 breweries sampling tons of different microbrews and live entertainment. We're giving you TWO sessions to choose from: the first from 1pm to 4:30pm and the second from 6pm to 9:30pm.

Beer in Boston

Since I am a Mass-hole and also love my beer I thought I would share with you all a history of beer in Boston...brought to you by the BeerAdvocate (because I am far to lazy to do a write up and give credit to a bunch of different sources myself).

BEER IN BOSTON

Beers Throughout the Years...

I didn't get too much sleep last night; unfortunately I'm still caught up on my ex...Anyways while I was up I started thinking about the last 5-6 years or so and I came to the conclusion that a blog about the beers throughout the years would be a cool one.  So that said let me take you back in time on a beer voyage through time...

2004 - This was the year I graduated high-school and first arrived at the University of Conn.  This was the year of the party beers.  For the sake of argument, party beers are beers who come in 30's and are still cheaper than a 12 pk of Sam Adams.  Around my dorm the big winners were Keystone Ice and Busch. Oh do I recall the nights down the hall pounding down the watery-piss flavored liquid that was labeled 'beer'.  Funny thing, I didn't think I liked beer in 2004...

2005 - This was the year I started seeing my first serious girlfriend, Kayla...it was also the year I got dumped on my ass by said first serious girlfriend...Though I would say I made a big leap forward in maturity, my taste in Beer did not...But I did take a liking to Rolling Rock during all those nights that fall and winter when I hung out with my buddy Sean. This change was perhaps a catalyst for the beer greatness yet to come...

2006 - In 2006 my taste buds discovered more mature lagers...a baby step towards the IPA's, Stouts, and numerous varieties of ales I enjoy now.  From Rolling Rock, I came to enjoy Heineken and XX.  My love for XX only flurished on my spring break trip to Cancun (so to did my love for pina coladas and Margaritas, which you can so seldom drink not in a tropical setting without getting made fun of...damnit!) as it was essentially the only beer served down there (besides corona, but seriously who the hell wants to drink that crap?).  That summer I moved into my first apartment with my ex girlfriend Elizabeth, who was 21 (I was not yet).  And so it became that I started to drink some of what I will call sophisticated Macro brews...

2007 - The sophisticated Macro brews are well essentially Sam Adams.  It's a beer that is widely distributed throughout the country and yet has far more variety and flavor than the anything else on tap at the local college bar. My first Boston Lager was heaven...and so I decided to have my ex gf buy me mix packs.  And so I discovered their Ales and darkers Stouts and Porters.  That summer I broke up with Elizabeth...but I turned 21 finally and found myself a new girlfriend - microbrews. It started with the smaller macro's - for example Sierra Nevada or Harpoon.  And then I finally came across Magic Hat.  I was originally introduced to Magic Hat by a friend who was obsessed by #9.  It was a little too girly for me, but my first sip of Circus Boy, their Hefeweizen, was indeed magical.  I proceeded to be one of few who tailgated football games with a micro, not one of the Party Beers...Then in October, I met Katie and my beer love took a seat on the backburner.

2008 - I was still head over heals for Katie for the remainder of college.  Though I didn't forget about my beer love it was not quite as important as it seemed before.  But in June I bought my first brewing book: The Joy of Home brewing by Charlie Papazian.  Then in late august we sort of separated...And so I had some more time to go discover again.  This time - Dogfish Head.  It started with the 60 min ale.  WoW! Hoppy and delicious!  Then I discovered their 90 and 120 min Ales - not only filled with a wonderful balance of hops and other flavors, but also loaded with alcohol.  The 4 pk of 90 min ales is still enough to get me kinda drunk. And into the fall I went, still at the drawing board trying to get Katie back...

2009 - By January I somehow managed to get Katie back.  Things were right again.  Yet one big fight in February broke us up again.  The distance between us was an incredible weight on our relationship (among other things) and I once again found myself wondering how I could let the perfect girl slip through my fingers.  But to keep me from getting too lonely I took up a couple of new hobbies.  Firstly I went back to playing golf - which is now one of my favorite ways to spend a beautiful day.  But more importantly I brewed my first beer - a classic American Pale Ale...Since then I have brewed or assisted in Brewing 7 batches and am in love with the hobby...I am also still in love with my ex Katie though. So "with my hands open/and my eyes open/I just keep hoping/That [her] heart opens".

Cry Me A River

"I'm gonna be sad until you post pictures of us" - Leah

CRY ME A RIVER! It'll be done eventually!

...Your sadness continues...

Random Exclusive Photo's - Seen only on this blog!

BT DUB> Might be kinda drunk right now.  Enjoy these random pics from this winter!

Dundee Beer Part 3: American Style Hefeweizen

Beer numero tres - Dundee's Wheat Beer (4.2% ABV).  Here's my opinion on it...

Appearance (3) - Well the typical Hefeweizen is labeled 'unfiltered' and what do you know? This one is too! BUT this beer isn't very cloudy at all! In fact it's pretty damn clear!  Outside that, color is a dark gold, and head retention is mediocre, and spotty. (1/3)

Aroma (4) - I can't smell much...(2/4)

Taste (10) - Good honest balance of hops and malt...but only because I can't taste much of either.  There may be some other lingering citrus flavors.  Pleasantly hoppier than expected though. (3/4)

-Aftertaste is almost non-existent, this beer is very clean...I like that I don't get anything nasty, but I'm also kind of disappointed...(2/3)

-Pretty light bodied, decent carbonation...I wish that it were a little heavier and not so watery. (1/3)

-All in all, taste is clean and refreshing.  Very drinkable. But, it's not what I wanted or expected from a wheat beer. (6/10)

Overall Impression (3) - Again, I was disappointed by the appearance, lack of aroma, and watery taste.  However, I will admit that this beer does have some good underlying flavors and a nice level of hops.  It is also very clean and drinkable. (2/3)

SCORE - 11/20 Mediocre beer...

Dundee Beer Part 2: Pale Bock Lager

Alright, the next beer that caught my eye in this 6 variety mix pack was the Pale Bock (6.2% ABV).  So what do I do? Crack one open and pour myself a tall glass.  Again, on the 20 pt scale, here's what I thought of this lager...

Appearance (3) - The beer is a dark golden color with very faint amber hues.  Now, while this may be a beer dubbed 'Pale Bock' I was not expecting something this light (Not the best first impression).  Now while the head retention was okay, I also expected the head to be thick and creamy...it was not.

(2/3)

Aroma (4) - Big malt aroma...but again hops? A traditional roasted smell? I can't find them...

(3/4)

Taste (10) - The balance of the good deal of malt is matched pretty well by a mild hop flavor and a good deal of bitterness.  Definitely works well. (4/4)

-Mild, slightly bitter flavors in the aftertaste.  But there's something else that doesn't taste so good...faint metalic tastes (irony). (2/3)

-Medium bodied...a little lighter than desired, but I won't nit-pick.  Good carbonization. (3/3)

-Overall it tasted pretty good (9/10)

Overall Impression (3) - This beer bent the rules of the traditional bock...but it tastes pretty damn good.  Again, I would expect some stronger hop aromas and roasted tastes/smell though. (2/3)

SCORE - 16/20 - Very Good Beer.

Downgrade...

You may have noticed that my rating for the Dundee Honey Brown Lager has dropped from a 15 to a 14.  This change of heart was brought about after taking my first sip from the 2nd Lager in my 12 pack.  WOW! Do these guys know what hops are?  I'm not sure they even added any...

RED SOX WIN!

Red Sox Fun Stats:

8-0 vs NY Yankees in 2009!

1st place in AL East

1st place in awesomeness!

Dundee Beer Part 1: Honey Brown Lager

Okay so here is the first installment of my mix pack beer excursion...ENJOY!

I will score the beers of the Dundee mix pack via the 20 pt scale.  In this scale, points are awarded as follows:

Appearance - 3 pts

Aroma - 4 pts

Taste - 10 pts

-Hop/malt balance - 4 pts

-Aftertaste - 3 pts

-Mouth Feel - 3 pts

Overall Impression - 3 pts

*Beers scoring: 18-20 Excellent beer; 15-17 Very Good beer; 12-14 Good beer

I decided to kick off this review with Dundee's original - their Honey Brown Lager (4.5% ABV):

I crack open the brew and pour it into my glass to find that it is a beautiful golden color as I expected.  My first taste gives the impression of a typical lager very smooth and good drinkability.  However, there was definitely an added sweetness that gave this beer something else...

Appearance (3) - The beer was a beautiful golden hue when poured into a glass - fitting the personality of a lager perfectly.  However, the head retention was not the best I have ever seen...

Score - 2/3

Aroma (4) - My first impression of this beer was the aroma that arose from my glass as I poured it.  A sweet malt aroma hit my nose immediately and sent a positive first impression.  However, the smell lacked a hoppiness that I was searching for...

Score - 3/4

Taste (10) - The lighter malt flavors were okay, but as my nostrils first noticed, where's the hops!?! (2/4) 

The aftertaste of this beer is very mild, barely even noticeable.  Exactly what I expect from a crisp, clean, lager. (3/3)

As desired, this sweeter lager has a medium-light body which goes down very smooth.  However, it is not a carbonated as I want it to be. (2/3)

Total - 8/10

Overall Impression (3) - For what it is intended to be, this is a solid beer.  It is a clean, refreshing beer with slightly noticeable honey overtones.  I would expect a "craft beer" to be a little more creative, but the slight honey taste makes this beer worth a try.

2/3

TOTAL SCORE: 14/20 Good Beer

BREW REVIEW: Dundee

So last Sunday when the burn of infamy occurred, my buddy who I brewed with brought over some home-brews of his own for me to try. Although they were nothing special (ahem), one of them was bottled in a Dundee Honey Brown Lager bottle.  This got me thinking 'gee I've seen this beer before, but never tried it.'  So tonight, since I was feeling a little sick (with a suspected case of the swine flu) I decided to stay in and try this new beer.  Here is my review of their 6 beer mix pack...

(PS: anybody who wants to check out dundee beers can take a look at their website - www.dundeebeer.com)

Anybody Pity My Wounds?

Cute girls who pity my wounds may contact me at:

pityhookup@Iburntmyeffinface.com

BEER IDEAS!

So after finishing my 6th and 7th batches of beer, I look to the future...

What types of beer would I like to make next?  Well life - Inspire me!

1) Truly Bitchin' I.P.A. -  Well following a bad breakup, I'd love to dedicate a beer to all of my ex's - an intense India Pale Ale.  Like my ex girlfriends, this is a beer that you will fall in love with ...and will leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth...

2) Irish Red Sox Ale - Following tonight's 6-5 Sox win over the Yankees I would like to dedicate a beer to my favorite ball club. A perfect celebration beer for all the Bo Sox's summer victories!

3) Late-Night Lager - As a follow up to the Truly Bitchin IPA, the late-night lager is dedicated to the summer fling.  On one of those late summer nights when you find a cute girl still lingering around your apartment; this is the beer for you!  Take her out on your porch, knock a few back, and see what happens!

I'm going to finish off this Jameson and Pepsi, and continue to ponder which beer will come next...

Quick Link - What Would You Do If You Caught Your Dad And GF Together???

So I am a big fan of the Big East College football blog on ESPN, and the guy that writes them always has his 'lunchtime links' to various websites that are talking about big east teams or players, etc.  So I have been quickly inspired to add a similar feature to my blog.

I was perusing a home-brew web site looking for ideas for my blog and came across this post in the forum. 

Totally unrelated

Totally Hilarious!

A Brewers Scars

So I had a brewing friend over to make a 2 batches of beer last Sunday, an Imperial White Ale and an Imperial Oatmeal Stout.  

He arrived around five o'clock with a silly red ceramic pot to boil his wort in (it was ridiculously small when compared to my stainless steel pot), which I quickly made fun of.

This was the plan:

-I was to make an amped up version of my white ale (non-traditional, not a wit-ale made with wheat).  It was intended to be a lite beer with around 7.3% alcohol by volume (my original recipe landed somewhere around 4.5% and was wicked good!), not too heavy on the hops and with a hint of citrus flavors.  *Everything fit in my beautiful stainless steel pot with room to spare!*

-My buddy was going to make an Imperial Oatmeal Stout - TOTALLY NEW TO BOTH OF US - which we hope to be very heavy in body, with a good deal of hoppiness, and with a desirably creamy texture.  *All of the ingredients for this beer barely squeezed into the dumb red pot*

After kicking things off and finally getting our worts to a boil, we went into the living room to watch some TV and kick back a few.  We keep alternating to check on the brews and ensure no over-boiling, when about 30 mins in (and about 6 beers deep) it was my turn...

...I head into the kitchen and check my white ale - looks great!  I give it a stir and replace the lid...

...Looking down at the stupid red ceramic pot I am overwhelmed with a bad premonition.  I remove the lid and find a black, viscous goo boiling away (like tar).  I lean in to give it a stir and *pop* a bubble explodes in my face and burns the skin right off of my forehead!

Well, I quickly turn the temperature down and polish off a few more to dull the pain.  My buddy and I successfully fill out fermenters without anymore painful woe and I pass out.

So yesterday I woke with the most ridiculous pain on my forehead.  I text my buddy to remind him of how dumb his tiny red pot is, and he suggested I share my story in a blog.

HOPE YOU ENJOY - Here's a picture of my wounds lol.

Keep posted for updates on the two beers and possible recipes!