Ever since discovering the joys of craft beers with more flavor and complexity than the mass produced pablum of our youth that was passed off to us as beer, I have been a bottle snob. Cans were associated with that swill of the lowest common denominator. There was also the feeling that cans imparted a "tinny" taste to the beer, while bottles would keep the brews clean and fresh.

Along comes New England Brewing Company of Woodbridge, CT to try and get me (and presumably others) to change my mind. So far, so good.

It boggles me that I must have driven past this brewery a number of times. We often go to the New Haven train station when taking a train into New York city. And we also dropped our sons off at the New Haven train station many times during their college years. Depending on the route taken when returning home we would have driven right past New England brewing. So I should be able to find them easily in the future for a tour and tasting. And they sell growlers on the premises as well. So they will put their beer into glass after all.

The brew I sampled first is the Sea Hag, an IPA. Not sure of the derivation of the name, but it is cool. 

As you can see the beer has a light golden color. I found it to be lighter in color than most IPA's I've had lately. The lightness carries through to the body as well.

There is definitely a strong aroma of both pine and citrus that greets you when you bring the beer near. The first taste sensation is a malty one with a slight prickly sensation on the tongue. There is a pronounced citrus flavor in the aftertaste. The overall flavor of the beer dissipates quickly upon swallowing, but the citrus flavor did linger for a bit.

Overall an enjoyable and easy to drink beer. There are better and more complex IPA's out there, but this one is very drinkable and would be easy to have as a session, all night brew.

And it is has opened me up to the possibility of having quality microbrews from a can. 

For that alone I give Sea Hag IPA 7 mugs out of 10.

I searched their web site for an explanation as to why they decided on cans rather than bottles. They make a point of stating they were among the first microbrews to do so, but don't provide any reasoning. If I do end up there for a tour someday I'll be sure to ask and let you know.

And I look forward to trying more canned goods from New England Brewing.   

Double barrel photos today. 

The top image is just showing off a new mug. Well the mug isn't new but it's new to me. It was my father's. The other side has the crest of his alma mater, Hobart College in Geneva, New York, along with the year he graduated, 1951.

As you can see the other side bears his name. It also happens to be officially my first name as well. I just have never gone by that name. To avoid confusion growing up, I was always called by my middle name (or one of them), Ken.

Anyway my Dad passed early last year and we are currently in the process of selling the house. So this is one of the items I am proud to have inherited. The brew I christened the mug with for my use is Sierra Nevada's Snow Wit IPA. You can check out the blog of 6/20/2014 for a review of that ale.

The bottom photo shows the Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. Both this brew and the Snow Wit are part of Sierra Nevada's 4-Way IPA variety 12 pack.

The Torpedo is one of the favorite beers I've come across lately. It has a pleasing golden brown color. The aroma is rather subdued compared to many IPA's. Then again my allergies have been acting up lately and I may have just been a bit stuffed up. What aroma I did detect was the fruity, citrus-like aroma you would expect from an IPA.

With many IPA's, especially those from Western brewers, the first taste sensation is usually that of fruit, especially grapefruit or some other citrus flavor. However with Torpedo I found the first taste to be overwhelmingly that of pine and a strong herbal component. The fruity taste, and yes I'd say it was closest to grapefruit in flavor, came in the finish as you swallowed. There was just a hint of bitterness.

The taste of this beer certainly fills your mouth and stays with you. It is not a shy beer whose flavor disappears quickly. I'd say it's a little too intense to be your choice for drinking all night, but Torpedo Extra Ale is a complex and tasty brew.

According to the Sierra Nevada web site, Torpedo Extra IPA gets the intense hop flavor from their "hop torpedo". This involves dry-hopping the beer by adding full-cone hops directly to the fermenting brew. The theory is that it increases the hop character without introducing bitterness. As far as my taste is concerned, theory confirmed!

I give Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA 7 mugs out of 10. A little heavy for drinking more than a couple at one session, but a very good and pleasing beer.

Certainly one of the more fun beers to order around these parts is anything from the Hooker Brewery. Nothing beats approaching the bar maid or bartender, and when they ask what they can get you, respond with a straight face and dead pan delivery, "I'll have a Hooker". And the bartender has to be thinking, "if only I had a nickel for every time some smart ass came up with that line".

Okay so as a middle-aged man you have to still be carrying around remnants of an adolescent mindset to get pleasure out of that. Guilty as charged.

Today we are looking at one of the standard brews from the Hooker brewery, its Blonde Ale.

As you can see this is a lighter ale. That is a portent of things to come.

The aroma of this ale is very subtle, in that there wasn't much of one.

The first taste sensations are also subtle. There is a slight tart sensation you notice first. Then you notice a prickly malt sensation and a slight hoppiness.

It is very smooth. But it also disappears very quickly. 

I have to believe this Blonde Ale is meant for drinking on a hot summer day. It is easy to drink and goes down easy. It just does not leave a lasting impression. 

I give Hooker Blonde Ale 5 mugs out of 10. Pleasant enough to drink, just nothing special.

And I have enjoyed many of the brews from Hooker Brewery so be sure to check them out. And even if it's a variety pack that includes the Blonde Ale, you'll still find it a pleasurable experience.

By the way for those in Connecticut, the Thomas Hooker Brewery (yes it is named after a person, not a profession) is located in Bloomfield CT and they do have hours for tastings and tours. Check it out on the link above. And if you don't want to look it up, Thomas Hooker was the founder of Hartford, CT.