Last Friday evening a few of us went to some local outlets in the Berkshires to do some shopping. The most exciting part of the evening was when we decided to go home an alternate route that would take us through Great Barrington, Massachusetts. This gave us the opportunity to stop and have dinner at one of our favorite brew pubs, the Barrington Brewery. I believe this was my reward for chaufferring the others on a shopping trip where I myself hadn't found what I was looking for.
We first found this brew pub a few years ago when we were invited to take a bus tour of western Massachusetts brew pubs. That was a fun day. The Barrington Brewery was our first stop. We got a tour of the brewing facilities and an explanation of the brewing process from grain through finished product. And of course we were able to sample some of their offerings. I bought a growler of their IPA and still have the empty bottle as a memento.
On the way another member of our party expressed the hope the brewery would have a Pumpkin Ale. I concurred and admit that put me in the mood for one. I was looking forward to sampling a crisp brew with the hint of pumpkin and spice. It helped that the evening felt more like an October evening even though it is still technically summer.
Alas when we arrived and were seated we learned that their seasonal options did not include a pumpkin brew. They had a Scotch Ale and an Octoberfest available along with their usual lineup. Naturally I had to sample both of their seasonal brews. The others in our party had the Raspberry Ale, which is a lighter but refreshing brew. Have you gotten the impression yet that I was the only male in our party? If so then you are perceptive.
I'll save a discussion of the Scotch Ale for another day. I was especially interested in the Octoberfest as I have been sampling the Octoberfest offerings from two of New England's microbrew heavyweights, Sam Adams and Harpoon. The Octoberfests were included in their Harvest and Football Tailgater variety 12 packs respectively. As you may recall those were the variety packs I supplied to our Football Fantasy draft night. So these versions were fresh in my mind if not on my palate.
The Octoberfest from Barrington Brewery was superior to the brews from Sam Adams and Harpoon. This is not surprising. I mean you are drinking beer dispensed in the same building in which it is brewed. It cannot be any fresher. But it went beyond that. I would simply say that the Octoberfest from the brew pub was smoother and tastier than the Sam Adams and Harpoon Octoberfests. It has a nice body and flavor with no hint of bitterness. And it is not so heavy that you couldn't drink it as your one beer of the night if you were so inclined.
The Octoberfests from Sam Adams and Harpoon are certainly good. I've never had complaints about either. While not as smooth as Barrington Brewery's verson, they certainly go down easily enough and have the same basic flavor characteristics. If either was the only brew available to you for an evening you would be more than satisfied. Whether it's the freshness and not having to travel or just a superior recipe is difficult to get at, but the brew pub's beer is just better. 
So I'm giving Barrington Brewery Octoberfest 8 mugs out of 10. I would have rated it a 7, but based on the discussion above that would mean rating the Octoberfests from Sam Adams and Harpoon at 6 mugs out of 10. And they are certainly better than that. They are not far behind the brew pub offering. But my system does not allow for scores involving a fraction of a mug.
I mean come on a partial mug? That would be messy and you would lose some beer, a cardinal sin if ever there was one. If I had never tasted Barrington Brewery Octoberfest I would score both Sam Adams and Harpoon 7 mugs out of 10. But I can't score all three 7 mugs if I've said is clearly superior to the others. Hence the 8 mug score for Barrington Brewery. 
Phew! That's a long winded way of saying get out to Barrington Brewery and check them out. And if you can't and want a good Octoberfest beer, you won't go wrong with either Sam Adams or Harpoon.
By the way Barrington Brewery has been in operation since 1995. They have gone solar and advertise themselves as producing Solar Powered Beer. And in case you're wondering the food is good and they try to use local ingredients when possible. As you can imagine beer and beer related ingredients figure into many of their recipes, including dessert!
You can check them out at this link.  



 

I keep mentioning how I'm a big fan of IPA's, but I haven't reviewed one yet. So time to pull out one of my favorite IPA's from the archives. 
This is from one of my favorite breweries, Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, NY.
I found variety packs from this brewery at one of my favorite package stores (that's New England speak for liquor store). This particular establishment carries quite a variety of beers from many locations. 
It was the name that first caught my eye. From age 4 to about half way through the 5th grade my family lived in the town of Vestal, NY just outside of Binghamton. The region was referred to as the Southern Tier. So when I saw beers from a place called Southern Tier I had to pick it up. I have never been disappointed.
Southern Tier advertises itself as liking "vigorously hopped" brews so they were already on my good side before I had tasted a drop. Every beer I have tried from them so far has been good, but the IPA is outstanding. It just may currently be my favorite in the entire genre. 
The hops are strong in this one for sure. You get the bitterness you expect from an IPA. But it is nicely balanced so the bitterness does not overwhelm or get in the way of a very flavorful brew. This is an IPA you could drink all night, at an appropriate moderate pace of course. It will stand up to spicy or strongly flavored foods, but can be enjoyed immensely all by itself. The taste fills the mouth as they say and has the usual hoppy taste with tones of caramel from the malts. What more can I say? This is one of the smoothest, tastiest IPA's I have ever had. They also have an Imperial IPA that is allegedly much stronger than their "regular" IPA. Can't wait to find that one and try it.
I'm giving Southern Tier IPA 8 mugs out of 10 only because I'm harder grading IPA's than other styles. 
And they lose points because it turns out Lakewood, NY is closer to the southwest corner of New York state near Jamestown, hours from the Binghamton area. So while technically still Southern Tier, it is not as close to my old home as I thought when I first purchased these beers. Hey my scoring is nothing if not highly subjective and capricious. 
But all seriousness aside, if you're a fan of IPA's find this beer and drink it. And if you find other offerings from Southern Tier try those too. Like I said I have yet to find a bad beer from these people. And apparently it's not just me, they have expanded their operation dramatically in recent years and are shipping to more and more areas of the country. So find out what the excitement is all about. 

Today we review another offering from July's beer of the month club. It is called Paradise Porter. 
Again this comes from Diamond Bear Brewing Company in Little Rock, Arkansas. 
Like its Irish Red offering (see Blog #3) this beer is no shrinking violet. 
As a fan of IPA's I like my beers with strength and a touch of bitterness. 
This Porter does not disappoint in that respect.
Its inky darkness hints at how strong a brew this is. It has the usual hint of "toastiness" in aroma and taste. A strong almost coffee-like flavor is the first impression I noted. (And that was confirmed with the tasting notes that accompanied the monthly club brews. But again I do not read those until I've tasted the brew myself and made my own notes.)
I would simply say this beer is very tasty. It has a complex flavor that stays with you even after the swallow has taken the beer away. 
But it is a powerful example of the Porter style which is too strong for many as a matter of course. So if you are one of those who doesn't like strong, dark brews stay away from this one.
But if you appreciate the Porter style then definitely search this one out. Be prepared though because it is stronger than most and also carries a bitterness in the aftertaste. Being a fan of complex hoppy brews I enjoyed it, but it won't be for everyone.
I gave it 7 mugs out of 10. It is very good, aspires to greatness even with its strength and flavors, but just a touch too bitter to be able to drink for any length of time. But would definitely stand up to strong foods.

How do you like that glass? It was a gift from an in-law and became one of my favorites. Gotta love that inverted bottle shape.

Today we chronicle another entry from July's beer of the month club.
This is Irish Red from Diamond Bear brewery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
It is by far the most powerful Irish Red I have ever sampled.
So powerful it screwed up my phone's focus. For that I apologize. But it did not screw up the focus of my taste buds.
The first word that came to mind when I sipped this beer was "overpowering". But that is wrong. To me that connotes a negative, something that is too strong and gets in the way. That is not the case here. "Powerful" is the correct word. 
Now the beer of the month club sends along a sheet with each month's delivery that provides information about the breweries and brews contained in that month's offering.
I purposely avoid reading the tasting notes until I have actually tried the beer. Avoid the power of suggestion and all that. Don't want to taste the beer and say "you're right I do taste a hint of black currants". Like I know what the hell black currants taste like.
But in reading the notes afterwards I found them to be largely spot on. This is by far the strongest most interesting Irish Red I have come across. I'm sure we've all tried the bland, inoffensive Killian's. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Better than drinking many mass produced beers. It just isn't that interesting once you sample more robust versions of the style. Something like the Sam Adams Irish Red is definitely more complex and a step up in class.
But this brew from Diamond Bear is the best I have come across. Strong. Bold. Tasty. The two words associated with the taste that crossed my mind were "toasted" and "caramel". Sure enough when I went back to the club's write up those words were used often.
I was not surprised to read that this beer was a gold medal winner. This is a beer I would go out of my way to find. Maybe not all the way to Arkansas. But it's worth a trip. Definitely one of my favorite discoveries on my beer drinking journey. There is another beer from Diamond Bear in the monthly package that I am now looking forward to drinking.
The Irish Red is scored 9 mugs out of 10. Probably as close to a 10 as I'll ever come but I hesitate to call something a "10" on the third posting!

So here is a beer I probably would not have picked up on my own. 
Admit it, as a guy the label art is shall we say "off putting"?
But my wife loves me and occasionally enrolls me in the Microbrewed Beer of the Month club. (www.beermonthclub.com) 
The shipment that arrived at the end of July included this offering. It is called Honey Amber Rose and comes to us from an outfit called Beer Diva. This particular brew however they outsourced to the Mendocino brewery in Ukiah, California.
It does pour a nice amber color. Very pleasing to the eye. There is an initial touch of sweetness as suggested by the Honey in the name. It is not overpowering or cloying though, nicely balanced I'd say. Then comes a slight bitterness, presumably from the rose hips that are also part of the recipe. It is as noted in the monthly newsletter "lightly hopped". Maybe it works for this style brew, but since I'm an IPA fan, it seemed a tad on the light side to me. Still even though only 4.5% alcohol by volume the beer taste does "fill the mouth", just not as much as you might like or as suggested by the aforementioned amber color.
Overall though, a tasty, flavorful drink. 
One of those brews you don't mind trying and tasting. But not one that I'd keep going back to or going out of my way to find. 
But if it's the last beer in the fridge, or a cooler at a party, you can grab it without hesitation. A good summer brew for those looking for something lighter, without going "lite" and losing all flavor and character.
Overall i give it 6 mugs on a scale from 1 to 10.