Beer from a can? "Can" it be?
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.
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.
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