Samuel Adams New England IPA

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.8%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 3.73/5
- Beer Advocate: 3.84/5
- RateBeer: 3.9/5

"The slight sweetness is perfectly balanced by the pineapple and grapefruit hop character, without being overly bitter. Clocking in at 6.8% ABV and a low 35 IBUs, the unfiltered IPA provides a burst of fruited hop aroma and leaves drinkers wanting another sip. In comparison to West Coast style IPAs which have prominent hop bitterness and a light, dry mouthfeel, New England IPA’s are generally known for a juicy, luscious mouthfeel and opaque, hazy appearance - and are best enjoyed fresh."

The appearane is great with a light orange color and hazy body with over two fingers of white, fluffy, dense head.

Mossy, earthy hop notes are what he me first on the aroma. A subtle grapefruit acidity and orange peel toss in some fruity hop flavors and then there's a touch of pine and sap at the end.

The taste is much sweeter than the nose. Juicy berries, blood oranges, and clementines are a nice fruit salad for the palate. A lot of herbal notes emerge here with fresh mint and then spicy black pepper swoops in too. Just as noticeable are the powdery malts which provides a solid foundation and malty sweetness is a theme throughout. I personally don't get much of the earthy notes on the taste aside from (very) faint grass and maybe some wet tree bark.

Mouthfeel is soft and comfortable with good carbonation. It has a fluffy feeling at times and doesn't feel dry. Drinkability is solid and the abv is never felt.

I think the only thing "New England" about this IPA is the look and feel as the overall malty flavors don't remind me of this "subsidiary" of a style. That being said, it is still a solid IPA in its own right with a creamy mouthfeel and complex enough of a flavor profile to satisfy the masses.

Rating
8.1/10

The Top 10 Beers of 2016

It's time for the 3rd installment of the Top 10 Beers list and 2016 was a pretty darn good year (pardon my French).

Admittedly, I did not review as many beers as I wanted, but I guess my resolution for 2017 would be to buckle down and produce more content. In spite of that, I still have put together a top-notch Top 10 and have had fun going back and reminiscing about so many good beers.

As with the years past, I did set some parameters for compiling this list...

• The beer had to be reviewed on the blog in 2016. If I had it at a bar, a bottle share, fest, etc, then it doesn't qualify.
• No re-reviews. I typically don't re-review beers, but sometimes an occasion calls for it. So sorry, Trillium Headroom, you do not qualify for the list.
• Multiple beers from one brewery are allowed. Frankly, if the brewery makes that many good beers (in my opinion) then I'm not going to fault them for it.

 As with last year, I will do Class-B categories before counting down the 10 best of the year. Thank you for your continued support and I hope to entertain you more in 2017.

Let's Go!

Most Disappointing Beers of 2016

Like last year, the following entries weren't necessarily bad, but to me, they fell below my expectations. We won't get into a philosophical argument over whether or not I (or anyone else) am entitled to expect nothing less than a great beer, but we all have those moments where you buy a beer and say "Oh, this sounds good", but then it doesn't knock your socks off. Again, not bad, but not what I personally expected.

3. Other Half 2nd Anniversary IPA

Other Half Brewing and I don't have a solid relationship. I have found almost all of their offerings to be middle-of-the-road, but I have remained hopeful. When I landed a can of their 2nd Anniversary IPA way back in February, I was hoping this would be the one to change my mind, but it didn't.

Like most of the others I have tried, this had a strong West Coast taste that leaned heavily on spicy, onion hops. The East Coast has built a reputation for hazy, juice bombs, but Other Half doesn't follow that lead. Granted, there's nothing wrong with trying to pay homage to classic West coast IPA's, but OH doesn't seem to please either side of the country.


2. Kern River Citra

 I got serious about craft beer about five years ago and one of the most sought-after DIPA's on the planet was Kern River Citra. I may be remembering this incorrectly, but back then (2012), this was a Top 10 beer on Beer Advocate (if not that, then a Top 20). Today the rating still holds steady thanks to years of high scores, but in a world today where everyone is producing hazy juice nukes, this West Coast offering doesn't stand out.

Those classic garlic and onion notes dominate throughout. I think with this all Citra DIPA, I was expecting pure juice, but this stayed true to its roots, which caught me off guard. It wasn't a bad beer, but its reputation preceded itself.

1. Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Sunshine

Now here's one I did not like (but not enough to get on the "Worst of" list).

I had this beer for the first time years and years ago and loved it...LOVED it. It was years ahead of a lot of the current Massachusetts breweries that have defined the typical "New England IPA". When I got my latest bottle this year, I was severely let down.

Gone were the tropical fruits and instead they were replaced with an odd assortment of butterscotch and burnt popcorn to go with dirty, grassy hops. The bottle I got was only a couple of weeks old, so freshness was not the issue. I don't know if the recipe had changed or something, but this was not the beer I once loved. It cost an arm and a leg to trade for, but I think I would have given them my other appendages (including "Death Proof") to take it back.

The Worst Beers of 2016

I've said it before, but I usually don't go out of my way to purposely review "bad" beers. I buy what I want and hope for the best with each beer review. Sadly, not everything goes as planned.

3. Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin

I love me the standard Sculpin (though I've never reviewed it). The variations out there on the market are all okay for the most part. I enjoy the Grapefruit Sculpin, and the Habanero, while not my ideal flavor, was okay. Pineapple on the other hand was a different story.

As opposed to the others, this one tasted particularly artificial. More reminiscent of a pineapple shandy with a metallic aftertaste, Pineapple Sculpin was easily the least favorite of the series.



2. Samuel Adams Nitro White Ale

Earlier this year, Sam Adams released a series of Nitro beers. I reviewed all three and found their Coffee Stout to be a decent offering, but the other two were nearly undrinkable.

The Nitro White, while bad, still had touches of familiar macro brews like Miller Lite, which still helped the beer maintain some form of drinkability. This one at least started off with subtle (VERY subtle) orange and lemon, but they still disappeared in a flash. This was basically Nitro Same Summer, and that's not something I'd dive back into.


1. Samuel Adams Nitro IPA

As opposed to it's Nitro White brother, the Nitro IPA had no redeeming qualities.

I think a forest fire had burned inside the can because the taste was heavy on roasted everything. Caramelized malts, wet tree bark, metal, and dirty dishwater were the best adjectives I could bestow upon this.

Leave it to Sam Adam to try and get in on a trend and just produce something most people don't want to drink.

Honorable Mentions

Compiling these lists is never easy and some unfortunate (but deserving) souls must be left behind. So, here are a few that JUST missed the cut for the Top 10 list.

3. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Scaled

Trillium seems to be a sure bet to produce a fantastic IPA and this was no different.

A one-two punch of El Dorado (a personal favorite) and Citra hops made for an explosion of peaches, oranges, sherbet, and even some dank hops. Trillium likes to put out DDH versions of all their IPA's and it wouldn't suck if they brewed this one more often.

2. Monkish Relax Your Mind

If you're heavy into the craft beer world, then you know Monkish has become as sought-after as Tree House beers. I was lucky enough to get a variety of Monkish beers in a trade, and they did not let me down.

Relax Your Mind was a near perfect combo of both juice and hop nuke with tropical goodness and hop flavors joining forces to combat evil. The creamy mouthfeel and familiar milkshake appearance were all gravy on this mound of mashed potatoes. I really hope I get to try more Monkish beers in 2017.


1. Bissell Brothers Swish

Much like the previously mentioned Relax Your Mind, BB Swish was another sublime combo of dankness and tropical fruits.

Swish is hard to come by in trade. As a MA resident, anything I usually have to trade is something that people from Maine buying the Swish have already had. So, I personally had to make the trip up North to wait in line and get this. It was actually a nice time talking beer with the other people and in the end I got a world class DIPA.

So, does that mean that personal touch elevated this above the Monkish beer? Maybe so, but those intangibles are what push it over the edge.

Now for the big show...

No, not that one!

As you read over the Top 10 list, you may find that they aren't necessarily ranked by overall rating. Beer A might be rated lower than Beer B, but Beer A is ranked higher on the list. When I went back and looked through all of my reviews, I had to not only take into account rating, but also whether or not the beer was memorable. Scrolling through page after page, some beers had me going "Oh, that one was good" and other outbursts of joy. So while some beers may have scored higher at the time, the lasting impression they left on me was also a huge factor. But hey, they were all great and that's why we're here.

Now here is what we've all been waiting for...The Top 10 Best Beers of 2016. Thank you for visiting the blog, the Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and Untappd and showing your support (FYI...please like and share all of these!). Here's to a 2017 full of great beer. Cheers!

10. Small Town Not Your Father's Root Beer (10.7%)

Ok, Ok, Ok, OKAY!!!! I can hear all of you screaming at your computer screens right now. What would a good list be without a little controversy? Yes, I get it. It's not technically a beer, but you need to hear me out.

While NYFRB isn't a beer in  your typical sense and might as well be lumped in with your Smirnoff Ice and Twisted Tea, the fact is I can't deny how delicious this really is.

I've ranted about this before, but in short, everyone loved NYFRB before it hit nation-wide distribution. Only when you were able to find it at every store that sold PBR, people revolted. Well, motherf***ers, I don't care because the 10.7% bigger brother is an accomplishment. With such a high gravity beverage being able to make the alcohol smell and taste and tasting exactly like god damn root beer, this was as pleasant to drink as it was impressively made. You can lie to yourself when you say you don't like the series, but I know the truth.

9. Cigar City Hunahpu

It seems like everyone is getting on this Mexican Hot Chocolate or Mole craze. Chances are, even the casual consumer has come across a stout on their local shelves that was brewed with chili peppers, cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao. Hunahpu was one of the first and it has not gone out of style just yet.

I used to never like the style, but this vintage was delicious in all aspects. Hot chocolate, fudge, cinnamon, and a lot of chili flavor (without the heat) all blended perfectly to add a kick in the pants to an already superb imperial stout.

It's hyped for a reason. If only I could get my hands on the barrel aged variants.

8. Carton Regular Coffee

I'll be the first to admit that I am in no way, shape, or form an expert on beer. When it comes to Cream Ales, I am even more clueless as it is not a particular type of beer that I have regularly had in my fridge. When it comes to the Cream Ales, Carton Brewing seems to have dialed it in and Regular Coffee is easily the best I've had of the style.

While not only a great coffee beer, this also had unexpected notes of vanilla, cream, and chocolate to make for a complex offering from a style not known for its world class library. At an unbelievable 12%, this is dangerously drinkable and it's really just a fun beer to experience.

7. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Congress Street

Congress St is already a Galaxy hop overload and one my favorite Trillium IPA's. The DDH version is beloved by fans and tends to sell out quickly. So quickly in fact that the most recent release last month saw Trillium put a limit on 4-packs just to make sure they could spread it around and frankly, I can see the hype.

I keep saying that I prefer my IPA's to have a balance between the tropical juices and dank hops. Some of the other beers mentioned had that great combo, but DDH did it slightly better with the marriage of pure hop juice and wave after wave of peaches, lemons, apricots, and grapefruit. It truly is one of the best uses of Galaxy hops that I have ever experienced.

6. Barrel House Z Sunny & 79 (Tequila Barrel Aged)

Pilsner? Barely knew her!

Still here? Thank you.

Have I ever reviewed a pilsner before this? I'm too lazy to check, but my gut feeling is a big, fat no. BHZ is a new brewery to Massachusetts and they barrel age everything. A truly unique operation, but I don't think I could have expected to be blown away by their very first offering.

A pilsner aged in tequila barrels? Yes, it works, and does so masterfully. The crisp pilsner base followed by some awesome lime, salt, and oak from the barrel, but without any heat, made for a truly memorable beer. I actually pounded two full crowlers in one night it was so good. I paid for it the next morning at work, but it was worth it.

5. Stone Enjoy By Unfiltered 2/14/16

I think I say this every year, but I'm not a big fan of Stone IPA's. Their generic West Coast style has been a constant in their hoppy beers and I didn't think I'd see them attempt to change. Now with the "New England IPA" taking the country by storm, even Stone had to give it a shot by releasing an unfiltered version of their Enjoy By series. Again, I was not a big fan of that series and couldn't expect leaving the beer unfiltered to have that big of an effect. I was pleasantly disappointed.

Tangerines and peaches swimming in pure hop juice made for an orgasm in a glass (which I'll never try again). Some nice dank qualities and incredible drinkability for a near Triple IPA, and this was easily my favorite IPA made by Stone.

4. Alchemist Heady Topper

As I said in my review: What else needs to be said about Heady Topper?

A can full of hop juice, pine needles, grapefruit, and it's all encased in this wonderful bitter, dank quality. So many IPA's try to be either juice bombs or hop bombs, but Heady is an example of perfectly balancing out the two worlds. It's influence on the beer scene is undeniable and it still holds up to every new brewery that tries to imitate it.




3. Fremont Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star

Easily the best BA Imperial Stout I had in 2016, Fremont BA Dark Star had everything you know and love about the style, but was also ahead of the competition.

Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, marshmallow, creme brulee, and the list goes on and on. Barrel complexity plus all of the dessert-like flavors made for a massive sipper that was a pleasure to imbibe on for hours and hours.

I recently reviewed the coffee version, but the straight BA Dark Star wins out big time and does so without needing any further flavors.


2. Tree House Very Hazy

I celebrated my birthday in 2016 with a trip to Tree House Brewing. Standing outside in line in the cold, February winter, I think the world imploded into itself when the employees announced that Very Hazy would be on the menu. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time to enjoy what is considered one of the best beers on the planet.

Taking the original Haze and cranking everything up 12 notches, Very Hazy is essentially a glass of orange juice and sherbet with a perfect bitter hop finish and no resinous aftertaste. Everything from the look, aroma, and taste was almost worthy of perfection. I'm not one to buy into hype, but one sip in and I understood why it had the reputation it did.

1. Castle Island Swipe Ripe

You can call it a homer pick all you want, but to that I will kindly say "Merry Christmas to all and to all shut the f**k up".

Beer trends come and go and 2016 saw an emergence of IPA's aged on or brewed with fruit. Seriously, I don't think a week goes by where you won't see a brewery's Facebook post that says something along the lines of: "Brewed with Galaxy, Citra (etc)...and a heapin' shitload of peaches, mangoes, apricots, etc etc etc" Instead of letting the hops do their work, we are seeing so many IPA's infused with tropical or stone fruits. A lot of the time the beer ends up more of a shandy than an IPA, but holy crap, when a beer comes along that uses the fruit to enhance rather than overpower, then you have found a gem. Swipe Ripe did it the best in 2016, and may stand alone for the foreseeable future.

One of my biggest factors in a great beer is: Would I buy it again? In this case, I bought my 4-pack, destroyed it, and went back to the brewery on three different occasions to get more. The sheer amount of apricots in this can was ludicrous, but not to be outdone, the overload of juicy and dank hops just added to the complexity. Swipe Ripe was part of Castle Island's rotating Imperial IPA series which produced so many complex DIPA's, but swipe Ripe was the clear winner for me not just for Castle Island beers, but for the best beer of 2016.

See you next time. Thank you for your support.

Memory Lane

2014 Top 10
2015 Top 10

Samuel Adams Nitro IPA

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.6/5
- RateBeer: 3.23/5 (mean)

Well, we've come to the end of the Sam Adams Nitro Project and now we will take a look at Nitro IPA. After Nitro White, I am hoping this one will make the save and can show how nitro can enhance styles other than stouts.

Pours a transparent dark orange with two fingers of creamy, nitro-induced head. I just realized that the phrase "nitro-induced head" sounds like an American Gladiator is giving you a blowjob, but I'm not only keeping it in, I'm probably going to use it for my fantasy baseball team name.

Smells a lot like caramelized sugar and wood chips. Heavy pine sap and a little candied orange with oat bran and stale banana bread finish things off on the aroma.

Malt nuke? It's more like malts were nuked, scorched beyond recognition, and then covered in burnt sugar. Going back to the pine, this tastes like how a forest fire would smell. I swear I'm not trying to be facetious, but I can't explain what I'm tasting. Lots of caramel up front which gets to be overly sweet and there's a doughy taste taking over immediately after. The aforementioned spruce and pine tree come in for another appearance which is more like wet bark on a pine tree. I keep going back to more woodsy characteristics which aren't a smokey flavor, but again, more overly cooked than anything else. The finish is where things get really tough as an unpleasant metallic/tin can and rotten vegetable taste make this incredibly difficult to swallow. The finish is almost like drinking dirty dishwater. I've never wrung out a sponge into my own mouth, but this might be as close as it gets. Again, I am not trying to be mean for the sake of being mean or for the sake of entertainment. This is just honestly how it tastes to me.

I mean sure, the nitro does its job and makes the mouthfeel creamy and smooth, which is a positive I will give to the beer. However, the aftertaste will not go away. It's like I'm being chased through the house by a murderer and constantly yelling "Leave me alone!". I'm doing my best Louise Belcher impression with each sip.

Other than that, the body is still light for 7.5% and as you can tell, drinkability is nearly 0 on a 1-10 scale. Another silver lining is no alcohol presence, so it still has that going for it.

I've reviewed all three beers from Sam Adams' Nitro Project and 2/3 of them were a fail. Nitro IPA was a mess of flavors that did not work for an IPA. Simply making it a nitro beer doesn't automatically makes it a good beer. This was as close to a drain pour as I can get without actually emptying the can into my sink. I know Sam Adams is better than this, but the Nitro IPA was thumbs down all around.

Rating
4.1/10

Samuel Adams Nitro White Ale

The Stats
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.49/5
- RateBeer: 3.28/5 (mean)

Time for another trip into the Samuel Adams Nitro Project with a Witbier. Usually the stout is subjected to the nitro treatment, but can other styles benefit? That is what Sam Adams is trying to prove with Nitro White Ale which is a wheat ale with Citra hops and their beloved Grains of Paradise.

Pours a cloudy, light orange with two fingers of a creamy, white head.

It smells like a Sam Summer Ale with faint hints of orange peel and wet grain.

The taste doesn't have pop of real fruity hops or citrus, but instead it is just ghostly remnants of any kind of orange or lemon that once inhabited the inside of the can. The more prominent flavor is the aforementioned wet grain which is now more of a wet straw or hay and the overall taste is similar to a Miller Lite or any of the other common adjunct macro brews. The taste lingers endlessly and your taste buds are desperately trying to grasp for something else, but all they find is maybe the smallest bit of black pepper, but that's it.

Mouthfeel is definitely silky thanks to the nitro aspect and there's no alcohol to speak of. While it does have the familiar nitro feel, it is still too calm and thin with too-clean of a finish which is remarkably dry.

If you imagined a nitro version of Sam Summer Ale (or any of the other hundreds of Sam Adams wheat ales), then this would be it. Citra hops? I mean, you can barely detect any as the wheat malts have forced their way to the front and created a generic ale taste with no citrus whatsoever. It's bland at best (more like "generic"), but I still found myself turning away from additional sips. This is a beer where the nitro was a gimmick rather than an enhancement.

Rating
3.8/10

Samuel Adams Nitro Coffee Stout

The Stats
Style: American Stout
ABV: 5.8%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.87/5
- RateBeer: 3.69/5 (mean)

As much as Sam Adams co-founder Sam Koch apparently loathes the current craft beer scene, he seems to have tried to appeal to that demographic in recent years. Sam Adams "Rebel" series was an attempt to stray away from the standard Sam Adams lineup and it was met with mixed reviews. In the present day, Sam Adams has begun to experiment with Nitro beers. A nitro offering basically replaces CO2 with nitrogen to give the beer a creamier body. I'm sure most of you have had Guinness on draft, so you know what I mean. There are three beers to the Sam Adams Nitro Project: Nitro IPA, Nitro White Ale, and Nitro Coffee Stout. I think for starters, we will begin with the style that is subject to the nitro process the most: the stout.

Jet black appearance with three fingers of a creamy, slightly off-white head. Oh, and also say hello to the nitro widget in the can...

Tons of roasted malts on the aroma with a nice helping of bitter, dark coffee.

Some nice dark chocolate and black coffee makes this more of a bitter-tasting experience rather than a straight-up coffee stout. Still, a nice mocha flavor is present as is some cocoa powder and even just the slightest hint of cherry and dark fruits. The aftertaste has elements of ice coffee, but I'd say it more like the bottom of a cup of iced coffee after it has sat out and is mixed with the melting ice cubes.

As far as mouthfeel, I mean, obviously the nitro has made this incredibly creamy and smooth. As far as being a standard stout, the body is perfectly full.

Overall, Nitro Coffee Stout is a basic coffee stout and nothing more. The "novelty" of making this a nitro stout did make the mouthfeel pleasant and soft, so I can't argue with the end result. It's by no means a game changer, but is still a smooth coffee stout and exactly what you expect when you buy it.

Rating
7.9/10

Samuel Adams Rebel Rouser

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.85/5
- RateBeer: 3.47/5

Samuel Adams has been accused of resting on its laurels for quite some time. Many of us who used Sam Adams as our "transition" into craft beer have become spectacular haters. Hating Sam Adams is now the cool thing to do and they've become the Nickelback of the craft beer world (assuming people still even consider them craft beer). Co-founder Sam Koch is not shy about expressing his feelings for today's craft beer movement and most will say that Sam Adams needs to change with the times or risk being left behind.

So, a little over a year ago, Sam Adams decided to try something new and released their Rebel IPA, which is marketed as a West Coast Style IPA using mostly West Coast hops, but focusing more or aromatics rather than bitterness. Today we have Rebel Rouser: An 8.40% Imperial brewed with Bravo, Galaxy, Zeus, Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, and Amarillo hops.Sam Adams says it's not simply a bigger Rebel IPA, but its own being.

Pours a clean, transparent light copper/orange with almost three fingers of an off-white, frothy head.

I will give this to Sam Adams, this smells like a West Coast IPA with it's dank garlic/onion aroma. Some wet, mossy grass too, and it comes back to the East Coast with some pine and cedar.

While Rebel IPA wasn't focused on bitterness, Rebel Rouser is quite the bitter brew. It is very hop-forward with those dank hops and the aforementioned garlic/onion. The dominant flavor here is sticky, resinous pine which isn't a deterrent at all considering how robust it is. There's no juiciness to speak of as this is all about the hop bitterness and tree sap.

At 85 IBU's, this one snuck up on me, but it is surprisingly not a challenge to put down. It's full-bodied for a DIPA with no unpleasant aftertaste and the alcohol is completely hidden. Maybe a little thick and syrupy, but not dry at all.

The casual Sam Adams drinker may not find Rebel Rouser to be their cup of tea, but this offering combines plenty of characteristics of both East and West Coast IPA's. The aroma and taste of the dank hops reminds me of Sierra Nevada and Stone while the tree sap and pine bring me right back to the East. Definitely bitter hops all the way, so if that's your thing with Imperial IPA's, then Rebel Rouser can hold its own with some of the big big boys.

Rating
8.2/10