Grade: C
Sapporo

A friend of mine who has been living in Japan (check out his ridiculously awesome blog Follow Rory) came back this past holiday season and gifted me the curious bag of bar snacks you see above. From what I can tell, they are essentially croutons and almonds with a judicious amount of salt. What, I wondered, could possibly go with these? As I passed the import section of a not-so-local bottle shop, Sapporo Reserve caught my eye. Perfect! Japanese beer for Japanese bar snacks, and what’s more, I’ve never had this kind of Sapporo before. I popped a crouton in my mouth and dove in.

Read more »

Grade: A
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

I figured that since I sang the praises of this beer in the previous post, it deserved the full Burgers and Brews treatment, and not just a passing impression from a festival. You've probably heard me espouse the view on this blog that Belgian IPAs are the holy grail of brewing. It's just beyond our grasp, the chemistry of Belgian yeast paired with American hops is an undiscovered country, full of wild wonders and horrible pitfalls. I wanted to be there when the science met the imagination, when the worlds of Belgian ale and American hop bombs could be one. To that end I've tried many an essay in the craft, hoping each time that the next would achieve this lofty goal, and I've been let down terribly every time. But this time friends, this time...I believe I have found the holy grail...and it's made in New York.

Read more »

Alright, I know this is a beer and food blog, but this event can't go unmentioned. I had the privledge to attend the Mohegan Sun Wine and Food Festival at the Mohegan Sun casino this past Saturday, January 30th in Uncasville, CT. Outside of the 1000+ wines available for tasting there was also a fair amount of beer to be had. Breweries including Dogfish Head, Captain Lawrence, and Blue Point among others were pouring some of their offerings.

Read more »

Grade: A-
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Sierra Nevada is another brewery who isn’t afraid to change something when it’s not working. The beer that held the previous Spring seasonal spot, the ESB (Early Spring Beer, and yes, I think it was a cop-out too), just wasn’t up to Sierra Nevada standards. An obvious weak spot, the brewery decided to swap it out with a tried and true recipe from the olden German brewing days, a golden bock. While not exactly what beer snobs might call a traditional “bock,” Glissade is certainly an easy drinkin,’ balanced brew, and I for one am damn glad they made the change.

Read more »

Grade: B+

Boston Beer Company

A surprisingly balanced and very flavorful beer from Sam Adams. Instead of trying to appeal to the masses with the newest fruit infused wheat beer, they went back to the German roots of brewing, and dug up a tried and true pilsner recipe. While most American mega-swills are technically considered pilsners in style, Sam Adams reminds consumers that pilsner is a flavorful, full bodied, and fairly well hopped style of beer. Finally, not another version of a fruit beer.

Read more »