Category: Beer

On Colonial Spirits of Acton’s beer blog page, you will find posts from our team of beer experts. Topics range from trends in the beer industry, appreciation for and personal recollections of craft beer, and debates on the right amount of hops needed to make the perfect brew. Good beer blogs cannot exist without the participation of our friends and customers, so we invite you to get in on the discussion and post your reactions to our entries. You can also jump over to our liquor blog if spirits are your preferred beverage. And if wine is the type of alcohol you love, check out our wine blog for thoughts and opinions on all things wine. Whatever topic in the wine, liquor, and beer industry interests you, Colonial Spirits wants you to join the conversation. Post here or contact us with questions, suggestions, and comments. Or feel free to come in to meet us at one or our weekly alcohol tasting events. Leave the computer behind and talk to us face to face about your favorite beer, while sampling beer that breweries and distributors are bringing in for our customers to try.

More than Color…

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Amber Ale is a ‘style’ typically referring to a pale ale with some amount of crystal malt added to create the amber or copper color.  It also very much seems to me to be a generic term used to classify any beer that is not either IPA/Pale or Stout/Porter.  An expectation of beer drinkers often have of Amber Ale is that it will be more malt driven than hop driven and that it will offer a smooth, semi-sweet flavor, consistent from start to finish.  This is indeed a proper foundation for a medium bodied, medium colored beer, but it need not end there.

Beer is about balance.  Now, I know that much of today’s IPA production is only balanced if your scale tilts exclusively towards hops but, regardless, many of the best beers offer the best balance.  At Troegs in Harrisburg, PA they live by this statement and have produced one of the best representations of ‘Amber’ Ale that you can readily acquire today.  Of course, I am talking about Hop Back Amber. Continue reading More than Color…

Cantastic!

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Every year I see more and more beer coming in cans.  About 2 years ago I wrote about good beer coming in cans and how excited I was about this.  At that point it was mainly Oskar Blues from CO spearheading the craft can movement.  21st Amendment from CA was another early adapter and has been doing well on the shelves since.  Today there is much more and the selection keeps growing.

Beer in cans is awesome.  Cans protect beer from light absolutely, and with light being beer’s worst enemy this is a nice feature.  Cans cool down quickly, pack well, crush well, and are just so convenient.  Cans travel and store better than bottles.  Consider the quality we enjoy out of kegs… just a giant can. Continue reading Cantastic!

What’s up Mayflower!

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It is time to dedicate a little time to Mayflower Brewing from Plymouth, MA.  My motivation for doing so has been driven, largely, by their newest seasonal offering – Spring Hop Ale.  Mayflower has been tops on my list for a while now, anyway.  I am a big fan of the great breweries that we have here, in Massachusetts, and love local flavor.  There are a lot of beers that come out that are extraordinarily exciting for people.  Founder’s Kentucky Bourbon Stout is a prime example.  I get excited about great beer releases also, but find that the rush wears off pretty quickly.   What I am most excited about, generally, is a beer company that I can rely on every day.  That consistency coupled with some really strong seasonal releases and a surprise here and there makes for a brewery worth bragging about.  (Their Imperial Stout was indeed a pleasant surprise!) Continue reading What’s up Mayflower!

Beer for wine lovers – Video blog

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Wine lovers get ready to try something new and see what you have been missing in the beer world.  Saison Dupont is a world class brewery.

Saison Dupont
6.5% ABV
$9.95+dep, 750mL cork finish

Spicy, citrusy and straw colored, this beer has it all.  Simply a miracle with food!

Enjoy it with salmon steaks, Thai food, spicy Mexican dishes, Vietnamese food, steaks, Cajun dishes, and well aged Gouda cheese. Great with barbecue or gumbos.

Beer, it’s fun to drink

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A concept that I think most beer enthusiasts have a good grip on is that beer is fun to drink.  Too often I find wine shoppers caring more about the prestige of the wine they are purchasing than the fun associated with drinking it.  Perhaps this is a growing trend in beer as well, considering how many people scramble to hoard away limited release beers, but I digress. Continue reading Beer, it’s fun to drink

Best Beers…

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My colleague, Nic Castro, has decried my beer of 2010 selection and argued for a more esoteric choice.  He very much enjoyed the Infinium collaboration between Sam Adams and Weihenstephaner.  He thought the Bitches’ Brew from Dogfishhead was most excellent.  He also saw Alesmith’s IPA and Speedway Stout as candidates.  He says that for a beer to qualify as beer of the year one should have to work to get their hands on it.  This way the beer has proved that it is of substantial quality to draw in consumers before it is even available to be poured into a glass.  He is an advocate of rarity because in some sense, if a beer is difficult to make it may not necessarily be made in great quantity.  Further to that, if a beer is that good and took grand efforts to produce it should, in turn, take effort to procure.  We do agree on relative affordability though.  It is a sad thing to have a wonderful beer priced out of reach for those who desire it most. Continue reading Best Beers…