#craft ber

“I Know, I know,” you’re probably thinking, “you JUST reviewed a Blackberry Farms beer just a few weeks ago!” And I’ll reply that yes, I did, but I am firmly on the BBF hype train after that first taste, and scouring their website, found out they they have a line of Abbey-style ales. Regular readers(heh) of this blog will probably know that I’m very very into all things big and Belgian, so I’m already on board. Having sampled their newer style Belgian beers(the brett), I’m quite excited to dive into their samplings of the more traditional old styles. So I decided to start with the middle ground of the Abbey beer: The Tripel. It’ll be middling in alcohol and intensity, so it’ll be really easy to figure out if they have the flavors down pat or not.

ABV: 9

IBU: 24

Temp: Mid 40s

Glassware: Duvel goblet

Appearance: These guys are not messing around when it comes to appearance. The beer pours a beautiful golden hue with a massive, effervescent, floaty pure-white head. There’s a huge amount of carbonation visible in the ale, especially as one pours the beer into the glass. It’s also slightly hazy, and clearly unfiltered.

Nose-The first thing that hits your nose is the banana from that wonderful Belgian yeast. The malts come through as a toasty and slightly sweet honey note. There may be some earthy hops way in the back to balance everything out. And tying everything together is a wonderful almost black pepper spiciness from the yeast as well.

Palate-Yet again, to the tee what a Tripel should be palate wise. From what I can tell with their middling beers, the yeast is the star of the show. Huge banana and spice notes balance out the huge sweetness from the malt. This time, I’m getting barely any hop quality at all. If it’s there, it’s just there to make the sweetness less cloying than it could be.

Mouthfeel-When you first take a sip of this beer, your mouth and tongue immediately get assaulted by wonderful, effervescent carbonation. It definitely mellows out after a short time to a well balanced warming alcohol note, and finishes mildly dry. This beer is wonderfully drinkable.

Overall-This is definitely a better way to start out on Blackberry Farms then that IPA was. I love brett, but not everyone does. This is probably one of the more approachable styles as well. I’d recommend this for anyone who loves Abbey style ales, and is a malthead in general!

Printer's Ale Manufacturing Co. - Episode 53

The crew from Carrollton’s first production brewery joined us this week. From left: Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Company Managing Partner Eliott Hall, Owner Greg Smith and Head Brewer Brian Quinn

Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Company is the first production brewery in Carrollton.

Owner Greg Smith owned a large building in Carrollton, and wasn’t sure what to do with it. Once he realized that it was a…

Twain’s Brewpub and Billiards owners Uri and Ethan Wurtzel; new head brewer Mike Castagno, and a delicious burger. (photos courtesy Twain’s)

Twain’s Brewpub and Billiards has been a staple in Decatur’s bar and nightlife scene for more than two decades.

In that time, they’ve seen the craft beer market change from serving European beers (like Bass, Guinness and Newcastle) and Samuel Adams, to…

2016 wasted no time in getting started, and that means one important thing for us: Mardi Gras cometh! Preparations are well underway for the Grand Parade on Saturday, March 5th, and we’re super excited to be introducing some new events to the weekend’s festivities. 

If you weren’t in the know, our Mardi Gras Parade is actually a giant fundraiser in disguise for the local non-profit Vermont Foodbank. Through donations of proceeds from things like bead and mask sales, we and the greater Burlington community rally around the Foodbank to help them feed Vermonters in need.