Brew News Mash-Up: Brew Bus rides again, and where to get your Irish on this St. Patrick’s Day

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Breweries are gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day with Irish red ales, Irish stouts (a couple available in nitro) and a brand new barleywine. 


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Alli Seney, left, and Bill Seney are bringing Brew Bus Back! Courtesy Photo

Brew Bus is Back!

After a temporary hiatus that began during last year’s initial pandemic shutdowns, the Manchvegas Brew Bus is officially re-launching on the week of March 20.

Owners Alli and Bill Seney extended the hiatus for much of last year due to a pregnancy and an abundance of caution, and only ran a few tours in the early fall.

New tours will be privately booked with crews of six to 12 per tour. Masks and other COVID-guidelines will be followed.

The Brew Bus gang will be brewing their 3rd-anniversary collaboration beer Lil’ Conez (4.5 percent), a session IPA made at Candia Road Brewing Company on March 23, and celebrating its release with an outdoor release party at the brewery on April 17.

They didn’t get to brew Lil’ Conez last year because of the shutdowns.

Check out the epic new promotional video – produced by Revelry Studios and Ethos & Able Creative – for the Brew Bus below:


Candia Road Brewing Company

Speaking of Candia Road Brewing Company in Manchester, here are a few other new brews out recently.

Last week, they dropped Otto (5 percent), an oated IPA described as milky (no milk added) and hopped with Mandarina Bavaria and Motueka hops, which lend it citrus flavors and aromas. It’s available in four-packs and on tap in the brewery.

Also out is a new batch of Cone Zone (6.5 percent), a hazy, juicy New England-style IPA made with Citra and Mosaic hops.


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Kelsen

Kelsen Brewing Company in Derry will be releasing a brand new beer for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 called Ironside (11.3 percent), the brewery’s first-ever barleywine. 

Ironside is named after a Norse Viking chief and legendary king of Sweden, Björn Ironside. The beer is described as a bold, English-style barleywine, with a color of burnt sienna and full-bodied but easy-drinking.

Aged for 18 months in a single brandy puncheon, the beer developed complex notes of caramel, toffee, gingerbread, clove, oak and vanilla. It has a moderately dry finish and “leaves a pleasantly roasty charred oak flavor dancing on the pallet,” the brewers say.

This promises to be just the first in a new series of barleywines. Bottles and small pours will be available exclusively at the brewery. No growler fills.


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Ancient Fire

Ancient Fire Mead and Cider in Manchester released Hot In The Kitchen (7 percent) on March 4, an example of one of the most successful chili pepper mead concepts they’ve ever made, according to the brewers. Made with New Hampshire-grown habaneros, red raspberries and orange blossom honey. It’s available on tap or in growlers to go.

Coming out on March 17 is MUCH Higher Love (7 percent), an orange blossom mead made with passion fruit and double dry-hopped. First released in spring 2018, it remains one of the meadery’s most popular meads. It offers dank aromas of funky passion fruit and Dr. Rudi and Mosaic hops, which also offer a hoppy bitter finish.


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Pipe Dream

At Pipe Dream Brewing Company in Londonderry, brewers released Cali Common Ale (6 percent) on March 2. It’s described as a rich, smooth and robust malty ale, with complementary notes of caramel, toffee, coffee and chocolate.

And on March 11, they’ll be dropping BYOB Bring Your Own Bear Sour Ale (5.7 percent), a sour golden ale infused with gummy candies, resulting in a “mind-blowing” combination of sweet fruity flavor and a slightly sour finish.


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What Eejits!, an Irish red ale – translates to “what idiots.”

Daydreaming

What’s new at Daydreaming Brewing Company in Derry, you ask? Well, let me tell you:

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, What Eejits! (4.7 percent) will be on tap at the brewery and its neighboring sister restaurant Cask & Vine. It’s an Irish red ale named after a playful phrase used by Northern Irelanders when calling out friends for being silly or drunk — translated as “what fools” or “what idiots.”

Also out for St. Patty’s is The Other Short Guy (5.3 percent), an Irish Extra Stout. Made with a healthy dose of roasted barley and Irish stout malt, the beer has a rich, deep roastiness and an equally rich mouthfeel. It will be available on nitro tap at the brewery and at Cask & Vine.

Finally, Daydreaming is coming out with Sleepah NEIPA (6 percent). This New England IPA is made with a combination of Citra, Ella and NZH-107 hops and has flavors of guava, passion fruit, grapefruit and lime. 


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We love our beers like we love our sweaters, and we can’t get enough of our beers in sweaters. So put on your favorite cardigan and cozy up to To Share Brewing Company’s latest New England-style DIPAs: Swenguin (7.5 percent).

The Manchester brewery has added to another in a long and distinguished line of sweater-wearing animals with the Swenguin, a sweater-wearing Penguin. This fella is brewed with milk sugar and dry-hopped with copious amounts of Citra, Idaho Gem and Galaxy hops. It boasts citrus flavors like pineapple and a hit of sweetness from the milk sugar. 

It’s available on draft and in 16-ounce four-packs.


603 Brewery

Head to 603 Brewery in Londonderry to try out two new E09 experimental beers.

On March 12, the brewery will be releasing E. O’Nine’s Nitro Irish Breakfast Stout (4.8 percent), which boasts flavors of smooth roasted coffee, hints of caramel, milk chocolate and biscotti, and a velvety mouthfeel. It’s “onyx” in color with a thick, tan head.

It’s also available in special nitrogenized cans!

Later this month, on March 26, the brewery will also be releasing E09 Coast Hoppin IPA – San Diego IPA (6.5 percent).

This San-Diego-inspired IPA is bright and punchy, with a clean body to back up the exorbitant hops, and a soft bitterness in the finish, according to brewers. It has flavors of passionfruit, mango, guava, grapefruit pith and meyer lemon.

Their head brewer is from San Diego and they recently had their former Social Media Content Creator move out there, so they were inspired to brew something that tipped their had to both.


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Got Brew News? Send it to ryanmlessard@gmail.com

About this Author

Ryan Lessard

Ryan Lessard is a freelance reporter.