What the Helles is up with all these lagers? From German traditionals to Mexican twists, ale’s lighter, crisper cousin is taking over the taps.
Long Blue Cat
Long Blue Cat Brewing Company in Londonderry has released a new coconut porter called Oak Island Coconut Porter (6.2 percent). It’s made with real toasted coconut.
The brewery also recently re-released Cabrona Mexican Lager (4.5 percent), made with pure blue agave nectar; Sabra Mexican Lager (4.5 percent), made with agave and prickly pear cactus juice; Hopical Island IPA (7.2 percent), a New England IPA with notes of pineapple, mango and papaya; Appolo 18 Barleywine (12.8 percent), aged on oak chips soaked in Appolo Vineyards cabernet sauvignon; Blueberry Margarita Gose (4.2 percent), with blueberry, lime and sea salt; Q’ Session IPA (4 percent), a collaboration with New England PitMasters; and Klementine Kolsch (4.2 percent), a German Kolsch with a hint of clementines.
Everything is available in the taproom. Cabrona, Hopical Island, Q’ Session and Klementine are also available in cans.
Kelsen
Kelsen Brewing Company in Derry just released Helles Lager (5.5 percent) in bottles for the first time. It’s also on tap at the brewery.
It’s an unfiltered lager brewed with Pilsner and Vienna malts, fermented with a Bavarian lager yeast strain and conditioned at lower temperatures to create a smooth, crisp finish, but with a fuller body and rounder mouthfeel than most light lagers.
Great North
Great North Aleworks in Manchester recently released two new beers.
Vista Wit (5.1 percent), is a Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with coriander, grains of paradise and sweet orange peel. It’s available in cans distributed through the state beginning later this week and on draft in the Great North tasting room.
They also released a Helles Lager (5.4 percent), which is only available on tap at the tasting room. Growlers to go are also available.
To Share
Last weekend, To Share Brewing Company in Manchester released two new beers; Swoctopus DDH DIPA (8 percent), and Ruth (6.4 percent), their Pink Boots Society IPL. Both are available on tap at in 16-ounce four-packs.
Swoctopus is a New-England-style double dry-hopped double IPA made with “a ton” of Citra and Idaho 7 hops, lending it flavors of tangerine and grapefruit.
Ruth is an India Pale Lager hopped with this year’s Pink Boots Society blend of Cashmere, Ahtanum, Citra, Loral and Sabro hops. It’s brewed by the women of To Share. Pink Boots Society is an organization that supports and encourages women in the beer industry through education.
The name of the beer was inspired by the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The can art was made by Sadie Tupper.
Next week, they expect to release a beer made in collaboration with Martha’s Exchange in Nashua, which is a Rye Double IPA (8 percent), made with locally sourced malted barley and rye, Cashmere and Mandarina Bavaria hops and a Norwegian yeast strain.
Ancient Fire
To celebrate Star Wars Day (Tuesday, May 4), Ancient Fire Mead & Cider in Manchester re-released What’s Your Midichlorian Count? (7 percent), an orange blossom mead with tart cherries and lime.
On Wednesday, they’re bringing back Wooderson’s Lemonade (7 percent), a lightly-carbonated orange blossom mead with New Hampshire-grown strawberries and lemon, and Making Sunny Days (7 percent), a draft-style orange blossom mead.
On Sunday, they will be hosting Sangria Sunday at the meadery taproom, and serving a spritzer version of It’s Good To Be The King (7 percent) sangria-style mead.
And Hip To Be Me #1 (7 percent), an orange blossom mead with raspberries habanero chili peppers from Hip Peas Farm will be on tap exclusively at New England’s Tap House Grille in Hooksett.
603 Brewery
On Friday, 603 Brewery is releasing Turntable 7.0 (6.03 percent) in its Londonderry Beer Hall. It’s the newest iteration of their rotating IPA series under the experimental E09 label. It boasts juicy flavors of tangelo, marmalade, mango, pineapple, papaya, blueberries and starfruit.
Moonlight
Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry has released Sumptuous (14 percent), a sweet tropical mango mead bottled with a limited-release holographic label.
Mead slushies served at the tasting room this week are strawberry and peach.
Got Brew News? Send it to ryanmlessard@gmail.com in time for the next installment of Brew News Mashup.
