BREW NEWS MASH UP
Scotch Ales, barrel-aged stouts and Belgian brews round out a nice, high-gravity selection for the rest of winter.
To Share
To Share Brewing Company in Manchester recently bought their own canning line and have so far canned about three different beers with it. Their plan is to release a new beer every week or two on tap and in cans.
One of the first beers they canned was Secret Wizard Handshake Blue Razz! (5.4 percent). The blueberry and raspberry fruited Berliner Weisse is one of the brewery’s favorite sours. It’s described as “quite tart” with 82 pounds of blueberry and 82 pounds of raspberry in the mix, and a nice biscuity finish.
To Share also recently released Bonnie MacMurray (6 percent) on tap and in 4-packs. This Scottish Ale is light brown in color, malt forward with flavors of bread and caramel without any hop bitterness.
Lithermans
Out now at Lithermans Limited Brewery in Concord is Almost Anything Goes (6 percent), a fruit-punch-inspired sour ale which combines a number of fruit flavors in a blend that includes cherries, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and pomegranate.
Also returning is Rhythm of Rain Double IPA (7.8 percent). This ale is double dry-hopped with Citra and Hallertau Blanc hops, which brewers say are both brighter hops that create tropical notes, as well as flavors of white wine, grape must and citrusy melon.
Kelsen
Kelsen has a few new beers on tap and some of them have been canned for the first time.
First is Mercator Belgian Tripel (8.5 percent), a take on the classic Belgian-style Tripel, named after Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century Dutch cartographer. The beer pours bright gold in color, and has a “brilliant” clarity. It’s described as crisp and clean with a spice-forward palate and creamy mouthfeel. It balances fruity Belgian yeast esters against notes of clove, honey and allspice.
Returning to Kelsen is Gallowglass Scotch Ale (8.5 percent), which was named after an elite class of Scottish mercenary warriors that existed between the mid-13th and late-16th centuries. This beer is brewed with Maris Otter, Crystal, Munich and a “kiss” of Chocolate Malt. It is dark brown in color and has big notes of toasted pumpernickel bread and molasses, root beer and chocolate in the finish.
Great North
Great North Aleworks in Manchester just released their 20th batch of Hazy Rotation, their rotating series of hop blend New England IPAs. Hazy Rotation #20 (6.3 percent) features El Dorado, Mosaic and Azacca hops. It’s available on tap and in cans, and distributed statewide.
Daydreaming
Daydreaming Brewing Company in Derry is back at it again with two new Dungeons and Dragons-themed beers plus some returning favorites.
The newest beers inspired by the DND Insidious campaign include Hellston’s Keep (9 percent) and The Champion (11.5 percent)
Hellston’s Keep will drop Feb. 24 on draft and in cans both in the Derry taproom and in the market. It is an Imperial Cream Stout aged in whiskey barrels. It has notes of rich dark chocolate and finishes with a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
It gets its name from a game location in the frigid lands of Tathioce, on a mountain between the port of Reculver City and Uffington. Tales whisper of a dragon lord reigning deep within the stronghold.
The Champion is out March 2 in draft and cans, in the taproom and the market. It’s a wheatwine aged in red wine barrels which lends it a rich, sweet maltiness and subtle fruits that go down smoothly.
It is named after an undefeated gladiator in the Eton Arena.
Out Thursday (Feb. 17) is the pandemic-inspired instant classic VieRIS BBA Variant (10.8 percent). This variant of the Russian Imperial Stout is aged in Old Elk bourbon barrels. It will be available in the taproom on draft and in bottles, and sold in the market.
It’s described as having a subdued roast favoring the bold chocolate notes, a creamy mouthfeel and a balance between the beer and barrel.
Daydreaming co-owner Andy Day says this year’s Cask.On festival, which he organizes, is taking place March 20. A handful of breweries who have never participated before will be joining this year’s event and borrowing 5.4-gallon casks from Day to contribute their own special cask varieties. Stay tuned for more info about Cask.On as we get closer.
