NERAX 2014

It's NERAX time again, no need to dry clean your thneed though, the New England Real Ale Expostiton  has been marking the end of winter for more than 15 years and it's still going strong.

We  especially like the first two  nights of the four day fest when a good portion of the "can't get em here" UK session beers are in their prime . This year it is being held in a new location - the brand new Aeronaut Brewing space in Somerville, a promising new talent if the tasty session ipa on tap is any indication of future output.  We sampled a good number of the 2014 offerings and here are some favorites so far :

Stonehouse Sunlander - nice and crisp , actual Aussie hop flavor was detectable during the Weds. session.
Stonehouse Station Bitter - juicy and fruity flavor
Salopian Automation - watch out this one's a hoppy velvet sledgehammer at 7 %
Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue - just like the description says light n fruity
Fyne Ales -Sublime Stout - an awesome US-y stout, loved even by the stout eschewers among us
Ridgeway Querkus - just the right amount of smokiness in this light porter
Cromarty Happy Chappy - nice grain-y drinker with a sharp bitter finish
One Love Inks Binka - very nice US dark malt drinker
Hill's Simcoe Pale - we had some of the extra chunky last pours of this before it it was reaped and it was excellent

Pretty Things KK Black Ale

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Once Upon a Time KK Black Ale:
The flavor of this 1901 re-creation brew reminds us of Young's SLA (RIP Ram Brewery, sigh).  We note vanilla ester, a bouillon background, and a tart yeast finish. Also, we get an attenuated treacle flavor,  some pine/spruce notes, and a lasting dry bitterness. Viva beer anachronism science !

NERAX 2012

The Hop Scholars are huge fans of NERAX (the New England Real Ale eXhibition), and here is a little summary of what we saw and sampled(Wednesday and Thursday night sessions).

Here is the view from the entrance:

Mr. Hop Scholar has attended both sessions so far(Wednesday and Thursday nights); Mrs. Hop Scholar joined the Mr. on Thursday night(thank you, babysitter!)  Here is the short list of favorites(in order):

Mallinsons – Galaxy , single hopped blast of flavor and bitterness, (kicked Thurs)

Leeds –Midnight Bell, complex dark fruit (kicked Thurs)

Harviestoun – Bitter and Twisted, ho-hum in the bottle but on cask this beer is excellent

Brecon – Pale Beacons, fruity , delicious

Hobsons –Town Crier, well balanced, excellent bitter

Montys - Mischief, excellent traditional strong bitter, a real drinker

Harviestoun – Old Engine Oil, incredible dark malt flavor and body for a 4% beer.

Fullers – ESB, old reliable

Somerville – Flag Raiser, excellent IPA

Jack’s Abby –Jabby Brau, India Pale Lager, great hop notes

Smuttynose – Finest Kind, OK in the bottle , exploding with dry hopped aroma and flavor on cask



Here is the Chief Cellarman Randy Baril with the casks on stillage.  Great job on conditioning the NERAX beers Randy!

Some of our Local Heroes, Dann Paquette from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project and Jeff Leiter from Slumbrew, Somerville Brewing Company:

And finally, your humble Hop Scholars, expressing different opinions of a brew at NERAX(photo by Hop Scholar Friend and Co-Conspirator, Codemouse):

The Mr. will be continuing the adventure of sampling delicious real ales tonight with some great friends, and the Mrs. will join him again for the Saturday afternoon session.  Hope to see you there!  Cheers!

Cody Brewing S.O.S

Cody Brewing S.O.S

A tasty entry in the Belgian/American Pale Ale style. Belgian yeast clove phenolics are prominent and are paired with a crisp, bitter finish courtesy of  US hops.  An initial firm malt presence dries out in the finish.  It doesn’t come across to us as an American  IPA /Belgian Ale Hybrid, the American hop flavor is just too subtle and plays an elegant second fiddle to the Belgian yeast character that dominates in this beer. S.O.S. is a worthy colleague to the other US/Belgian Pales that we are fans of:  the Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold and Ommegang’s BPA.  This is also a very well balanced beer, with a compelling tilt towards US bitterness levels, and a great drinker, especially considering its 5.8 % alcohol content.

Pretty Things Lovely Saint Winefride

Pretty Things: Lovely Saint Winefride

Excellent Brown Lager that tastes like one of the best brown ales we've ever had. Rich malt flavor and body but not cloying (the thing we dislike in many brown ales) balance chocolate/roast malt character. Hops, dark malt and maybe something else (pepper,chili?) leave a lasting tang that turns pleasantly peppery and prickly. The only cure is another sip. This might be our favorite Pretty Things work of art/s so far(great label art, as usual).

Boston Homebrew Competition 2012

Boston Homebrew Competition

One of the Hop Scholars is a BJCP Beer Judge and had the great privilege to taste the fruit of many fellow homebrewers labors at the 2012 Boston Homebrew Competition, hosted by one of the country's oldest and most respected homebrew clubs, the Boston Wort Processors.

Judges worked in pairs to evaluate, rank, and offer notes of advice to entrants relative to the BJCP guidelines. The guidelines have 23 categories, most with multiple subcategories. Judges are assigned specific categories and work together to evaluate and rank entries. Like most homebrew competitions, the Boston Homebrew Competition featured a morning judging session, an afternoon session, and an early evening "Best of Show" judging session. The Best of Show has four to six experienced judges taste and determine the overall competition winner, the second and third place, and sometimes honorable mentions from all of the first place beers in each category.

There was plenty of sunlight for the afternoon session as you can see from the judging table above. This was category 23: pretty much whatever doesn't fit into the other categories. Beers range from light lagers to barley wines with special ingredients(coriander, jalapenos, maple syrup, etc.), special processes and new or hybrid styles. Some are really tasty and interesting; some are just "interesting".

Many categories have so many entries that multiple teams of judges are required to cover all of them. After the the teams are done with their 7 to 12 entries, they select one or two competitors to advance to a mini best of show. The picture above is from the stout category mini best of show round (of which Hop Scholar was a judge). Four teams of judges submitted two entries each to the mini best of show. It was a tough call, but an elegant sweet stout(Cat. 13 B) took first place against some strong competition(literally and figuratively, it won out over some Russian Imperial stouts with three times the alcohol content).

A good part of judging is trying to maintain a level playing field and an intact palate so you don't miss some great efforts and sometimes subtle excellence. The picture below (from the afternoon session) demonstrates the breadth of styles and style interpretations a judge often encounters: these are three of the entries in category 23.

Cheers competitors, judges, stewards, the Boston Worts, and homebrewers everywhere !

Tasting of Slumbrew's "My Better Half" Imperial Cream Ale

Yesterday afternoon, local brew heroes Slumbrew debuted their newest creation to a gathering of friends and fans at the Craft Brew Cellar in Belmont. Offered up for tasting and purchase were 80 bottles of their first run of "My Better Half" Imperial Cream Ale, as well as other Slumbrew goodies: Flagraiser IPA, Happy Sol Hefeweizen, and Porter Square Porter.

Tasting notes on "My Better Half" and musings on the evolution of Cream Ales forthcoming!

Belgian Lace

Belgian lace on Backlash Beer Company's Declaration, Belgian-style IPA.

Fantastic balance between the delicate/complex Belgian yeast characteristics and the formidable hops.  An impressive brew.