Share this post
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Nicole Simeone
A Virtual Beer Tasting
It’s safe to say that everyone reading knows Adam, and I regularly explore the brewery scene. Before last month, obviously. My preferred Thirsty Thursday format is the field report style post. The availability to do that has evaporated, so I have been spinning my wheels on topics to write about. I lucked out this week thanks to Craft’d Company having to switch their format.
For those not in the Massachusetts area, Craft’d Company hosts Brews with the Brewer’s events at a variety of breweries. Attendees get to taste and chat with a brewer from that establishment. Adam and I attended the event they hosted at Medusa Brewing last year. The closure of taprooms and the prohibition of large gatherings have made this impossible.
Well, no, not exactly. Craft’d is using Instagram Live to continue this practice.
A couple times over the last month I’ve tried to tune in, but either I realized the time too late, or I had a hard time getting into the beer talk. Not because of the format or the questions, but I wasn’t in the same mindset I would have been if I was in the taproom.
With Wormtown Brewing on their schedule for Saturday night, Adam put in an online order for a four-pack of the beers they would be talking about and picked them up curbside. Not going to lie, it was surreal to sit in what amounted to a drive-thru line for beer. It was easy to stick just to the mixed four-pack on the online ordering page. Sitting in that line made us regret not taking advantage of adding a Vulturno pizza to our order.
Just before seven, we plunked down on the couch with our glasses and turned out attention to Instagram Live.
David Fields was tapped as the speaker for the event. Right off the bat, he was ready to talk about beer and about Wormtown as a company. His excitement for his company, their product, and their commitment to their community made the hour fly by.
One theme that came up over and over again when he was talking about Wormtown is community. The brewery’s tagline is “A piece of Mass in every glass.” It’s not just the ingredients they’re talking about with that slogan, although the first beer definitely highlights that. From their name to their logo, Wormtown ties themselves to the community they are proud to be a part of.
And now, on to the beer…
First up for discussion was a collaboration beer, Northeast Grainshed Grisette. Members of the Allagash, Bissell Brothers, Exhibit’ A’, Kent Falls, Throwback, Trillium teams all met at Wormtown to produce this delight. The purpose of this collaboration was to raise money for the Northeast Grainshed project, which is dedicated to creating a local food chain in the Northeast. Proceeds from this beer go directly to that organization.
This beauty is a grisette, which is a close cousin of the more widely known saison. The beer pours out with a slight haze to it’s pale yellow complexion and is bubbly. A traditional nose of banana and pepper hits you almost immediately upon bringing your nose up to the glass. There was a bit of lemon mixed in there too. On point with the style, those very same flavors carried down into each sip. The lemon becoming slightly more pronounced in the actual beverage.
As you might be able to guess, I was thrilled this made it on to their tasting list. We had stopped into the Worcester location in February. It’s not every day you see a brewery brew a Belgian, so I had to get a pour. So damn good. A light, flavorful beverage, perfect for relaxing out on the deck with on a beautiful day. Just because I said Belgian doesn’t mean it was 10%, Wormtown’s Grainshed Grisette comes in at a mere 4% ABV.
Next up was Don’t Worry, a relative newcomer to the Wormtown rotation. I believe this was released last year or thereabouts. Don’t Worry has a bit of a haze going on and an amber coloring. A piney start to the nose mellowing into a citrus mix of orange, lemon and a squeeze of grapefruit. Don’t Worry has a bitter snap to it, but that citrus blend comes in quick. The finish on this one calls back to the pine from the nose.
During the call, Dave said, Don’t Worry was “not your average IPA.” I’d agree with him whole-heatedly there. Last summer, Don’t Worry was often our pick when we wanted an IPA but didn’t want to be hit over the head, or tongue, I guess, with hop bombs.
What else would you follow Don’t Worry up with but Be Hoppy? This is one of Wormtown’s original beers. I would say it’s probably the beer everyone thinks of when you say Wormtown. As Dave mentioned, they brew this a lot.
This is another of their IPAs. Unlike its little brother, Be Hoppy is a bright golden color. This beer has a pine component in both the nose and the taste, but the leading player is the grapefruity citrus flavors. Be Hoppy isn’t overly sweet, the bitterness rises up to balance the beverage out. You can’t go wrong with Be Hoppy.
The last on the tasting list was Hopulence, which is a rotating series with three other of their beers (Sweet Tats, Spies like Us, and Be Hoppiest). This is an Imperial IPA with a massive emphasis on hops. During the talk, Dave mentioned that this beer is his favorite one out of all of their line up. I have to say, I don’t blame him.
Hopulence is a hazy, dark orange color, which sets the stage for the flavors in the beer itself. Dank is used an awful lot when talking about IPAs, and it applies big time to this one. Heavy orange and citrus flavors all over. Surprisingly, not overly bitter. And although it’s an Imperial, the beer doesn’t have that boozy twang to it that some others do, which makes it pleasant and dangerous all at the same time.
Like I said earlier, the hour flew by. It felt like I blinked, and it was over. Thank you, Craft’d Company and Wormtown, for bringing a bit of the old normal to us in a new normal way!
Cheers, Nerd Girls!
Disclaimer:
Thirsty Thursday Reviews & Articles are intended only for responsible adults of legal drinking age in the United States of America (21 years old or older). It is purely intended for entertainment purposes.
As always, please drink responsibly and with moderation. Nerd Girls Are Cool does not advocate or encourage the abuse of alcoholic beverages.
We do not, under any circumstances, accept responsibility for any damages that result to yourself or anyone else due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages or the use of this site and any materials located on it. We cannot take any responsibility for the effect these drinks may have on people.