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Nicole Simeone
Beer Potpourri
Ahh, New England. One day it’s high of 45 and the next it’s 82. I like rollercoasters so I guess I can’t complain when the weather is imitating one. This is especially so since we’ve had several incredibly sunny afternoons out on the deck enjoying the day and, of course, some beers.
A weekend last month had us take a drive out Sturbridge way to see if we could take advantage of Old Sturbridge Village’s plant give away. As everyone plans to be close to home this summer, gardens are tres en vogue, so we missed out on plants. We were far more successful with beverages. The drive allowed us to shake up our beer selections and support some of our favorites further afield than Hudson.
The collection of beers also let us manufacture a two-person road race and tasting. We had gotten up on the early side for a Saturday and used our neighborhood to complete a 5K. I wouldn’t call it a race really except that we were both competing against our best times from the previous 5Ks. Neither succeeded, but it was an excellent way to start the morning.
Now to some of the highlights of our tasting later on that Saturday.
Wallonia from Altruist
I could not drive into Sturbridge and leave without some of Altruist’s Wallonia. Come on. Warm weather and saisons go together like peanut butter and jelly. Not to mention, I don’t see the style brewed as often as I’d like.
I reviewed this back in February, and I enjoyed the brew then. This saison improves on the taste buds with the warmer weather. Light. Flavorful. I couldn’t ask for a better beer to take with me out to the deck.
All Together from Wormtown – IPA
Wormtown’s take on All Together has a thick haze to it, producing a lovely straw hue. The beer doesn’t give off much of an aroma. I got just the faintest traces of citrus. A hint of lemon, mixed with orange, maybe? A touch of grapefruit too.
I expected a stickier mouthfeel because of the hazy hue; however, this is surprisingly light in the tongue. Lots of grapefruit and citrus mix together with a balancing bitterness. I get hints of pine as well, which helps to mellow out the citrus.
If you couldn’t guess from the picture, this beverage was enjoyed out on the deck on a warm spring afternoon. It is the perfect companion to a lazy Saturday.
What’s better is that the proceeds of our purchase accomplish two good deeds. The first is supporting Wormtown and its staff. The other is that a portion of the proceeds goes toward folks in the hospitality industry: two birds, one four-pack at a time.
Blonde from Rapscallion
Don’t let the straight forward name lull you into thinking this is a beer to be overlooked. It’s not lost on me that this beer plays right into my favorite style, but my blog, my beers.
Bringing the glass up to my nose, I’m met with malt and pepper with the slightest hint of banana. Rapscallion’s Blond has a cloudy golden color. I apologize for the lack of a photo here. I was too wrapped up in relaxing in the sun, I failed to document this lovely, refreshing brer.
A lot of the Belgian qualities exist in the taste and mouthfeel of Blonde. But none overpowering the rest. Or the drinker for that matter. Banana and lemon reach out at the start, followed by pepper and cloves and ending in a malty and bitter melange.
Blonde is a refreshing change of pace and very complimentary to the change of seasons. If I was picking favorites from Rapscallion’s lineup, this would be surpassed by only one other beverage offering- their summer saison. Can you feel CJ’s eyes rolling? I can.
I wish I could continue with the other beers sampled that weekend. However, the constant call of my book was too loud to ignore. Note-taking went by the wayside as I kicked back in my lounge chair. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time. Until then… cheers, Nerd Girls!
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