This week I read a post written by Carla Jean
Lauter, otherwise known as The Beer Babe, with her take on the best beers in
Maine this year. Her post inspired me to reflect on my own year of beer here in
Massachusetts. As we're now in the last month of 2015, it seems to be an
appropriate time to write about the best beers and breweries I've had the
pleasure of experiencing throughout the year.
Best New Brewery in Massachusetts: Medusa Brewing Company
I attended the American Craft Beer Fest in Boston
back in May, at which I had the chance to try beers from throughout New England
that I had never had before. I tasted my first brew from Lord Hobo Brewing
Company, which is now available in most stores in the area. I also got the
chance to try a beer from Medusa Brewing Company for the first time, but I knew
it would not be my last. Their Zweihänder
Imperial IPA displayed a talent for using hops, which was only confirmed after
later tasting some of their other IPAs like Citra Legacy and Laser Cat. Here's
hoping we see more brews available from Medusa in the Boston area!
Best New Massachusetts Beer: Artaic - Trillium Brewing
Company
It seems like every
year the new beers being released in Massachusetts continue to improve. This
year was no exception. When Trillium Brewing Company released a Double IPA
known as Artaic back in May, it instantly became a favorite of mine. Named
after a local mosaic design company Trillium collaborated with, Artaic is
brewed with 100% Mosaic hops and local raw wildflower honey. It is sweet,
citrusy, and nicely balanced overall. A masterpiece!
Best
Massachusetts IPA: Santilli - Night Shift Brewing
This year Night Shift debuted its flagship IPA,
Santilli. Created from one of the brewery's batches of its rotating IPA called
Morph, Santilli smells of fresh pine and has a big citrus flavor with a bitter
finish. It's a surprisingly smooth IPA loaded with hops that I could drink just
about every day. The fact that it comes in a beautiful tallboy can makes it
even better!
Best
Massachusetts Stout/Porter: Crasher in the Rye - Clown Shoes
Earlier this year, Clown Shoes released a new
version of its Undead Party Crasher with some tasty twists. Rye malt was added
to the mix, and the usual hickory smoked malt was replaced with oak smoked malt
from Blacklards Malt Company in Texas. On top of that, half the beer was aged
in bourbon barrels while the other half was aged in rye barrels. These halves
were then combined and bottled as an Imperial Stout with a roasty coffee aroma
followed by the sweet taste of milk chocolate along with a creamy oatmeal
flavor and a rye whiskey finish. It was delicious!
Most Creative Beer in Massachusetts: Hay is for Horses - Cambridge Brewing Company
Hay is for Horses was first brewed in 2013 but was
available in bottles this year. A "Nordic" Pale Ale brewed with
fresh, locally grown hay as well as oats and gruit herbs, the beer is light and
grassy with a nice spice. Very easy to drink!
Best
Label/Can Design: Muerte - Backlash Beer Company
Massachusetts has some incredibly talented artists
creating the labels for its breweries. Whether it's Kevin Cimo's rustic and
charming renditions of local landmarks for Trillium Brewing or Michael Axt's
eye-catching and colorful work for Clown Shoes, there is no shortage of
beautiful label art around here. Yet, one beer's label caught my eye more than
any other, and it was based on work that artist Sophy Tuttle did for Backlash
Beer. Years ago Backlash featured her art on the labels of the beers in their
Apocalypse Series. They were black and white, but depicted epic scenes with
rolling landscapes. Her artwork was featured on the label for Death, Backlash's
Imperial Stout, which was then inverted for the label of Resurrection released
last year. This year her work returned on the label of Muerte, an Imperial
Stout brewed with vanilla beans, cinnamon, peppers, and coffee. Featuring an
elegant portrayal of the classic calavera representing the Mexican holiday
often referred to as Day of the Dead, the label is absolutely gorgeous. I hope we see more of Sophy's label art next year!
