North East Brewing Company
Allston, MA
Lobsterback IPA
Possibly the nicest surprise of all the festival:
an IPA that
a hop-lover like me could really sink his (or
her) teeth into!
The first sensory contact that I made was the
color. It is a dark
amber, which is atypical for west-coast IPAs,
but not completely
out of the norms for the style. The nose was
both hoppy and
buttery at the same time... similar to Stone
Brewing's Arrogant
Bastard Ale, but not as strongly
scented.
As with most beer festival beers, it was
served way too cold,
so I had to let it warm up before the hop flavor
was released.
The reward for my patience paid off, and I was
treated to a fantastic
local IPA, filled with a hoppy-bitterness that
was reminiscent
of Anderson Valley's award winning Hop
Ottin IPA. A beer
definitely worth seeking out if you like
IPAs.
Technical Specs: OG = 13 degrees plato,
IBUs = 60
Naughty Monkey Abbey Ale
Abbey style ales like similar to what Naughty
Monkey is styled
after tend to be pale colored, ranging from a
hazy yellow (Duvel)
to a nice caramel (Orval), so when Janet
brought over her sample
of the Naughty Monkey, I was taken aback to
see a singel/single
Abbey ale that was so dark. Still, color
aesthetics not withstanding,
the flavor is a dead ringer for a true Belgian
Abbey-style ale.
The nose has that traditional candied sugar
scent, and the flavor
tastes of wild yeast flavor that distracts you
from the malt and
sugar sweetness.
Not for a beginner, this beer packs a
wallop, and the sugar
content ensures a horrible hangover if you
overindulge in it.
but lovers of Belgian beers should give this
one a try. (Avery
Glasser)
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