Perennial Artisan Ales - "Hopfentea" weissbier

Here's a quick look at an interesting creation from Perennial Artisan Ales, recommended by former colleague Matt G. It's a 4.2% ABV Berliner weissbier that's blended with tropical tea. I've had some beers infused with tea before, most recently the "Sweet Summer South" in the 2016 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp box. I'm curious to try this one.

It's got a cloudy orange-pink color, with a nose of sour fruit. When poured, it generates a thin white head that dies down quickly. Taste-wise, this beer was lighter than I expected - it was sour and tangy with a balanced fruit taste followed by a strong and enjoyable wheat beer taste. There's some acidic / drying flavors to it, especially on the aftertaste. Not bad - true to the genre, flavorful, and refreshing. In my opinion, too expensive though - it cost $15.99 for a 750mL. Would like to see this in 12oz bottles or growler fill - at a lower price point.

Empyrean Brewing Co. - "Pitched Blue" ale

The B-side of the back-to-back Empyrean Brewing Co. posts is their "Pitched Blue", a light 5.40% ABV  ale made with fresh blueberry juice. Made with Galena hops, it has Munich and Honey malts, flaked barley, it clocks in at a rock-bottom 15 IBUs.

Fruit is nothing new in beer, but I do not believe I have ever had a beer made with blueberries. Relatedly, I think the only berry ale of this sort that I've tried was an underwhelming "Blackbeary Wheat" from Long Trail. But that was years ago, and needless to say - happy to give berries another shot.

It pours quickly and generates a super thick layer of slightly-purplish foam. There's an intense aroma of blueberry, which is a good sign. The beer is root-beer colored, some brown ale coloring when candled.
 

Taste-wise, it's most impressive. There's solid blueberry flavors right as the beer hits your tongue. It's the consistency of juice, not thin or attenuated like the "Blackbeary Wheat", and has nice accompanying notes of sugar and some soft porter-like notes. Not a lot of carbonation here, and the foam sticks with the beer and adds a nice touch. Finish is soft and leaves a lingering note of blueberry.

Generally, quite nice as fruit beers go. The biggest concern I had going into this was two-fold - one, that it would be too thin and vaguely blueberry-flavored (as opposed to an actual blueberry beer) and two, that it would be very sweet and sugary and would perhaps taste artificial. Neither of these things happened. This beer presented a good mix of flavors, and a really solid showing by the blueberry which is all I could ask for. Definitely one to try, and anyone interested in a blueberry beer would be hard-pressed to find anything better.

Empyrean Brewing Co. - "Carpe Brewem" mango IPA

Apparently my review of this super tasty mango IPA has been sitting in my drafts folder, languishing, for quite some time. Shame on me! This is one of a pair of brews that my colleague Dustin got this for me on a trip to Nebraska a while back (the other being Kinkaider Brewing Co.'s "Devil's Gap" jalapeno ale.) However, Dustin has also brought me a blueberry ale which will be posted tomorrow!

Made by Empyrean Brewing Co. out of Lincoln, NE, this 7.80% ABV imperial IPA is brewed with mango extract and a variety of hops: Simcoe, Citra, and Cascade. Behold the "Carpe Brewem."

Mango has quickly become a popular ingredient for brewers. Dogfish Head uses it in their "Romantic Chemistry" IPA; San Diego's Ballast Point releases a brilliant session ale called "Mango Even Keel"; and Harpoon Brewery makes a fun beer called "Camp Wannamango." Just like the pumpkin craze of the early part of this decade, mango is rapidly becoming a fixture in summer seasonal beer offerings.

Pours quickly with a thin nose - some thin white foam, but nothing too generous.

Interesting, the most dominant flavor here is the hop backbone to the beer, not the fruit. Sure, the mango does make an appearance, but it's not the centerpiece. I like the hop blend as well - Citra is one of my favorite hops - and the hint of tangy hop bitterness doesn't overwhelm the sweet mango.

What I like most about this is that it's not overly concerned with being mango-flavored. While the "Mango Even Keel" is great in terms of mango flavor, it's also rather light and one-dimensional - namely the mango dimension (also a great name for a prog rock band.) It's important to draw not just on the main flavor component but the "base" craft beer component as well, which is why I like that the "Carpe Brewem" has good notes of mango but doesn't forget its IPA heritage, which makes for a rather tasty beer. Thanks Dustin!

Field Trip: Breakaway Brew Haus [Bolton, Connecticut]

Beer aficionado Fritz Moritz (who you may recall picked me up a can of Alchemist Brewing Co.'s famous "Heady Topper" a few years ago) sent me a few suggestions for breweries to try for my September trip to New England. While big breweries are good, some of the coolest and most fun places are small, so I chose Bolton, CT's own Breakaway Brew Haus, the brainchild of a guy named Matt Soucy. This brewery has been covered by a handful of Connecticut newspapers and websites, and has steadily gained popularity since it opened earlier this year.

Breakaway is located not too far from where I grew up, so it was a short, scenic drive through the country to get there. The brewery is currently run out of Soucy's home and was born from his history as a homebrewer. Making beer in one's home, which I covered a couple of times before, is a great way for hobbyists to practice their craft and many breweries have been started out of this kind of domestic experiment. Matt focuses on making good beer often with local ingredients, and since he respects the sixteenth century German purity law known as Reinheitsgebot, some of his beer is made using only four traditional ingredients - water, hops, barley, and yeast.

We parked on the street and walked down his driveway to the house. To get the beer, you first stop off at an expandable tent on the driveway and fill out a State of Connecticut-mandated form. Once that's done, you approach the garage window and Matt pops out. Samples of each of the beer are available, and of course I tried all three.

They change as Matt makes the beer, but the offerings that day were:

• "Face Plant #1" - a 7.89% ABV IPA made with Mosaic and Eukanot hops. (Left below) 
• "Face Plant #2" - an 8.10% ABV DIPA made with Citra hops (Right below)
• "Bonfire Stout #3" - a 6.60% ABV stout made with local honey, Citra hops, and cacao nibs. 

I enjoyed both samples; The #1 was tangy and brassy, but not harsh; the #2 was a sweeter and juicier version of the #1, also a bit softer. Both were good examples of what I like in DIPAs - not a ton of bitterness, but good refreshing flavor and a strong showing of hops. All of them, by the way, are variants - Matt is constantly improving and adjusting these blends, so there's always new stuff to try.

What really drew my attention on the menu was the "Bonfire Stout", which resembles both in name and in blend Fremont's "Bonfire" which I love. A note about filling up - Matt does not have a bottling line (yet) so for now, you've either got to bring your own bottle or buy a 750mL Breakaway-branded fliptop bottle (reusable, of course, and can be refilled for a $1 discount.) Since I didn't have a bottle or growler with me, I nabbed a fliptop bottle, filled it up with "Bonfire Stout", and brought it home for a closer look.

Pours nicely and generates some thick white fuzzy foam. It's quite dark, with some sediment in there. 

It's not heavy, but not light either - just the right balance of drinkability and flavor. The cacao nibs come through pretty nicely and I think the hop blend gives it a little levity. I'd definitely suggest this as a year-round dark beer, and would love to not just drink it, but perhaps try it in beer bread. 

So far, so good. If you ever find yourself in central Connecticut, give Breakaway Brew Haus a try. Matt is passionate about his craft and knows his stuff, and judging by the steady stream of customers we observed coming up to the window to fill up their bottles, Breakaway won't be small for long. I've never reviewed a brewery this small before (with the technical exception of Nano Brew in Cleveland) so if you're interested in getting some really great small batch beer, sign up for the mailing list, show up early, and get your fill!