Have baby, will travel!

I suppose I should have saved this title for later in September seeing we will be headed to Vermont but I just decided to go with it. This week Porter and I packed up the Little Buttercup (LBC) and headed over the bridge to Novare Res. They had a beer on that I wanted to try to we hit it up Thursday afternoon. Oxbow brewing is a new brewery out of New Castle, Maine. I had heard about it from the BBQ (Beer Belly BBQ) and was intrigued. The offering was a Farmhouse Pale. I was hoping for a bit of funk mixed in with some delicious pale brew. What I got was a pretty standard pale. It left me wanting more. I enjoyed it and would have it again but I just missed that funky-ness that the word Farmhouse evokes to me. I did notice that as it warmed a bit there were some more flavor notes that added depth to the beer. Out of 5 both Porter and I gave it a 3.5. Porter ordered a Victory Hop Devil. This is a beer I had had before but was somehow surprised by just how complex it tasted to me this time. Perhaps my pallet has matured so I can taste past the hops and taste the slightly sweet almost malty flavor. We both gave this beer a 4. LBC was drinking milk out of her glass bottle so we all cheersed and enjoyed our time. Novare is always a great place to head to.

Shipyard Fuggles IPA

Shipyard Brewing Company

Appearance: It is a light gold and very clear.

Aroma: Our frigid noses were unable to detect any distinct smells.

Taste: I am just starting to be able to drink IPAs but I enjoyed this one. It was not overly hoppy and had a slightly dry aftertaste.

Mouth feel: It has quite a full mouth feel.

Overall: It is a good starter IPA. I am sure I will try it again.

Tremont Freedom Trail Indian Pale Ale

(Brewed and bottled by Shipyard Brewing Comp)

Appearance: It is a light amber color and quite clear. I would say it was about the same color as ice tea.

Aroma: I could smell a slight hop aroma, which made the taste a surprise.

Taste: I was expecting there to be more of a hoppy flavor seeing it smelled more of hops then the Nor’easter. The hops ended up being quite light in hop flavor but they did seem to linger at the back of my mouth. Other than the hoppiness there wasn’t a distinct flavor.

Mouth feel: This beer sits neither heavy nor light on the tongue. It has just a moderate feel.

Overall: For me the Tremont IPA is slightly more substantial than a water beer. (Water beer = most American lagers)