BEER - Drayman's Porter

Drayman's Porter from Berkshire Brewing Company is a very good option if you aren't in the mood to get punched in the face by a row of traditional Guinness pints. It's less heavy, less bitter, and goes down incredibly smoothly. A nice smokiness and the pleasant finish validated my choice. It won't replace the actual Guinness experience, but it's a damned fine alternative. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

BEER - Free Rise Mosaic

Last night I had my first ever saison style beer, a Free Rise Mosaic from the eastern Massachusetts Trillium Brewing Company. I'm glad my brother in law had it in his fridge.

It's a bit more carbonated than my prefered IPAs, and definitely less hoppy, but it was very good. The piney scent from the Mosaic hops is always welcome, and even though the beer is a hefty 7.3% ABV, it didn't throw me for a loop. I liked how dry it was, and also the fruity undertones. We were eating steak at my sister's house, and it paired very well.

Trillium has locations in Canton and Fort Point, plus a couple of seasonal pop-up beer gardens in Boston, on the Greenway and also on Park Drive. I might have to pay them a visit this summer and see what other beers they offer.

BEER - Slippery When Wet

I had my final beer of the year tonight as I listened to music and played an online game called "Konkro.io". 

The beer is called Slippery When Wet IPA from Tripping Animals Brewery out of Doral, Florida. It features two hops with which I am unfamiliar, Lotus and Trident. It poured nicely from the can with little head, and it had a faint unplaceable scent. The flavor was decent, but it wasn't remarkable in any way. Basically the beer wasn't bad or good, just serviceable. If it hadn't been for the can's artwork, it might have been a total bust, but if nothing else, I now know which kinds of hops to be wary of.

BEER - Congress Street

I had dinner at my sister's house Friday night (as I do more often than not, hanging out with her and her husband, and whichever nieces are home), and the brewery of the night was Trillium Brewing, who have locations all around Boston, including near Fenway Park.

I had the Congress Street IPA. It was fantastically piney when I opened it, and it poured with a very small head. The citrus understones and a hint of melon made for a great flavor profile, and it went very well with the steaks we had for dinner. I've always been a fan of Galaxy hops (right behind Mosaic and Citra in my book), and it didn't disappoint. A very good beer.

Soju Notes

I've meant to update this for a few weeks, but now I am finally getting around to more reporting on all things soju (the South Korean drink that is roughly akin to Japanese sake, but not quite the same).

I began my adventures into soju with Soon Hari's Apple Mango back in early May (read here). It was fantastic stuff, and I imagined that other flavors would be similarly great. How wrong was I?

So a couple of days later I tried two other flavors from Soon Hari. The Apple Soju had a sugar-substitute tang that overpowered the flavor, and ultimately ruined the experience. And the Citrus Soju was fine, but not great. Throw in another Apple Mango at the end, and I learned the hard way that I cannot handle 3 bottles of soju. To be fair I had 3 beers afterward, but either way, A) the other flavors were not good, and B) the next day was not pleasant (haha).

My next experience with soju was on August 2nd, when I brought a couple of bottles of Soon Hari's Yogurt Soju to my sister's house (I was cooking her and my bro-in-law dinner). I also brought a bottle of Banzai Bunny's Super Fresh flavor to compare and contrast. The Yogurt flavor was okay, but it didn't pair well with the boneless pork (soy sauce marinade), ramen, tomatoes & pea pods. Perhaps on its own it would be more enjoyable, but we all switched it out for beer (me) and wine (them) after a couple of shots. And as for the Banzai Bunny, I'd actually tried it the night before, but it turned out to be pure 16% alcohol, with no discernable flavor. It had a mildly pleasing aftertaste, but it's not for me.

In summary: except for the Apple Mango from Soon Hari, I really do not care for soju. It was fun diving into a new thing, but I think it's safe to say that the soju experiment is over, unless I ever travel to South Korea, and taste it from the source...