BEER - Great Fruit IPA

My brother in law (my sister's husband) took me and his son to Wachusett Brewery (which is a hop, a skip and a jump from the lake, where we were all hanging out), for lunch today. I had the pretty decent buttermilk chicken sandwich and some amazing french fries to eat, and alongside them I had a Great Fruit IPA. It was good, with a nice scent and a decent flavor, but it was rather unremarkable (which isn't necessarily bad, it's not). I'd drink it again for sure, but it's not really a 'gotta have it' offering, like their Nut Brown Ale has always been since the late 90's.

 

 

 

A Niece Night for Davis

Tonight I took my sister's 3 daughters into Davis Square to 'Hang Out with Food', and show them a few of my regular haunts.

After a swift, little-traffic drive down Route 2, we had dinner at The Burren (because who doesn't love Guinness and live music?). Celia and I each had a Burren Burger (the thick cut fries were amazing), and the twins (Helena & Georgia) split a Margarita Flatbread Pizza and a basket of sweet potato fries. Plus beers all around. We hung out there for about 90 minutes and then headed off for my next planned destination.

Sadly, for some reason, Saloon was closed.

So we backtracked a bit and went to The Foundry instead. With its red leather booths beyond the main bar, exotic lighting, and being not very crowded, it was a worthy alternative to Saloon, with a similar drinks menu. The girls were all enamored with the selection and the ambiance, and it was cool to have them see one of the newer hang outs of the Not Lame Minus crew. They each tried something different (for their first round - I was the driver), and I, not being a big spirits drinker, chose a Velvet Crush (rum, spiced pear, lemon, velvet falernum, and amaretto) which was very good, and I'd definitely have again. Another 90 minute hang out there, and then it was a walk back to the Red Line, back in the car, and amazingly, home by ten.

SUCH a fun night, with three of my favorite people! I'm sure we will do something similar sometime soon...

Brewery - Shire Breu-Hous

 My sister & her husband and I drove west in their Tesla to Dalton, MA to have dinner, and the many fine beers of the Shire Breu-Hous.

We got some appetizers to share, including a giant soft pretzel with beer cheese and candied bacon. It was amazingly good. Sarah and I each got a 4-glass flight of 4oz beers.

My favorite was the Two Too Many DDH IPA (on the far right), which I am already a fan of, and my least favorite was the Fireman's Red Ale (far left, better than a Killian's, but I've grown out of my liking for that style of beer). Jon had a couple of Cosmic Corn Cob double IPAs, which smelled great.

Then it was dinner. I got the Brew-Hous Burger (medium well, with Swiss, lettuce and tomato), which was fantastic, and the fries were even better. Sarah got Fish Tacos and Jon got the Breuben Tacos (corned beef, ugh). They were both happy as well. 

I finished with a full-size Two Too Many, and after a fun two hours in a rustic brewery (with a great, friendly wait staff), we headed home (I took a 4-pack of cans of the untried-by-me Space Turtles IPA (Mosaic hops), with a stop in Lee to walk around while the Tesla recharged. It was a long drive, but absolutely worth it. Thanks for dinner guys, it was a great night!

Echosmith

As you know, music is in my blood. Thankfully it has trickled down to several of my nieces & nephews. So on the occasion of my sister's oldest daughter graduating this year, I took them both to see Echosmith at Royale in Boston on Thursday April 26th.

The doors were supposed to open at 8:00 pm, but apparently that was misinformation. The two opening acts were both finished by the time we rolled in at 8:30! Thankfully, we only missed a song or two, and we got to experience Echosmith in full swing. They played old favorites "Cool Kids" and "Bright", and also gave amazing performances of most of the songs off their recent EP "Inside a Dream". it was quite a thrill to hear those songs live, after having the EP in heavy rotation for the last month or so.

Highlights: "Get Into My Car", "Future Me", "Goodbye"

Sarah, me and Celia @ Royale Boston post show.

P.S.: Check out the nearby Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery for kickass burgers and beer!