Going to a Red Sox game that begins at 1 p.m. is a problem for beer-loving Mainers, because you never want to buy bad, overpriced beer at Fenway Park. And baseball at Fenway requires beer.
So by the time I drove to Medford, Mass., hooked up with son Zachary, hopped a bus, then the Red Line subway to the Green Line subway, I was glad to get to Bukowski’s (home of the Dead Author’s Club) at 50 Dalton St. in Boston.
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Basically, it’s located in a parking garage overlooking the Massachusetts Turnpike and right underneath the Prudential Tower.
I ordered a Breakfast Stout, an 8.3 percent alcohol Imperial stout brewed with oatmeal, Sumatra and Kona coffee, some chocolates and a good amount of hops.
This was a great beer to start the day — it had a rich flavor of both malt and coffee, and sported a thick and chewy mouthfeel. A day that had begun with errands, a two-hour drive and crowded public transportation immediately got better.
With my portabella sandwich I ordered the Buk pale ale, brewed for Bukowski’s.
The Buk was not on the menu last year when I stopped at Bukowski’s, but this is a delicious pale ale — golden with a tinge of red, wonderfully well carbonated with quite a bit of hops — and went well with the sandwich.
I checked the Beer Advocate website, and it is apparently brewed by Wormtown Brewery in Worcester. I had never heard of them. I’ll have to keep an eye out.
Because there was a rain delay, I broke my rule and drank a Samuel Adams Summer Ale at Fenway, overpriced at $8.50 and only marginally better than the $8 Lite that was the alternative.
After the game, we went to Boston Beer Works where, for some reason, they were celebrating Great Britain.
I had Old Ironsides, a strongly flavored, dark old-style ale with a great flavor.
It was surprisingly warming after all that time in the wind-whipped rain and drizzle of Fenway.
I shared a Bullfinch British Pale Ale after the Ironsides, and while it was creamy, in comparison, it was almost tasteless. I got to sip a Ploughman’s IPA, brewed with elderflower and other herbs.
It was just a bit grassy for me.
Some more public transportation, and I got to play with the grandchildren before they went to bed. Not bad.
THE CURRENT ISSUE of Food & Wine magazine had an article by Megan Krigbaum, “United States of Beer, Bourbon & Beyond,” in which she listed her top potable for each state.
For Maine, she picked Maine Beer Co.’s Peeper Ale. Here is what she had to say:
“This tiny new Portland brewery is entirely wind-powered, gives its spent grain to local farmers for feed and donates part of its profits to saving the planet. No surprise this fresh ale tastes so grassy and green.”
I’ve liked all three of Maine Beer Co.’s offerings: the Peeper, Zoe and Mean Old Tom.
Other nearby favorites were Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale for New Hampshire, Whistlepig Straight Rye whiskey for Vermont, and Pretty Things Jack D’Or for Massachusetts.
SEA DOG BREWING CO., part of the Shipyard family, has announced it will be introducing Sea Dog Blonde Ale this summer.
“Sea Dog Blonde Ale is a bit lighter and lower in alcohol and is what’s known as a session beer,” Bruce Forsley, Shipyard co-owner, said in a press release. “It’s the perfect alternative for the beer lover transitioning into the craft category.”
The company has also announced new packaging for its Bluepaw, Raspberry and Apricot Wheat Ales when they hit the shelves this month. The contemporary look will cover the company’s entire line by the end of the year.
SHIPYARD will be offering another new beer early next month.
Smashed Blueberry will be part of Alan Pugsley’s Signature Series line that includes higher-alcohol, more intense beers.
It’s described as a hybrid between a porter and a Scotch ale with a rich mouthfeel and flavors of coffee and chocolate accentuated by the blueberries.
I will taste the Sea Dog Blonde and Smashed Blueberry for you as soon as I find them.
HELP! I want to do a column on mug clubs and similar promotions. I know of four or five, but I’m sure I don’t know about all of them. So call or email me at the number and/or address below.
Tom Atwell can be contacted at 791-6362 or at
tatwell@pressherald.com
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