White Mountain Brews & News

SUMMER BEER BUSTERS

Palate-Pleasing Refreshment

By Clem McAuliffe

Mister Blue Sky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long, so long. Thank you, ELO, for putting to music my spring sentiment. When the sun finally peeked through, I danced like Baby Groot. The long time New England phrase, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute,” didn’t sound so corny any more. Especially after unpacking from a short day-trip and realized I had used sunblock, bug spray, a raincoat, hat and gloves, long pants and short pants, boots, sandals, t-shirt, and a hoodie. The only thing I didn’t use was my bat utility belt. Must have been a slow crime day.

Well anyway, spring has come and gone, leaving me thirsty for some summer sessions, like the Lemon Blueberry Pale Ale from Woodstock Brewing in Lincoln, NH. This light pale ale has an essence of lemon with the presence of blueberry and at 4% ABV, you’ll be able to sustain your summer sun dress elegance. Keeping with the times, Woodstock is releasing Lost Time, a hazy, Galaxy- and Comet-hopped New England Pale Ale. Orbiting at 6% ABV with only 40 IBUs, I’m sure this outer-worldly brew will replace Tang on future missions into space. Do I see a Space Force sponsorship in the works? Lastly, unlike Pauly Shore, the Raspberry Weasel Wheat will be coming out of retirement after five years. But just like Pauly, you won’t be able to resist this light summer blonde that teases you with pecks of raspberry lip gloss.

With their new brewery up and running, Hobbs has their summer blockbusters all lined up to be put in the can. Lake Life Pale Ale (5.9%) is back and better than ever. Thanks to a favorable hopping of Citra and Simcoe, and layered on a smooth, slightly malty base, Lake Life delivers notes of citrus, candied orange, and a touch of pine. Staying with the classic six-pack of 12-ounce cans, the beer may evolve but the can remains the same. Salinity Now! Raspberry is also back for a limited time. Salinity Now! is their Gose series with rotating fruit. Randy uses puréed raspberries in this sour, salty wheat ale to produce a tart and refreshing beer for the warmer months. Only one batch will be canned, so make sure to catch it when you can.

June also marks the return of a beer that made its debut last summer: Stripes! Stripes is a 4.7% ABV American golden ale brewed with 100% American grain and American hops. Last year’s batch was brewed entirely with grain from Wisconsin, but this year they added some Massachusetts grown grain from Valley Malt in Hadley, MA. This is a light summer crusher designed to be drank anywhere you please this season. They are also excited to debut one of their most popular pub-only beers in cans this summer. Wannabee is a 6.1% blonde ale brewed with wildflower honey and organic lemon juice. Honey is the star in this beer, but the supporting role of the lemon juice gives it a subtle lemony kick that balances the sweetness of the honey. They also lightly hop it, which lends more citrus and notes of tropical fruit. Wannabee always sells out when they brew it for the tavern, so get to the box office early for your six-pack, 12-ounce cans this summer.

Some local A-list actors will be doing summer stock at the Moat Brewery. First, the clean-cut crisp Kearsarge Kolsh will keep you cool without being brash. Next is the only summer release of the Flavah of the Day! IPA. This hazy brew delivers flawless one-liners from the fresh Southern Cross, Green Bullet, and Citra Hops. Coming onto stage in July is the Academy’s favorite (Dustin) Hoffman Weiss. This classic Hefeweizen summer star starts off the show humble with subtle spice then closes on a confident sweet note. Another one-show-only opens in August with the release of Call it a Day! DIPA. This leading brew never phones it in and always performs to the fullest. At 8% ABV, this juicy DIPA will help you escape your worries when you finally call it a day. Arriving right on time is the punctual and professional OPA, Moat’s traditional Oktoberfest. With old-world roots and new-school flair, this performer will lead you into fall like a welcomed walk into the sunset.

The dedicated people at Tuckerman Brewing Co. in North Conway have kept their nose to the grindstone this spring and rebooted their fair-weather friend, Summer Pils. This singlehopped Pilsner brewed with Citra hops is keeping it real at just 4.3% ABV, so go grab a four-pack of these artfully adorned cans by local artist Hanna Lucy at your local retailer, who is also keeping it real ... cold.

You know those three words that mean so much, but don’t fully explain the whole truth? I’m talking about Tuckerman’s Tasting Room. TTR, as I lovingly call it. So much more than its namesake. TTR offers free indoor concerts on Saturdays all summer long, plus a few big outdoor shows and events. Exclusive beers are available at the taproom, such as their fresh New England IPA 50 Cent IPA, and now even cold bottles and cans to go. With choices like their flagship Pale Ale, the Rockpile IPA, Headwall Alt, seasonal brews, stouts and even a Shandy made-to-order, you’re sure to make a love connection before we return in 2+2.

On August 10th, they are excited to welcome back their friends, Rustic Overtones, for a concert in the field. You won’t want to miss out on this day, as their shows have always been rememberable! The final outdoor concert of the summer will be the amazing Maine-based group, The Mallet Brother Band, on August 24th. They play a variety of country rock and roll sounds that will have you foot-stomping and beer-spilling along. For more info—for a full list of events, promos and tastings—check Facebook, Tuckerman Brewing, or on their website.

In a little town called Littleton, the big brew-ha-ha is the Schilling Beer Co. Founded in 2013 in a converted 18th-century Grist Mill on the Ammonoosuc River, Schilling crafts award-winning, progressive European-inspired beers, including wild and mixed culture variations from its oak aging and coolship programs. Hanse, (without Franz) is the unfiltered Keller Pils, which was awarded a Rate Beer Gold Medal as one of the five best Pale Lagers in the world in 2018. Congrats, Jeff!

For IPA lovers, Resilience, Schillings American Ale Project, focuses on expressively hopped ales. Drinking fresh Schilling or Resilience beers paired with local cheeses or their woodfired pizzas on their riverside decks offers an unparalleled beer experience! So, don’t be a flabby couch potato—work out a way to get to Schilling so they can pump... [clap] ... you up, with beer and food.

I would like to give a shout out to Mason at Saco River Brewing—they will be pouring at a number of beer festivals this summer and celebrating their third anniversary with a party on July 20. This great bash will include live music, BBQ food, and a new beer release.

And don’t miss Rek-lis Brewing’s Monday evening mountain bike rides on the new trails of the Bethlehem Trails Association, followed by a Pint & Pizza for just $10! All levels welcome!

Thanks for picking up on the local vibe and I hope you’ve got ants in your pants to go out and taste the local love. I will end this edition’s local review with my favorite customer interaction of the season:

Customer: “Is this beer fresh?” Me: “Why yes, it was canned at 3:30.” Customer: “Oh, great—March 30th was just a couple of weeks ago.” Me: “Ummm no, 3:30 this afternoon.”

Cheers! Clem

BEER WITH A VIEW

I grew up watching Bugs Bunny and reading the backs of cereal boxes at the breakfast table. Jokes, puzzles, and even toys in the box helped get my brain ticking and offered me a prize before I even got out of my Spider-Man pajamas. Now I’m entertained by the sayings, puzzles, and tongue-in-cheek humor of the creative people packaging beer. More than the simple picture puzzles under the caps of Ballentine or Haffenreffer, brewers now incorporate facts, fiction, and everything under the sun to tickle my funny bone or simply make me scratch my head.

The crafty quips are sometimes hard to find, so the next time you are enjoying a cold one, grab your “readers” and take some time to enjoy what the brewers created outside the bottle. You might be surprised at what you find!

Consumption advice: Stoneface Russian Imperial Stout – “Be a good sharer” Rockingham Red Dragon – “The perfect libation when having an old friend for dinner”

Philosophical views: Farnham Northern Summit – “Real eyes realize real lies” Lagunitas SuperCluster – “Lift all the laniakea to your lips. Life is uncertain.”

Meet the team: Dogfish Head 75 minute IPA - Biography of the beer art illustrator on the bottom of the six-pack

Support a charitable cause: Weyerbacher (and more) bottle caps – “Pints for Prostates”

Make a toast: Moat Brown – “Bone Appetit”

Discover art: Collective Arts – Promotes emerging artists and musicians on every can

MATINEE BEERS

As the thermometer slowly creeps up into a happy place, beers with lower ABV are in higher demand. I like to know I can still write clearly after enjoying a few beers sitting on the back deck at lunch time. There are two beer categories that will surely be en vogue this summer.

Session Beers—Lighten up, Francis Sessions are referred to as any style of beer that has low ABV, generally under 5%. My favorite origin suggests that a “session” referred to one of the two allowable drinking periods in England that were imposed on shell production workers during World War 1. Typically, the approved sessions were 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., and apparently continued up until the Liquor Licensing Act 1988 was introduced.

Ideally, workers would find a beer to consume within these restrictive four-hour “sessions” without getting pieeyed, enabling them to return to work or not get thrown in the paddy wagon. Certainly, that loose work environment has changed, but so has the beer. Full-flavored dryhopped session IPAs are great examples. Brimming with aromas of citrus, spice, or even with some fun floral fumes, these brews tell you what you’re in for before you even taste them. From fruited lagers to dry-hopped pilsners the focus of these ABV-aware brews is flavor.

Try local favorites, Tuckerman Summer Pils at 4.3% ABV, or Moat East Intervale IPA at 4.5% ABV.

Sour Beers—Pucker Up, Buttercup Sour beers, on the other hand, don’t have any ABV restrictions, but generally are a little light handed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. There are two basic categories of sours: kettle sours, which are made by adding lactobacillus to the beer before it is boiled; and traditional aged sours, which add the bacteria and Brettanomyces yeast after the boil. The traditional approach can take years to complete, making them more costly as they take up valuable and limited brewery space. Meanwhile, kettle sours take much less time; some just take a few weeks. They are not as complex as the barrel-aged, but they are charismatic. As any style of beer can be soured, you may run across sour pale ales or sour stouts, but these two particular styles are current hits.

Berliner Weiss, as its name suggests, originated in Berlin, Germany (not Berlin, New Hampshire). This beer is typically cloudy with a 3%-5% ABV and includes wheat as an ingredient. It wasn’t intended to be a kettle sour, but some very crafty American brewers have found a way to take it to the kettle and add fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries, and even dry hopping them. If you don’t typically like Sour Patch Kids while attending your favorite movie premiere, this might be too sour for you.

White Birch’s Blueberry Berliner Weisse is a classic go to.

Gose is another German sour style (pronounced GOES-uh). It, too, is named after its town of origin, Goslar, Germany. This recipe calls for more than half of the grain be malted wheat (rather than the typical malted barley). The beer, dating back 500 years, originally had a hint of saltiness, which might have been from mineral mining in the area. When German brewers revisited the style in the 1700s, they added the salt during the brewing process to best capture the original flavors. Although not as popular in Germany now, American craft brewers have brought it back in a big way. They continue to add salt, plus a stage full of extras that give the brewers some room to swing a cat. Crisp and tangy—if you go for the pretzels and Sweet Tarts at the movies, this is the beer for you.

A perfect Gose is Hobb’s Salinity Now! with Raspberry.

CLEM MCAULIFFE, OWNER OF VISTA BEV & MARKET

CLEM MCAULIFFE, OWNER OF VISTA BEV & MARKET, LOVES BEER. Clem loves talking about beer, reading about beer, writing about beer, and of course, drinking beer.

All who enter the store quickly understand the benefit of asking,

“Clem, what am I drinking today?”

(603) 356-5084 Route 16/302, Intervale, NH

IPA AND CORNHOLE ... WHAT COULD BE BETTER! Saco River Brewery in Fryeburg, ME has added yet another reason to visit their brew room this summer... cornhole Mondays! Every Monday at 5:30 p.m. teams of two will be drawn at random to battle towards the double elimination bracket and 50% of total entry fees ($10). No pressure just for fun and laughs!