Try?
Last night I was
reading Andrew Smith's excellent review on pizza and beer and the brewpub he
visited that made both. It got me to thinking about hard-to-find beers and
the small brewpubs and breweries that dot the country, producing wonderful
brews the likes of the ones Andrew described so well. Some of these beers
we’ll never taste, but it’s nice to know that in most parts of the country
there are small brewers who brew their own tantalizing libations for us to
enjoy.
Here in New England one such brewer has emerged to produce beers that are deserving of national acclaim. Their brews are bold and flavorful, rich and rewarding. They aren’t sold in six-packs, but instead are packaged in 750ml wine sized bottles. They are pricey, selling for $5.99 a bottle. That works out to about 24 cents an ounce, or $2.88 for a 12-ounce serving. They’re worth every penny.
The brewer I’m talking about is Cisco Brewers of Nantucket in Massachusetts. They’ve only been around for a few years ago, and when they started out they were so small owner Randy Hudson called the operation a “nano” brewery, feeling the term microbrewery was too large a descriptor. Eventually they purchased a 7-barrel system from Ipswich brewing and “moved up” to micro status.
Captain Swain was a whaler from whom Randy Hudson is descended and a member of one of the first families to settle in Nantucket. Were Captain Swain alive today, I am sure he would be honored. The stout that bears his name is one of the tastiest brews I’ve sampled in quite some time. Loads of roasted malt, Munich malt, and wheat malt are used, and Chinook hops are employed during the brew and later for dry hopping.
Captain Swain’s Extra Stout is bottle-conditioned and as a result a soft pour produces a huge rocky tan head of foam. Indeed, it took three pours to fill my glass, as each pour produced a voluminous column of foam that rose to the top of the glass like lava from a long-dormant volcano. The color is jet-black; the nose is full of rich chocolate. The palate is complex and bursting with flavor: rich, bittersweet chocolate, licorice, espresso, roasted barley, chocolate pudding all come at you at various points. The finish is bitter, mostly from the roasted grain but also from the hops, which also add a slightly piney note. There’s a touch of yeasty fruit there too.
This was delightful with assorted fine chocolates, and would make an excellent dessert beer with any chocolate confection
Here in New England one such brewer has emerged to produce beers that are deserving of national acclaim. Their brews are bold and flavorful, rich and rewarding. They aren’t sold in six-packs, but instead are packaged in 750ml wine sized bottles. They are pricey, selling for $5.99 a bottle. That works out to about 24 cents an ounce, or $2.88 for a 12-ounce serving. They’re worth every penny.
The brewer I’m talking about is Cisco Brewers of Nantucket in Massachusetts. They’ve only been around for a few years ago, and when they started out they were so small owner Randy Hudson called the operation a “nano” brewery, feeling the term microbrewery was too large a descriptor. Eventually they purchased a 7-barrel system from Ipswich brewing and “moved up” to micro status.
Captain Swain was a whaler from whom Randy Hudson is descended and a member of one of the first families to settle in Nantucket. Were Captain Swain alive today, I am sure he would be honored. The stout that bears his name is one of the tastiest brews I’ve sampled in quite some time. Loads of roasted malt, Munich malt, and wheat malt are used, and Chinook hops are employed during the brew and later for dry hopping.
Captain Swain’s Extra Stout is bottle-conditioned and as a result a soft pour produces a huge rocky tan head of foam. Indeed, it took three pours to fill my glass, as each pour produced a voluminous column of foam that rose to the top of the glass like lava from a long-dormant volcano. The color is jet-black; the nose is full of rich chocolate. The palate is complex and bursting with flavor: rich, bittersweet chocolate, licorice, espresso, roasted barley, chocolate pudding all come at you at various points. The finish is bitter, mostly from the roasted grain but also from the hops, which also add a slightly piney note. There’s a touch of yeasty fruit there too.
This was delightful with assorted fine chocolates, and would make an excellent dessert beer with any chocolate confection
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
